Best Zombie Games
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Zombies being in video games is almost as old as the gaming industry itself, and here we look at the best games with the living dead in them.
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Call them what you will, Infected, Walkers, The Undead, zombies are an iconic monster that has shuffled their way into our hearts with how much they’ve bled their way back into video games, movies, and pop culture in general over the years.
There are a plethora of great games from studios that are triple-A, indie, and everything in-between, with each producing their own take on the classic decaying rotting tide. Some takes are better than others, with a handful even redefining the “zombie survival” genre completely and although there is a little bit of over saturation with how many of these games have been churned out over the years, there are still quite a few worth checking out. Here are the best zombie games that have come out so far.
Updated On February 8th, 2022, by Matthew Mckeown: Just like the undead hordes that they portray, Zombie games keep on shuffling out of development and onto our screens. The recent launch of Dying Light 2 shows it’s a genre that never dies and is always enjoyable in the right setting.
There’s constantly some new undead title shambling towards full release from Early Access or lying buried under the radar from common knowledge. So to perform a Public Service, here’s a selection of the latest and best Zombie games.
18 Dying Light 2
After six years in development, Techland came roaring back to our screens with another installment to their hugely popular Dying Light. Similar to its predecessor, there’s Parkour aplenty in the zombie-infested city of Harran. Now 20 years later, you’re tasked with getting the city back on its feet and solving the power struggle between warring factions surviving in this now ruin-filled wasteland.
Bringing a map that’s significantly bigger than the original, Dying Light 2 has some absolutely massive areas to explore. There are towering skyscrapers to climb, Parkour puzzles to solve, Zombies to slice, and new dizzying heights to reach thanks to the introduction of some slick new traversal tech like the Glider. Combat is still a little clunky and there are some pacing issues in the story, but the Parkour and Zombie variety, especially at night is a huge improvement over the original. If you enjoyed Dying Light and wanted more space to sprint over the undead then the sequel is worth checking out.
17 The Last Stand: Aftermath
Developed by Con Artist Games, The Last Stand: Aftermath is a significant upgrade to those that have played their previous installment Last Stand: Union City. Whilst the previous game was Zombie wave defense, this time instead of fending off the undead hordes in a bunker you’re out exploring the ravaged post-apocalyptic world.
This surprisingly in-depth single-player roguelike game tasks you with finding resources and helping others in a massive and constantly changing corpse-filled playground. Gameplay is tough but fair, and you can even the odds by unlocking special skills, crafting powerful gear, and making sure you have the best equipment when you set out. It’s a gorgeously designed isometric Zombie game that’s tense and suitably challenging.
16 Look Alive
Though not technically out yet, Look Alive is set to release this year and it’s one that’s worth making a note of when it does. Similar to The Last Stand: Aftermath but with a cutesy, cartoon approach, Look Alive comes from developers Wabby’s Land and this open-world survival game looks to be filled with all sorts of undead carnage.
Featuring huge maps littered with loot and vehicles to mow down the undead, Look Alive tasks you with surviving the Zombie Apocalypse in any way you can. This is managed by scavenging materials and resources from abandoned houses, burnt-out buildings, and whatever’s left behind. All the while fending off Zombies on a persistent world map that features a day-night cycle, other survivor camps to aid, and bosses to fight.
15 Swarm The City: Zombie Evolved
Plenty of games let you fight the uncountable undead hordes, but not many let you play as them. That’s where Swarm The City: Zombie Evolved shambles in as this real-time strategy game has you dominating the globe as the powerful King Zombie, controlling vast waves of groaning monstrosities as they tear apart the strongest human defenses. Think of it like They Are Billions, but reversed.
As you make your way across the world from city to city in a globe-trotting mission system you’ll unlock upgrades and powers for your minions and yourself that let you use all sorts of powerful abilities to plow through everything in your way. Though the game is still in Early Access, it’s got some great ideas and with time and a little polish, it looks to be a pretty solid Zombie RTS.
14 Undying
Undying is worth mentioning because whilst it’s in Early Access, it’s got a lot more going on than just being another game with Zombies in it. Undying’s core focus is on a relationship between a Mother and Son in what’s possibly the most hellish situation anyone can find themselves in. Developed by Vanimals, Undying puts you in the role of Angling, a single mother trying to keep her son Cody alive through the Zombie Apocalypse. But there’s a catch, she’s been bitten by the undead and it’s only a matter of time until she turns.
