Best Zombie Games 2022 - Blood, Brains and Guts

The situation in the world has been extremely tense in recent months. After the global (still undefeated) coronavirus pandemic, the prospect of a huge armed conflict has emerged, the outbreak of which we currently have in Ukraine. The only way 2022 could get worse would be a zombie apocalypse. But we don't have to worry about dead people crawling onto the streets – if you feel like fighting them, you can just do it in front of the TV. Which zombie games should you play in 2022

Best zombie games 2022

• Dying Light 2 – AAA parkour action game with decent story and gameplay.
• Back 4 Blood – better version of Left4Dead.
• Resident Evil: Village – famous zombie series.
• Project Zomboid – indie survival game.
• The Day Before – MMO with zombies!
• The Last of Us Part 2 – famous and controversial game.
• Requisition – FPP VR zombie game.
• Zombies, Run! – Android and iOS game. You run, you live.
• The Callisto Protocol – science-fiction zombie game.
• Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War – really good multiplayer co-op mode in Call of Duty.
• State of Decay 2 – good zombie game to play with friends.
• The classics of zombie games

Dying Light 2

Dying Light 2

The first installment of Dying Light was one of two games (the other one was The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt) that proved the prowess of Polish gamedev. Even today, the game looks pretty good, tells a very good story, and offers beefy gameplay built around parkour. Dying Light 2 is on many levels better than its predecessor, although it did not avoid a few errors – fortunately, developers from Techland quickly fix any shortcomings (especially compared to CD Projekt's latest triple-A).

Dying Light 2 is primarily about spectacular hand-to-hand combat, extremely satisfying mechanics of parkour, and an engaging story. The game has been expanded in relation to the original, among others o the ability to make choices that affect both the story and gameplay. In addition, the game world is filled to the brim with enemies, side activities, collectibles and easter eggs – so you can confidently argue that it's a very proper sandbox.

Back 4 Blood

Back 4 Blood

Back 4 Blood should be of interest to you if you're into first-person shooters based on broadly understood cooperation. This game will be primarily comfortable for fans of Left 4 Dead (the creators of Back 4 Blood used to develop L4D), but if you've played PAYDAY2 or GTFO, you should also enjoy it.

There's a lot of gore here. The game is essentially a scuffle between two factions – groups of survivors trained to fight, and the monsters that are swarming down on them. Depending on the selected mode, we can play as either the former and the latter. The game is basically about breaking through successive legions of zombies and it sometimes feels like a rail shooter. The element that distinguishes this game from similar titles are, for example, rogue-lite cards that affect individual elements of gameplay. From among those randomly selected by the game, you will have the opportunity to choose those that will strengthen your character: increasing clip size, allowing you to gain more currency or affecting special traits (health recovery, extra life, etc).

Resident Evil: Village

Resident Evil Village

Okay – maybe the newest Resident Evil differs a bit from the convention of the series in general. Fortunately, the creators decided to use solutions known from the quite good Resident Evil VII: Biohazard – it's all about the first-person perspective, a substantial plot and pretty clever jump-scares. Not all players loved the idea of introducing werewolves to the game at first (sic!), but in the end, this title garnered a lot of positive reviews and opinions from players. It will be interesting, however, to see what the creators will do in the future – I hope we will return to the established patterns in virtual zombie apocalypses.

However, if Village – the 8th part of Resident Evil – does not suit your taste, you might be interested in the previous installments of this series. The first and second parts have received fantastic remakes and will appeal to players who prefer gameplay that focuses on thrilling action in third-person perspective. Part seven is, in turn, a fantastic horror, which often raises the hair on your neck (if you have any).

Project Zomboid

Project Zomboid

Project Zomboid has evolved a lot over the past 8 years – today, it's not only developed by its creators, but also the whole community of fans of zombie games. With time, the visual setting has changed – from a production with a specific, pixel-art style, the game became one with beautiful locations reminiscent of old mobile productions... With nasty character models and a small number of polygons has remained. It turns out, however, that tis style – in conjunction with isometric perspective – works fantastically well. Anyway, it's not about the graphics, but about... Survival.

