The concept of zombies has found itself in hundreds of games and movies. Communities were founded solely about zombies and their involvement in shows and video games. The horror, tension and adrenaline that rushes through both viewers and players made this genre very successful.
While many favor the idea of bashing zombies’ heads off, shooting them with heavy machine guns, or even perhaps running them over with vehicles, others have favored the survival aspect of it and how severe and dramatic events can become in an apocalyptic world.
1. Dead Rising series
Dead Rising 4 is an action-adventure game with its main cast being Frank West. After the zombie, the infection has been controlled, and people have been vaccinated, Frank is caught off guard when he gets framed for zombies inside secret facilities.
After the horde of zombies releases themselves, Frank is forced to kill all of them; luckily, he won’t have to do it alone as three other partners join him, allowing for a cooperative mode to be played with friends.
Being killing waves of zombies as you collect items and powerful weapons, then swap them for even more powerful weapons. At the same time, you attempt to use every opportunity to make your situation less challenging.
2. Resident Evil series
Sequel to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Resident Evil Village is a survival first-person horror game. Witness phenomenal graphics and immersive gameplay inside a masterly created open world. Ethan Winter had his daughter and wife taken away by a secret organization.
To save them, you will have to survive through the mansion of Lady Dimitrescu. You will find yourself chased by her three daughters and other zombies found in the world. The tension created while getting chased is unmatched in RE: Village.
Collect valuable items and coins to trade them for weapons and ammos, then attempt to solve the various mysteries to progress in the game. However, be wary of jumpscares; you will still be playing through a horror game after all.
3. Dying Light series
After a virus breakout that turns humans into zombies, a particular group is sent to contain the outbreak in one of the cities of Iran. Failing their mission will have the city wholly bombed along with its residents by the ministry of defense.
Dying Light is an FPS survival-thrilling game with outstanding graphics. Dying Light has exceeded expectations and has become an award-winning game. Players had always argued about which was better, the story or the mechanics.
The parkour and combat are memorable; the story-driven playthrough is marvelous. The Day & Night cycle makes the game much more intriguing as the behavior of zombies creates a tense and terrifying atmosphere during the night.
4. State of Decay series
State of Decay 2: Heartland is a third-person survival-horror game. The story continues 18 months after the end of State of Decay, the first game. The zombies that almost wiped up all of humanity have become even stronger than before.
They have mutated. Heartland has proven to be much more challenging than the previous game. You and your team are forced to camp in a single base without being able to move out or build a new one. While the game remains an open world, you still follow a narrative in the campaign.
Scavenge loots and scabs, craft and upgrade your weapons, make game-changing decisions through your journey, and defend yourself from hordes of zombies.
5. Dead Island series
Released in 2014, Escape Dead Island is an action-adventure third-person game oriented around zombies. The story of the game is quite bizarre. You play Cliff Calo, a man trying to make his father proud. Taking his only friends to a zombie-infested island, things get ugly quickly as they become surrounded by zombies.
The combat in the game is simple, you shoot zombies with guns or hit them with a melee weapon. You can also use stealth to sneak around and execute them, creating more minor noises and keeping yourself safe. Your goal is to gather information and save your only two friends in the hope of passing on a heroic story to the people.
6. World War Z
World War Z: Aftermath follows the story of an apocalyptic world that has been invaded by a malicious sickness that caused people to turn into zombies. The undead is threatening the world with its outbreak; countries all around the planet have agreed to work together to end this infection.
Play from a third-person perspective in the ultimate zombie shooting games with stunning, breathtaking graphics and textures. Fight along with your friends or random partners against vicious hordes of zombies as you attempt to complete missions assigned to your character.
World War Z: Aftermath submits the ultimate satisfaction of emptying all the ammo of your guns on hundreds of zombies, which is enjoyable enough for it to become addicting.
7. The Walking Dead
Even for those who haven’t watched the TV series or played the game, The Walking Dead is a title almost everyone heard about. Based on the comic books, The Walking Dead franchise is an episodic zombie survival game.
Living in a chaotic world filled with the undead, you will be forced to make many decisions that will shape your story. Choices are made through a point-and-click system that you will also use to shoot many walking corpses.
The game contains severe violence and disturbing scenes, as well as strong language that isn’t suited for the light-hearted. The game’s story is fantastic and well-written, but it is also sad and tragic.
8. 7 Days to Die
An open sandbox game with survival-horror elements. 7 Days to Die sets you in a world that suffered from a massive nuclear war. Only a few landscapes of the planet remained possible for human survival; however, it is believed that the effect of the nuclear war has spread a toxic disease that caused many humans to become undead and turn into zombies!
Start a survival game with absolutely nothing, then begin gathering materials to craft items and weapons. Build a base to keep yourself protected and to store your belongings. But don’t forget to prepare for the unancitpicated deadly horde of zombies that will arrive every seven days, hint at the game’s name.
9. The Evil Within
Sebastian Castellanos is a police detective sent immediately to a bloody mass murder inside a mental hospital. Arriving at the scene, he and his partners get separated after witnessing the paranormal events through the hospital’s camera. The Evil Within is a single-player survival-horror game.
The enemies consist of mutated humans who turned into cannibalistic killers and a few mini-bosses and significant bosses. The resources in the game are minimal, demanding you to develop resource management and be careful with how you use your items.
As you progress through the game, you will get to annihilate all enemies with various powerful weapons.
10. Project Zomboid
Test your survival instincts in the apocalyptic open-world of Project Zomboid. This Indie survival horror game features base building, stealing, scavenging, and much more, all to protect yourself from the dreadful cruel nature and the hungry horde of zombies.
Project Zomboid can be very difficult and punishing; not only do you have to keep yourself fed and hydrated, but you also have to make sure never to get bitten. One bite is game over.
Start playing inside a large world with various spots to start your base, gather loot and scabs from abandoned buildings and grind quality of life-changing skills to make your game less harsh.
11. The Last of Us
The Last of Us is an action-adventure survival horror game played in third-person. While it does fall into the survival zombie category due to “Infected,” The Last of Us is heavily built upon an astonishing in-depth story of an apocalyptic life. Fight for survival against the infected, arm yourself with guns, or improvise a weapon while adrenaline rushes through your body.
Players will encounter heart-aching scenarios, whether it was during the character’s backstory or their journey in the present time. The Last of Us has received the “Game of the Year” award and has become one of the best-selling video games.
12. Call of Duty series
CoD had been a successful franchise for both the first-person shooter and zombies genres. “Call of Duty: Cold War” is a fast-paced action game with zombie mode with astonishing graphics. Unlike previous franchises, you can now choose your initial weapon to spawn with, as well as one unique ability for your survival.
Cold War focuses on eliminating hordes of zombies instead of completing quests and progressing through stories which brought back the intense atmosphere of the old Black Ops One & Two.
Mystery boxes, weapon upgrades, ammo boxes, perks, and more are available in Solo or co-op mode.
13. Zombie Army Trilogy
ZAT is a third-person zombie survival horror game that takes place back in World War II. You play as one of the surviving heroes seeking to complete their core mission and fight off everything standing in their path.
While the story of ZAT is lacking, the game makes up for it with its gameplay and mechanics. Playing the game alone is alright, but it’s an entirely different experience to kill hordes of zombies with three other friends in co-op mode.
Since the game takes place in the era of World War, the weapons are obviously of that era, and they are fun to blast zombies’ heads with.
