9 Upcoming Zombie Games People Are Excited For
Zombies have been a staple of horror for decades, and they aren’t leaving the world of video games anytime soon.
The zombie genre ruled the entertainment landscape for the better part of the last decade, and though audiences are currently a bit fatigued, it’s a post-apocalyptic setting that comes back in waves. It’s been that way since George A. Romero released Night of the Living Dead back in 1968.
These days, a zombie-focused video game can still capture audiences’ excitement and anticipation, but they need to deliver something that feels refreshing, unique, and/or of unmatched quality. More games, both AAA and indie, release in the modern era than ever before. That means that there’s likely more than a handful of upcoming zombie games to look forward to at any given time.
Wanderlost
Indie games deserve love, so it’s nice to shine a light on a zombie-centric one that fans can’t wait to get their hands on. Wanderlost is a survival role-playing simulation game where players control a red-headed adventurer looking to fight back against the zombie infestation.
Its beautiful art style, in combination with both its RPG mechanics and crafting system, is looking to provide fans of the genre with a colorful take on a post-apocalyptic world. Wanderlost is currently in beta and is hoping to launch in the coming year if things go according to plan.
The Last Of Us Standalone Multiplayer
Even though The Last of Us is primarily known for its single-player campaign, the 2013 title also had a fun multiplayer mode called Factions. The sequel launched without this feature, and for the longest time, Naughty Dog provided no indication of plans to change this. However, in 2023, the developer confirmed that a standalone The Last of Us 2 multiplayer was in the works, although little information about the project’s contents has been revealed.
This mode started out as an update on the original game’s Factions, but it seems to have grown exponentially since then. At this point, it is difficult to predict exactly what form this release will take, although one has to assume it will retain quite a few elements from Factions.
Projekt Z
Hard to imagine that a game simply called Projekt Z will release in 2023, but this World War II zombie shooter has made quite the impression with its trailers. Not only does it provide a captivating atmosphere that infuses a bit of horror into the well-tread genre setting, but visually the game offers beautiful lighting and textures.
The developers are a fresh new German indie studio called 314 Arts comprised of nine total employees. It’ll offer both single-player and online co-op zombie killing spectacles as players try to uncover Nazi secrets hidden on an occupied island.
Lords Of The Fallen
Lords of the Fallen is confusing for several reasons. A game titled Lords of the Fallen was released nearly a decade ago and offered a Souls-like experience in its unique fantasy world. This 2023 title serves as a spiritual reboot of sorts for the series and isn’t the typical new zombie game one would expect.
The player takes on enemies that are more demonic in nature, but the trailers and press releases have indicated that undead threats lurk in the dark. Fans and critics alike are hoping that the criticisms of the first title are taken into account and that Lords of the Fallen ends up being the best version of what this series set out to accomplish.
The Day Before
The zombie genre is one that can be tackled quite ambitiously in the world of video games. The Day Before by developer Fntastic is one such example. It’s pitched as an open-world MMO survival game taking place in a post-apocalyptic environment filled with zombies. What sets it apart in a crowded genre is its graphical fidelity and the dense metropolitan areas in which it seems to take place.
Due to the scope and ambition of the project, The Day Before‘s release date has been moved several times, and the game has attracted quite a bit of controversy over its lifespan. Nevertheless, a release seems to be on the cards for the Unreal Engine 5 zombie game. Both its publisher and developer hope to get it into the hands of gamers toward the end of 2023.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl
When S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl was revealed in 2018 gamers were excited to hop into the world of a series that found a diehard cult community on PC with the release of the first game. Its sequel was originally supposed to release in late 2022, but due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Kyiv-based studio GSC Game World had to move its operation to Prague in the Czech Republic.
Due to their circumstances, it’s safe to assume anything and everything is on the table, but fans are hoping to be able to play the game in 2023. It’ll also be releasing day one on Xbox Game Pass, which will infuse it with a large player base willing to explore what it has to offer.
State Of Decay 3
Undead Labs feels like a game developer destined to deliver a truly remarkable zombie experience in the world of video games. Their first entry in the genre was a lower-budget arcade-style zombie survival game that won the hearts of gamers despite its many bugs and issues. Its sequel, State of Decay 2, took the series forward, with a game that felt higher budget, but still felt like a learning experience.
In 2020, State of Decay 3 was revealed, and interviews with the studio suggest they’re working on making this the zombie survival game they’ve felt they were capable of delivering. Now owned by Microsoft and overseen by Xbox Game Studios, it seems that the third installment in the State of Decay series could be the one that puts Undead Labs on the map in a major way.
Arizona Sunshine 2
Arizona Sunshine is still one of the most recognizable virtual reality horror games on the market, and its success ensured a sequel was only a matter of time. Like its predecessor, Arizona Sunshine 2 is designed with VR in mind and cannot be played without a headset, and the project has been confirmed for both PC and the PS VR2.
Featuring a comedic tone and all the gore one could ever want, Vertigo’s title is over-the-top, violent, and quite the looker if its trailer and screenshots are anything to go by. While the protagonist seems largely unchanged from the first game, he is accompanied by the goodest of good boys: Buddy. Yes, this is one zombie apocalypse that players can take on alongside a dog, which should automatically make the experience a dozen times better.
John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando
Revealed in June 2023, John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando introduced itself with a gloriously cheesy ’80s trailer soundtracked by Bon Jovi. Set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun with zombies, Toxic Commando looks set to be a co-op first-person shooter with a class system and a quirky sense of humor. Any horror project that carries John Carpenter’s name comes with higher expectations, but this game at least left a positive first impression.
Saber Interactive has an extensive resume that includes World War Z, another co-op zombie shooter that was received fairly well. Toxic Commando appears to retain that release’s overwhelmingly massive hordes, which is the best part of that game; hopefully, the upcoming title fine-tunes and improves upon World War Z‘s ideas.