The idea for the game is simple – you have to survive in a hostile world (or more specifically its huge section) dominated by typical, creeping zombies wandering about in hordes. However, the amount of things to consider while playing the game can make you dizzy – you need to take care of hunger, thirst, fatigue, pain, panic, stress, boredom, temperature, diseases and wounds, weather and many, many other variables that determine the chances of seeing the next sunrise. Add to this the open, sandbox nature of the game, in which the task is to search for food and goods that will allow you to survive, as well as avoid or eliminate zombies – and we will get a game for hundreds of hours of excellent entertainment.

The Day Before

The Day Before

The Day Before looked dazzling in the first announcements. So much so that over time, players began to suspect that it was one, big scam – that the production will never be finished, or will be truncated both visually and gameplay-wise. Fortunately, the coveted material finally appeared – a trailer with the release date – in which the creators trolled the fans thirsty for the game... Giving 2025 as the release date. In the end, this game will be released at the beginning of summer 2022.

You could say that The Day Before is The Division – a third-person shooter from Ubisoft – set in a world dominated by zombies and expanded with extensive survival elements. We collect goods available in limited amounts, often fighting for them with other players – as we're trying to survive, we will also upgrade the hideout and expand the arsenal. However, it should be remembered that gunfire and other loud sounds can attract zombies who will not discriminate sources of brainz (which, of course, you can take advantage of). Fans of The Walking Dead series are already rubbing their hands – and it is hardly surprising, because it is a must-play in 2022 for every lover of zombie games.

The Last of Us Part II

The Last of Us Part 2

Almost two years have passed since the release of The Last of Us Part II – however, to this day, it remains the only AAA zombie game to be recently launched. TLoU2 polarized the fans of the series – the production was review bombed for the decisions made by the writers. This title, however, fully deserves the maximum scores awarded by journalists who, apart from an excellent narrative, appreciated the technological qualities, as well as improvements to graphics and gameplay.

In The Last of Us Part II – as in the case of Dying Light 2 – we are not dealing with zombies in their hackneyed version. Instead of sluggish brain eaters, we confront terrifying, lightning-fast and deadly human adversaries who, as a result of a fungus infection, have mutated and turned into creatures from the worst nightmares. This game has an extremely brutal and dark atmosphere, and the vibe is so dense you could cut it with a knife. For every fan of zombie games, this production is a must-have.

Requisition

Requisition

One of the most interesting and freshest games on the list which will be released on Steam in April this year. Requisition is a game that uses the benefits of VR technology, in which we will have to explore the locations of the post-apocalyptic world and face the hordes of advancing undead – in a team of up to four friends. It may not sound overly ambitious, but it's not about the narrative, nor insane enemy models, nor unforgettable NPCs and heroes, but about the gameplay.

It's all about combat. The weapons we use are not only guns, clubs or saws, but also everyday objects. All you have to do is put the knives or forks into the toaster and reload this pseudo-slingshot to send the cutlery straight to the enemy's face. However, nothing prevents you from grabbing the rubber toilet plunger and sticking the toaster to it with adhesive tape. Survival in this game is all about crafting – the goal will not be to quickly eliminate zombies, but to eliminate them in a spectacular manner. Stack books into a domino to push the ax at the end of it to hit the gas cylinder and make a big explosion!

Zombies, Run!

Zombies, run!

There have been few interesting games employing geolocation of our smartphones in recent years. Pokemon GO turned out a phenomenon that enjoyed exceptional popularity. Other games using the GPS data of our phones didn't enjoy quite as excessive an interest from players, but some of them have really been bold. One of the most interesting games of this kind is Zombies, Run! It's a title from 2012, but it's still supported today, and it's still a great argument leave our gaming dins and go out.

