Flesh-eating freaks want to make you their next meal. The zombie apocalypse looms…do you have what it takes to survive?
As gamers, many of us secretly wonder if we could outlast a zombie pandemic. That thrilling question has infected pop culture and the gaming industry, sparking an entire subgenre of zombie games eagerly selling survival fantasies.
This guide takes a bite out of the zombie game catalog, serving brains…err, dishing details on the greatest virtual undead adventures ranging from gory shooters to tense building sims. Whether you‘re a zed fanatic hungry for your next outbreak or fresh infected meat, read on to discover the 12 zombie games that will have your heart pounding long after the credits roll.
Why do gamers eagerly return time and time again to blow away hordes of rotting, flesh-craving zombies?
Zombie fiction has dominated horror pop culture for decades, from classics like the original Dawn of the Dead up to current megahits like The Walking Dead. Audiences just can‘t get enough of the undead.
Game developers have latched onto the zombie craze as perfect video game fodder. Fighting zombies translates instantly into satisfying digital gameplay loops. Armed with an AK47 or baseball bat, gamers can easily become zombie-slaying heroes unleashing cathartic aggression against uniquely guilt-free enemies.
Zombies also serve as the ultimate unpredictable obstacle used to dramatic effect in games. Undead outbreaks instantly transform normal game worlds into chaotic disaster zones teetering on the brink of collapse like a virus rapidly infecting a computer network. The player is immediately made to feel vulnerable just like during an intense system hack. This pushes our primal survival instincts and demands creative thinking or clever teamwork to escape grim zombie scenarios whether set in fantasy worlds, historical recreations or even outer space!
But most importantly, sending three bullets into an undead skull to save yourself and your squadmates triggers the natural dopamine high of a heroic life-or-death victory against seemingly impossible odds. Now rinse and repeat that dopamine rush against hundreds of zombies per hour!
Let‘s dig up 12 of the best zombie games across various genres that deliver thrilling, bite-sized doses of victory against the undead menace:
The Infection Begins – Origins Up To 2000s
Zombies first shambled into video games in early experimental titles like 1983‘s Monster Maulers which pitted the player against endless ranks of undead. The genre soon spread its infection into iconic ‘80s arcade games like Splatterhouse putting you in the role of a masked hero battling the undead with punches, kicks and weapons in a horror-movie inspired world.
As graphics and gameplay became more advanced in the 1990s, zombie themes increasingly popped up. Some games like 1992‘s EVO: The Search for Eden on the SNES took the survival-of-the-fittest premise into the prehistoric era, having players evolve their creature against predators like zombies. Morris in particular emerges as an early zombie star – he‘s the first boss you face in 1991‘s hit Royal Warriors, wielding a giant meat cleaver!
Developers eagerly exploited the rise of CD-ROM gaming in the mid-90s to boost their zombie body counts. The original Resident Evil in 1996 brought the undead to vivid, cinematic life and popularized the survival-horror genre combining zombies with exploration and puzzle-solving that series like Silent Hill later iterated on.
Multiplayer Modes Spawn Zombie Devotion – 2000s
As online multiplayer blossomed through console networks and PC gaming in the 2000s, developers soon realized pitting players against zombies made for asymmetric multiplayer magic dust.
In 2001, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault‘s gritty WWII expansion pack introduced an incredibly innovative 8-player class-based zombie survival mode that foreshadowed concepts like teammates reviving each other and item unlocks.
This mode clearly provided inspiration for the breakout hit Call of Duty: World at War. The 2008 title gave Call of Duty its first signature zombies mode letting players fend off the undead in maps based on World at War‘s campaign levels.
Since then, zombies modes have become a beloved staple in Call of Duty games. The undead even invaded the hit battle royale Call of Duty Warzone for a limited Halloween event.
"It‘s provided the franchise thar perfect balance – on one hand, there is the grounded, realistic military combat. Then there is this fun escape into crazy high concepts and humor," said Treyarch Studio Head Mark Gordon on creating Call of Duty zombies maps.
Zombies cemented themselves as the ultimate social experience bringing gamers together against a relentless AI foe. Titles like Left 4 Dead and Killing Floor focused entirely around 4-player co-op zombie demolition defining the still-popular "zombie hoard mode" concept developers endlessly iterate on.
"It was just instantly fun sharing that experience of being under siege from masses of zombies with three other people," Killing Floor Series Director Bill Munk remembers. "suddenly you have to coordinate tactics like covering chokepoints, rescuing surrounded teammates and calling out threats."
Persistent Worlds & VR Transform Zombies – 2010 And Beyond
The exponential increasing processing muscle of PCs and consoles allowed zombie games to swell in scope, fleshing out gore, physics and complex systems modeling zombie plagues sweeping across expansive worlds in real-time.
