What are the best zombie games? The threat of an undead apocalypse is ever-alluring, especially in video games. Whether or not you’ve grown a bit exhausted of the idea of zombies in order media, multiple game studios have been iterating on this vision in a multitude of ways. Chances are you might have a few of the best zombie games in your backlog already, waiting to surprise you as you turn around the corner of a dark hallway.
If you’re looking to diversify your collections of PS5, PS4, Xbox, PC, and Nintendo Switch games, look no further. If you need more zombies then our best PS5 zombie games and best Xbox zombie games guides will help you out. Whenever you need a break from zombies, make sure to visit our lists covering the best PS5 games and the best Nintendo Switch games. Until then, you can find us at the Winchester waiting for all this to blow over.
The best zombie games are:
- Left 4 Dead 2
- Killing Floor 2
- The Last of Us Part II
- Resident Evil 2 remake
- The Walking Dead
- Project Zomboid
- Dead Rising 2
- Zombie Army Trilogy
- Resident Evil 4 remake
- State of Decay 2
- Resident Evil Village
- Dying Light 2 Stay Human
1. Left 4 Dead
A classic that always comes back to life whenever a group of friends asks what to play together on a Friday night. While we’ve seen a number of iterations of the concept since, from Back 4 Blood to Warhammer: Vermintide, Left 4 Dead 2 remains unmatched in style, design, and identity. With premises as simple as getting through a zombie-infested carnival or a swamped town, the key distinction is set in the momentum and the finesse required to achieve the goal.
Fighting special infected requires precision and, in higher difficulties, sharp coordination. In the in-between moments, however, you’ll be dealing with hordes upon hordes of fast-paced zombies, akin to films like 28 Days Later. The rhythm at display never gets old, and whenever you’re feeling bored, both the difficulty options and the absurd amount of mods will ensure dozens upon dozens of playtime hours to come.
2. Killing Floor 2
The original Killing Floor started as a Unreal Tournament 2004 mod, with a full retail version being brought by Tripwire Interactive back in 2009. Seven years later, Killing Floor 2 showed up to rival the zombie-infested market of shooters, maintaining the essence of the original in a much tighter and more modern package.
Instead of going through a set of levels, you and other characters team up to explore and defend yourselves from hordes of increasingly harder enemies in one scenario at a time. A strange lab surrounded by snow, a virtual depiction of Paris, you name it. If you manage to survive a wave, you’ll get a time window in which you can purchase new weapons and replenish your supplies.
There are multiple difficulty options to tackle, as well as several classes to choose from, all of which level up and have their own skill trees to experiment with. If you’re looking for a game that will have you and your usual multiplayer group hooked for a while, this is one of the best options out there.
3. The Last of Us Part 2
If you’ve played The Last of Us or watched the HBO show and are yet to jump into the sequel, well, what are you waiting for? The non-traditional take on zombies is enough to allure you to give it a try. But it’d be a disservice to recommend The Last of Us Part II without highlighting its story, and the narrative beats it manages to pull throughout a hefty campaign.
Without diving into spoiler territory (the clueless you can dive in, the better!), you’re now taking the mantle as Ellie years after the events of the first game. Pretty much almost every aspect of its predecessor has been either expanded or strengthened. Combat is swifter and more brutal, there are more The Last of Us zombie types, exploration leads to actually interesting storytelling pockets that enhance the experience, and going through the entire campaign will, in some shape or form, stick with you long after the end credits.
4. Resident Evil 2 remake
Resident Evil 2 is a classic, but depending on which generation you were born in, you might have missed it. Alternatively, it could also be the case that, well, the tank controls aren’t your cup of tea anymore, and you’d like to relive Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield’s stories in a different light. Regardless of your experience with the series, the Resident Evil 2 remake is one of the most intense and gripping zombie games in recent times.
Presenting itself in a third-action perspective, you’re entrusted to survive the night inside Racoon Police Department. As the game that it literally takes its roots from, here, your ammo will be scarce, the undead will surround you and leave you heavily injured if you’re not helpful, and you’ll end up backtracking quite a lot, slowly unraveling the station’s secrets. Similarly to the original, getting to the end credits once only tells one side of the story, and you’ll have to go through three other routes to get the full picture, facing different challenges but also approaching the station with familiarity and knowledge in mind. Perfect for the speedrun enthusiasts.
5. The Walking Dead
Did you know it’s been over a decade since Telltale Games released The Walking Dead? Back when the show had had a few years of airtime, the video game space told a smaller, more self-contained story in the emblematic comic book universe. Through the eyes of Lee Everett, you witness the very beginning of the “walkers” outbreak, unintentionally ending up taking care of a young girl called Clementine.
As a Telltale game, the story progresses episodically and takes you through linear scenarios where you need to think fast, react faster, and slowly start to generate grudges with the people around you due to them not agreeing with your actions or decisions. The choices are yours to make, but it’s the humane portrayal of the typical zombie apocalypse setting that raises the stakes and makes this an episodic trilogy worth causing grudges for.
6. Project Zomboid
Some of the best survival games out there lean into the simulation aspect of the settings they present. Whether that is introducing mechanics related to surviving on a remote island surrounded by cannibals in Sons of the Forest or going through screen after inventory screen to craft the material you need in No Man’s Sky, there are different levels of complexity in the genre. Project Zomboid is, most likely, the most complex it can be in terms of fighting to see another day in a zombie outbreak.
