Zombies are one of my favorite genres of horror games as you try and survive by chopping down undead hordes. Though there are hundreds of games that put their own spin on the iconic zombie so which ones are the best?

How would you even be able to classify what makes a good zombie game there are ones, that mainly focus on just killing the undead, while others focus on the story and the human aspect of the post-apocalypse.

Well, I judged these games based on a few of these categories mainly; Story, Zombies, Realism, Fun, and Scare Factor.

I mean I’ve played games where the Zombies couldn’t frighten a fly, but the story was peak and bit right into my brainnnnnnn. And I’ve played games where there is no story, but the zombies will scare me on a regular basis.

That hopefully makes my judging a little fair so one type of zombie game doesn’t outshine the others. Though I want to make it perfectly clear I just love a good zombie game so in my eyes these are all winners.

If you’re favorite isn’t on here let us know what it is and which ones on this list your heart beats for! Without further ado let’s gear up and go out into the horde!

• 10. DayZ (2013)

  From Bohemia Interactive, DayZ started out a little different than the other entrants on this list. Mainly that it was a mod of the same name for a game called ARMA 2.

  However, fans loved the idea so much that DayZ became its own standalone game. Even getting a Next Gen release in 2018. Survivors have to worry about zombies as well as other players which makes it a perfect roleplaying game as you can be a hero or a bandit or even someone in between.

  Other games have tried to copy the DayZ format, but have come up short just showing how good the game really was. And so it’s an amazingly fun game!

• 9. Call of Duty Zombies (2009)

  The call of duty franchise has been around for what seems like forever and for me being born in 1998 before the first CoD was even released that holds true.

  Though alongside all the main campaigns and multiplayer action was one game mode that took over. CoD Zombies was released in 2009 as a follow-up to the previous World at War (2008) and it later became an integral part of the franchise with its own lore and story. But we love it for the brutal zombie-killing game it is.

  Either alone or with friends you run, jump and sometimes even dolphin dive to fight the undead and the franchise is also known for its chilling voice acting. Like the iconic line “Fetch me their souls!”

• 8. Left 4 Dead (2008)

  Left 4 Dead was one of Valve’s best game series in my opinion. You run around streets, apartments, and more killing zombies. However, what made this game stand out from your typical zombie game was the PvP elements as teams could play as either the survivors or zombies.

  A cool aspect that not many games had tried before. As well as with some signature zombie types like the boomer or the hunter. You also have the witch whose cries are almost instantly recognizable. It makes the grade for fun, scares factor, and more!

• 7. Dead Island (2011)

  Dead Island took an interesting approach to the iconic zombie game. They experimented with the first-person aspect and made some changes in their own way.

  The story was pretty good, the zombies were interesting and the unique combo weapons made the game shine.

  I hope the upcoming and long-awaited Dead Island 2 can make up for the lackluster sequel Dead Island: Riptide. Viewer discretion is advised as the trailer is one of the most memorable zombie game trailers I’ve seen.

• 6. Resident Evil (2002)

  The Resident Evil franchise has been around for even longer than most of the titles on this list. With remakes, sequels, prequels, and even movies both live-action and animated. It really is one of the most successful titles out there in the genre.

  Now, this is a question I feel needs to be answered because the game franchise has seen zombies, but we’ve also seen mutants, vampires, and more so is it really a zombie game?

  It’s classified as one and one of the main enemy types has almost always been undead to some degree. Besides that it’s fun and has an amazing story and jump scares galore.

• 5. TellTale The Walking Dead (2012)

  Taking place in the world of one of the most successful zombie television shows to exist. Tell Tale is known for its amazing stories in the fact that the player can make choices.

  Each has its own consequence. Admittedly the ending of the first game made me and many others cry. So while the zombies and scare factor might be low. It gets an A+ on Fun and Story

• 4. Last of Us (2013)

  Speaking of great story games. The Last of Us is one of the few examples of when a video game can be successfully turned into a show or movie. With the newest HBO series being a massive hit.

  This game balances the infected and the human nature of the zombie world. It’s not my personal favorite, but it deserves the respect of being a great game.

• 3. Dead Rising (2006)

  If my memory serves me correctly this was one of the first zombie games I ever played. I didn’t fully understand it when I first played it but running around a mall making combo weapons and having a story you had to work for is what made this game great.

  We also had timed bosses and missions which made the game feel more real. Though you can’t forget that this game allows you to fight zombies with toy weapons as well. I don’t love all of the follow-up games but some of them did just as well as the first.

• 2. Dying Light (2015)

  My friends would be in shambles if I left this off the list. As Dying Light took what we saw in Dead Island and added a parkour and a more fearsome element to it.

  Being out during the night in this game is a heart-racing experience as zombies chase you. I wish the sequel was as good as the original, though sadly I don’t feel like it will ever be.

• 1. Project Zomboid (2013)

  Project Zomboid isn’t your typical-looking zombie game. In fact, it doesn’t look like really most other zombie games. An open-world isometric zombie game sounds fun, but it is even more elevated when you have hordes of zombies that can actually end your character with a single bite.

  This game gets top marks for realism as you have to actually take care of your character or you will have to start all over. This makes the game a nightmare when exploring and made you open the wrong door and a horde is waiting for you. Another aspect is that you can play alone, with friends, or even on massive online servers.

  The game continues to get updates and has a good modding community keeping the game fresh. I hate it because I have jumped in fright numerous times, but I love it as well.

• Honorable Mention: Blight Survival

  I had to throw in an honorable mention because we are in the new generation of zombie games and this is one I am personally looking forward to. Blight Survival combines zombies and monsters in a medieval setting. What’s not to love about that?! I can’t wait to see more from the team behind it and maybe it will take over a spot on this list upon release.

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