The 25 Best Zombie Games of All Time

Left 4 Dead left an indelible mark on the world of co-op gaming. With its dynamic stage predicaments brought on by the game's "A.I. Director," four players had to work like a well-oiled zombie killing machine. Left 4 Dead 2 does a marvelous job of building upon everything its predecessor brought forth while placing its zombie pandemic premise in New Orleans. Four new survivors entered the fray to fight for their lives against vicious zombie hordes across one of the greatest implementations of co-op multiplayer. The game's Survival mode and its equally addictive Scavnege 4v4 mode add to this game's max replayability factor to make it one of the best zombie games of all time.

That creepy booming voice that makes you jump every time you start up a new campaign in a Resident Evil game is iconic. And once the new bout of survival horror gets going, greatness and plenty of terror ensues. The very first entry in Capcom's smash bit franchise is a classic in its own right, but it's the remake that deserves a mention on this list. Graphically, everything looks ten times more frightening - the zombies, their "Crimson Head" transformation, the "Hunters," and other "bioweapons" will always have players scared out of their wits! Welcome changes, such as melee weapons that can save you from being bitten at the very last second and new areas/monsters to discover, makes this intro adventure for Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield unforgettable.

Those Resident Evil remakes tend to knock it out of the park when it comes to improving upon what came before it. Resident Evil 2 got a proper revival that features well-tuned third-person shooting mechanics, greatly improved visuals, and several campaign adjustments that made the game's familiar playthrough feel a bit fresher for longtime fans. Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield's distressing trek through Racoon City, its police department, its sewers, and a secret underground lab present a flood of the undead and other bioweapon threats to shoot down. This remake is defined as one of the most revered Resident Evil games and is certainly considered to be one of the best zombie games.

The zombified hordes that try to rip you and your allies apart in World War Z run fast...like, insanely fast to the point where they look like they'd have a shot at winning an Olympic track meet! And whenever they band together to create a tower or avalanche of hundreds of bloodthirsty terrors, this game cements itself as one of the more tense co-op experiences. World War Z is a shockingly great licensed game based on the book/movie of the same name thanks to its fun stage setups, impactful melee combat, a myriad of firearms to mow down zombies with, and relentless undead hordes that always keeps players on their toes.

The first game's HBO live-action adaptation has earned plenty of viewers from among the non-gaming massive thanks to its high drama, compelling characters, and gruesome-looking infected creatures. For those of you who want to actually play out the emotional and cruel events of the game itself, it's best for you to hop into the full remake. The Last of Us Part 1 cleans up the PS3 exclusive to a great degree in the graphical department. And on the gameplay front, you'll bear witness to incredibly tense situations full of sneaking, shooting, and brawls that pit you against vicious survivors and cannibalistic creatures. Keeping Joel and Ellie alive during their harrowing ordeals against "Bloaters" and other types of Infected makes it a certified pick on this list of the best zombie games.

When the original Telltale Games was riding high, it was due to the development studio's work on the strong narrative and emotional story beats brought on by The Walking Dead series. Across several seasons, players watched the relationships between beloved characters such as Lee Everett, Clementine, AJ, and more improve and sometimes worsen. And to make matters worse, their fates lie in your hands as you make important decisions that either lead to their success or demise. The story that transpires across the entirety of this episodic journey is filled with zombies to kill and avoid, plus dangerous humans that are sometimes worse than the undead themselves.

Being forced to navigate New Orleans while "Walkers" look to bite a chunk out of you is the type of ordeal no one wants to deal with in real life. The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners takes that life-threatening proposition and brings players even closer thanks to the magic of virtual reality. Blasting, stabbing, and smashing the heads of zombies from a first-person viewpoint becomes all the more immersive when you're placed smack-dab in the post-apocalyptic world this game presents. This game truly makes you feel like a hard-fought survivor who must craft their own tools and fight back against the walkers in order to arrive at the safe haven known as "The Reserve."

The first Dead Rising could be considered of the best zombie games ever made. But we'd rather shower praise upon its follow-up. And that's because it presents way more variety in the gameplay department, way more polish, and a much more approachable level of difficulty. Having to deal with all sorts of zombies and being the best father ever in a bid to save one's diseases daughter defines this game's high-stakes proposition. Getting one's hands on the prize money needed to obtain that crucial dosage of "Zombrex" meant players had to cut through swaths of the undead while participating in outlandish minigames on a reality game show. Dead Rising 2 gets the nod here once again cause that chainsaw-equipped motorcycle is one of the great weapon/vehicle combinations in gaming history!

