The worst zombie apocalypses in video games, ranked in a list:

Not all zombie apocalypses in video games are the same; each one has different and unique manifestations of infections and outbreaks.

Some zombie games have captivating storylines and detailed settings filled with background stories that make them terrifying and chilling experiences.

From Dying Light to The Last of Us, let's take a look at how games can present different types of zombies, ranging from slow, clumsy creatures to unstoppable hordes of nature.

Not all zombie apocalypses are the same. Sometimes, zombies in movies like Night of the Living Dead are slow and rarely dangerous if you can keep a clear head. On the other hand, other types of zombie hordes are unstoppable forces of nature.

There have been different depictions of zombie apocalypses in video games, some of which don't even directly refer to zombies. The diverse and unique manifestations of infections, outbreaks, and disturbing storylines can be terrifying and even inspire one to build an underground bunker.

Updated on September 6, 2023, by Jack Pierik: Just like the sun rises every morning and sets every evening, you can count on the same consistency and certainty that over time, more and more zombie games with their own apocalyptic settings will be released. It is therefore a reasonable expectation that occasionally a game studio will strike a successful blow on the flint of genius and create the spark that ignites the flames of novelty. That being said, a few more zombie games have emerged that offer captivating storylines and detailed settings filled with background stories.

12 Minecraft: Creeper Infestation

Minecraft is a fun, relaxing game where you collect resources and build, right? Wrong. In fact, it is a zombie apocalypse simulator that makes you fear the night. As early as the very first night in Minecraft, zombies appear in the darkness, in the mines, and in all other areas that are not adequately lit.

It is this ability to regenerate that makes the zombie apocalypse in Minecraft particularly frightening. Even though you can build great bases with numerous measures against zombies, just one Creeper (getting close enough to the zombies) is enough to destroy all your work.

11 Dying Light: The Harran Virus

Dying Light starts the series with a city: Harran. The city is plagued by a viral outbreak that turns people into zombie-like creatures. While things ultimately improve for the residents of the city and the world begins to appear more hopeful, it is discovered that the Global Relief Effort intends to militarize the virus and bomb the survivors of the city.

After the events of the first game, a variant of the Harran virus escapes from a GRE laboratory and ravages the world, with only one human city, Villedor, surviving. Humanity is on the brink of extinction, and outside the city walls, very little remains of a once great civilization that led to its own downfall.

10 Resident Evil: T-Virus

The Resident Evil series is another self-inflicted zombie apocalypse. The Umbrella Corporation develops the T-Virus and other chemical substances that ultimately lead to the destruction of Raccoon City and outbreaks in other locations worldwide. Perhaps most frightening about the T-Virus zombies is that even a single bite or scratch results in one becoming a zombie themselves.

These monsters are also extremely resilient and can even shrug off gunshot wounds easily. Although the other types of monsters that appear throughout the series are something we would prefer to completely avoid.

9 Zombie Army: Occult-Fueled Nightmare

That seems like the worst possible combination of villains: zombies and Nazis. The Zombie Army series presents an alternate history where, in the final days of World War II, Hitler somehow successfully used occult rituals to resurrect an undead Nazi army of the dead.

After the brave deeds of the Allied soldiers, Hitler's death results in his return as a conscious zombie. The soldiers manage to send Zombie Hitler to hell, but the zombie hordes push the Allies out of Germany. Eventually, it is revealed that Hitler is leading his Nazi army from hell, harnessing the supernatural energy of hell to strengthen his forces. Where the hell is BJ Blazkowicz when you need him?

8 World War Z: Solanum Outbreak

The original book portrays a triumph of humanity over a zombie outbreak, but the Brad Pitt film and the 2019 video game adaptation of World War Z focus more on the horror of the hordes. The video game showcases waves of fast-moving zombies that can pile up on top of each other to overcome large physical obstacles.

The game throws various types of zombies with unique abilities at the player, meaning that survivors must be extremely skilled in dealing with them. With thousands of zombies being displayed on the screen simultaneously, it would be very challenging to overcome the zombie apocalypse in World War Z.

