How The World Ends Live board →

Every way the world could end

All 32 scenarios we track, from the frighteningly plausible to the purely cinematic. Each one has an explainer covering the science, the current evidence, and what would change its score.

The percentages here are the evidence baselines as of October 13, 2026. For numbers that move in real time with prediction markets, news attention and physical sensors, see the live board.

  1. 01Nuclear WarThe classic. Never goes out of style.Human-made34%
  2. 02World War IIISequels are rarely better than the original.Human-made32%
  3. 03Rogue SuperintelligenceWe asked it to fix the bugs. It considers us the bug.Technology27%
  4. 04Climate CatastropheSlow, then all at once. Bring sunscreen.Earth systems26%
  5. 05Global Economic MeltdownNot the end of the world. Just the end of your 401(k).Human-made24%
  6. 06Global FamineThe Hunger Games, minus the archery.Earth systems19%
  7. 07Global PandemicYou remember 2020. It remembers you.Biological16%
  8. 08Cyber Apocalypse / Grid DownHave you tried turning civilization off and on again?Technology15%
  9. 09Societal CollapseMad Max, but the gas is $9 a gallon first.Human-made11%
  10. 10Engineered BioweaponSomeone, somewhere, made it 'just to study it'.Biological8%
  11. 11Ecological CollapseFirst the bees go. Then the almonds. Then us.Earth systems8%
  12. 12The Day After TomorrowAtlantic current shuts off. Europe becomes a freezer aisle.Earth systems3%
  13. 13Solar SuperstormThe Sun sneezes. Every power grid catches a cold.Space3%
  14. 14Children of MenHumanity simply… stops making more humans.Biological2%
  15. 15Robot UprisingYour Roomba has been taking notes.Technology1.5%
  16. 16Asteroid StrikeWorked great on the dinosaurs.Space0.80%
  17. 17SupervolcanoYellowstone's geysers are a very elaborate countdown.Earth systems0.70%
  18. 18Mirror LifeBackwards bacteria that nothing on Earth can eat. Cool, cool.Biological0.50%
  19. 19The RapturePrediction markets are pricing it in. We have questions.Cosmic & speculative0.30%
  20. 20Magnetic Pole FlipCompasses confused. Birds furious. Humans mostly fine.Earth systems0.20%
  21. 21Gray GooSelf‑replicating nanobots eat the planet. Very tidy.Technology0.20%
  22. 22Alien InvasionIndependence Day, but they have better lawyers.Cosmic & speculative0.10%
  23. 23Simulation ShutdownThe devs lose funding. Servers go dark.Cosmic & speculative0.10%
  24. 24Zombie ApocalypseAttention spikes every October. Undead, still zero.Biological0.05%
  25. 25Gamma‑Ray BurstA dying star a few thousand light-years away ruins our ozone.Space0.01%
  26. 26False Vacuum DecayPhysics itself unravels at light speed. You won't feel a thing.Cosmic & speculative<0.01%
  27. 27Rogue Planet CollisionMelancholia, but with less Kirsten Dunst.Space0%
  28. 28Collider Black HoleCERN swears it's fine.Technology0%
  29. 29Kaiju AttackGodzilla has a mortgage now. He's settled down.Cosmic & speculative0%
  30. 30Planet of the ApesThey're doing fine. They're not interested.Biological0%
  31. 31MoonfallThe Moon is drifting away, about 3.8 cm a year. Wrong direction.Space0%
  32. 32The Sun Goes Red GiantGuaranteed. Just not for about 5 billion years.Space0%