The first Dying Light didn't have a ton of hype surrounding it at the time of its release. But once everyone got their hands on it and put it through its paces, many of those same people came to appreciate its amalgamation of parkour traversal and heavy melee combat. And on top of those two treasured elements is a vast open world set in the Middle East where the last surviving humans are forced to stay alive amidst a zombie apocalypse. The risk and reward that comes from staying out late into the night to find essential goods and staying ahead of even more deadly zombies point to another one of Dying Light's best elements.

"The House...OF THE DEAD!" Hearing that announcement echo through the arcade and also having your ears treated to the painful cries of someone that just got bit by a zombie will never get old. Those nostalgic sounds come from one of the best light-gun and best zombie games, The House of the Dead. There's still so much fun to be had as you and another player take control of "AMS Agents" Thomas and "G" to wade into the monster-filled "Curien Mansion." Using your light gun peripheral to blast zombies of all shapes and sizes to death at a furious pace is still loads of fun. Plus the chaotic boss fights and campy dialogue play an equal part in defining this arcade shooter as one of the very best.

Red Dead Redemption is considered by many as one of Rockstar Game's greatest efforts. Its accompanying expansion Undead Nightmare also gets plenty of positive nods for being the popular publisher/developer's strongest DLC expansion. Mixing in zombies with an open world that's themed after the Wild West worked like a charm in conjunction with the original game's best-in-class third-person shooting. The single-player adventure in this expansion is great in its own right, plus the multiplayer side modes (which include the memorable "Horde" mode variation "Undead Overrun") kept most players attached to this game long after its main campaign came to an end. Undead Nightmare is a reminder of just how impressive Rockstar's DLC output can and still be when it comes to its massive open-world juggernauts.

The Oregon Trail was pretty much the one educative PC game that killed a few hours for kids going to school in the 90s. This fun spoof on that classic 19th-century pioneer life simulator adds in a zombie pandemic and succeeds because of it. Organ Trail takes the formula of its inspiration (which entails trying to keep a group of survivors alive, finding food, and managing resources) and has it all take place in a world ruled by the living dead. The retro pixelated art style makes this game feel like a lost relic of the 90s, which is actually one of its best traits. Add the multiple endings, randomized boss encounters, and gunfights against different types of zombies and you have some other redeeming qualities from this selection on our list of the best zombie games.

Survival games definitely had a strong run near its sub-genre inception. And one of the titles that sit at the top of the mountain for that style of gaming is DayZ. Taking on the role of one of the last remaining humans who's been dropped into a world stricken by a zombie outbreak produces a gameplay loop that hooks everyone that gives it a chance. Scavenging for goods, building bases, and working with/against other players helps DayZ fulfill that nightmare scenario of having to stay alive in an environment that seemingly has it out for you. Trying to determine who's a helper and who's a menace thanks to the magic of proximity voice chat and text chat usually results in some of the best moments DayZ is known for.

Stubbs The Zombie In Rebel Without A Pulse puts players in the role of a brain-thirsty zombie that happens to look great in a business suit. And all the fun derived from it comes from terrorizing humans by turning them into zombies themselves. Causing all sorts of mayhem among the human populace is such a wild activity since you can use your newly-turned walkers as new members of your army, who can be used to make life hell for everyone that hasn't succumbed to your influence yet. The 1950s time setting applied to the city of Punchbowl adds that extra bit of flavor to one of the best zombie games that actually let you command the power of a tailored walker.

We got another one of those zombie games on this list that you may have missed out on. Unturned mashes up the graphical stylings of Minecraft with the survival themes presented by most zombie-filled media. Dealing with the undead, making use of the items that'll keep you healthy, and braving the dangers of other human players are just some of the duties you'll tend to on your own with a fellow survivor. The varied sandboxes players can explore and the wealth of mods thrown into Unturned keep things fresh every time you boot it up. Give this one a go when you get a chance so you can see what all the hype is about.

We never knew we wanted a real-time strategy game centered on dealing with the undead...that is until we got a taste of what Atom Zombie Smasher is all about. What's being presented here is a struggle against zombies and a mission that entails saving as many people as possible from their grasp. And that means recruiting all sorts of mercenaries and employing the right strategic maneuvers in order to thin out the zombie herd. The element of "procedural generation" is key to always presenting new regions to explore and dynamic events that'll impact your rate of success during each playthrough of this clever take on the zombie gaming formula.

