Best Zombie Games On Xbox Game Pass

Key Takeaways

• Zombies are a popular addition to various game genres, including survival, RPG, and shooter games.
• Xbox Game Pass subscribers have access to a variety of zombie games.
• These games offer challenging gameplay, unique mechanics, and the opportunity to fight off hordes of zombies, providing hours of entertainment for players.

Though the undead are clearly decrepit and stale, the love gamers have for zombie video games is still alive and kicking. People just can’t get enough of fighting the living dead. Whether they are just an annoying hindrance to deal with on the side or an integral component to a narrative, zombies make for fun additions to games.

And luckily for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, there is a healthy handful of zombie games available in the Game Pass library. Fans of all sorts of genres can contend with these shambling nightmares. Read on if you want to see what are the best zombie games you can play on Xbox Game Pass.

Call of Duty Black Ops 6

As we continue to keep this list updated, it would be remiss of us not to include the best Call of Duty Zombies offering we’ve seen in years. Black Ops 6, in many ways, was a return to form for the series. The inclusion of a campaign and the suite of multiplayer options are all hallmarks of the best CoD traditions. But where Black Ops 6 shines in particular is its Zombies mode.

Long a fan-favorite experience, the mode has seen its ups and downs. But we’re happy to report that it’s most definitely hitting a high point in this latest entry. Unlocking new areas, taking down bosses, progressing through round after round after round after round is an undead delight. If the inevitable next installment in the Call of Duty franchise adheres to these Zombies principles, we won’t be disappointed.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare III

Technically speaking, the remade Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is a serviceable first-person military shooter with an emphasis on its campaign and multiplayer matches. On its own, it’s not a straightforward zombie game. But you know what else the CoD franchise has become known for over the years? That’s right! Its Zombies mode! And Modern Warfare III is no exception. As one of the first Call of Duty games to make it onto Game Pass (and not the last, with Black Ops 6 having arrived), Modern Warfare III leaves a bit to be desired.

But with the updates to it over the months since its launch, the zombie-shootin’ side of things has improved. So if you want more undead-slaying in your zombie games rather than the heart-wrenching choice-driven gameplay of a title like The Walking Dead, it’s not an overall bad time. Plus, who doesn’t like the sort of mindless-popcorn-munching style of zombie-killing that it can provide?

Resident Evil 3

Though it’s a shorter experience than Resident Evil 2, the third entry in this remake tradition Capcom has going on is still an action-packed, zombie-filled adventure. And the inclusion of “Nemesis” makes this brief experience all the more terrifying. You’re playing as the haunted yet capable Jill Valentine, who grapples with her memory of the “Mansion incident” while the fall of Raccoon City is happening around her.

As she runs past and shoots through the zombified citizens, the seemingly unstoppable Nemesis dogs her footsteps. No matter how many bullets you shoot into him, grenades you toss at his feet, or rocket launchers you aim at his face, he just keeps on coming. We mentioned the brevity of this title earlier, and perhaps that’s more of a pro than a con.

There are plenty of lengthy games you need to sink dozens of hours into; Resident Evil 3 remake offers a good time in a short time, and that plays to its strengths. (Also, it’s an added plus to play it while it’s on Game Pass.)

Resident Evil 2

Zombies fans are eating well on Xbox Game Pass today, thanks to the addition of Resident Evil 2 to its library of available games. This remake of the original RE2 is not only a master class on how to remake a game, it’s just an overall fantastic zombie game. The zombies shamble toward you with sudden lurches, making it terrifyingly easy to miss a shot. And with limited ammo and resources at your disposal, every missed shot is like a knife in your stomach.

And to top the whole experience off, the Raccoon City Police Station is a veritable zombie-shooting playground. The corridors of the massive building are tight, and some of them are just shrouded in dim lighting. If you love zombies, if you love Resident Evil, and if you love games, Resident Evil 2’s remake should be on your to-play list.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide

We’ll 100% stand by the notion that Darktide is a zombie game. For one thing, one of the dominant enemy types are Poxwalkers, and these are undead beings that have been brought back to life through the Chaos-damned powers of Nurgle. For another thing, come on, seriously, this game is basically Horde Mode Simulator. You are consistently swarmed by shambling, lurching, gross-looking crowds. If that doesn’t scream zombie, we don’t know what will.

Think Left 4 Dead but in Warhammer 40K.

Defining what makes an undead a true zombie aside, Darktide is a fantastic game to dive into if you’re looking for a title to scratch both that zombie-loving and cooperative run itch simultaneously. Up to three other players work alongside your character to complete objectives in various runs in the hive city of Tertium. And if you don’t keep an eye on your compatriots and work together as a unit, you can bet you’ll all be swarmed and torn apart by Chaos scum.

Darkest Dungeon

Zombies can appear in all sorts of game genres, and while we mostly associate them with survival games or first-person-shooter extravaganzas, they’re a staple in many a title that eschews stereotypical game mechanics. Enter Darkest Dungeon. These zombies are of an eldritch nature, but plenty of undead haunt the caverns, catacombs and crawl spaces of this turn-based RPG.

Your cobbled-together group of adventurers, tasked with making it to the ultimate “darkest dungeon” to combat the evil within, faces off against hordes of foes while they make successive runs closer and closer to that final fight.

