RELATED: Canceled Zombie Games You Never Knew Existed
As a result, it became necessary for people on the creative side of things to add a unique spin to the concept of zombies to make things more engaging for the masses. Video games were definitely on top of this, with the following titles integrating zombies in a fresh and unique way that made them quite engaging and nowhere near as cliched as most people would assume.
8 The Last Of Us
The Last of Us is one of the best video games ever made, weaving in an emotional story within the midst of all the chaos caused by a rather unique zombie outbreak. The fact that zombies aren’t the undead is already a move away from the mythos as is.
In The Last of Us, the cordyceps fungi has evolved and started infecting humans as well, leading to their brains being taken over by this parasitic plant. The Clickers are a great example of this, with the infection progressing at such a rapid extent that they start growing mushrooms out of their head!
7 Days Gone
Days Gone is easily one of the more underrated PlayStation titles that deserves way more love. The game takes a look at the adventures of anti-hero Deacon St. John and his efforts to try and locate his wife two years after the onset of a pandemic that turned the population into Freakers, Days Gone’s version of zombies.
The zombie outbreak was caused by a plague as opposed to the dead coming up from the ground. This is a pretty common trope that the majority of games use on this list, and serves as a fitting way to twist the original myth of zombies being reanimated corpses.
6 Telltale’s The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead is a multi-media franchise that has spanned comics, TV shows, and video games as well. In the case of the latter, Telltale is the most notable company to have released a trilogy of The Walking Dead games and a Michonne spin-off too.
RELATED: Awesome Games That Allow You To Play As A Zombie
The lore of the series surrounds an infection that has plagued the entire world, causing humans to turn into zombies even if they die without being bit. Only a significant brain injury ensures that the dead don’t rise from their graves.
5 Resident Evil
Resident Evil is one of the most popular zombie games around, with this series churning out a bunch of excellent games that deal with a zombie infection caused by the Umbrella Corporation’s errant experiments. It’s a legendary series that is still going strong to this day courtesy of Capcom’s recent efforts to reinvigorate the franchise once again.
With the new games and reboots coming out in recent times, there’s no better time to get into Resident Evil than right now. Both new and old fans will find a ton of things to like about this great series.
4 Left 4 Dead
Valve’s string of duologies have been quite great in their own right, with Left 4 Dead being one of the many stellar IPs they have helped develop. There’s a reason why Back 4 Blood is still in the shadow of the Left 4 Dead series after the developers decided to release a title without Valve’s input.
Left 4 Dead’s zombie outbreak is caused by the Green Flu virus, with certain special Infected also arising in the process. This makes each and every level of Left 4 Dead a nerve-wracking experience that becomes slightly more bearable with other players.
3 Dying Light
Dying Light is a great title that combines the threat of zombies with the use of parkour to help avoid them. The end result is an impressive action title with a strong core gameplay loop that carries both games despite their lackluster stories.
RELATED: Anime That Twist The Zombie Mythos
The plague in Dying Light is caused by the Harran Virus in the first game, with a mutated version arising in the second title called THV. Antizin can be used to deter the effects of the virus, although it’s only a temporary solution.
2 DayZ
Mods for video games can be really impressive when a ton of work is put into them, with DayZ being a great example of the same. This multiplayer title throws players into an area populated with Infected, forcing them to gather the means required to survive against these hyper-aggressive zombies.
Once again, these zombies aren’t reanimated corpses but are rather the byproduct of an unknown pathogen that has infected the population. The fact that nothing concrete is known about this infection makes it even more harrowing to deal with.
1 Dead Rising
Dead Rising is one of the first titles that come to mind when people talk about zombie outbreaks. Once again, the meddling of humans through scientific research resulted in this plague being unleashed upon the public.
In Dead Rising, there are mutated wasps that escaped and caused the population to turn into zombies. Their parasitic larvae cause humans to lose their minds and turn into these mindless beings that Frank West obliterates during his adventures across the Dead Rising games.
MORE: Upcoming Zombie Games People Are Excited For