This inspiring roguelike is part open-world survival meets escort quest as your son’s survival depends on how good a parent you are. Cody can learn from your actions, so you’re encouraged to craft, cook and fight in front of him to teach him how to survive. What follows is a tough and emotional Survival game, where the more you get attached to your young ward, the harder it becomes to accept the inevitable. It’s a heart-breaking and challenging game that is sure to make a big splash when it’s fully released. If you like Zombie games with a good story, Undying is highly recommended.
13 Propagation VR
You’ll never come up short when it comes to finding VR zombie games to play as there’s an endless list of them and they range from absolutely awful to incredibly awesome. One particular indie title that’s been getting a lot of praise lately is Propagation VR. This static wave shooter is filled with nightmare fuel and endless tides of zombies, mutants, and gigantic spiders that are prowling around an abandoned subway station you’ve been instructed to guard.
It’s a cathartic meat grinder that’s fun to kill time with and the hand-fed reloading of the weapons keeps the pressure at a constant high. Plus there’s a scoreboard to showcase your skills as the ultimate survivor if you plan on taking turns with your friends. It’s also free to play in singleplayer, but for co-op, you’re going to need to pay a small fee. It’s an odd choice, but considering it’s f2p they’ve got to support the game somehow.
12 Surv1v3
Another surprisingly spectacular VR zombie shooter survival game, Surv1v3 is a four-player fright fest from Candymakers that‘s perfect for testing your team working skills or just messing about with your mates.
There are three main game modes to choose from. There’s the story, Trials which is a classic horde mode split across a bunch of different maps, and a survival mode that features exploration, leveling, and crafting. With some absolutely massive playgrounds to explore and an interesting story to keep you hooked all the way through to the end, Surv1v3 has a lot going for it right out of the gate.
11 Left 4 Dead 2
Its predecessor showed just how fun co-op survival against unending hordes could be, and it was only improved in the sequel. Developed and released by Valve, Left 4 Dead 2 is considered one of the best if not an iconic classic when it comes to games that pit you against waves of drooling, moaning zombies.
If you’ve somehow managed to miss this one, Left 4 Dead 2 involves you and three friends (or bots) going through a series of campaign missions across infected-filled locales in the US. With a large arsenal of firepower including melee weapons at your disposal and a nightmarish bestiary of ‘Special Infected’ to face off against, Left4Dead 2 is a game everyone needs to play at least once.
10 Back 4 Blood
Until Left 4 Dead 3 comes out, fans of the iconic zombie shooter series can get their fix of undead slaying with the brilliant four-player co-op, Back 4 Blood, by Turtle Rock Studios. This team is famous for working on the Left 4 Dead series and their inspirations from it certainly shows.
Fans of Valve’s hit franchise will feel right at home here as this horde shooter features massive waves of screeching infected, deadly special mutants to fight, a fun and anarchic story and cast, as well as a game modifying card system. It’s a solid multiplayer experience that will keep you playing for hours. Back 4 Blood taps into that L4D nostalgia hard, and its crossplay between PC and console players ensures a thriving player base with plenty of matches to play blowing apart the shambling zombie hordes.
9 Dying Light
If ever there was one game that took the zombie survival concept and turned it on its head, it would be Dying Light. Not only did it bring a whole new range of verticality to gameplay through its Mirrors Edge-Esque freerunning mechanics, but it also stopped you from feeling overpowered with your mobility by giving the infected some of their own athletic boys as well that could easily chase you down.
Developed by Techland, this first-person RPG dumps you in the infected infested city of Harran, a town under permanent lockdown that hides a dark secret about the mysterious plague. With two massive maps, tons of quests, intense night mode chases from hulking monsters, and a multiplayer co-op mode, Dying Light is an action-packed open-world game that contains hours of great undead content to chew through.
8 State Of Decay 2
Despite how it seemed to fly under everyone’s radar, State of Decay 2 is arguably a sleeper hit. Despite its rocky start and initial mixed to underwhelming reception, Undead Labs have put a lot of work into the game since its 2018 release. After a recent update to its graphics and some mechanics, the State of Decay game that’s out now is the best it has ever been.
This open-world zombie survival video game is less about you following your own specially crafted story through the apocalypse, but more about how well you can hold a rag-tag community of goofballs together. With an intense but rewarding gameplay loop that involves establishing and upgrading a base, micro-managing your communities needs and equipment, rescuing other survivors, and clearing out a number of Zombies and special infected across a massive map, there’s a lot to keep you occupied in State of Decay 2. At least that is until the third game comes out.
