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 with hundreds of examples of zombies across different genres, a handful of them stand out as the best around.
10 State Of Decay 2
State of Decay 2 is a fantastic open-world game and one of the most underrated zombie games that there are. Both the original and the sequel are great games, but State of Decay 2 expands 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 2 does a great job of putting players in the position of fighting for their lives in a realistic modern setting against the freshly-turned monsters.
9 DayZ
DayZ is one of the best survival games available, 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 for ARMA 2, and the modder who worked on it was brought in by Bohemia Interactive to develop the standalone game.
Although the biggest threat to every DayZ player is often the other humans involved, the zombies are very well-crafted and keep players on their toes at all times.
8 The Last Of Us
The Last Of Us and its sequel are two of the most popular modern examples of games that twist 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.
7 Dying Light
The Dying Light series 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.
Best Open-World Zombie Games Like Dying Light 2
Dying Light 2: Stay Human made 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.
6 The House Of The Dead: Remake
The House of the Dead was 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, but The House of the Dead pretty much defined 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: Remake solved that issue and brought the original up to date.
5 Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare
Rockstar really outdid themselves with Red 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 Nightmare was definitely a campy 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.
4 Resident Evil 4
The original Resident Evil was one of the best games of its generation, and it spawned one of the best zombie franchises available. The original is undoubtedly one of the best zombie games ever, but many fans believe that the best entry was Resident Evil 4.
The series has been known for its ability to create tense moments and constant anticipation, but Resident Evil 4 upped 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.
3 World War Z
World War Z was 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 in order to reach players on higher levels. This is something that can’t be found in any other zombie game, and it looks truly impressive.
2 Dead Rising 4
With four mainline entries to the franchise and a ton of DLC available, it’s difficult to pinpoint where the Dead Rising series 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 the Dead Rising 2 as the best game of the series, the fourth entry is where the graphical element reached its best point.
1 The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series
Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead is split across four seasons and although they vary in quality each 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 the Walking Dead franchise 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.
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