Closer games about zombies

Key conclusions

• Zombie games must be unique and high-quality to appeal to today's audience in the oversaturated gaming market.
• Expect a wave of upcoming zombie games, from indie to AAA, with a variety of settings and genres to keep players excited.
• Keep an eye out for projects like STALKER 2 and Projekt Z that offer a new take on the zombie genre.

The zombies The genre has ruled the entertainment landscape for the better part of the last decade, and while audiences are a bit jaded now, it's the post-apocalyptic setting that's making a comeback in waves. It's been that way since George A. Romero was released Night of the living dead back in 1968.

In this day and age, zombie-centric video games can still capture the excitement and anticipation of viewers, but they need to deliver something refreshing, unique, and/or of unmatched quality. More games, both AAA and indie, are being released in the modern era than ever before. That means there are probably more than a handful upcoming zombie games wait any time.

Updated October 3, 2024 by Mark Sammut: September 2024 had a few zombie games, but mostly in the form of remasters. October will modernize this trend by opting for a remake over a remaster.

As long as her monsters look like zombies, the game will be considered, even if she assigns them a different name.

A remake of Arizona Sunshine

The VR standard is getting a new makeover

Although not necessarily universally loved, Arizona sunshine nevertheless, it is one of the most important VR games of all time. The original Vertigo project, released in 2016, was one of the first games that felt like a fully detailed experience rather than a technical demo for VR. Sure, the campaign was somewhat repetitive, and the gameplay was hardly ground-breaking for first-person shooters, but Arizona sunshine was impressive as a demonstration of the potential of virtual reality. The sequel is also pretty decent, even if it didn't make such a big splash when it launched in 2023.

Vertigo has confirmed that a remake is in the works, which will be available to PC and PS VR2 owners. As in the original, A remake of Arizona Sunshine is still strictly a VR experience, so this re-release is not intended to adapt the game to the standard game. The 2016 version may seem unnecessary at first glance, but it shows its age in a big way, especially compared to its successor. Visual elements use the same mechanism as and Arizona sunshine 2while the combat and gore systems have also been updated. All DLC will also be included.

People who own the original
Arizona sunshine
will get a discount if they want to upgrade to the remake.

No more room in hell 2

Cooperative action shooter

The long-awaited sequel, which has been rumored since at least 2017, No more room in hell 2 finally on the horizon and so far it looks great. The game is set to launch in early access first, debuting with a single map (Power Plant) that is reportedly quite extensive. At the start of the run, eight players will appear alone in an undead environment, and their first goal should be to try to find each other. From there, they can strategize their next steps in an effort to survive as long as possible.

Although this all sounds quite simple, No more room in hell 2 has one unique element that sets it apart: Permadeath. Yes, when a player goes down, their run ends and they lose all progress. This mechanic should increase the intensity significantly, with every move, plan, and lost bullet being consequential.

No more room in hell 2
will enter early access on October 22, 2024.

STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl

Survival in the open world

Regardless of the circumstances, STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl was always a big deal. The GSC Game World franchise has built up an impressive cult following on PC, and the availability of the sequel on consoles and the launch of Game Pass Day 1 should greatly expand the license's audience. Even if some records are better than othersSTALKER has yet to produce anything remotely close to a bad project, and anticipation for the modern game has grown steadily over the past decade, especially since its last release in 2009 Call Pripyat.

Using Unreal Engine 5, Heart of Chernobyl allowing long-time fans and new players to return to the Exclusion Zone, a nuclear wasteland that is slowly being rebuilt. Faction warfare, anomalies, and strange artifacts are just some of the things players can expect, along with (probably) a heavy focus on survival mechanics. STALKER 2 is set to be one of the biggest games of 2024.

Dying Light: The Beast

A first-person role-playing game about zombies in an open world

Techland's The light is dying has established itself as one of the best open-world zombie franchises out there. While not receiving rave reviews, the original project combined action, parkour, and exploration in a sublime way that didn't compromise its horror prowess. Even after all these years, The light is dying holds up like an impressive sandbox that can be scary and always fun. continuation Dying Light 2 Stay human was more of an action role-playing game with some horror elements than the other way around, which received a mixed reception from die-hard fans of its predecessor. However, the pros outweigh the cons, making it a worthwhile option for those who are dying to play with zombies.

