The 10 WORST Zombie Games

The 10 Worst Zombie Games

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re counting down our picks for the ten worst zombie games.

“Metal Gear Survive” (2018)

A “Metal Gear” game in name only, “Metal Gear Survive” feels like a hollow, soulless experience. Perhaps if the game had eschewed the “Metal Gear” name then might have fared a tad bit better, but only just. Through and through, this game just isn’t very fun to play. Lacking any sort of stealth, espionage goodness, “Survive,” appropriately we suppose, leans hard into survival elements and base-building amid a bunch of zombie shenanigans. It’s all just a tedious affair that even fails to capitalize on fun zombie-inspired gameplay mechanics. Oh, and let’s not forget that players even had to dig into their wallets to buy some extra save slots.

“Dead Rising 4” (2016)

“Dead Rising 4” really feels like a departure from the original titles, and not necessarily in a good way. While trying out new things in a long-running series is often lauded, in the case of “Dead Rising 4”, it made for a more bland, less thrilling zombie-slaying experience. Frank West once again stepped into the lead role; however, he lacked the same pizazz as the OG game, not offering up enough charisma or sticking power to make the whole game worth playing through. “Dead Rising 4” is a much more jovial affair, at least when compared to the original titles. Yes, you still slay hordes of zombies, but it’s all just a bit too tongue-in-cheek as opposed to ominous. And, while the timer system wasn’t everybody’s cup of tea, the exclusion of it here hurt the game more than helped it.

“Umbrella Corps” (2016)

“Resident Evil” fans, and indeed zombie game fans, really deserved so much more with “Umbrella Corps.” Acting as a spin-off from the venerable “RE” franchise, “Umbrella Corps” is a third-person shooter with heavy competitive elements, first and foremost. Inherently, that’s not a bad thing for a spin-off; however, it didn’t capitalize on the “Resident Evil” name well, and instead just felt like a lackluster, generic experience that really failed to please anyone. Much like the aforementioned “Metal Gear Survive,” it seems like this game hoped to lure in enough “RE” fans. This move wasn’t a boon for the game since it never even feels like a horror experience, let alone a “Resident Evil” game. Yes, some fun can be had with the frenetic third-person shooting; but, it all just feels a bit too clunky, generic, and uninspired to play for an extended time.

“Dead Alliance” (2017)

“Dead Alliance” really seems to be forgotten by time, even amongst zombie game fans. This is probably for good reason since this 2017 zombie shooter really is quite bad all around. Lacking any meaningful content, polish, or zombie identity, it was probably destined to be left in the bargain bin. Part tactical shooter, part co-op game, part survival horror, “Dead Alliance” epitomizes the idea of jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none. For a game relying so heavily on zombies as a core premise of the shooting gameplay, they never manage to be intense, scary, or immersion-building. What you get is a clunky, boring, and highly uninspired zombie game with little to keep you playing.

“Escape Dead Island” (2014)

Most zombie game fans from 2014 probably remember seeing this cel-shaded game crop up online at one point or another. To learn it was a spin-off from the janky yet enjoyable “Dead Island” games was quite the shock. “Escape Dead Island” took a much different approach to gameplay, focusing more on narrative and mystery-solving instead of slaying zombies, crafting weapons, and generally surviving in an otherwise gorgeous island setting. The clashing of ideas and systems in this game made it a confusing one to play through. It has its fans, yes, but it hardly feels or plays like a traditional “Dead Island” game; instead, offering up bland and clunky combat, uninspired mission design, and an inconsistent tone overall.

“The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct” (2013)

Poor “Walking Dead” fans, they never seem to get a super solid game in their beloved, thrilling, and harrowing zombie-filled world. 2013’s “Survival Instinct” is a laughing stock of a zombie game. The best two words to describe this game would be squandered potential. “The Walking Dead” is overflowing with fantastic characters, superb world-building, and oodles of terror; but “Survival Instinct” lacks all of these things, despite the loose ties to the AMC TV show. Without even mentioning the horrible graphics (even for the time), battling the undead in this game just never feels fun or satisfying, thanks to poor controls and any lack of punch from weapons. There may be some mindless fun here for an hour or so, but your best bet is to seek out more robust zombie games.

“Land of the Dead: Road to Fiddler’s Green” (2005)

The 2000s era of gaming was a sort of Wild West, where developers and publishers were kind of willing to greenlight anything to see what stuck with players. But, as you can guess from the title of this list, many of these didn’t stick with players. Enter 2005, when “Land of the Dead: Road to Fiddler’s Green” released…and…well, let’s just say it blew its landing with a loud, painful thud. Zombie fans were excited for this one (at least to some extent) considering it’s based on George A. Romero’s “Land of the Dead” film. But, nope, it squandered that potential right out of the starting gate. Outdated, buggy, clunky, stiff, and repetitive: these are all words to describe “Road to Fiddler’s Green.” Best to detour around this one.

“Shellshock 2: Blood Trails” (2009)

Oh man, talk about a confusing premise of a game. One part Vietnam War shooter, one part horror game, and another part zombie-slaying action, “Shellshock 2: Blood Trails” had tonal shift after tonal shift. While yes, the zombie-infection aspect that spread its way throughout the Vietnam War narrative was unique, at least in premise, it just made for a game that didn’t know how to present itself to its players. As a shooter, the gunplay was lackluster and tedious. As a zombie horror game, it was mostly laughable and failed to offer immediacy, tension, or terror, even amidst the horrifying war parts. “Blood Trails” is just a mess of a game all around and failed to impress players and critics alike in 2009.

“Amy” (2012)

Good golly, 2012’s “Amy” is downright brutal, and not at all for the right reasons. Often the laughing stock of the zombie sub-genre, this game is a real mess from start to finish. Right off the bat, let me ask you this: Do you like escort missions? How about an annoyingly frustrating escort mission that makes up the entirety of the game? Unless you are masochistic enough to answer yes to those questions, then it’s pretty darn clear why “Amy” is an abysmal mess of a zombie game. As if a full-time escort mission wasn’t enough, players had to contend with terrible AI, broken stealth, tedious platforming, and a narrative that was all over the place. “Amy” may have had an intriguing premise, but it failed to impress in any other way. Oh, but we still have one more, even more terrible zombie game…let’s do this.

“Infestation: Survivor Stories” (2012)

While not as well-known as “Amy,” “Infestation: Survivor Stories,” also from 2012, is easily the worst zombie video game around. We aren’t going to pretend the actual gameplay is good here, because it’s not; but, most of the ire for this game comes from stuff outside of the game itself. Things such as false and misleading advertising/marketing, egregious pay-to-win mechanics, myriad problems with the developers, and more led this game to receive intense (and warranted) backlash. Heck, even if all of these deeply frustrating things didn’t happen with this game, there’s still no getting around the fact that it’s just a broken mess of a game, full stop. It so badly wanted to be like “DayZ,” itself a popular and beloved zombie-inspired MMO of sorts, but it failed around every corner, both inside and outside of the game.

So, do you agree with our picks for this list? What are some of the worst zombie games you have played? Let us know in the comments.