Whether you’re craving more dystopian settings, strong protagonists, and intense survival challenges, we’ve got you covered when it comes to books like The Hunger Games.
Katniss Everdeen’s journey from a quiet girl in District 12 to the symbol of a revolution captivated millions, sparking a global phenomenon that left readers and moviegoers alike hungry for more.
And guess what? The odds are definitely in our favor because a brand-new Hunger Games book and movie are set to ignite our screens and bookshelves in 2025!
As we eagerly await this next chapter in Suzanne Collins’ dystopian universe, it’s the perfect time to dive into other books like The Hunger Games that echo the same intense, adrenaline-fueled spirit.
Explore these thrilling adventures that will keep your heart racing until Panem returns.
Books Like The Hunger Games
1. Divergent by Veronica Roth
Set in a dystopian Chicago, society in the Divergent universe is divided into five factions – Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite – each dedicated to a particular virtue.
Sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose between staying with her family or being true to herself.
The problem is – what makes you different in this world also makes you dangerous.
2. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Thomas wakes up outside a mysterious and ever-changing maze with no memory of his past, joining a large group of boys in the same position.
The maze is the only way out, but no one’s ever made it through alive. Then a girl arrives – the first girl ever.
3. The Giver by Louis Lowry
In a seemingly perfect society, 12-year-old Jonas is selected to inherit the position of Receiver of Memory, learning the dark secrets behind his community’s facade of order and sameness.
Eventually, Jonas learns that power lies in feelings.
4. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Set in a future where humanity is engaged in a desperate war against an alien race, Ender’s Game follows Andrew “Ender” Wiggin, a young boy who is recruited into a rigorous military program.
Ender’s exceptional strategic mind and unique abilities set him apart as he navigates the intense challenges and moral dilemmas of Battle School.
As Ender rises through the ranks, he faces increasingly complex simulations and real battles, culminating in a shocking and thought-provoking climax that challenges the ethics of war and leadership.
5. Legend by Marie Lu
In a future America, the western United States is in a constant state of ware.
Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, 15-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, 15-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal.
From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths – until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death.
But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.
6. Scythe by Neal Schusterman
A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery: Humanity has conquered all those things and has even conquered death.
Now Scythes are the only ones who can end life – and they are commanded to do so in order to keep the size of the population under control.
Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe – a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.
7. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the OASIS, a vast virtual world where most of humanity spends their days.
When the eccentric creator of the OASIS dies, he leaves behind a series of fiendish puzzles, based on his obsession with the pop culture of decades past. Whoever is first to solve them will inherit his vast fortune—and control of the OASIS itself.
Then Wade cracks the first clue. Suddenly he’s beset by rivals who’ll kill to take this prize. The race is on—and the only way to survive is to win.
8. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
In The Darkest Minds, a mysterious disease kills most of America’s children, leaving the survivors with strange and powerful abilities.
Ruby Daly, one of these survivors, is sent to a government rehabilitation camp where children are classified by their danger level.
Escaping the camp, Ruby joins a group of runaways searching for a safe haven while being hunted by government.
9. The City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau
The city of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. Two hundred years later, the great lamps that light the city are beginning to dim.
When Lina finds part of an ancient message, she’s sure it holds a secret that will save the city. Now, she and her friend Doon must race to figure out the clues to keep the lights on. If they succeed, they will have to convince everyone to follow them into danger.
But if they fail? The lights will burn out and the darkness will close in forever.
10. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
In a world where society is divided by blood – those with common, red blood serve the Silver-blooded elite, who possess superhuman abilities.
Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own.
To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard—a growing Red rebellion—even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction.
11. The Selection by Kiera Cass
For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape a rigid caste system, live in a palace, and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon. But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her, and competing for a crown she doesn’t want.
Then America meets Prince Maxon—and realizes that the life she’s always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.
12. Matched by Ally Condie
In a society where the government controls everything, including who you marry, Cassia is perfectly matched with her best friend. But when she sees another face on her match screen, she begins to question the world she lives in.
The Society tells her it’s a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she’s destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can’t stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society’s infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.
