When it comes to choosing appropriate video games for kids, zombies aren't exactly what comes to mind. However, the horror genre is so popular that there are even some children's games that younger gamers can enjoy without suffering nightmares.
The variety of games covers the whole age spectrum, too, from younger kids that crave something simple and formulaic to older ones that want more of a challenge. Plenty of these games are released on or near Halloween, but they're consistent popularity means they're easy to find any time of year.
7 MediEvil (2019)
Welcome back to Gallowmere, the land that was introduced when the original version of this game was released in 1998, and the adventures of the protagonist Sir Daniel Fortesque. Sir Daniel already died trying to defeat the big bad, Zarok, at the head of an army, but was defeated and now returns as a zombie to redeem himself.
The 2019 version of the game is a remake of the old one, keeping the old charm while revamping the graphics, sound, and other technical aspects. However, anyone who has access to an old Playstation can also try the original. It has some RPG elements including a choice of weapons and other gear, and using a map to choose areas of varying difficulty that the player can use to level, but it's officially a hack-and-slash action-adventure game.
6 Plants Vs. Zombies (2009)
This is the original game in what is now a successful and still-growing franchise. Based on the tower-defense style of gameplay, Plants Vs. Zombies is a PopCap production that was always intended as a mobile game and remains one, although its incredible popularity has given it a fanbase on virtually all PC platforms and consoles along with both Android and iOS.
The tower in this case is a house, and the garden plants are intended to defend the house against a zombie incursion using various abilities that include both defensive and offensive options. The graphics are colorful and funny, enough to tell the player friend from foe, but nobody is going to be scared by anything in this totally bloodless zombie game.
5 Warcraft 3 (2002)
A Classic RTS game that's fun for gamers of all ages, players can choose to lead one of many factions and one of them is the Undead. According to the lore of the period, these could be either the Scourge or the faction known as the Forsaken that were under the command of the Banshee Queen, Sylvanus Windrunner.
A single-player campaign was available in which the main character for some of the missions was Sylvanas, but this is an RTS game as opposed to an MMO, so it's more about battlefield management than character development. It's the multiplayer option that lets each player choose a faction, and some of the units are reminiscent of what players can find in World of Warcraft, like the Death Knight and the Crypt Lord.
4 Infectonator 3: Apocalypse (2018)
A fun little simulator that lets the player be the bad guy for a change, not as the zombie but as the villain infecting the world with a deadly virus. Instead of being at the mercy of the apocalypse, the player gets to control it, strategically releasing the deadly virus in public places and gaining more strength and resources as the virus and zombies progress.
After the player infects a certain amount of people, they can upgrade their virus and undead minions to be more effective and powerful. The whole series is similar, but the most recent installment has some of the best ideas for settings and character design.
3 Zombies Ate My Neighbors (1993)
It's so simple, so retro, and so silly that any gamer would have fun with Zombies Ate My Neighbors. It's part of the LucasArts library of adventure games that were all the rage in the 1990s, but this is more of a shooting game than an adventure, although it does include some of the same elements in the form of a coherent storyline. Players can use the single-player mode and switch between the two main characters or opt for the old-fashioned 2-player mode.
This game was originally designed for consoles such as the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo, but these days it runs on Windows, Switch, and there's also a version for the PlayStation 4.
2 Death Road To Canada (2016)
The game is just as irreverent and weird as the title suggests, and although the humor is a bit grown-up, kids will still like the cartoony graphics and goofy jokes, some of which reference horror legends like George Romero. The game requires players to escape from the zombie-infested United States and get to Canada, which is mysteriously zombie-free.
The game is rogue-like, generating a new scenario with every escape attempt, and includes a choice of weapons players can use against the zombie horde. Additional challenges include surviving zombie sieges and choosing between different narrative choices.
1 Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge (1991)
A puzzle game that's great for kids of all ages, some of the jokes are older references that are intended for gamers that were part of the original target audience back when Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge was first released. Another adventure from LucasArts is one of the more notorious examples, and although it includes an element of horror it's still a game that kids can enjoy.
The gameplay is an old-school point-and-click, as was the style in the 1990s, and the puzzles aren't that complicated. A special edition of the game and others in the franchise was released in 2010, and the first one is also good even if it's fairly primitive. Gamers under a certain age can try later games in the series, but the difficulty curve rises a lot after the second installment.