Zombies have been a popular culture staple since director George Romero's low-budget horror flick Night of the Living Dead modernized the concept of reanimated corpses. Though they were particularly prevalent in the 2000s, zombies have also been a part of gaming since the inception of the medium.
From major AAA affairs such as Left 4 Dead to minor indie hits like Death Road to Canada, zombie-slaying is still a key part of gaming in the modern-day. Yet, there are quite a few less popular titles that flew under the radar that are deserving of recognition.
Dead Effect (2014)
Mobile games don't tend to fare all that well when ported to PC. Should touch screen-centric interfaces and restricted visuals go unchanged, the result is often a lackluster offering destined to be lambasted by players. Dead Effect, however, was an irable conversion that made for a decent time for players in the market for budget shooters.
Taking place on a space station, Dead Effect feels a bit like what Doom 3 might've felt like had it maintained the old-school format of its predecessors. Going up against hordes of zombies never gets old for some gamers, and, with plenty to unlock and multiple modes to experience, there's quite a bit on offer in this forgotten gem.
Zombi (2015)
Originally titled ZombiU, Zombi is a Ubisoft-developed first-person zombie survival title that debuted alongside the Wii U console in November 2012. Intended to coax hardcore gaming enthusiasts into purchasing Nintendo's console, ZombiU tightened the screws on players by including mechanics such as permadeath and real-time inventory management.
Unfortunately, the game wasn't received particularly well, and its 2015 PC port, which dropped the vowel indicating a connection to Nintendo's famous console flop, didn't fare much better. While zombie survival games are nothing new, the game's unique gimmicks and budget price point could make it worthwhile to some adventurous gamers.
Contagion (2013)
The successor to a popular Half-Life 2 mod, Contagion debuted during the height of the zombie survival trend. The total opposite of Left 4 Dead, Contagion saw players barricading doors and taking well-placed shots to conserve dwindling ammo pools rather than mowing down armies of the undead with near-unlimited machine gunfire.
Somewhat reminiscent of titles like Day Z and other survival titles, Contagion may have long ago been usurped by more up-to-date experiences, but, with multiple maps and a surprising selection of game modes, it's a worthwhile time for those able to put a team of co-op gamers together.
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners (2020)
Games set in the universe of popular graphic novel series hile the narrative-driven Telltale game series rocketed the developer to temporary stardom, installments like Walking Dead Survival Instinct and Overkill's The Walking Dead only served to tarnish the reputation of the property.
That said, 2020's The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners was a stellar semi-open world experience that brought to life the world of The Walking Dead like no other game had. However, as a VR-exclusive game, few fans had a chance to play it, relegating the title to unfortunate obscurity.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky (2008)
While none of the games in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series center around zombies, they're part of the grand video game tradition of exploring irradiated wastelands and fending off the various horrors within, an experience adjacent to slaughtering the reanimated dead.
Plus, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky is in desperate need of re-evaluation; often considered to be the black sheep of the trilogy, it's certainly unpolished and rough-around-the-edges, but it remains an inventive and immersive endeavor that's often unfairly unfavorably compared to the Fallout or Metro games. Those who found titles like Fallout 4 or Days Gone to be far too keen on holding the player's hand will want to give any of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games a shot.
No More Room In Hell (2013)
When there is no more room in hell, the dead will walk the Earth. Released in beta on Steam in 2013, No More Room In Hell is a completely free co-op zombie FPS that feels like a cross between the objective-driven formula of Left 4 Dead and the realism of Contagion. Slow and deliberate yet with enough going on to keep antsy players interested, No More Room In Hell makes for a compelling experience, particularly given the price point.
While it was reasonably popular when it first debuted, No More Room In Hell has since fallen into total obscurity, and, given its remarkable quality, that's definitely a shame.
GTFO (2019)
Developed by 10 Chambers, GTFO is a hardcore tactical co-op title that forces groups of up to four players through challenging gauntlets on an ever-expanding quest to uncover the truth about their captivity and the facility they're made to explore. Demanding patience, practice, and teamwork, GTFO is by no means a casual experience, and single levels can take hours to fully understand.
What's interesting about GTFO is that the levels on offer, of which there are ten at any given time, change every few months, providing a unique live service-esque feel sans the microtransactions. It's a title that absolutely deserves more attention from gamers.
Dead Island (2011)
Dead Island will forever be marred by a memorable advertising campaign that made it out to be a Last of Us-style drama when it was, in fact, closer to something like Far Cry 3 in tone. That said, it was still an enjoyable title that, while flawed, made for an entertaining distraction from the zombie wilderness survival genre which was gaining traction at the time.
In 2022, most of the conversation surrounding Dead Island is focused on its near-vaporware sequel, but fans may want to return to the original, particularly in the wake of the somewhat similar Dying Light 2.
Hunt: Showdown (2018)
Developed by Crytek, the studio famous for the Crysis series of games, Hunt: Showdown is a brutal multiplayer shooter which sees teams of up to three hunters trek into the Louisiana bayou to collect bounties that have been placed on the heads of paranormal entities plaguing the land.
A different take on the battle royale concept, teams vie to kill these bosses and extract from the map with their bounties, and slaughtering zombies while rushing through a swamp with another team of hunters on a party's heels can make for some extremely intense gameplay. While it's not exactly unknown, it hasn't received the sort of mainstream attention of which its player base would argue it is deserving.
Call of Duty: World at War (2008)
Referring to a Call of Duty title as 'unknown' may sound almost heretical, but, relative to the series' revamped titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Call of Duty: Vanguard, World at War has been all but forgotten save for the dedicated few who still play it.
While it featured a memorable enough campaign and a standard Call of Duty multiplayer mode, Call of Duty: World at War stood out thanks to the introduction of the now-staple zombies' mode. From the horrors of Nacht Der Untoten to the swamps of Shi No Numa, World at War was a seminal zombie-slaying title that was at least partially responsible for the undead boom which took place around the time of its release.
