My Top 10 ZOMBIE games on PC

Ah, zombies! The most overused modern monster in any medium. Despite that, I can’t get enough of the zombie apocalypse. However, in my opinion, most creators miss the mark by turning their projects into mindless zombie slaughters, without any of the famous tension or civilization-ending dread from the Romero days. Yet, there are some titles that headshot their way to great atmosphere and storytelling!

So, here are my Top 10 Zombie Games for PC.

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1) Dead Rising
Dead Rising is my all-time favorite zombie game, and the reason is simple: It’s the most “Romero’s Dawn of the Dead” in atmosphere, impending feeling of doom and general zombie apocalypse vibes. It also helps that it’s expertly written, with many memorable characters and great moments throughout. The humor is also top-notch, and genuinely hilarious at times.

What keeps Dead Rising grounded as a serious tale, caked in dread of the approaching cataclysm, instead of feeling like a comedy, is that things are played sincerely. If the cast takes the situation seriously, it’s very easy to get caught up in the drama, which I did.

This is made stronger thanks to the time-limit system on missions. Many didn’t like this, but I felt the pressure fits the genre like a glove. You can’t just save them all, and just like any catastrophe, it’s a game of triage – who will you prioritize? Classic title (avoid the remake, though).

2) Resident Evil 2
From the traumatic horrors in the Spencer mansion, to a city outbreak of the deadly T-virus in Raccoon City. Resident Evil 2 (classic) is the epitome of panic-drenched fear in a gothic-style city filled to the brim with the moaning dead, hungry for fresh meat. It starts high-octane forcing an escape through the narrow streets of a decaying city, and never really lets up after that, even if it has quiet parts.

The terror continually ramps up, the more you uncover of the conspiracy, and the closer you get to an escape from the hellscape that is the Umbrella-controlled city.

It was released in 1998, and is still one of the greatest survival horror games ever made. Frankly, it’s genre-defining, and still unsurpassed nearly thirty years later. Tight story, with tension overload!

3) Dead State
Yes, this is becoming a bit of a joke, as this is the third time this title appears on one of my top-tens. What can I say, it’s a great game that fits many genres, and it definitely fits this topic for a zombie list. Dead State tackles the immediate collapse of society and the survival of the zombie apocalypse in the form of an isometric turn-based RPG. It might look old now, with somewhat slow and clunky mechanics, but its “ironman” approach to missions and decisions hammers home that surviving won’t be easy.

There is a lot to juggle in Dead State, from the food supply, to the general health of the survivors—especially mental health. Things can easily spiral out of control during the end times. That helpful scout you recruited might slip into a murderous rage if he doesn’t get his favorite cornflakes on a daily basis! A tiny push will send the unstable into an unhinged state that can and will end your group if you are not careful. And this on top of having rotting corpses scratching at your gates. Great RPG, that plays into the melancholy of the end of the world expertly. 

4) The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead does not provide much traditional gameplay, but what it does is telling a fantastic story about survival in the harsh and unforgiving land of undead America, recently hit by a deadly zombie plague. It encompasses many characters under many years, many of which your decisions will determine their fate in the end.

Just like Dead State, it’s drenched in melancholy, but perhaps differently so. Since the focus is directly on the plot and cast, instead of the broad setting that is the zombie outbreak. While it does have atmosphere in spades, it’s a game made to primarily play with your emotions. It’s a long game, with many spin-offs, but the main tale involving Lee and Clementine is the best of the bunch. Much because of how tense and sentimental it is.

I highly recommend The Walking Dead if you just want to take part in a great story of survival during the end times, without too many fussy mechanics to keep track of.

5) Project Zomboid
If there is one title you want to simulate the zombie apocalypse as accurately as possible, Project Zomboid is your undead friend in need. While it does have a loose narrative, in terms of backstory to the disaster, the experience of playing is what you make of it, essentially. Everything here is simulated in detail. It makes surviving a logistic nightmare for equipment and food, which can be entertaining in itself, depending on your gaming preferences. However, it’s a lonesome time if you’re playing in single-player, as Project Zomboid has no human NPCs as of yet. 

Project Zomboid shines in multi-player. Running a server, especially for a long time, when resources start to dwindle, and the zombies start to mass is fun and becomes a true challenge to keep your insides on the inside, so to say.

I highly recommend roleplaying, as otherwise, surviving can start to feel a bit easy and boring, if you start to optimize the fun out of your apocalypse scenario. Like hiding out in the deep forest like some crazy hermit with pasta for years.

