Zombiesare a classic staple of video games, being used heavily since some of the earliest video games. FromResident EviltoThe House of the Dead, the 90s saw zombie games dominate both arcades and home consoles. From there, zombies only became more of a fixture in popular culture, and they spread throughout the video game world.
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Not only are zombies the main enemy in a number of games, but the undead also continually appear as a minor enemy in a ton of other games too. Even withhundreds of examples of zombies across different genres, a handful of them stand out as the best around.
10State Of Decay 2
State of Decay 2is a fantastic open-world game and one of themost underrated zombie gamesthat there are. Both the original and the sequel are great games, butState of Decay 2expands on everything that made the first game good. That includes the zombies themselves, as the years that passed between games allowed for improvements.
With the zombie outbreak just beginning in-game,State of Decay 2does a great job of putting players in the position of fighting for their lives in a realistic modern setting against the freshly-turned monsters.
9DayZ
DayZis one of thebest survival gamesavailable, but a large part of its success comes from the danger that other players present as opposed to zombies. The game came into existence thanks to the popularity of a mod forARMA 2, and the modder who worked on it was brought in by Bohemia Interactive to develop the standalone game.
Although the biggest threat to everyDayZplayer is often the other humans involved, the zombies are very well-crafted and keep players on their toes at all times.
8The Last Of Us
The Last Of Usand its sequel are two of the most popular modern examples of games thattwist the standard zombie mythology. Neither game sticks to the same old tropes that fans will see in the majority of zombies in the media, and the enemies feel truly unique as a result.
The clickers are not only interesting opponents that present tough stealth challenges, but the sound of them attempting to locate something can instantly fill a player with dread. Couple that with their great design and the clickers are truly phenomenal zombies.
7Dying Light
TheDying Lightseries is one of the newest additions to the zombie genre, but it immediately stood out as a solid choice. Although it didn’t break any new ground at the time, it was serviceable in all areas and gave its zombies a unique day-night cycle that piqued plenty of interest.
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Dying Light 2: Stay Humanmade improvements on the original but by adding parkour, it removed some of the nighttime danger. The zombies are much more terrifying in the night in both games, but being forced to confront them more in the original amps up the terror.
The House of the Deadwas a classic arcade game that many 90s children will remember fondly. Not only was it one of the more popular games that used a light gun, butThe House of the Deadpretty muchdefined the whole genre. The original game had such a huge impact that not only did it give birth to three sequels, but several spin-offs as well.
Although the graphics were relatively simple by today’s standards,The House of the Dead: Remakesolved that issue and brought the original up to date.
Rockstar really outdid themselves withRed Dead Redemption, creating one of the best games of 2010. Things took a bit of a surprising turn when they released the standalone expansion,Undead Nightmare, but somehow it worked even better than fans could’ve imagined.
Undead Nightmarewas definitely acampy horror game, with sasquatch and unicorn hunts for good measure. The zombie enemies are great, but the game’s horses really stand out. The player rides zombie horses during the game, and can even ride the four horses of the apocalypse if they look hard enough.
4Resident Evil 4
The originalResident Evilwas one of the best games of its generation, and it spawned one of the best zombie franchises available. The original is undoubtedly one ofthe best zombie gamesever, but many fans believe that the best entry wasResident Evil 4.
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The series has been known for its ability to create tense moments and constant anticipation, butResident Evil 4upped the ante when it came to the enemies themselves. The rabid villagers that the player is forced to battle throughout the game take several forms, each of them unique and equally terrifying.
3World War Z
World War Zwas a co-operative zombie game released in 2019, set in the same universe as the 2013 film starring Brad Pitt. It was reasonably well-received, but one of the most attractive aspects of the game was the fact that it can support up to a thousand zombies on-screen at any one time.
This allows the enemies to behave similarly to the film, where they climb up each other to reach players on higher levels. This is something that can’t be found in any other zombie game, and it looks truly impressive.
With four mainline entries to the franchise and a ton of DLC available, it’s difficult to pinpoint where theDead Risingseries really peaked. The series doesn’t take itself seriously at all and gives players the ability to mow down hundreds of zombies in minutes without much effort, but that has always been part of it’s appeal for fans.
The series isn’t scary or even that difficult, but it’s always been a fan-favorite. Although many fans pinpointed theDead Rising 2as the best game of the series, the fourth entry is where the graphical element reached its best point.
Telltale Games’The Walking Deadis split across four seasons and althoughthey vary in qualityeach one is decent in its own right. The series is episodic in nature, so even though it was originally sold as different games, they were put together as a collection in 2019.
The key attraction in theWalking Deadfranchise has always been its character development and the idea that the most dangerous thing in the zombie apocalypse is the people, but the interactions with zombies in this point-and-click adventure stand out as well.
