6 Zombie Games You Forgot Were Awesome

The zombie genre has really started to explode over the last few decades, leading to several great video games. That includes Game of the Year contenders like The Last of Us and Left 4 Dead, as well as plenty of garbage trying to make a quick buck. However, there are more than a few games that don’t quite hit those highs as TLOU or L4D, but are still worth your time. These underrated gems have never gotten the love they probably deserve. Below, you’ll find six such games, though don’t consider this list definitive. There are plenty of underrated zombie games; these are just my favorites.

Here are six great zombie games you probably forgot.

6) Dead Nation

Dead Nation is a relatively easy sell. If you like zombies and developer Housemarque’s style of shoot ’em ups, this is a must-play. Housemarque has improved over the years, delivering hits like Returnal and Matterfall, but it’s always had a knack for great gameplay.

Their dip into the zombie genre is no different. You’re working your way through the zombie apocalypse, trying to rack up as much money as possible to purchase upgrades and make zombie killing even easier. If you’re looking for something to scratch your Housemarque itch while waiting for Saros, give Dead Nation a try.

5) Dead State

Dead State is a survival horror RPG that sees you leading a group of survivors as they try reclaim their fictional Texas town. It’s split into two phases: scavenging and base management. Developer DoubleBear Productions uses that mix to strike a near-perfect balance, while also keeping players on their toes.

Granted, combat is turn-based, which is a bit of a swerve for the genre, but it’s still a blast. If you’re a fan of classic RPGs like Fallout and X-Com, you’ll fit right in. That said, don’t expect Dead State to hold your hand. This RPG is punishing, and despite getting an enhanced edition in 2015, still has quite a few bugs that’ll annoy some players.

4) Zombi

Zombi started its life as ZombiU, a Wii U launch game that puts players in the middle of London in the zombie apocalypse. Using the Wii U GamePad, you can easily access the inventory and mini-map, while using the touchscreen and gyroscope to complete various actions. It was a fine game on the Wii U, but Ubisoft decided to port it to other consoles without the GamePad elements.

Regardless of the platform, Zombi features a neat permadeath system. If you died, you would respawn as a new person, leaving your previous character as a zombie that you’d need to confront if you wanted to get your gear back. It’s a cool system that you can see shades of in future Ubisoft games like Watch Dogs.

3) 7 Days to Die

7 Days to Die features a massive open world filled with gear, bases, and, of course, zombies. The developers mixed first-person shooting, tower defense-like base protection, and a hefty dose of RPG elements. You can play through the campaign, but the real fun comes when you dive into a randomly generated world.

In some ways, 7 Days to Die is a mature version of Minecraft. Like that hit game, it’s voxel-based, making base-building (and ruining) relatively easy. You can also jump into a world filled with friends via player-run servers, but no matter how you slice it, 7 Days to Die is a great zombie game that just got a 2.0 version in 2025.

2) They Are Billions

They Are Billions is technically a real-time strategy game, but it’s also very different from most other games in that genre. Instead of building up a force to go take down an enemy base, you’re doing your best to fortify your base before the zombie hordes can attack.

Learning how to effectively build defenses that can slow down the horde will take you hours, but the payoff is worth it. Surviving that final big horde before picking up a victory is a rush that you don’t often get from strategy games like this one. It’s a unique addition to real-time strategy and the zombie genre, which makes it something everyone should try.

1) Project Zomboid

Project Zomboid is billed as “the ultimate in zombie survival.” Boy, do they mean it. Zomboid is not for the weak of will. It will test your planning, strategy, and, if you’re in multiplayer, cooperation more than many other zombie games.

You’re dropped into an open-world sandbox filled with zombies and given one objective: survive. From there, you do what you must to see the next day, which is never easy, but always interesting.

The team at The Indie Stone has been consistently updating Project Zomboid since 2013. It still hasn’t hit its 1.0 release, but it doesn’t look like the developers are slowing down anytime soon. Regardless of its release status, there is plenty to do in Project Zomboid. If you’re willing to put in the time to learn its intricacies, you won’t find many better survival games on the market.

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