Undead monstrosities and horrific cultists lurk in the Ruins in particular, and though they’re not the toughest enemies you’ll face, they definitely leave an impression. Just pray this impression is not the last one your adventurers get. Darkest Dungeon is one of the most challenging games on this list, with your custom-named characters liable to go mad, betray their compatriots, or die the more you take them delving into the deep dark places of this world.

Dead Space

Are the Necromorphs in the Dead Space series really zombies? Well, even though the unfortunate, deceased crew of the USG Ishimura was reanimated thanks to an ancient alien infection brought on by the raising of a Marker, they’re still technically reanimated corpses that have been horribly mutated. Dead Space takes everything we love about zombie games and throws it in space. And the 2023 remake ensures the experience is shiny and new.

As a major fan of the original game, I hope I can assure you that the remake is chef’s kiss.

The creeping horror of undead things lurching at you, unique mechanics for bringing them down, and blood and gore painting the walls are just a few of these things found in this amazing survival horror title. If you love zombies, you have to love space zombies.

Minecraft

Minecraft certainly wouldn’t strike one as the typical “zombie game” at first blush, lacking the bombast and visceral horror visuals typical of the niche. However, the essential driving mechanic of survival mode is building and fortifying a base before hordes of mostly undead creatures shamble out of their hiding spots and attempt to murder players after nightfall.

Even before the sun sets, players can band together to plumb the depths of deep, dark caves and abandoned mineshafts for treasure and valuable ores as they dodge or defeat skeletons and literal zombies. All things considered, Minecraft certainly can scratch the itch for fans of zombie survival scenarios.

Minecraft Legends

Unlike in standard Minecraft, zombies in Minecraft Legends are your allies. They’re here to help players fight the threat that is the Piglin invasion. As with Golems and Creepers, you eventually gain the ability to spawn zombies as a friendly mob. They have a decent chunk of health, so they’re one of the sturdiest spawns you can throw at a Piglin fort.

Minecraft Dungeons

A sight we’re more used to seeing, zombies in Minecraft Dungeons are enemies you’ll have to eliminate as you make your way through the various caverns and castles of the game. They’re your average sort of enemy, with some wearing armor so they’re a bit on the tough side. As long as you and your friends are on top of things, zombies here won’t pose a major threat.

DayZ

The goal of DayZ is simple: survive. However, the means of reaching that goal can get infinitely complex. Essentially a standalone iteration of the immensely popular Arma 2 mod of the same name, DayZ is a survival sandbox that drops you into the middle of the zombie apocalypse’s aftermath — you’re motivated and compelled to brave zombie-infested ruins in search of food, medical supplies, and weapons to improve your odds of surviving and thriving. However, zombies are arguably not the most pressing adversaries you’re confronted with. DayZ’s servers are inhabited by up to sixty other players wandering its vast open-world environment, and a great many of them are more than happy to either rob, kill, or capture you to their own ends.

Plants Vs. Zombies: Battle For Neighborville

Looking for a more lighthearted take for your zombie needs? Head on down to Neighborville. Offering the latest spin on the ever-popular Plants vs. Zombies formula, Neighborville is a third-person multiplayer shooter that pits… well, plants versus zombies. Both sides of the battle feature a whimsical bevy of beautifully-designed classes, ranging from the zombified 80s Action Hero (complete with a radical Rambo-style bow-and-arrow) to the pun-heavy Snapdragon, a literal fire-breathing plant-dragon. Plants vs. Zombie’s cartoonish aesthetic and low-violence approach render it kid-friendly, so even youngsters can get their fill of zombie carnage.

State Of Decay

It can be rare indeed for a zombie video game experience to focus on other gameplay mechanics rather than just shooting zombies, but State of Decay handles this aspect of the apocalypse in style. Rather than just mowing down hordes of undead, State of Decay tasks players with ensuring the survival of a small community.

You have to build a base, make tough resource management decisions, and maintain a positive attitude if you want your group of survivors to thrive. And what makes all these survival considerations even more entertaining is the fact that they are also accompanied by robust open-world action gameplay. A variety of weapons and vehicles are at your disposal to help ensure your community makes it to the end.

The Walking Dead (All Seasons)

A zombie apocalypse can offer surprising emotional depth when it comes to stories set in its troubled environs. No franchise makes this clearer than The Walking Dead. This episodic narrative tells the tale of Lee Everett as he struggles to survive the sudden outbreak of “Walkers,” all while guiding a young girl through the chaos. Lee and Clementine’s story is one of the most enduring and impactful ever to use the undead as a narrative vehicle.

That final major narrative choice at the end of Episode 5 still haunts me to this day.

The choices you must make while playing The Walking Dead are the most harrowing to ever grace a Telltale title. And if you make it to the end of the first season with dry eyes, your heart is as unfeeling as the zombies who populate the game.

Zombie Army 4: Dead War

Zombie Army 4: Dead War provides an intense, yet humorous look at what history would be like if Hitler opened a portal to hell and allowed the zombie menace to infect Nazi soldiers. While the story is not by any means a great narrative achievement, the game is fun to play, especially with a friend at your side. Tactically eliminating zombies one by one is a strange delight that can feel more methodical than frenetic at times.

Even when a group of undead is shambling towards you, more often than not, you stop and pick your shots. Zombie Army 4: Dead War is a solid game for zombie fans, and if you’re looking for that kind of straightforward experience, you won’t be disappointed.

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