The gameplay is quite simple – you walk, run and even ride a bike in the real world. Along the way, you collect raw materials to expand the base and complete a number of missions the objectives of which you learn via audio recordings (there are already 200 missions at the moment, with more coming with each subsequent season). When you find yourself in the zombie-infested area... Well – the title of the game tells you all you need to know: you will have to lose the pursuit by taking to the heels. Simple? Sure it's simple – with Zombies, Run! it is possible that the New Year's resolutions related to the loss of excess pounds will finally be achieved.

The Callisto Protocol

The Callisto Protocol

We do not know the exact date of The Callisto Protocol yet – we only know that it is expected to appear in 2022 – but this game is definitely worth keeping on your radar as far as zombie games are concerned. Especially because the creators of the game from Striking Distance studio were very ambitious with their first project – that game's website states that it will be "One of the scariest games in history, setting new standards in the survival horror genre."

The Callisto Protocol takes place on one of the moons of Jupiter, the icy Callisto – and more precisely in the Black Iron prison located on it. The task of the protagonist, one of the detainees there, will be to escape from the facility, taken over by bloodthirsty beasts. It may not seem like much of an information, but it is worth trusting the specialists from Striking Distance, who cut their teeth on horror games – this is the first game of the studio under this name, but it is created by industry veterans who previously participated in the development of all installments of Dead Space, among others.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War, zombie mode

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is not the latest installment in the series, but when it comes to the zombie mode – which is the apple of the eye of both CoD fans and the creators of this shooter series – it is worth returning to the 2020 game. Black Ops Cold War turned out to be surprisingly robust in terms of the single-player campaign, the main storyline, as well as online modes that included a co-op zombie mode, which is second to none when it comes to zombie shooters.

The gameplay in Call of Duty Cold War's zombie mode – just like in the previous installments of the game – is based on close cooperation of players who are forced to repel waves of militarized-zombies. After killing a certain number of zombies, players can unlock passage to new areas of the map – the money earned by slaughtering the opponents can be spent on new weapons or strengthening strategic fortifications that can stop enemies for some time. So, spend your money wisely, preferably in agreement with the rest of the team. It's worth adding that the mode itself looks insanely good, especially later in the game – the blaze of colors, reflections and glowing mushrooms can make your jaw drop, if, of course, you have sufficiently powerful hardware.

State of Decay 2

State of Decay 2

It's impossible to make a zombie game list without State of Decay 2. The sequel to the warmly received first part of the game is a sandbox action game that gathered fans around. State of December 2 is an action RPG action game that takes place in the open world. The game is presented in third-person perspective.

We can, of course, play State of Decay 2 in single-player mode, but the game really starts showing teeth when we play in cooperation for up to 4 players. The production doesn't significantly deviate from what we know from other open-world games – we explore post-apocalyptic landscapes, search for raw materials, craft items and try to survive. We can also resort to a stealthy approach to combat. State of Decay 2 has been released on PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X. Also remember that Decay 3 was actually already announced – we don't know even an approximate release date, though.

The classics of zombie games

In the context of the best zombie games to play in 2022, the focus should not be solely on recent titles. There are many classics of the genre that are worth dusting off. The games about the living dead enjoy a huge range of different genres and approaches – from typical slashers with crafting elements, in which we will have to eliminate hordes of brain-eating creatures (such as Dead Rising) through difficult and moving stories with moral dillemmas, where zombies are only the background for the terror delivered from humans onto humans (vide The Walking Dead), to defending a garden against the dead with flowers, fruits and vegetables (Plants vs Zombies).

Plants vs. Zombies 2

The creators of zombie games even made it possible to play on the other side of the barricade. In Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse, the player will lead an uprising against the inhabitants of a city built on... the protagonist's grave. In an act of deadly vendetta, Stubbs will have the opportunity to bite the citizens who will then join his army to help spread terror on the streets of the metropolis. During the apocalypse that the player unleashes, Stubbs can use many interesting dead man's tricks – for example, we can restore Health Points by consuming human guts. Yuck. The whole game is full of dark humor – only in this game can the guard, whose arm we just severed, scream "How will I juggle now!?" before dying.