Dying Light: The Beast appears to be a return to the style and tone of the 2015 entry, including the return of Kyle Crane as the title character. Set in Castor Woods, the solo adventure begins with Kyle escaping incarceration, leaving him free in an environment that has changed significantly over the past decade. More importantly, Kyle has some zombie DNA that gives him unique abilities.

The “beast” in the title seems to refer to both Kyle and the monster that roams Castor Woods. At least that's what it looks like, based on the information currently available.

Animal should have most of the highlights related to the franchise. During the day, players will be able to explore relatively freely (though not without risk); meanwhile, the night reveals the worst horrors to be found in Castor Woods. The game also supports 4-player co-op, which should be an interesting alternative to solo.

Dead season

Step-by-step tactics of the game about zombies

While zombie games are usually associated with first-person shooters, they cover a relatively wide range of genres, even if there's always room for expansion. for example Dead season is a tactical game where the player is in charge of survivors who must fight their way through 16 turn-based combat missions that appear to use an invisible grid system similar to something like XCOM or, to a lesser extent, Baldur's gate 3.

If nothing else, this project takes the genre in a new direction, at least in terms of gameplay. While zombie games typically promote chaotic environments that constantly threaten to overwhelm ill-prepared survivors, Dead seasonA more deliberate pacing can have a similar effect, forcing players to regularly check their next move to make sure they aren't attracting new enemies or leading one of their characters to slaughter.

On their Steam page,
Dead season
there is a demo.

John Carpenter's Toxic Commando

Cooperative shooter

Discovered in June 2023. John Carpenter's Toxic Commando introduced itself as a delightful 80s trailer with a Bon Jovi soundtrack. Set in a post-apocalyptic world filled with zombies, Toxic Commando It looks like it will be a co-op first-person shooter with a class system and a quirky sense of humor. Any horror project bearing John Carpenter's name comes with higher expectations, but this game at least left a positive first impression.

Saber Interactive has an extensive resume that includes World War Zanother co-op zombie shooter that was received quite well. Toxic Commando appears to retain the extremely massive hordes of this release, which is the best part of this game; hopefully the future title will be tweaked and improved World War Zideas.

Projekt Z: Out of order

Cooperative FPS

It is hard to imagine that the game is simply called Project Z will be released too soon, but this World War II zombie shooter made a big impression with its trailers. Not only does it create an immersive atmosphere that brings a bit of horror to the popular genre, but visually the game offers beautiful lighting and textures.

The developers are a fresh German indie studio called 314 Arts, consisting of nine employees. It will offer both single-player and online co-op zombie-slaying spectacle as players try to uncover Nazi secrets hidden on an occupied island.

Killing Floor 3

Cooperative FPS

technically, Killing Floorzeds aren't zombies, but they essentially fill the same role, and the games cater to the same crowd. Tripwire's co-op shooter is finally gearing up for its return, and while little has been revealed about Killing Floor 3the franchise as a whole is pretty solid. Killing Floor 2 has a very long shelf life and is still pretty active considering it's been around since 2016; however, the title is starting to show its age, and many similar games have hit the market over the past few years.

The upcoming sequel is set in 2091 and will focus on an almost cyberpunk theme, featuring a mega-corporation as the primary evil. Unsurprisingly, this organization decided to arm the Zedas, forcing the resistance group to rise up and rebel. Aside from this basic plot summary, Tripwire has kept most of the other details under wraps, though the developer has confirmed that Killing Floor 3 will support 6 player co-op.

State of disintegration 3

Survival in the sandbox

Undead Labs feels like a game developer destined to deliver a truly great zombie experience to the world of video games. Their first foray into the genre was a low-budget zombie survival arcade game that won the hearts of players despite its many bugs and issues. Its continuation State of decay 2led the series.

In 2020 State of disintegration 3 was revealed, and interviews with the studio suggest that they were working on making it a zombie survival game that they felt they were capable of delivering. Now owned by Microsoft and controlled by Xbox Game Studios, it seems that the third part of the State of decay series could be the one that puts Undead Labs on the map in a big way.

After spending several years out of the limelight, State of disintegration 3 returned during the 2024 Xbox Games Showcase, dropping a new trailer that we hope suggests that a release isn't too far off.