Zombies have been a staple of the horror genre for decades, and they've appeared across 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 release 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 games, there are plenty of zombie-based video games out there that rival their experiences, 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 releasing all the way back in 2009, Left 4 Dead 2 is still widely considered to be one of the greatest zombie video games ever made. Responsible for popularizing the 4-player co-op survival game, 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 wanting an intense co-op experience, it really doesn't get any better than Left 4 Dead 2. While modern offerings like Back 4 Blood have attempted to capture the same magic as Left 4 Dead 2, it just doesn't quite work as well as the original.
The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners
Thrusting 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 New Orleans suburb, scavenging materials and weapons all while avoiding Walkers and bandits, Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners is remarkably deep for a VR game. By far Saints and Sinners' best feature is its physics system, which somehow manages to trick players into thinking that their objects have true weight to them. With responsive controls, a great story, a thrilling horde mode, and a vast array 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 greatest remakes of all time, Resident Evil 2 takes the original PlayStation classic and rebuilds it entirely from scratch. With state-of-the-art graphics, contemporary third-person shooting mechanics, and a bunch of quality-of-life upgrades fans would expect of a modern game, Resident Evil 2 is a remake done right.
While Resident Evil 2 does take 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-earned 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
Widely considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time, The Last of Us is also, naturally, one of the best zombie games on the market. Developed by Naughty Dog, The Last of Us' harrowing post-apocalyptic narrative is renowned across the gaming world, offering one of the most emotionally resonant stories in the industry. While its riveting story is its main appeal, The Last of Us' gameplay is also great, with some tight stealth mechanics and brutal hand-to-hand combat animations. Though players will likely find The Last of Us' human enemies the most challenging, it's the game's infamous Clickers that will probably strike the most fear into players' hearts.
Days Gone
It may not have been the smash hit that Sony was hoping for, but Days Gone is still an impressive zombie game. Putting players in the biker boots of Deacon St. John, Days Gone sees players try 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 Gone still features some of the most impressive zombie physics in the genre. Days Gone will often throw gigantic hordes of zombies at the player, each of them clambering over one another 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 have to use every tool available to them to thin out the horde and make an escape.
Call of Duty: Zombies
A classic that's been iterated on countless times over the last decade or so, Call of Duty: Zombies is still one of the best zombie gaming experiences out there. Appearing in a plethora of different Call of Duty games, every fan has their own favorite version of the mode, whether it's Call of Duty: World At War's simplistic, streamlined maps, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2's more complex offerings, or Black Ops 3's collection of remastered classics. Call of Duty: Zombies is a staple of the horror gaming genre at this point, and for good reason. Even the worst CoD Zombies maps offer some of the most thrilling co-op horror gameplay on the market, with easy-to-learn, hard-to-master tactics, a slew of customizable weapons, and a range of iconic perks that keep each game fresh.
Dying Light 2: Stay Human is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
