Zombies have been a staple of the horror genre for decades, appearing in TV shows, movies, books and, of course, video games. Zombies are so popular, in fact, that the gaming industry tends to see at least one major zombie title every year. At the start of the year, Dying Light 2 released, offering players an open-world parkour adventure filled with terrifying infected enemies, and early next year, Dead Island 2 is set to do much of the same.
While Dying Light 2 and Dead Island 2 are at the forefront of modern zombie gaming, there are plenty of zombie-based video games out there that rival their experience, or even top them in a few ways. The gaming industry has no shortage of zombie games, and while many end up being mindless, repetitive hack-and-slash games, a good handful are all-time classics.
Left 4 Dead 2
Despite its release way back in 2009, Left 4 Dead 2 is still considered to be one of the best zombie video games ever made. Responsible for popularizing 4-player co-op survival games, Left 4 Dead 2 improved on its predecessor in every way, adding more weapons, more varied environments, more infected types and more game modes. For those who want an intense collaborative experience, it really doesn’t get any better than this Left 4 Dead 2. While modern offerings such as Back 4 Blood have tried to capture the same magic that Left 4 Dead 2it just doesn’t work as well as the original.
The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners
Pushing players directly into the intense chases and firefights, The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners is one of the best VR games available right now. With a general gameplay loop that sees players explore a dilapidated suburb of New Orleans, gathering materials and weapons while avoiding walkers and bandits, Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners is remarkably deep for a VR game. Nearly Saints and sinnersThe best feature is the physics system, which somehow manages to trick players into thinking their objects have real weight to them. With responsive controls, a great story, an exciting horde mode and a large selection of craftable melee and ranged weapons, The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners is everything a fan could want from a zombie VR game.
Resident Evil 2
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One of the best remakes of all time, Resident Evil 2 takes the original PlayStation classic and rebuilds it from the ground up. With state-of-the-art graphics, modern third-person shooter mechanics and a bunch of quality-of-life upgrades fans can expect from a modern game, Resident Evil 2 is a remake done right.
While Resident Evil 2 taking direct inspiration from the original, it manages to stand on its own as an excellent zombie game, with engaging puzzle mechanics, intense chases and plenty of well-deserved scares thrown in for good measure. Resident Evil 2 also features one of the most terrifying video game enemies of all time, Mr. X, who follows the player relentlessly throughout the game, leading to some nail-biting moments.
The last of us
Considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time, The last of us is naturally also one of the best zombie games on the market. Developed by Naughty Dog, The last of us‘ harrowing post-apocalyptic narrative is renowned throughout the gaming world, offering one of the most emotionally resonant stories in the industry. While the compelling story is its main appeal, The last of us‘ The gameplay is also great, with some tight stealth mechanics and brutal hand-to-hand combat animations. Although the players will probably find The last of us‘ human enemies are the most challenging, it’s the game’s infamous Clickers that are likely to strike the most fear into players’ hearts.
Days away
It may not have been the smash hit that Sony was hoping for, but Days away is still an impressive zombie game. Putting players in the cycling boots of Deacon St. John, Days away sees players trying to track down their missing wife during the zombie apocalypse. While it may have some awkward driving controls and the game lacks a layer of polish overall, Days away still has some of the most impressive zombie physics in the genre. Days away will often throw giant hordes of zombies at the player, each climbing over the other to take a bite out of the player character. This always leads to some of the most intense chases in a zombie video game, where players must use every tool available to them to thin out the horde and get away.
Call of Duty: Zombies
A classic that has been repeated countless times over the last decade or so, Call of Duty: Zombies remains one of the best zombie gaming experiences out there. Appears in a multitude of different Duty calls game, every fan has their own favorite version of the mode, be it Call of Duty: World At Warits simplified, streamlined maps, Call of Duty Black Ops 2‘s more complex offerings, or Black Ops 3his collection of remastered classics. Call of Duty: Zombies is a staple of the horror genre at this point, and for good reason. Even the worst ones CoD zombies kart offers some of the most exciting co-op horror gameplay on the market, with easy-to-learn, hard-to-master tactics, a variety of customizable weapons, and a host of iconic perks that keep each game fresh.
Dying Light 2: Stay Human is now available for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
