8 Best Zombie Survival Games That You Should Know Update 04/2024

We’ve all thought about how we’d get along in a Walking Dead scenario, with rations running low, tensions high, and biters being bitey, but we haven’t done that yet. If we play the best zombie survival games, we can find out how long we’d last without having to go through the whole process of going through the real thing, which is a lot of stress.

There are a lot of things about the survival genre that make it ideal for playing a zombie game, like having to find food and water all the time and being wary of other humans, who we all know from a lot of zombie media are the real monsters. In fact, two of the most important games of all time have both zombies and survival, but with very different interpretations of both.

The best zombie survival games let you try to make some money in a world that has gone crazy and is full of dead people. It is important to keep this in mind when you buy games for PS4 and Xbox One. Because of backward compatibility, these games will work on PS5 and Xbox Series X or S.

1. Night of the Dead

Night of the Dead

Developer: jacktostudios

Publisher: jacktostudios

Platform(s): PC

Night of the Dead is pure survival against zombies in its purest form. It’s also one word away from being an adaptation of the most important zombie movie ever made. To get off the island of the dead you’re on, you have to kill waves and waves of them each night.

There are things like building a base and making things, as well as making traps that would make Jigsaw blush. Night of the Dead is a great movie about killing zombies, but sometimes that’s all you need. A lot of rough edges and balance issues still need to be worked out in Night of the Dead, but it’s coming along very well indeed.

2. The Infected

Developer: DigX Studios

Publisher: DigX Studios

Platform(s): PC

The Infected isn’t the most popular game on this list, but it doesn’t help itself with a name that makes you think of 28 Days Later right away. You’re not just fighting zombies in The Infected. Instead, you’re taking on vambies, which are vampire and zombie mixed together. Danny Boyle’s classic was just as interesting back in the day.

Even though it’s only the work of one person, The Infected has a lot of potential. As long as you’re looking for a zombie survival game that’s a little off the beaten path, you should at least try this open world game. The crafting could use a lot of work and the AI could use some work.

Zompires would have been a better name than vambies, but that doesn’t mean they were better.

3. Unturned

Unturned

Developer: Smartly Dressed Games

Publisher: Smartly Dressed Games

Platform(s): PC

Probably, you’ve heard of Unturned before because of its blocky graphics that look like Minecraft and a little jank. You might have missed it because it looks like a game for kids. Let’s be honest: Unturned isn’t the game for you if you want to play through a zombie apocalypse with a lot of pain.

It’s also possible that Unturned might be the best zombie survival game on this list for you if you want to play with your friends and get really into role-playing. That is true, but as you go around on your jetski, that won’t even be on your mind. This is because the game is now more focused on PVP than survival. Before Fallout 76, there were even people in the world to talk to.

Oh, and it can run on a potato and is free, too.

4. State of Decay 2

Developer: Undead Labs

Publisher: Xbox Game Studios

Platform(s): PC, Xbox Series X | S, Xbox One

There are so many things that make State of Decay 2 close to being the best zombie survival game. It’s the best picture of what living and trying to stay alive in a post-apocalyptic community would look like. Isn’t quite there because it’s still very buggy and glitchy even though it’s been around for a long time. Also, its ideas don’t stick.

Still, if you’re a fan of the first State of Decay or if you want to play a fun co-op game with your friends, State of Decay 2 can be a lot of fun. In State of Decay 2, you die a lot, and there are a lot of zombies on the screen at once, so it doesn’t seem like the game is getting better with time. Hopefully the third game does everything right from the start.

It would be nice if people didn’t keep asking you to get things for them, though. Layabouts, get your own food.

It would be nice if people didn’t keep asking you to get things for them, though. Layabouts, get your own food.

5. Miscreated

Miscreated

Developer: Entrada Interactive LLC

Publisher: Entrada Interactive LLC

Platform(s): PC

At some point, Miscreated came out. It was one of the few “DayZ clones” that stayed around long enough to become its own game. Even though it’s not for everyone, Miscreated has a lot to offer those who can get past its flaws.

Almost all of the games on this list have base-building and PVP, but Miscreated is a little different. You have to keep yourself fed and hydrated at all times, too. However, thanks to a lot of radiation, the zombies (even though the game calls them mutants) are more than just slow-moving goons. Umbrella would be proud of some of the ghouls on offer here.

Again, Miscreated isn’t for everyone, and the developers don’t seem to be updating the game as often as they used to. But if you get it on sale, it might surprise you.

6. SCUM

Developer: Gamepires

Publisher: Gamepires

Platform(s): PC

SCUM is a game that’s almost more famous for its penis slider than for what it does. It’s a game for people who are really into survival games. Besides making sure your diet is balanced so that you can stay in top shape, you also have to make sure you don’t get too heavy when you’re crossing water, or you’ll drown.

Realism makes SCUM a game that isn’t for everyone, even though it doesn’t try to be. If you want to play SCUM, you’re going to need a PHD in human metabolism. The zombies themselves aren’t very important, but there’s still something special about the game that you can’t shake.

So, even though the game was released last year, it’s been in Early Access for a while now. The small team at Gamepires is adding new content and mechanics to the game a lot. You should try it out now before everyone gets excited about it again at 1.0.

7. Call Of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War

Call Of Duty Black Ops Cold War

Because Treyarch’s zombie horde modes are the best, you could put any of Treyarch’s Call of Duty games on this list, right? When we talked about Black Ops 4, there was a good zombies mode. Black Ops Cold War is a good start for people who have never played zombies mode.

It also has a new story, great tutorials, a lot of easter eggs, and the original map is easier for survival games on the original map than on the map from the new game. People who have played the game have been more positive about it than they were about the other games they’ve played.

8. Project Zomboid

This is how you died, Project Zombid says, as you make your way through the overrun American countryside for the first time. This isn’t going to work out. Isometric survival games can help you learn how to be shrewd about finding food and first aid.

Getting ready and having a tab open to the Zomboid wiki are the only things that can save you. Once you have a home, the game turns into a tense game of smash and grabs, with you weighing the chance of zombies against the potential for loot. Long-term survival means rebuilding rural America and adopting a defensive playstyle. This means building and maintaining farms and keeping them up to date.

Zomboid isn’t like most zombie games, which are all about hitting the dead with something heavy before moving on to more powerful weapons. Instead, it’s about avoiding, careful management, and slow-burn strategy.

During our Project Zomboid Early Access review, we talk about how long Zomboid has been open development. You can see what we think of it there. Even though it says “early access,” don’t be afraid: this is one of the best zombie games out there.