"Freakers" come in packs and flood the screen whenever you attempt to take down their encampments. There's such a thrill derived from hauling ass away from a massive flood of infected beings that can quickly overwhelm you if you take the wrong left turn. Days Gone regularly throws Deacon St. John into that type of agonizing situation, plus players get to take him on road trips with his beloved motorcycle and earn the trust of fellow survivors across the great Pacific Northwest. Days Gone's massive open world, stealth-based gameplay implementation and vicious zombie-like creatures (those dreaded "Swarmers" and "Newts" always make our palms hella sweaty!) perfectly encapsulate its finest features.

It's pretty wild that a bunch of Americans are dead set on leaving their homeland to take refuge in Canada. But when you find out why they're embarking on that expedition, it makes all the sense in the world. Death Road to Canada follows a car full of four survivors that drive to their new safe haven while picking up the supplies they need along the way. Danger quickly arises during the game's "Siege" events, which pits all four players against an invading force of the undead that gets larger over time. The roguelike nature of Death Road to Canada helps generate enough randomized moments that throw you for a loop and keep you on your toes.

Louisville, Kentucky aka "Knox County" is the last remaining locale that's livable during a post-apocalyptic scenario brought on by (you guessed it!) zombies. Project Zomboid puts you in the role of a survivor who must avoid an inevitable death for as long as possible while things are seriously dire. The top-down camera viewpoint this game offers gives a huge sense of scale to players as they maneuver through every corner of its vast sandbox. Dealing with one's ever-changing emotions while also scavenging for everything you need to keep on going explains what you'll need to confront (and also become entranced by!) during your time spent in Project Zomboid.

You can giggle and scratch your head all you want about Plants vs. Zombies being on our list of the best zombie games. But anyone that's poured way too many hours into this insanely rewarding and enjoyable tower defense classic knows it deserves to be here. When zombies take over the world and invade everyone's homes, players go on the defensive and keep them back with an army of plants. A huge sense of satisfaction washes over everyone that plays this mobile gaming classic and wipes out their zombified opposition during repeated playthroughs. Shout out to the "Snow Pea" and "Chomper" for always getting us out of a tight pinch!

Everyone knows where they were when they watched the cinematic teaser for Dead Island. And while the final game didn't hit on the same emotional overtones presented in that trailer, the game still ended up being fun enough to earn its proper spot on this list of the best zombie games. After listening to the sweet sounds of "Who Do You Voodoo" and avoiding the devastating effects of a zombie plague, players adopt one of four survivors and navigate an island full of flesh-eaters. This open-world action RPG puts forth weighty melee combat that never falters thanks to a vast lineup of weapons to equip and an awesome progressions system that makes you feel like a force of nature as you wipe out the diseased opposition. Techland will forever hold a special place in our hearts for giving us Dying Light and this classic release.

All these themes come into play in They Are Billions and line up just right to make it such an endearing experience - post-apocalyptic, steampunk, real-time strategy, and survival. Oh, and how could we forget the element of randomly generated environments? All of those things combine and throw players into a world where billions of the infected try to disrupt you and you're people's lives. Fortifying your colony, advancing its technology, and participating in real-time battles with infected hordes are just a few of the overwhelming tasks thrown your way as you navigate the dangers presented in They Are Billions.

The Sniper Elite series got its own spinoff games. And to be quite honest, we prefer those zombie-filled side titles a bit more than their mainline counterparts. Zombie Army 4: Dead War adopts the four-player Horde mode structure of the Left 4 Dead games and adopts the time period of the 1940s. That unique package presents a worthwhile co-op experience that pits players against some of the most ghoulish beings we've ever seen. The up-close kill cam animations and super realistic limb dismemberment are equally intoxicating during your repeated crusades against zombie-kind.

When Konami was in its 16-bit bag back in the day, it produced a more playful take on the usually morbid nature of zombie media. Zombies Ate My Neighbors pits the water-gun-toting teens Zeke and Julie against the monstrous beings created by the maniacal Dr. Tongue. Using the cleansing power of H20 (and even soda pop cans!) to wipe out the undead is a blast, plus we always made an attempt at saving all of our neighborhood patrons before they got wiped out by those dammed walkers. Maneuvering through someone's backyard, a haunted house, and even a pyramid to take down some shambling zombies and retrieve some helpless neighbors never gets old.

"Shadows of Evil." "The Giant." The return of "Ascension" and "Nacht der Untoten." Call of Duty: Black Ops III has all that and more, which makes it the greatest installment of the long-running COD co-op mode that no one ever seems to get tired of. The inclusion of real-world actors as playable survivors adds so much more to the overall fun factor that erupts over the course of tense gameplay sessions where a wealth of guns, perks, and Easter Eggs come into play. With the inclusion of remastered maps from past "Zombie Mode" installments thrown in for good measure, you have to prop up this classic COD as one of the best zombie games available within the FPS genre.