Key Takeaways
- Left 4 Dead 2 is a classic always worth visiting.
- There’s always a great indie zombie game to find.
- Back 4 Blood didn’t live up to expectations.
Call them what you will, Infected, Walkers, The Undead, zombies are iconic monsters that 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.
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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 November 19, 2024 By Matthew Mckeown: A genre that, like the Zombies themselves, just refuses to die. From first person shooters, to survival horrors, management and more, there’s so many great games out there involving Zombies that it can be tricky to keep track of them.
Because it’s so easy to just slap the Undead onto something and ship it out, the market has become completely oversaturated with these kinds of games. There’s something to suit every taste, so to help you thin out the hordes here’s an updated look at our helpful list of the best Zombie games out now.
Graveyard Gunslingers
Whacking Wraiths In The Wild West
Strap on a bandolier and grab your six-shooter, the dead are crawling out of their graves and it’s up to you to save the Wild West from their grasp. Graveyard Gunslingers from Pyro Physics is a simple top-down wave shooter with some interesting survival mechanics.
During the day you have to explore, scrounge for items and resources, then as night falls things become much more hostile. The dead emerge in vast waves and they’re after one thing, your tasty organs. Hold off the horde and make it to another day to unlock special skills and use them to give yourself an edge over these shambling monsters.
Each level is procedural, so if you have a bad run just reset and try again.
Temporal Purge: Z
Taking Out Timetravelling Undead Terrors
An Early Access inter-dimensional Zombie shooter from Exec Games, Temporal Purge: Z is a tight, simple and action-packed indie horror game. The future is at risk from the dead and it’s up to you to time travel to different locales and send those rotting rioters back to the graves.
It’s rocking some classic Call Of Duty: Zombie vibes and with a large array of colorful period, modern and futuristic weaponry at your disposal those shambling hordes won’t stand a chance. A game that’s relatively new on the scene but is bursting with potential, Temporal Purge: Z is worth trying out or at least sticking on your wishlist.
Zompizza: The Last Delivery
Saving Humanity With A Hot Slice
The world may be over, but there’s one Pizza Delivery Company that won’t be put out of business in Zompizza: The Last Delivery from Studio Gimbap. This cute and chaotic top-down driving survival game mixes cathartically cruising through crowds of crumbling corpses and restaurant management seamlessly.
The goal, to deliver a satisfying and piping hot slice to whoever in the neighborhood needs it. However, the hordes of Zombies in the way say otherwise. So it’s up to you to grab a car, upgrade it with brutal modifications and then pave a path through all those bodies. Simple, easy to get going and satisfying to play, Zompizza is an indie horror game that needs to be on your radar.
Endo Parasitic 2
A One-Armed Mans Worst Nightmare
After waking up on the floor with no legs, a missing arm and a parasite in your spine, Endo Parasitic 2 from Deep Root Interactive is a strange indie game that happily chucks you in the deep end from the jump. The premise is simple, you’re stuck in a lab that’s overrun with zombies, monsters and worse, and you need to get out. Simple right?
Wrong. You’ve only got one arm and everything in the game, including weapons, switches and more, need to be manually interacted with. What follows is a chaotic and fun mix of balancing your one good arm with what task in the moment is the most important. Dragging yourself across the floor to leave, or trying to fight. Very weird but very fun, Endo Parasitic is worth picking up.
Endo Parasitic 2 is a follow up the original game with a similar premise if you’re looking for more one-armed floor-dragging activities.
Dread Dawn
Surviving Highschool, But Not How You Think
A zombie game from Kioop that needs a lot more awareness, Dread Dawn is a fantastic open-world zombie survival game that absolutely nails the scope and size of undead hordes. You play as a student that’s been left behind in a city that’s literally heaving at the brim with Zombies, and it’s up to you to rally other survivors, defend your school and wait for rescue.
But that’s easier said than done as the hordes are hyper reactive, absolutely massive and there’s so much that can go wrong. The crafting list is huge and you can mess around with a lot of build and customisation options for your character and your base. Not one for the faint of heart, Dread Dawn is a must-play if you’re looking for a zombie game with absolutely gigantic horde sizes.
Zombie Within
Trust No One
A unique and refreshing take on the imposter style game, Zombie Within from NewGen tasks six survivors with working together, but there are infected within the group. A simple premise with some unique gameplay mechanics that involve spreading or stopping the spread of the Zombie virus.
Each side has their own goals. For example, Zombies have to shutdown generators, spread the infection and they can shapeshift to blend in. Whilst Defenders have to use traps, scanners and their intuition to find out who’s here to help and who’s just causing harm.
The map is randomly generated, so each round is unique and completely new.
