Zombie and post-apocalyptic storylines are nothing new to video gaming, but they’ve never looked better than they have on the latest PlayStation consoles. With the great performance that these platforms offer and astounding refresh rates, you sometimes feel like you are coming face to face with the undead creatures in real life.
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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.
While some zombie games are downright terrifying, others take zombies in a comical and sometimes even funny direction. Other PS4 and PS5 zombie games might not be the best-looking games you’ve ever played, but they introduce zombies to novel genres like games based on road trips. If you’re interested in playing the best zombie games on PS4 and PS5, look no further.
Updated November 15, 2024 By Ben Jessey: We might be past the Halloween season, but zombies bring joy all year, at least when they feature in video games. This is a list of the best PS4 and PS5 games to include the undead creatures. We’ve updated it to add a few more to the collection.
28
Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare
The Plants vs. Zombies series provides some of the least scary versions of undead monsters in gaming. That is by design, as the series is supposed to be lighthearted and fun. The series doesn’t get much more fun than it is in the first Garden Warfare title.
The game is a multiplayer team-based third-person shooter where one team plays as plants while the other are zombies. As this is a video game, the plants are different from real-life ones. You aren’t just planted in the ground, after all. Each type of plant can walk around and has unique abilities that are capable of taking out zombies. Yet, there are different versions of the undead monsters, too, that can give the plants an even fight.
27
Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster
While it has the word ‘remaster’ in its name, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is more of a remake. The developers have taken the original 2006 game and given it a full makeover. Not only does it look much better, but it plays better, too. Also, it keeps much of the magic from the original game, which was one of the best zombie titles ever.
If you’re not familiar with it, the title is a third-person action-adventure game where you play as a photojournalist who gets caught in the middle of a zombie outbreak. As a result, you have to wade through giant hordes of rotting creatures using a variety of interesting weapons.
26
The Evil Within
The Evil Within is a third-person horror game that starts off simply enough: Detective Sergeant Sebastian Castellanos and his allies investigate a mass murder. Then, some weird things happen, and the Detective suddenly has to deal with plenty of monsters.
Some of the beasts are humans who have been turned into walking corpses. Their flesh looks rotten, and they’re covered in blood. The game may call them Haunted instead of zombies, but they’re essentially the same thing. Throughout the game, you will be encouraged to kill a lot of them.
25
The Last Stand: Aftermath
There aren’t many zombies quite like The Last Stand: Aftermath. It’s an action-adventure rogue-lite game where you pick a survivor and are placed in a post-apocalyptic world. That part may not sound too original, but what is unique is that the survivor you choose is guaranteed to die. This is because they’re infected, so they will eventually succumb to the virus if they’re not killed by zombies first.
When they die, you pick things up as a new survivor with all the perks and upgrades you earned as the last character – this is the rogue-lite aspect of the game. If you want the virus to take you out instead of becoming a zombie snack, then you must either battle the hordes with a mix of melee weapons and firearms or try to use some stealth.
24
Strange Brigade
There is a reason why Strange Brigade has ‘strange’ in its title. This is a very zany third-person shooter. You control a member of the titular team who is known for taking on supernatural threats. In this case, the threat is a bunch of undead people and mythical creatures. So, along with zombies, you also fight mummies, scorpions, and more.
You do so mainly using guns and grenades. Each playable character also has special abilities to make them unique. Yet, their distinct looks and personalities already help make them feel different from one another. Overall, it’s a comical and exciting cooperative game.
23
Dying Light 2
In Dying Light 2, a zombie apocalypse doesn’t just break out. It has already been going on for a while once the game begins. In fact, the protagonist, Aiden, has spent most of his life amid a zombie outbreak. When he was young, he and his sister were experimented on by a doctor, who Aiden now wants to find. This takes him to the city of Villedor, which serves as your open world.
It contains plenty of survivors living in little settlements, but they’re outnumbered by the seemingly countless amounts of zombies roaming the streets. While exploring and completing quests, you’re encouraged to avoid these beasts using your excellent parkour skills. You do have to fight either infected creatures or antagonistic people on some occasions, though. In these moments, you can use arrows, melee weapons, or even your own parkour abilities to take them out.
22
Signalis
Signalis is very clearly inspired by the early Resident Evil games. You have a limited inventory to manage, safe rooms to visit, and puzzles to solve. Even the camera angle is similar to the early RE instalments, as the game uses a top-down 2.5D perspective, but the angle isn’t fixed in this one.
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Despite its similarities to Resident Evil, Signalis still remains its own game. It’s a sci-fi horror title that puts you in control of a biomechanical humanoid known as Elster. As her, you roam around a facility that contains plenty of your corrupted brethren. While they’re not technically zombies, most of them seem like it, due to their degraded flesh and general bloodthirsty attitude. So, when you’re fighting them, the game certainly feels like a zombie title.
21
Killing Floor 2
Killing Floor 2 is an FPS title featuring zombie-like creatures called Zeds. There are the regular ones that hobble over to you, as well as several special types that you must contend with. They charge at you in great hordes and do so fairly quickly, as these aren’t the slow types of zombies.
The goal of the game isn’t just to survive their attacks; you must eliminate them all. This is because Killing Floor 2 is a title all about wiping out waves of monsters. So, this is a more action-orientated type of zombie game than a scary one.
20
World War Z
It may be loosely based on the novel of the same name, but you don’t need to be knowledgeable about the World War Z universe to enjoy this action-packed game. It’s a very fun squad-based third-person shooter—or at least it was a third-person shooter at launch. However, the updated version, Aftermath, allows you to play in third or first person, which is always a welcome feature.
Regardless of what perspective you opt for, you will be wading through giant hordes of the undead with a range of weapons. And the words ‘giant hordes’ aren’t used lightly. These fast-moving beasts all clump together in a giant pile as they desperately try to reach you. It’s a visual spectacle.
