Highlights

• Dead Rising offers a realistic mall setting with hoards of zombies, unique missions, and a variety of weapon choices for survival.
• No More Room in Hell emphasizes teamwork in a classic zombie game with slow yet dangerous undead threats that require headshots for takedowns.
• Project Zomboid provides a realistic survival simulation with customizable characters, unique vision mechanics, and dangerous zombie encounters in various environments.

Zombies come in various forms. Some are fast-running, while others are slow shambles that creep up on you. Many games, such as Dead Space, Left 4 Dead, and The Last of Us, have their own take on what a zombie apocalypse could look like. There is just something terrifying about the people you know turning into flesh-hungry monsters that will stop at nothing to hunt you down.

With so many zombie games to choose from, which ones have the most realistic mechanics or setting that makes you feel like you’re truly surviving an apocalypse? These are the ten most realistic zombie games you will find.

Updated on May 11, 2024: We've added our video list at the top of this page, so you can prepare for the zombie fuelled wasteland with a little more visual aid.

10 Dead Rising

Chop Till You Drop

Dead Rising was released in 2006 and still remains one of the most realistic entries in the Dead Rising series. You are Frank West, a freelance photojournalist trapped in a mall for 72 hours. Zombies are present in hoards showing off just how many enemies can be shown on screen at once.

Story missions have a unique timer, giving you a more realistic sense of urgency as you dash from one side of the mall to the next. Remember, anything you can get your hands on is a weapon!

9 No More Room In Hell

Don't Play This Alone

No More Room in Hell is a classic, George Romero-style Zombie game with an emphasis on teamwork. Zombies are slow but can only be taken down with headshots. This lets them swarm you if you lose focus.

Zombies will attack you, and while many of their attacks are not fatal right away, getting bitten starts a countdown to your inevitable turn. You’ll have to manage your limited resources and need to play it less aggressively if you plan to reach the end of one of their multiple objective-based missions.

8 Contagion VR

Most Immersive Experience Yet

Contagion VR is a spinoff of the PC Game by the same name, Contagion. It features a realistic health bar, dwindling resources, and an emphasis on slower yet harder-to-bring-down zombies.

This is one of the scariest VR horror games you can find as you struggle to reload your weapons or get a good swing at the enemy’s head. Contagion also offers a variety of other game modes, such as survival mode, which can drop you right in the middle of the action.

7 Resident Evil 2 Remake

Go Loud Or Go Quiet

Resident Evil 2 Remake ups the scares of the original with an over-the-shoulder camera, updated zombie models, and a seeker enemy that follows you around. The remake offers slower zombies, limited resources, and a more realistic aiming mechanic.

Even the best sharpshooters will need to take their time and line up their shots if they want to take down the undead. At times, this could even mean avoiding direct contact if it means saving your resources for an even bigger threat.

6 7 Days To Die

Don't Let The Elements Get You

7 Days to Die is a sandbox game that has you looting, building up your arsenal, and taking on the undead in an open-world setting. However, zombies aren’t the only enemies you will face. You will also need to deal with hunger, fatigue, broken bones, and other ailments that can slow down your progress.

Luckily, you can build your own base and have a place to prepare for the next outing. Organize your inventory and bring the right tools for the job, whether it be rooftop farming or dismantling wreckage for scraps.

5 Project Zomboid

The Perfect Simulation

Project Zomboid may not have realistic graphics, but the gameplay is as real as it gets. You can create a character that perfectly reflects your own attributes. Do you want to be strong? Do you want to be tech savvy?

Create your survivor and toss them into a zombie-infested town, mall, or forest. Project Zomboid also has a unique vision feature. You can only see what your character would be able to see when facing any direction. This means zombies could sneak up on you if you don’t take the time to watch your back.

4 The Last Stand Aftermath

A Classic Reborn

The Last Stand was originally a flash game where you and the survivors you recruit during the day must face off against an onslaught of the undead. The Last Stand Aftermath updates the mechanics and brings the game into the modern day. Scavenging and looting are a staple in any zombie game but in The Last Stand, you can create a bunch of unique traps to stop the zombie menace from reaching you.

Realistically, many survivors would be doomed in an undead apocalypse. In The Last Stand: Aftermath, accepting doom is part of the experience, as every survivor you play is on borrowed time. The question is, what will you do with it?

3 DayZ

The Original Open World Apocalypse

DayZ changed the zombie gaming landscape with open-world exploration and a realistic looting system. Players would start off with the bare minimum, needing to find weapons, attire, and supplies by looting the world around them.

Zombies are not the only threat as you can also encounter other players who might not be so friendly. Be careful who you trust, because it’s the end of the world and your loot might just be what helps someone else survive the zombie apocalypse.

2 Dead Island

Weapons That Hit Hard

Dead Island was originally launched in 2011, but it still packs a punch. Stranded on the tropical island of Banoi, four survivors must find a way to escape the zombie-infested island. Dead Island lets you customize your weapons so they feel like actual modifications you would make in a real zombie apocalypse.

Weapons in this game also have a realistic impact, meaning they do what you think they would do. Knives chop, baseball bats knock them down, and crowbars can break bones, leaving the undead limp and crawling but still coming after you.

1 State Of Decay 2

Strength In Numbers

Do you enjoy rounding up survivors, setting up your base, and keeping tabs on who has the most influence in the camp? State of Decay 2 will have you defending your base while sending your residents out on supply runs.

Be careful, if a survivor dies while you take them out of the base, they don’t come back. This mechanic increases the stakes since no one is safe and even your favorite survivors are at risk if you don’t take care of them.