Containment Initiative 2
Surprisingly Awesome Asymmetric VR
One of the biggest downsides with playing in VR is that if you want company you’ll often need another headset. That’s not the case with Containment Initiative 2 from Gwyn Games as this Early Access VR multiplayer gem just requires one headset and a keyboard and mouse to get co-op going.
The premise is simple: you and your friend are part of a MTF group that’s out exploring and scavenging for supplies. The world is filled with Zombies, so you’ll have to work together with some very realistic weapon mechanics to get back to camp alive. There’s unlocks, customizable attachments and plenty of loot to find. If you like VR co-op, you’ll enjoy Containment Initiative 2.
Survivors Of The Zombie World
Top Down Post-Apocalyptic Survival
If you enjoyed VampireSurvivors and want something similar but more Zombie orientated then pick up Survivors Of The Zombie World. An Early Access top-down game from Dafu Game Studios that does a lot of things similar to VS but puts their own spin on things.
We get a 3D pixel world that’s pretty massive with twisting winding streets and your goal is to survive for as long as you possibly can. There’s 40 levels to beat in Story Mode as well as a Survivor mode to see how long you can last and a Defense Mode which is just a Wave Rush. Surprisingly solid gameplay and genuinely challenging and charming at times, Survivors Of The Zombie World is more than just a clone, it’s doing something different.
iZolated
Cute, Charming, Yet Very Complex
Very cheap, simple on the surface but surprisingly complex one you start scratching into it, iZolated from Crooked Road is a Zombie game that comes highly recommended. The procedurally generated world is overrun with undead and harsh wild animals and it’s up to you to scavenge, survive and find or build shelter in the vast wilds.
However, you can’t just break open every container and room you come across as there’s lockpicking mechanics that require a fair degree of dexterity and time. So it pays to be patient, plan ahead, and not get cornered by the hordes. If you’re looking for something that’s not too demanding on your system then pick up iZolated.
Dead Pixels II: Straight To Video
A Successful Stylish Sequel
When Dead Pixels first came out all those years ago it was niche but pretty popular. Fast forward to now and we’ve got a sequel that took what made the original great and amped it up further. Everything is now covered in a slick 80s vaporwave filter and the hordes are even bigger than before.
There’s also four player co-op, over a hundred weapons, items and more to scavenge, a larger degree of character customization and procedurally generated levels. Plus, best of all it’s absolutely free on Itch.io right now. So you have no excuse not to pick it up.
If you’re struggling to track down Dead Pixels II, you can find it here.
Be My Horde
An Undead Army At Your Command
A mix of Vampire Survivors and The Unliving, Be My Horde is a top-down 2D rogue-lite from Polished Games that has a lot of potential and is highly enjoyable for fans of big hordes. The idea is simple, you play as Moriana, a stereotypically evil Necromancer who wants to build an army of the dead.
Every creature and critter you kill can be resurrected for your horde and over time you can gradually build and upgrade more resources at home to make your hordes stronger and bigger. It’s a simple but low-stakes loop that can catch you in for a few hours with some cartoony and gory gameplay. An Early Access gem that shouldn’t be missed, check out Be My Horde.
Dead Room
A One-Room Rule Of Anarachy
A cartoony and cutesy zombie horror game from LineChill, Dead Room comes with an art style that’s almost Binding of Isaac like and a gameplay loop that’s as challenging as you make it. You’ve got one room that you need to defend from Zombies, so keep those windows barricaded.
A single-player roguelite, Dead Room locks you down in a small single room with an unending horde scratching at the door that wants to make your insides, outsides. There are over 50 unique items to unlock to improve your survival chances and some collectibles that can be used to decorate your little cozy cabin.
Truck
Horde Survival In An 18-Wheeler
A Zombie game with a difference, Truck from Molance Games is sublimly simple in its execution and it’s great for messing about with on a second screen or when you’ve got some time to kill. The zombie hordes are infinite, you have a big truck and it’s time to test how sturdy your vehicle’s front bumper is.
There are lots of auto-firing weapons to unlock to help bump your score, but your main way of causing damage is to hit those shambling corpses at high speed. There’s five maps to power slide across and lots of vehicles to try out including fire trucks, military lorries, and more. Plus, it’s super cheap.
One More Day
An Enjoyable Post-Apocalyptic Hermit Simulator
An exciting and surprisingly challenging Zombie Survival game from NekkoNikki, Astro Swarm is a blend of house defense and management with huge waves of zombies and rogue-lite upgrades available through gameplay.
Featuring an art style reminiscent of Castle Crashers or early Newgrounds games, One More Day is a charming horror game where it’s just you in your underwear against the undead. Fortify your home, unlock new weapons, save NPCs for more unlockables, and don’t let the dead inside. If you’re looking for an inexpensive and enjoyable couple of hours then One More Day comes highly recommended.
