Selected Zombie Games Classics

Zombies remain one of the most popular kinds of enemies both in movies and video games, and some of the greatest shooters are centered around fighting with them. So, let’s look at the best games in the genre and see if they are still fun to play even today.

The Last of Us

The deformed enemies in The Last of Us aren’t zombies – after all, they haven’t risen from the dead, but they definitely look and act like ones. And it’s undoubtedly one of the best zombie games featuring an excellent gameplay and a great story. So even if you don’t like the genre that much, The Last of Us is a must-play.

Dead Rising 3

The Dead Rising franchise aims to put a humorous spin on the genre. With all its strange weapons and absurd story, it definitely is one of the most original zombie games. Besides, The Dead Rising 3 adds an open world with a lot of opportunities to the original formula, which makes it arguably the best game in this funny series.

Resident Evil 2

Resident Evil 2 is a survival horror classic. It takes the original’s camera perspectives and makes them work to produce an even scarier atmosphere. It doesn’t have too much action, and that makes the suspense almost unbearable at times when the anticipation of the combat gets more frightening than the encounter itself. A true zombie masterpiece.

Resident Evil 4

The fourth installment of the Resident Evil franchise is another all-time zombie classic. While the turn to more action-oriented gameplay seemed like a questionable step, the gameplay became more dynamic, with frequent large-scale fights with hordes of zombies. Some fans liked the second game better, but Resident Evil 4 remains one of the best zombie games ever made.

The Walking Dead: Season One

The Walking Dead series is a more story-oriented kind of zombie game. The gameplay relies more on quick-time events and dialogues, making it a sort of interactive fiction rather than a common zombie horror story. And the episodic format makes the entire story unfold with proper speed — definitely a must-play.

Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare

Red Dead Redemption was so serious and realistic; almost nobody expected the add-on that turned the western setting into a zombie shooter. But it remains one of the best zombie apocalypse expansions, and it adds much fun and dynamics to the already almost perfect original game.

Left 4 Dead 2

Left 4 Dead was a very innovative zombie shooter at the time it was released. It featured great cooperative gameplay that really motivated you to think forward and care about your teammates, and the AI Director made sure the difficulty and atmosphere were always perfectly balanced. L4D2 added better graphics and an attractive new Versus mode, which made it a real landmark of the genre.

ZombiU

ZombiU stands out as a particularly innovative entry in the zombie game genre. Set in a London overrun by the undead, the game engages players with a compelling narrative and high-octane combat. What truly elevates ZombiU, however, is its unforgiving permadeath feature. When players meet their demise, they must start over with a new character, while their previous avatar turns into a zombie. To retrieve their belongings, they must then confront their former character, now a member of the living dead.

State of Decay

State of Decay is a mixture of different genres in a zombie apocalypse setting. There are building mechanics to manage your outpost and even some RPG elements. And when it comes to fighting zombies, you can rush them head-on or eliminate them more discreetly, using stealth elements. All of that creates a unique feeling of being in the middle of an apocalypse, and that's what makes the game stand out.

Plants vs. Zombies

Plants vs. Zombies is a top-rated tower defense arcade game in which you have to plant different kinds of herbs and flowers to protect your house from hordes of zombies. It’s definitely not scary, and the zombies are kind of funny here, but it’s still a fun game to play and certainly one of the most well-known zombie titles in the arcade genre.

Conclusion

Zombie games tend to be more shooting-oriented, but that doesn’t mean all of them are just fast-paced shooting range simulators. Almost all of the zombie classics share the same frightening atmosphere, but different features allow you to choose what you really like from this huge niche. So get whatever game suits you best and be the one who saves the world from another undead apocalypse