State of Decay Series Alternatives and Similar Games

DayZ is an online-only survival game, one of the most well-known open-world zombie titles out there. Servers allow for a total of 60 players to spend their time surviving on a massive, post-soviet map, and how you choose to survive is up to you. Whether exploring alone or with friends, you might end up having some of the fondest memories here in DayZ, as PvP coupled with zombies scattered throughout the map and features such as injuries and diseases can make every foray into this game unique.

Dying Light may not feature base-building, but it does contain a fantastic campaign playable both alone and in 4-player co-op. Its open-world coupled with impressive first-person parkouring and gory melee-focused combat offer great, satisfying gameplay. As you traverse on top of buildings and go from mission to mission, you’ll explore abandoned areas and find resources to use for crafting items and weapons, all while leveling up and unlocking new skills to use in navigation and combat. While during the day you get to slash infected, fight bandits, save survivors and more, at night, it’s time to run. Powerful infected roam in the dark, and if they spot you, you’re in for an intense chase as they can traverse the environment just like you can, forcing you to reach the nearest safe zone where you can sleep through the night. If you

In Project Zomboid, you are thrown into a huge isometric world, but before playing, you are able to fully customize your playthrough, adjusting zombie population, how spread they are throughout the map, in which month do you start the game in, how long daytime lasts and much more. All of these and more help make each realistic adventure unique. Apart from online servers, the game is also playable solo and even locally in 4-player co-op thanks to the addition of split-screen. If you want an in-depth zombie survival game, then Project Zomboid certainly doesn’t disappoint with its breadth of features and mod support.

Once upon a time, Rust had zombies. Now, players are the main threat, with hostile AI-controlled military vehicles and wildlife such as bears, mutated wolves and more also making survival more difficult and are scattered about mostly procedural maps. Hunt, craft, build and defend bases with friends and more in this popular survival game.

In this PS4 exclusive you play as a bounty hunter surviving in a detailed open-world while exploring on an upgradeable motorbike. Days Gone puts you in a post-apocalyptic Oregon inhabited by infected called Freakers. There are different types of Freakers, while day & night cycles and the game’s dynamic weather also affect how they react. Hostile humans and infected animals can also be encountered as you explore the diverse nature, too. If you’re looking for another single-player open-world zombie sandbox where you craft, use stealth, shoot and slash in third-person, then you may want to check out this title.

If you’re looking for a content-rich sandbox, then you’re looking for 7 Days to Die, a customizable and in-depth first-person title where randomly-generated maps are totally destructible, and everything is physics-based, including the construction of your base or anything you try to make. Varied types of defenses can be used to repel the eventual incoming horde of diverse zombies, some of which have special abilities. Whether driving, farming, hunting animals, completing quests from trader NPCs alone or with friends, this game is a joy for all fans of zombies and the survival genre.

If you want to slash tons of zombies in visceral first-person combat alone or in 4-player co-op, then you may want to check out Dead Island. The open-world island you get to explore looks stunning, from the beach to the foliage, while a myriad of different weapons you get to use can be upgradeable, making them have electricity or poison. Every swing you make uses up stamina, while weapons have durability, thus requiring you to eventually repair or use a different weapon. If you’ve already played Dead Island then you may want to look forward to its sequel.

You’re bound to have heard of these critically-acclaimed zombie FPS games, and have most likely played them whether you’re a fan of zombie games or not. Whatever the case, the Left 4 Dead games have 4 survivors fight through hordes of zombies as they make their way through diverse urban locations and go from safe house to safe house. Not only will you get to face regular zombies, but also special infected such as Boomers, Tanks, Witches and more. Both games have their own cast of playable characters, while the second entry features more special infected. Whether you choose to play solo alongside AI-controlled characters or go in with a group of friends, both games will offer one of the most exciting and fun gameplay in a zombie game out there, with each playthrough being manipulated by an AI Director who appropriately changes spawn

Capcom’s arcade-y zombie franchise stands out with protagonist photojournalist Frank West in the original and 4th entry, and the series’ unique use of time. In the Dead Rising games, you have 72 in-game hours to complete your main objective, with various events happening at a specific hour, requiring you to carefully choose what you will do as every minute counts. Each entry progressively has more and more hordes of zombies for you to run and slash through, with Dead Rising 2 even allowing you to mix up weapons to form an even more dangerous tool of zombie-slaying.

H1Z1 used to be two games: one focused on pure survival, and the other on battle royale gameplay. The latter eventually grew in influence in the industry, and thus is the only remaining part of H1Z1 that we can play today. Titled Z1: Battle Royale, you get to fight solo, with a friend or in a group of five in a match that can have up to 150 players parachuting into a massive map. There’s even an ‘Auto Royale’ game mode where players use only vehicles to take each other down, with the cars allowing a total of 4 players: one who drives and picks up power-ups, and the others who shoot down enemy vehicles.