If you ever wanted to learn about car mechanics, actual farming and foraging, medicine, and anatomy during just a few hours of playing a game, Project Zomboid is the one for you. It carries a level of detail that can be, without a doubt, overwhelming and difficult to parse. But whether you’re playing alone or with people online, creating your own character with its set of positive and negative traits and just seeing how long you can survive will feel unlike any of the similar games out there. Just, be patient, and remember to keep your distance so you don’t get bitten. After all, there’s no cure.
7. Dead Rising 2
The Dead Rising series has always been proud of its signature premise, which puts you in big spaces filled with all sorts of weapons, everyday objects, and machinery to take down hundreds if not thousands of undead in your way. Dead Rising 2 refines its predecessor’s foundation by enhancing the controls and introducing a new protagonist into the picture, whose main goal is to find Zombrex for her daughter — a temporary cure of sorts that needs to be regularly administrated.
Of course, on your way, you’ll find dozens of other survivors in need of your help. Without realizing it, you’ll end up being part of a much larger story. But hey, the most critical aspect is always to dress the protagonist as silly as possible after going through a clothing store inside the mall, and then crafting strange weapons to plow through zombie hordes.
8. Zombie Army Trilogy
If you think that snipers don’t get enough recognition in games, especially zombie-related ones, you’re in luck. Introduced as a spin-off of the Sniper Elite series, the gameplay in Zombie Army Trilogy remains fairly similar. Sniper rifles are your primary weapon, while pistols, shotguns, and assault rifles are secondary and don’t have as much ammo. It’s imperative that you take your time and aim at your target from afar. But, unlike the original series, stealth is replaced by a desperate need to clear your surroundings as dozens of zombies come your way from every single corner of a map.
Whether you choose to face the campaign head-on solo or with friends in co-op, you’ll get to experience a gritty and intense experience that, with just the right tweaks to how you usually approach zombie games, ends up being a breath of fresh air in return. Plus, to me, the soundtrack has more than a few notes reminiscent of The Warriors movie, in case you’re also a fan.
9. Resident Evil 4 remake
You should absolutely make the time for this remake, as we mention in our Resident Evil 4 remake review. When thinking about the best zombie games, though, it’s worth treasuring its legacy and honoring the game that paved the way for many, many others in the coming years. Resident Evil 4 remains a classic, and while the fact that it’s gotten so many ports is pretty much a meme nowadays, it’s definitely something to take advantage of.
The campiness of both the story and how Leon S. Kennedy reacts and confronts every character and villain that he encounters in his search for Ashley Graham remains as funny as ever. The action, especially in the way weapons can change how you approach each encounter and how far you can push them through upgrades is still unmatched. With so many little touches and secrets to find, Resident Evil 4 is still worth playing (or replaying) in 2023. And, from the looks of it, this will be the case for many years to come still.
10. State of Decay 2
State of Decay was a game that excelled in its small stories. In conjunction with a smart approach to an open world map, back when the scales of the genre hadn’t gotten as massive as they’ve been in recent years, the game had novelty to spare. But it was perhaps the way it treated death and companions, iterating on ideas from games like ZombiU, that set it apart from the rest. You begin each playthrough surrounded by randomized characters, each with their own traits and skills. It’s up to you to decide who’s going to tag along in the next expedition, and how far they’ll make it.
This interesting approach to freedom in the genre is only enhanced in State of Decay 2. You’ll have to build defenses around your base, scavenge for resources from abandoned outposts and decaying facilities, and attempt to build — and maintain — a community of survivors. Moreover, if you’ve been away from the game since its original release, State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition adds a wide array of improvements, additional modes, and tons of vital features that vastly improve the experience. So, check it out ahead of the State of Decay 3 release date.
11. Resident Evil Village
If the different approach of Resident Evil 7 enticed you to return to the series, good news, as Resident Evil Village ramps up that foundation. Taking cues from the likes of Resident Evil 4, the focus is on a much more fast-paced rhythm around its action. As Ethan Winters, you’re sent to an Eastern European village to fight against a peculiar cast of enemies. There are undead-like foes, sure, but also werewolves, vampires, and other classic creatures.
Compared to our other choices on this list, Resident Evil Village might seem like a departure of sorts. It definitely is for the series as a whole, too. But if you’re looking to tread familiar grounds while also being open to unexpected twists and turns, this is a great option.
12. Dying Light 2
If you miss the thrill of wall-running in Mirror’s Edge and wonder how it would play out in a zombie-infested city, Dying Light 2 provides the answer. Iterating on the very same idea of its predecessor, you’re now taken into a much larger environment to test your might, and swiftness, as you help the city’s inhabitants while searching for a person yourself.
As sequels go, this one embraces the agility and experimentation that mechanics allowed players to play with in the first game. The range of movements available at your disposal is greatly increased, as well as how the environment offers itself to try new tricks. It’s a much larger campaign and one that has been receiving support with beefy updates since its launch.
That covers our choices for the best zombie games to play. For even more on great titles to check out. Why not take a peek at some upcoming horror experiences in our list of the upcoming Xbox games and upcoming PS5 games on both platforms?