6) The Last of Us (remake)
The Last of Us is another game with a heavy narrative, but compared to The Walking Dead, it actually has sneaking, shooting and brawling in the gameplay department. What makes this title stand out is that its action is in perfect harmony with the story, which makes the journey through the fungal infected America an emotional, horrifying and very entertaining time spent in the mushroom apocalypse.

What also works extremely well, at least on the harder difficulties, is that the game turns into a survival horror experience thanks to very limited resources, and high damage output. Beyond that, the game is very atmospheric with awesome graphics, especially when traversing through the cities reclaimed by nature.

Sadly, the sequel is not very good. It should be noted that I prefer the remastered version for the PlayStation 4, but that can’t be played on PC.

7) They Are Billions
While the story based campaign was incredibly disappointing to me. The skirmish mode that had you building a functioning city while holding off the infected until the walls can no longer withstand the undead hordes is very entertaining. Building a city under time-pressure, while making sure every nook and cranny is covered by soldiers and automatic zombie-killing machines, just spoke to me on a fundamental level. The visual style also elevated They Are Billions, with its post-apocalyptic steampunk aesthetics. 

Another point that makes They Are Billions a unique RTS experience, is the amount of zombies on screen at any one time. It does not reach billions, but when the final horde arrives to devour everything, it can easily reach thousands. It looks absolutely awesome, and very terrifying. So, you have to make sure those turrets are well-oiled, as one zombie slipping through can mean the start of the end. Shame about the campaign, though!

8) Left 4 Dead
Left 4 Dead, specifically the first game, untouched by the added special infected and mechanics of Left 4 Dead 2 – holds a special place in my heart. While the gameplay isn’t too groundbreaking (you’re mostly blasting through hordes of infected) the tone and atmosphere are what truly set it apart, to the much more goofy sequel.

Since most of what you are doing is blasting infected with co-op partners, I don’t recommend Left 4 Dead for its gameplay loop. I recommend it purely out of a horror zombie aspect. Creeping through a decaying city at night with the moon providing the only light, while a thick fog is snaking around the buildings, is just an excellent and oppressive experience. Especially so, when the city scenes turn into the set from a gritty ’90s zombie movie before your eyes through its cool atmosphere. It’s too bad, this segment of the series got lost for the more “humorous” sequel.

9) Days Gone
Just like The Last of Us, Days Gone is a third-person action game set in an apocalyptic setting, where the infected rule, and one mistake will mean a horrible screaming death in the mouth of the sick. Gameplay is similar in a way too, but while The Last of Us is a linear experience, Days Gone is open world—but don’t fret, it still has a very intriguing narrative.

However, it never reaches the melancholic state of many other games in this genre, yet that’s not to say it’s a comedy, or that it isn’t serious, because it is. The lead makes this game into a tonally different experience, as he can be best described as unhinged. Living in the wasteland surrounded by men and creatures wanting to kill you comes with a heavy toll on your mind, apparently.  

Another aspect that makes this zombie tale stand out is that the infected can mass in the hundreds when you attack their nests. So, make sure to level up your stamina, because these Freakers can run fast, and when they bunch up, there’s no escaping it unless you are Speedy Gonzales himself.

Days Gone is unique, while having a realistic setting, it’s not weighed down by the existential dread of the world ending. It’s a more rugged mercenary-like survival experience, where the tears for a lost world have dried up a long time ago.

10) ZOMBI
ZOMBI is probably the bleakest game on this list. At least in visual presentation. Imagine British typical weather, but now in a permanent state of gloom, with the added effect of flesh-eating undead zombies roaming the rotting streets of London—where one bite will end your existence. The gameplay is hit or miss, with a few unique mechanics, like perma-death, and restarts in the same world as a new survivor. 

Once again, it’s the setting that marks this title for success. The atmosphere is great, which makes sneaking around on the streets a tense and scary experience. Recommended for a more ‘pure’ zombie survival experience, not set in the U.S.

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This wraps up my top ten zombie games list. There are plenty more games out there, like the Resident Evil series by itself could have filled up the whole list. But I try to limit each franchise to just one spot. And as said in the intro, tone, and a sense of existential dread are paramount for me—like something you’d watch late at night in front of the TV. Out of ten games, only one truly nailed that feeling, but the same could be said for other mediums as well. So, gaming is not alone in this aspect. Hopefully, you found the list helpful… and not a bite to the neck!

Thanks for reading.

– Thomas