7 Days Gone
Developed by Bend Studio, Days Gone decided to combine two concepts never really considered before: zombies and bikers. Set in the dense pines of Oregon two years after the start of a pandemic that reverted a substantial amount of the population into violent cannibalistic zombies known as Freakers, you played Deacon St. John an outlaw with a heart of gold that’s looking for his wife.
What makes it stand out from the others though is the high dependence on keeping your motorcycle in top condition as it is both inventory and mode of transport. Plus, there are some absolutely gigantic hordes of undead you can face off against. Instead of shambling slowly towards you, Freakers sprint over everything and everyone in front of them just for the chance to devour you. This results in an unending tide that seems to come at you with a singular purpose, it’s utterly terrifying to behold and incredibly tough to fight with your only option in most cases being to run away. So if you want a challenging zombie game then Days Gone is worth a look.
6 They Are Billions
There are three words you would never think would work together: steampunk, zombie, and RTS. But somehow They Are Billions by Numantian Games has carved out its own hugely successful and popular niche in the genre with just that.
Set in a post-apocalyptic future where mankind survives in fortified colonies from the wandering hordes of undead, We Are Billions has earned its place on this list for the fact that it lets you face off against literal billions of zombies on the screen at the same time. So many in fact that there are numerous videos in the community of people stress testing their computers with how many they can get on the screen at the same time before it crashes. With a steep difficulty curve and intense isometric Hero missions, They Are Billions is guaranteed to scratch that Zombie RTS itch.
5 Day Z
Day Z is very much the Marmite of the zombie genre: some love it and others hate it. But still, despite this, Day Z for many was their first experience with a survival game set in an undead filled post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Originally based on a mod created through the Arma 2 engine, Day Z went through development hell and stalled out in Alpha for years before finally launching as its own thing on PC and consoles in 2013. Despite its rough edges, Day Z’s community servers are still packed to the brim to this day with all sorts of people looking to roleplay or survive in the harsh landscape that’s spread out across its massive maps. With plenty of room left to grow, Day Z is a tough but enjoyable Zombie game that can suck you in for hours.
4 Dead Frontier 2
The hotly anticipated sequel to the popular free-to-play MMO zombie survival browser game, Dead Frontier 2 took the brutal unforgiving gameplay of its predecessor and cranked it up to 11. Now set in a third-person perspective, it keeps the horror nice and claustrophobic as you try to survive for as long as you can in an undead-filled nightmare world.
Fight, loot, trade, survive the game tells you, and rightfully so as your ability to stay alive counts on how well you work with others as you explore the hostile decaying ruins humanity has left behind. It’s completely free to play, comes with a surprisingly large amount of customization, and there’s even a player-driven economy running behind the scenes.
3 World War Z
Similar to the movie adaptation, World War Z is tied to the book in name only, featuring a a selection of stories following different characters around the world and how they’re surviving in the zombie apocalypse.
Another surprising sleeper hit, World War Z took the fast-flowing and overwhelming numbers of infected seen in its big-screen counterpart but packaged it in a Left 4 Dead co-op style campaign that’s incredibly satisfying and quite the challenge. With a large amount of customization available for characters, weapons, and stats to tweak to keep your chosen survivor alive across five different locations, World War Z is still regularly updated and it’s worth giving more than just a passing glance.
2 Project Zomboid
Although it’s still in Alpha, Project Zomboid has a lot of potential. Developed by The Indie Stone, this surprisingly tough isometric Zombie survival game is less about carving your way through shuffling cannibalistic hordes, but more focused on your ability to work with others, secure supplies, and generally roleplay your way out of any scenario.
Despite its appearance, it allows for a lot of creativity and fun moments to be made organically by players as they help or hinder each other. With no real end goal other than seeing how long you can survive, Project Zomboid is great for dipping into with friends that enjoy messing around in RP or those that want to really test their teamwork skills.
1 Dead Rising
A homage to Dawn of The Dead, this survival horror RPG from Capcom was the talk of the town back in 2006 as it brought cathartic zombie slaying gameplay to an entire generation of console players that have since put it on a pedestal it rightly deserves (its sequels not so much).
Starring the now-iconic Frank “He’s Covered Wars You Know” West, Dead Rising followed this jack of all trades Investigative Journalist as he uncovers a mysterious zombie plague outbreak in a small mid-western town. Set inside a gigantic shopping mall, it’s an oddball of community management, Saturday morning cartoon-style villains, and an absolutely massive amount of customization and weaponry to play around with. Its subsequent sequels have only further expanded on these mechanics, but the original will always be a classic.
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