Nothing beats smashing through hordes of flesh-eating zombies trying to escape a horde or make it to a sanctuary with an undead army roaming the streets. Zombies have been a large part of the gaming community since its beginning and have become common fixtures in the first-person shooter genre. Dozens of games drop players in a world filled with the undead, tasking them with doing their best to survive with minimal resources. Even games like Call of Duty have adapted unique game modes for the horrific decaying creatures. One of the most well-known franchises in the zombie genre is Dead Island.
Players must traverse an island resort when a virus outbreak leaves the majority of the island's population without a pulse and a hunger for fresh meat. Dead Island is a first-person experience that allows players to combat the undead menace in a number of different ways, such as flamethrowers, shotguns, and even C4 strapped to severed limbs. Fans seeking some variety will be glad to know that there are quite a few other options to get a fix for zombie-killing action currently available on a number of platforms. Here are some of the best first-person zombie games to play for those who like Dead Island.
6 Killing Floor 2
The developers at Tripwire Interactive released the sequel to the original Killing Floor in 2016 after completing early access. Players take on a vicious swarm of genetically engineered corpses called Zeds that have overrun Europe, crippling its government.
Players drop into the open-world map and mow down anything in their way to accomplish their tasks solo or in a group of up to six additional players. Killing Floor 2 features a weapon roster split among the several classes available, giving players access to everything from archaic axes and swords to thermal round weaponry.
5 Left For Dead 2
The Left 4 Dead franchise is a classic among survival shooter horror fans. Among the games, Left 4 Dead 2 is one of the most popular for its gameplay and innovative expansion of the features of the previous games.
Players are able to pick from several characters with backstories and personalities, and special skills to travel from point A to point B through a vicious sea of undead parasites, some with unique traits. Left 4 Dead 2 featured a massive map where up to 8 players could fend for their lives and attempt to make it to safety in online co-op.
4 Back 4 Blood
Back 4 Blood is an indirect sequel to the Left 4 Dead series of games. The title builds off of the foundations of the previous games and expands in several different features, including character roster, zombie sub-types, and available weaponry.
Back 4 Blood is a next-generation title that uses the new tools available to developers to create massive maps to traverse, even more zombies making hordes even more dangerous than before, and an extensive roster of characters to choose from so players can play how they want.
3 Dying Light 2
Dying Light 2: Stay Human is the successor to the widely popular Dying Light series that pairs zombie survival with par-kor mechanics. Players take control of Aiden and the city of Villedor, one of the few remaining human cities after the fall.
Twenty-two years after the first game, the world is flooded with mutant zombies, and now the human race hangs on by a thread. Players must traverse the treacherous city as Aiden searches for his sister and fights off infection to see another day. The melee combat and intricate mobility mechanics of Dying Light 2: Stay Human is a must for newcomers to the franchise.
2 Dead Island 2
The Dead Island franchise is a large one with four games available in its saga. The second installment of the series, Dead Island 2, takes players to a quarantined Los Angelus that has been entirely overtaken by man-eaters.
However, players can hop right back into killing zombies with anything they can get their hands on while taking on the death traps awaiting them throughout the city. Dead Island 2 expanded greatly on the success of the first game with a much larger open-world map, new weapons, and a well-crafted campaign.
1 7 Days To Die
7 Days to Die ramps up the zombie survival aspects and drops players into a pre-generated open-world map of Arizona and makes them fend for themselves while trying to survive a zombie apocalypse. In a first-person style, players will need to gather materials, craft weapons, and clothing, and find shelter in order to survive the harsh conditions the game provides.
To make matters more difficult, the zombie presence ramps up the longer the player survives, forcing them to constantly adapt to new threats. In the large map available, players can find houses, fortify them against attacks and make a home base. In addition, players can craft makeshift defenses such as spike walls, reinforced windows, and multiple other valuable tools to prolong their play through the game.