The zombie genre is one of the most beloved aspects of video gaming, with recent titles like The Last of Us Part 2 and Dying Light using it as the basis of their plotlines.
No matter your skill level or genre preference, these top best zombie games will keep you on your toes as a desperate race against time with meager weapons to survive in cities and dungeons alike. Be warned; this experience can be bonkers yet rewarding at the same time!
1. Dead Or School
Hisako dreams of escaping her underground shelter to reach the surface world; wearing her grandmother’s old school uniform she ventures out into zombie-infested Tokyo to search for freedom.
Dead or School offers more than just its signature Metroidvania elements; its surprising RPG mechanic allows players to customize Hisako and unlock modifications with fun bonuses like exploding enemies.
Although these perks offer variety in combat, the game can become repetitive after some time. Your melee weapon loses durability each time an enemy is defeated; therefore you will have to visit save points frequently in order to replenish its durability. Furthermore, both guns and explosive launchers use ammo, so make sure that it is available before undertaking lengthy adventures.
Combat in XCOM 2 is both intense and engaging; you must time your attacks perfectly to succeed at combat. Unfortunately, many action games fail at doing this properly.
Controls feel great and switching weapons between guns on the fly is simple and smooth. Hisako can even float freely midair for smooth movement animations.
Hisako can use slash and kick combos to increase her strength, and can jump higher than ever as she tries to reach the surface – this impressive feat for such an inexpensive game is sure to make her appear cool.
Dead or School is an enjoyable little game that shows promise. While not the prettiest-looking title around, 2D hack-and-slash action brawler fans might enjoy giving it a shot if 2D is their thing. While there may be some minor flaws with its gameplay (cheesy story aside) this should still prove worthwhile!
2. The Walking Dead: Season 2
Fans of The Walking Dead can now experience Season 2 through Xbox Game Pass. This season marks a continuation of Telltale’s episodic adventure series and tells Clementine’s tale as she deals with being orphaned during the zombie apocalypse.
As she travels and grows up, you’ll meet new characters like Luke (Scott Porter), who is a survivalist; Christa (Mara Junot), an old acquaintance of her parents; Nick (Brian Bremer) and his uncle Pete, both hunters; as well as William Carver – a charismatic dictator who rules over an expansive group of survivors in Howe’s Hardware.
The game is inspired by a popular comic of the same name, in which a zombie apocalypse has occurred and transformed humans who are either bitten by zombies or are killed into flesh-eating “walking dead”.
Worlds that are fraught with violence. But this series is not about bloody battles or rack up kills; rather it focuses on people trying to survive against all odds by making choices with real consequences.
As you make choices that reflect who you want to be and if you are willing to assist others, the game challenges your morality, instincts for survival and ability to protect those closest to you in a series of decisions and dilemmas that put these choices to the test.
The Walking Dead: Season 2 may not be perfect, but it provides an engaging interactive storytelling experience like few others. From its moving stories and captivating characters to its intricate environments and clever design features, Season 2 stands as an impressive testament to storytelling through video games.
3. The Walking Dead: Road to Survival
If you love The Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: Road to Survival might be for you. As a free-to-play game that allows players to experience storylines from Robert Kirkman’s comic books and TV show.
As Rick Grimes from The Walking Dead comic book and television show, you play through an immersive adventure where you will build a town, collect resources, and battle zombies in a turn-based combat system.
The gameplay combines traditional point-and-click mechanics with intense battle sequences that require precise timing and accuracy. You hover a cursor over an enemy zombie’s head before pressing a button to attack; any delays will result in missed attacks that lead to death.
There’s also plenty of time devoted to moral decisions: Will you cut off an arm to save someone, or what will other survivors think of your choice?
A key part of The Walking Dead: Road to Survival lies within its story. Set in a devastated world without government, grocery stores or mail, its narrative follows survivors fighting back against an oppressive Governor to secure themselves safe haven.
In addition to its main storyline, The Walking Dead: Road to Survival also offers several features such as Factions, Raids and World at War events that allow players to compete against one another for reputation and rewards.
Although The Walking Dead: Road to Survival may not be groundbreaking zombies game out there, it does provide ample content for free. The game features many interesting characters as well as an original graphic novel series and TV show-inspired storyline. Though there could be improvements made here and there, overall it makes for an excellent zombies title!
4. The Walking Dead: The Final Season
The Walking Dead: The Final Season stands as one of the premier zombie games ever, perfectly encapsulating Robert Kirkman’s comic book series with its gritty narrative that rewards players for making difficult choices. Since its release in 2012, The Final Season has earned numerous accolades – most recently being named Polygon Game of the Year that same year.
Telltale Games’ previous game, The Walking Dead, received much acclaim for its captivating narrative and meaningful consequences for players. Furthermore, Clementine became an integral character throughout her journey that captured many journalists’ interest – an essential factor of its popularity and one which helped the series remain popular over its three seasons of development.
Character development was key in elevating the story and adding emotional depth to gameplay, earning them the award from American Video Game Association (AVGA) for best story in a series.
Another key component of The Walking Dead’s storytelling is its ability to develop meaningful character relationships between its cast. This allows players to develop lasting impressions of them all and form bonds among them that make the experience so emotionally gripping and fulfilling.
As part of your gameplay experience in this game, you’ll need to make decisions regarding how you will respond in various situations – be it responding to dangerous encounters or whether to kill certain characters – making decisions can often be one of the most emotionally wrenching parts.
Some decisions must be made quickly, which can leave players caught off-guard during an episode and unprepared for some of its rapid action. These choices carry great significance and could linger long after you’ve completed the game has ended.
5. Dead Rising 3
If you enjoyed the first two Dead Rising games and want an open-world, zombie-filled adventure to dive into, this Xbox One launch title from Capcom Vancouver and Microsoft Games Studio may be right up your alley. Los Perdidos (an anagram of Los Angeles) serves as the setting for this immersive open world experience.
This game boasts the largest city seen so far in the series and is infested with zombies – you’re tasked with eliminating them all using various weapons from chainsaws, guns and katanas to vacuum cleaners, golf clubs and even exploding teddy bears!
Dead Rising 4 stands out from previous Dead Rising games by its expansive city size and array of new features that set it apart, such as Xbox SmartGlass support that turns smartphones or tablets into second screens that display exclusive weapons, missions and military support information.
It’s an innovative addition, providing players with greater situational awareness than ever before in the series. Zombies will react when you call out or yell at them, with various responses depending on whether you speak directly into their microphone or through an Xbox SmartGlass-enabled device.
The game also allows you to control your character using the Kinect accessory included with Xbox One, which enables you to call out zombies, move forward or backward, and navigate menu screens.