Survival Tips
- Regularly check, repair, and rebuild your doors as the Zombies will bash them down when you least expect it.
- Talk to and rescue the NPCs as they provide a lot of valuable upgrades, weapons, and items.
- The melee animations are a little buggy, so stick to guns.
Astro Swarm
Zombies, In Spaaace!
Next up we have another Indie gem from ClumsyQaurk that’s a little odd but in all the right ways. You’re a lone astronaut trapped on a moon somewhere in space and there’s an alien blight that’s mutated and transmogrified those that came before you. The planet is swarming with monsters and Undead, so you’ll have to be resourceful.
You can craft, collect and mine for resources from the slain and across the planet and you’ll need to. These items can be used to create powerful turrets, defensive modules, and sci-fi weapons that will give you an edge over the progressive stronger hordes. There are upgrades and modifiers to keep gameplay fresh and entertaining and lots of unique synergies between certain items that are fun to discover on your own.
Infection Free Zone
Your Hometown Is Now A Warzone
- Released
-
April 11, 2024
- Developer(s)
-
Jutsu Games
- Publisher(s)
-
Games Operators
- Engine
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Unity
An Early Access game that’s blowing up in popularity and has perhaps the largest play space for a zombie game ever seen so far, Infection Free Zone from Jutsu Games brings the Zombie plague to your hometown. Using a unique system that combines Google Maps data, you can set up shop and defend literally any street, town, or city in the world.
Using a combination of satellite photos and real-time rendering, Infection Free Zone uses the real buildings in your street for its locations. From there, you have to defend your area from the Undead that are trying to aggressively beat down your walls at night. Scavenge resources, recruit other survivors, manage your city, and try to survive for as long as you can.
Whilst you can use famous locations, it’s worth using your own street as it adds a nice layer of immersion.
Raining Blood: Hellfire
Handling Those Hellish Hordes
A cute cross between Enter The Gungeon and Vampire Survivors, Raining Blood Hellfire from Mr Granade has you annihilating hordes of monsters. From mutations, monsters, zombies, undead nightmare creatures, and massive bosses, the odds are pretty stacked against you.
But you do have a large arsenal at your disposal in this Early Access game. There are over 100 weapons to collect and upgrade, plus their power can be improved exponentially. Each run is unique and there are some tricky puzzles to solve, a mystery to figure out, and plenty of ways to protect humanity from the demonic hordes.
Night Raider
A Not So Simple Zombie Survival Game
If you’re looking for a Zombie exploration shooter with a lot of customization then add Night Raider by Tsukuyomi to your Steam Library. This simple yet satisfying survival game from a solo developer may look basic on the surface, but there’s a ton of depth and customization just below the surface.
Everything on your character can be customized. From attachments on weapons to individual parts of armor, plus there are a lot of various meters and mechanics to manage as you try to scavenge what you can from the ruined city around you. There’s permadeath, the game is very cheap to pick up and it’s great for burning away a few hours in some low-stress sessions.
Sound plays a lot of importance in Night Raider. So it’s recommended to always stick a suppressor on your weapons.
Resident Evil 4: Remake
The Presidents Daughter Needs Saving, Again
Leon Kennedy is back on the worst Spanish holiday known to man in Resident Evil 4: Remake. Another outing on another system for probably one of the most ported, remade, and remastered Resident Evil games, but a brilliant retake on the most entertaining title in the long-running franchise.
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The cult of Los Illuminados have captured the President of America’s daughter and there’s only one blonde, bishie-haired man that can save the day. A highly recommended Resident Evil game to play that’s only been improved further than its predecessors, Resident Evil 4 is the silliest installment in the series for all the right reasons.
A fun fact about Resident Evil 4 is that the original game was one of a few prototypes that would later become Devil May Cry.
Zombie Estate 2
Burning Down The Neighborhood
A classic indie game from 2017 by Sad Spaghetti Entertainment that’s always worth a revisit, Zombie Estate 2 is a perfectly pixelated arcade romp that’s satisfying on your own but heavily recommended to play with friends. Using a combination of 2D sprites on a 3D plane to create a cute cut-out look for all the characters, Zombie Estate 2’s premise is simple. There are zombies, go kill them.
It’s super simple, exceedingly cheap, and a highly rated horde shooter with online multiplayer, 100 unique weapons including a Nuke Gun, 13 Zombie types, 35 characters to play as, six levels to try, and 30 hats that boost your stats to collect. It’s good value for what you’re getting so we really recommend picking this one up if you like Zombie horde games.
Zombie Estate 2’s Co-op is both online and local.
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