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Of the classic video game genres, everyone remembers their first zombie game. For many, it is a staple title like one of the Resident Evil games, or even a newer heavy-hitter like Days Gone. Whether survival, squad-based, or pure horror, there seems to be no stop to the endless horde of zombie games coming out.
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Sometimes, though, you’ll play a game that feels a little slower, more relaxed, or even lackluster. While there are plenty of ways to remedy one of these games, one of the most fun ways would be to add a good old zombie (or more likely a large number of them). Turning some of these games into zombie games may be a stretch, but we can all agree that a sighting of the undead always adds a bit more tension to games like these.
9 Battlefield 2042
World War… Z?
The Battlefield series has been a cornerstone of FPS games for decades now. Neck and Neck with the Call of Duty series, each fan has their own preference, but Battlefield 2042 threw some long-time fans off. A futuristic setting that felt done before, some missed opportunities at launch, and a surprising lack of replay value meant 2042 was left behind by most rather quickly.
The addition of Battlefield Portal injected some life into it, but maybe something more wacky, like adding zombies, would really bring the game back to life? Futuristic weaponry against a horde of enemies, either AI or something akin to a Halo infected mode, could be the key to bring that player count way back up.
8 Stardew Valley
A Haunted House Tale
Stardew Valley
- Released
- February 26, 2016
No one is saying Stardew Valley is a bad game. It has been a heavy-hitter in the cozy game and sim genres for years now, and there is no sign of it going out of style any time soon. Unfortunately, not everyone loves the idea of starting their own farm, and the periodic foray into a skeletal cavern isn’t enough.
But, consider an optional zombie mode for your farm? The ability to not only take care of your crops, but to defend yourself against the errant undead could add a little bit more excitement to a game that so far is only suited for playing along with lo-fi beats. It doesn’t have to be anything that is mandatory, but an optional game mode could open up the game to more players.
7 Watch Dogs 2
Tech Meets The Undead
Watch Dogs 2
- Released
- November 15, 2016
The first Watch Dogs game promised to rival games like GTA and other open-world settings, and it did a fairly good job with the added interest of a technologically-hackable city at your whim. Sadly, Watch Dogs 2 failed to deliver with the same energy. It would have been nice to add a little more tension to the series, maybe with your favorite undead nightmares?
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It would have been quite a stretch of the plot, but surely an anti-establishment and technology game could have gone the Resident Evil route and gone with a biohazard gone awry. Using your hacking tools and driving skills to avoid the zombie threat would have been a fun new way to take them on separate from the usual duct tape and nail bats.
A plot that could have been continued in Legion, being able to pick different characters with unique skills to fight zombies as well.
6 Skull & Bones
Shiver Me Timbers
The pirate sub-genre has been something that developers have been trying to perfect for decades now. Everyone has their favorite adventure on the high seas, but not every pirate game can be the infamous Assassin’s Creed Black Flag. Skull & Bones sought to make a semi-realistic journey on the deck of your galleon a reality, but unfortunately the game just fell short due to some clunky gameplay and a world that felt devoid of interesting features.
What could have helped it, maybe not in the realism facet, but in the excitement area, would be adding zombies. Much like Sea of Thieves has its skeletal enemies, going from island to island hunting for treasure and supplies and dodging zombies would have been a pretty exciting thing to experience.
Not to mention, the title of the game is already well-suited for a zombie adventure.
5 No Man’s Sky
Space Zombies!
No Man’s Sky has had a tumultuous past. Fans who have been keeping up with the game will be all too aware of the ups and downs that the game has seen since its launch date. Thankfully, thanks to hard work by the team behind it, it has finally seen its day in the sun with much more streamlined gameplay and some exciting additions as far as content goes.
Whether it would have been a good idea at launch, or even now, adding zombies to it would have been an interesting twist. Not many games have tried the space-travel/zombie mix, which means No Man’s Sky could revolutionize it. Mix with the wide array of planets to explore, and the survival mechanics already there, and you’d have a fun game that was less about combat and more about making the best of an interstellar epidemic.
4 Red Dead Redemption 2
The Return Of A Fan Favorite
Cowboy fans and followers of Rockstar Games alike flocked to Red Dead Redemption 2. It’s easy to see why with a dramatic open world, incredible storyline, and memorable characters. While countless people devoted weeks of their time to cook beans by the campfire, others felt the game tried to expand too far from its predecessor to keep them entertained.
Beyond that, many noticed a game mode that they thought would surely be a part of the sequel that the first Red Dead Redemption added later on: Undead Nightmare. A fully-fledged zombie mode would battle some of the post-storyline bloat that the game has with a simpler game mode. Plus, tying it back to the first Redemption would make a pretty fun full circle moment.
Granted, there is now the Strange Tales addition to the game, but it doesn’t feel the same as the full-blown Undead Nightmare experience.
3 Cities: Skylines
Planning Like No Other
Management sims and city builders are a great way to spend your time planning the town, or even country, of your dreams. Cities: Skylines is a game that gives you nearly any facet you want when it comes to planning a city, from street layouts, to economy, to how to keep the lights on.
While there are cataclysmic things that could happen to your fledgling metropolis, the game could always take it further by adding a good ol’ zombie apocalypse option. It wouldn’t necessarily be a tower defense sort of thing, instead seeing how long your custom city can withstand the variables of a zombie outbreak. Maybe real-life city builders should take note.
2 War Thunder
Not Historically Accurate
Much like other sims, War Thunder takes the idea of pinpoint realism to the world of military vehicles. While it is a great game for history buffs and milsim fans to get together (and leak things on the internet together), it does lose steam for those who aren’t arguing about which 1950’s Russian jet is the fastest.
To remedy this, how about an alternate mode where you use these historically accurate weapons against zombie hordes? It would be a great way not to add infantry to the game as others suggest, but still have another level to the already multi-faceted game.
1 Gas Station Simulator
Graveyard Shift
Gas Station Simulator
- Released
- September 15, 2021
One of the more niche games that have come out in recent years, Gas Station Simulator, is just that; a sim where you run your own gas station complete with pumps and snacks for weary travelers.
While remodeling, repairing, and running off nuisance teenagers is one thing, what if an extra horror element was added to it? Graveyard shift at your own gas station could become quite literal when the undead start knocking on your door. Repairing everything and cleaning for the following morning after surviving would be a fun twist that would make the game go by a bit faster too.
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