7 Left 4 Dead: The Green Flu

Left 4 Dead presents its unique interpretation of a zombie apocalypse through the so-called "Green Flu". The game throws wave after wave of infected at you, requiring survivors to battle many types of zombies. It is unlikely that most, if not all of us, would survive.

Massive tank zombies can absorb a terrifying amount of bullets and wreak havoc, while the witch, one of the most terrifying creatures in the game, can kill some players with just one hit. Left 4 Dead may be fun to play, but it would be hell to experience all of that live.

6 Blight: Survival

Despite the terrifying nature of zombie apocalypses, there are usually hidden modern treasures that one can still rely on. From long-lasting food supplies to firearms and ammunition that can easily defeat zombies from a distance, to medicines that can treat or protect against various diseases - survivors can occasionally benefit from some luck.

The same cannot be said for Blight: Survival; you are thrown into an alternate medieval reality in the 14th century. What's even worse is that zombies are not the only thing you have to worry about: you find yourself in the midst of a war between two kingdoms and have only your armor, sword, and bow to protect yourself. Suddenly, the Black Plague of the 14th century doesn't sound so bad anymore.

5 The Last Of Us: Cordyceps Virus

The Last of Us depicted how the zombie apocalypse spreads in a particularly unsettling manner. A fungus that can spread through airborne spores and contaminate even food to invade a host. When a person becomes infected, they mutate into different types of monsters throughout the course of the infection.

Civilization has been reduced to a few quarantine zones and settlements, while survivors wander through an apocalyptic nightmare. And if you want to survive, you should probably wear a gas mask to avoid infection. Oh, and as if that weren't already terrible enough, infected individuals are still conscious and aware of what is happening to them.

4 Days Gone: The Freaker Virus

Days Gone revolves around an outbreak that transforms humans into zombie-like creatures known as Freakers. Humanity itself has been confined to safe zones. The Freaker virus, as it is known, resembles the rabies virus, as Freakers exhibit a aversion to sunlight.

While there is some response to this disaster by the National Emergency Response Organization, their directive is to shoot any Freakers or civilians they see roaming around. This is not very promising for survivors, especially since they already have to worry about Freakers evolving and becoming increasingly dangerous.

3 They Are Billions

Imagine this: It's the late 22nd century, and a mutated form of rabies has brought humanity to the brink of extinction. With only a few thousand people left, the only refuge remaining is a crater that zombies cannot penetrate. Despite this small victory, there is another problem: Humanity has lost a significant portion of its technology and advancements.

Quintus Crane, the Emperor of the Crater, intends to solve this problem in a bold way: he plans to expand beyond the crater. And this is where you come in, facing literally billions of zombies roaming the wastelands of the Earth, possessing the ability to mutate, coordinate, and adapt. Oh, and due to the technological recession, you will be forced to utilize a mixture of medieval and steampunk technology.

2 Halo: The Flood

The Flood from the Halo universe makes zombies look downright cute. The parasitic race seeks out conscious life forms to consume, and for a period of 300 years, they were responsible for annihilating most life in the galaxy.

It appears to originate from outside the galaxy, and you will find that these creepy crab-like creatures are capable of infecting and using firearms on all types of organisms. The Flood is an all-consuming force, and given the speed at which it infects and controls hosts, it poses the greatest threat to the galaxy.

1 Dead Space: Necromorphs

This is the video game version of "NO." The Necromorphs from Dead Space closely resemble zombies, the only difference being that they seek out dead flesh to infect and repurpose in order to further their spread. The Dead Space series does a good job of conveying that it's best to steer clear of a Necromorph.

Necromorph-infected corpses will transform into horrific supernatural beings. The hosts must be killed first before the infection begins mutating cells, but Necromorphs are quite adept at finding gruesome ways to turn their victims into dead tissue. They can also endure a lot of damage: shooting off an arm or two doesn't stop these creatures from crawling towards you. Billions of Necromorph corpses also form "moons" that eventually attack Earth, as depicted in the "Awakened" expansion of Dead Space 3.