The Dead Never Sleep
Would you survive the zombie apocalypse? Project Zomboid asks this question to its players through a hyper realistic simulation of what a devastating undead outbreak in Kentucky might look like. The answer is always “No,” but seeing how long they can survive and the extreme freedom this title affords has captivated fans for years.
For those who enjoy the in-depth survival mechanics, lethal combat, and creative freedom of a highly immersive zombie sim like Project Zomboid we have a list of a few similar titles that might help scratch that itch between playthroughs.
1: Zed Zone
Zed Zone is a newer, isometric, open-world zombie survival simulator created by Leven Liu. Players take on the role of a soldier whose helicopter crash-landed in the middle of a mysterious outbreak. Players will need to scavenge for equipment, craft items, and fight smart if they want to survive the horrors this mutant virus has created.
2: State of Decay 2
The iconic State of Decay 2 was developed by the zombie experts at Undead Labs, and features an incredibly diverse and changing world that reacts to the player’s presence. Scavenging, stealth, gunplay, and frantic combat are just the basics of this game’s challenges. Build up a base, gather survivors, and create a thriving settlement in an American heartland torn apart by the ravenous undead.
3: DayZ
DayZ is a hardcore open-world survival simulation developed by Bohemia Interactive and based on the beloved Arma mod. Multiplayer gamers will be right at home in this zombie-infested world, offering a great scavenging roguelike to play with friends on their DayZ accounts. However, players may find that zombies are the least of their worries when other players are also after their hard-earned loot.
4: 7 Days to Die
A popular and unique spin on the open-world zombie-survival genre, 7 Days to Die pits the player and any friends they drag with them against a blocky world filled with loot, scrap, and hordes of undead. The Fun Pimps created this game with an interesting tower-defense spin, and players will need to defend their base against waves of zombies every seven days. With evolving difficulty and growing numbers of enemies, how long will you survive?
5: Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead
A classic but wacky take on the hardcore zombie roguelike, Cataclysm DDA is a turn-based survival simulation with incredible depth. Ported to Steam by CleverRaven, this title allows players to do just about anything their heart desires. From building up a massive base or vehicle to searching forgotten cities for loot to mutating your character into a cyborg monster, this game has it all and then some.
Survival Not Guaranteed
The apocalypse isn’t exactly the safest scenario to begin with, so when the dead start walking it tends to make things much more dicey. Death is as much a part of the game as survival. Fans of Project Zomboid, however, welcome the challenge even if they know the end may be inevitable.
Once in a while, though, a break from the same old live-and-die routine is a welcome change. Fortunately, there seems to be no shortage of experiences that run parallel to Zomboid, so why not take advantage of all that variety to test your skills against the undead in a new way or a new place?