19
Zombie Army 4: Dead War
The Zombie Army series is a spin-off of Sniper Elite. So, Dead War contains some elements from those excellent sniping games. For example, there is a focus on long-range weaponry, and some of your kills result in a slow-motion replay that shows exactly what part of the body your bullet hit in classic Sniper Elite fashion.
Therefore, this title feels a bit different from traditional zombie squad-based shooters. The story certainly feels different from pretty much everything because it’s a wild, over-the-top tale about Nazis returning from Hell in zombie form. It’s absurd and enjoyable.
18
Stubbs The Zombie In Rebel Without A Pulse
Most zombie games have you play as a survivor, taking on the undead horde. Things are switched around for Stubbs The Zombie In Rebel Without A Pulse, though.
You control the zombie, and your goal is to infect the populace of a brand-new city. So, you wander around and turn people into zombies to build up your forces. This uniqueness makes up for some clunky controls and level design. Plus, the game is quite silly and humorous.
17
Dysmantle
Not all post-apocalyptic worlds have to be dark and dreary. For instance, Dysmantle contains a fairly bright and eye-catching world. However, it’s still filled with zombies looking to munch on you. You’re encouraged to explore the place, gather resources, and, most importantly, stay alive. This game feels like a traditional survival game mixed with a survival horror title.
If you’re wondering why it’s called Dysmantle, it’s because the key to survival is to create and upgrade your equipment and to do that, you must break things. The game gives you a lot of leeway when it comes to destroying things, and it’s very enjoyable to do so.
16
Back 4 Blood
Back 4 Blood is very reminiscent of the Left 4 Dead games. The premise is that a group of survivors has to use an arsenal of weapons to fight their way through hordes of zombies to reach the next safe house. So, the concept is basically the exact same as the one in the Left 4 Dead series.
Yet, it’s still a premise that works well, and it’s a great game for anyone who wants to do some zombie killing. Watch out, though, as it isn’t just regular infected you’re up against. There are also a slew of special ones that have unique powers and are generally more difficult to take down.
15
7 Days To Die
7 Days To Die is a sandbox game that allows you to freely build shelters and craft tools with the supplies you find. There are also survival mechanics, as you have to keep your character going in what is a harsh world.
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The reason it’s so harsh is because it’s filled with zombies. All the building and crafting is to keep you alive and stop the beasts from taking you out. This isn’t so difficult at the start, but the hordes get bigger and more dangerous as the days go by. By the seventh day, you’re in serious trouble.
14
Resident Evil HD Remaster
Resident Evil is one of the first series that comes to mind when thinking about zombies. In fact, that first meeting with a zombie where it slowly turns its head is iconic. That is only one of many zombies you meet in the game, as you’re trapped in a large mansion with all sorts of monsters trying to get their hands on you.
Your chosen character needs to solve a litany of puzzles, beat bosses, and survive the zombies to get out of the house safely. That is easier said than done in this legendary survival horror game.
13
Days Gone
Open-World
Action
Adventure
- Released
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April 26, 2019
- Developer(s)
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Bend Studio
- Engine
-
Unreal Engine 4
- ESRB
-
M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
Days Gone is an action-adventure title taking place in a post-apocalyptic version of Oregon. You play as a biker named Deacon St. John, who is on the search for his wife. He used to think she was dead, but a new piece of information suggests she might still be alive, so he’s determined to find her.
This means roaming the open world, which is filled with countless zombie-like creatures. Thankfully, you have a motorbike, meaning you have a good way to get around. And when things do get violent, you have firearms to gun the creatures down.
12
Dead Island 2
The first Dead Island wasn’t very well received by players or critics. Yet, the response to the sequel is much better.
It’s a first-person open-world game set in Los Angeles. Yet, L.A. looks a bit different because the place is filled with zombies due to a recent outbreak. These creatures make roaming the world pretty difficult. Thankfully, there are all sorts of weapons and abilities you can use to get past or go through them.
11
The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead is a different kind of zombie experience. It’s more of a narrative adventure than a horror game, which means gameplay consists of interacting with things, participating in QTEs, and making choices.
Some of the decisions you have to make are really important as they impact the overall story and how certain scenes play out. In fact, these choices can affect who lives or dies, so there are some tough ones. The tale you’re altering is about a little girl called Clementine, who is stuck in a zombie apocalypse. When you meet her, she’s just a scared child, but she grows a lot over the seasons.
10
The Last Of Us: Part 1
The Last of Us Part I (2022)
- Released
-
September 2, 2022
- Publisher(s)
-
Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Engine
-
naughty dog
- ESRB
-
M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
The original 2013 release of The Last of Us is still enjoyable and visually impressive, but the remake of the game for the PlayStation 5 is astounding.
The Last of Us is about Joel, the survivor of a zombie apocalypse, who is escorting Ellie, a young girl who is immune to an infection that turns people into zombies. While not technically zombies, the game’s ‘infected’ have been mutated by the fictional Cordyceps Brain Infection. The PS5 remake offers a painstakingly detailed world, fluid animation, sharp controls, and various options that were missing from the original version.
9
Resident Evil 2
First launched in the late 90s for PS1, Resident Evil 2 was remade in 2019 for the PlayStation 4. The remake keeps all the creepy atmosphere of the original but expands on it with improved graphics and more areas to explore.
You choose to play as Leon Kennedy or Claire Redfield, then set about trying to escape Raccoon City after its citizens turn into zombies due to a biological weapon created by the Umbrella Corporation. Most of the narrative sees you wandering around an abandoned police station filled with zombies. Following a few missteps in the Resident Evil series, this game returned to what made the series great.