Early access survival simulator DayZ demonstrated the sheer appeal of scavenging resources while evading zombies persistent 24/7 servers. The ArmA 2 mod sold over 5 million copies between 2012 and 2018. DayZ set off a wave of zombie survival simulators like 7 Days to Die as developers realized that focus on base-building and scavenging was just as important as slaying zombies.
The recent Resident Evil 2 and 3 remakes showcase how far graphics have advanced pushing gore and the fear factor to terrifying new levels matched with tighter gunplay. Franchise sales now exceed 100 million copies.
But the next quantum leap for immersive zombie action came from virtual reality enabling person-perspective combat. Arizona Sunshine thrusts your whole body into zombie shootouts across blistering undead western plains through room tracking and motion controls on PC and PlayStation VR headsets.
Upcoming games like The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners Chapter 2 continue raising the bar for VR zombie action-RPGs with new physics puzzles and menacing undead threats specifically designed around virtual reality.
Zombies have potentially decades more life left to spread viral infection and distress across every gaming genre imaginable!
Now let‘s spotlight 12 specific zombie hits primed to prep your survival skills before inevitable global disaster:
Action-Packed Zombie Shooters
Grab some guns and start shooting basically summarizes these relentless action-based zombie games. Enjoy endless weapons unlocking glorious zombie dismemberment across various time periods and locales.
1. World War Z
Giant hordes of hundreds (even up to 1,000) frenzied human-hungry zombies will leave your jaw dropped in this frantic cooperative third-person shooter.
The Good: Impressive AI system controlling huge zombie clusters, stealth and resource management between 4 players offers depth, faithfully captures global zombie chaos.
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War (Zombies Mode)
Blast your way through the totally off the wall yet insanely fun battlegrounds of Black Ops Cold War‘s wacky take on zombie warfare.
The Good: Wild variety of ‘80s action hero-themed maps keeps gameplay fresh with random challenges, special limited-time zombie events, deep weapon/skill customization
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
3. Dying Light Series
Dying Light combines frenetic parkour movement with hard-hitting first-person melee weapons combat for a uniquely visceral zombie hunting experience.
The Good: Day and night cycle changes zombie behavior, grappling hook enables vertical freedom, asymmetric "Be The Zombie Mode" against other players offers infinite replayability
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Cerebral Zombie Survival Sims
These games crank up the difficulty forcing careful base management and survival tactics against threats living AND undead. Perfect for genius zombies preparation.
1. 7 Days to Die
Build defensive masterworks during the day while looting towns then watch hordes beat down your walls all night in this blocky zombie survival challenge.
The Good: Minecraft-like world destruction/construction, randomized maps promise new challenges, deep weapon and electric system crafting mechanics
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
2. Project Zomboid
Few zombie games force you to truly consider mundane survival needs like cooking, hygiene and boredom like this brutally realistic PC simulator.
The Good: Incredible attention to detail with advanced health/inventory systems, multiplayer pushes cooperation, isometric view shows off horde menace surrounding you
Platforms: PC
3. State of Decay 2
The State of Decay series stands out from other zombie survival sims thanks to its focus on maintaining trust, resources and morale across an entire community of survivors.
The Good: Recruit enclaves with unique backstories/perks into your crew, prioritize resource gathering runs crucial to community functioning, base location choices shape later challenges
Platforms: Xbox One, PC
VR Zombie Slaughter
No list covering the undead is complete without the revolution in virtual reality (VR) bringing fresh terror and immediacy to shambling corpses trying to literally chew through your jugular.
1. Arizona Sunshine
This VR launch title still ranks among top zombie shooters thrusting motion-controlled guns and desperate melee weapons combat at you across visually stunning southwestern U.S. desert locales.
The Good: Supports co-op horde modes for 2 players, solid selection of weapons/upgrades, campaign story mode adds variety outside wave shootouts
Platforms: PC VR & Oculus Quest
2. The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
Immerse yourself fighting, sneaking and scavenging across a flooded zombie-ruled New Orleans where no humans can be fully trusted either in this standout action-RPG bringing player choice to VR zombie warfare.
The Good: Realistic physics-based combat emphasizes strategy dismembering/stunning zombies with various items, resource scarcity raises tension, strong narratives anchor player in the world
Platforms: PC VR & Oculus Quest
I hope this guide scratches your zombie game itch with a delicious brain smoothie of beginner tips and series veterans. Let us know your own favorite undead games shambling about so we can expand this list!
And for all you apocalypse preppers out there, we‘ll be eagerly awaiting the day you let us bunker down with you once zombie outbreak starts spreading globally. Our inherited VR headset zombie-slaying skills guarantee we‘ll pull our weight in night watch duties!
