It kind of seems like the entire zombie game phase has kind of passed the gaming community by and was at its prime a few years ago.
And well that may be true in some ways, we still feel there are a whole lot of great zombie game options out there, and if you’re like us, there’s always room for a zombie game every now and then.
As always, we do our research to try and find the best zombie games we can and try to steer clear of titles that people may already know of. The reason we do that is so we can bring to light some game titles that you haven’t played or seen before.
Here are our Best Free Zombie Games on Steam.
BrainBread 2
To start this list off we have BrainBread 2. Even though it looks a little dated, I promise you won’t want to write this one off so fast.
The game really reminds me of a mix between something you’d find in Gary’s Mod and Left 4 Dead. The mixture of the two actually works really well.
So, the game is mostly an online game but it doesn’t need to be played that way. The way it works is that you can join online servers and play with other people or create your own server and either play that alone or play with friends.
That’s a big part of why I like this game so much, the game has a lot of replayability because of this.
Since it’s free you can get a bunch of friends to download it and create a server so you can all play in it, or you can play it alone because there are also NPC’s in the game too.
The gameplay is pretty simple from what I experienced, basically, there are the good guys, the zombies, and the bandits.
You can get infected as a human and switch to the zombie’s team, but your goal as the human is to do a series of objectives as a team to beat the level, so kind of like Left 4 Dead.
I tried this one game mode but there are 5 game modes in total and over 20 maps which is insane.
I was able to find a server in the early evening and the devs updated it just recently so I don’t see there being any issue with there not being enough content or enough players.
It isn’t wildly populated but even if you can’t find a server you can always make your own for you and your friends.
Steam link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/346330/BrainBread_2/
Dead Maze
Dead Maze is a 2D MMO RPG zombie game. Not gonna lie, I wasn’t expecting much going into it, and the story sequences are a bit clumsy, but the actual gameplay is pretty decent for what it is.
Once you get past the initial cutscene and get into the gameplay, you’ll find a large world to explore that’s filled with items to find and enemies to defeat.
Like other survival games, you need to search for food and water to keep yourself alive. You can find campfires around the world to rest at, which refills your stamina.
In my time playing, I found a surprising amount of weapons to choose from, and there’s a robust crafting system that lets you craft a ton of different items.
The above view 2D gameplay is definitely different than the average zombie game, but it’s a fun game that’s worth trying out either by yourself or with friends.
Steam link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/667890/Dead_Maze/
Dead Frontier 2
Dead Frontier 2 is the sequel to Dead Frontier. We had thought that it was weird that there was a second game on Steam, but there is no original, but the first game can only be played online.
As we probably said in the past, free games aren’t the most amazing games in the world, but for people who can’t afford a lot of expensive games, they are good alternatives altogether. Dead Frontier 2 is an open-world zombie third-person shooter.
There aren’t many survival elements to the game other than eating and drinking to keep your health up. The game takes place in small towns along the outskirts of Fairview City, the city in which the game’s prequel takes place.
You begin your journey in Dallbow, the first of many infected towns introduced to players in the beginning. You can then team up with up to 8 friends and explore the buildings and areas for items and weapons.
As you explore and kill zombies, you can level up and put skill points into all sorts of buffs for your character. The game took a lot of inspiration from the Resident Evil games and it actually does a good job of mimicking that sort of gameplay.
The movement is also very smooth although sometimes when you get too close to a wall, it can zoom in very closely. If you enjoy third-person zombie games, give this game a try.
Steam Link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/744900/Dead_Frontier_2/
Knock Harder: Useless
Knock Harder: Useless is actually a really interesting game that I haven’t really seen any other games like in a good while.
It’s a single-player story-driven survivor game that takes some inspiration from Half-Life with the creatures in the game.
So there are these crab creatures, nearly identical to the ones in Half-Life and they do one of two things. They’ll either make you want to kill yourself or you’ll turn into a mindless zombie forever.
The protagonist gets infected and the entire game is basically you switching between two worlds each time you kill yourself. You slowly start to lose the sense of what world you are actually in and whether you are in reality or not.
It’s a really interesting concept and it really keeps things fresh with the art style and differences between the two worlds.
I gotta say I love the art style. It’s definitely been a while since I played a game like this.
Knock Harder is definitely a game to check out and it’ll surprise you with how good and intriguing it is.
Steam link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1120690/Knock_Harder_Useless/
SAS: Zombie Assault 4
From the very start of this game, you’ll notice that the user interface looks very odd. This is because the game was made for mobile devices, and was ported over to Steam.
The reason that I included this game is that Chug and I used to play SAS Zombie Assault 3, and we both had a great time playing it. Zombie Assault 4 is a top-down waved-based shooter with RPG elements.
The more you play, the more money you’ll get to buy new weapons and upgrades. You can play it either single-player or co-op for up to 4 players, and I definitely have to say that these games are much more fun with other people.
Players can either work as a team with their friends or participate in several PvP events to play against each other.
You can play as 3 different classes, each with their own abilities. As you level up your character, you’ll face larger hordes and harder enemies, and you need to upgrade your equipment to combat them.
If you can get over the mobile feel of the game, it’s actually very fun, especially when you’re fighting massive hordes of zombies.
Steam link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/678800/SAS_Zombie_Assault_4/
Pandemic Express
Pandemic Express came out a couple of years ago from when this video was released and we have mentioned it many times in other free game videos because of how unique it is.
It is a zombie survival game that is much different from the others. The gist of the game is that there are a bunch of survivors and they have to survive the zombies which are actual players. It sounds pretty generic but the way you play is the unique part.
You can use your guns if you are the survivors to propel yourselves into the air and do all sorts of maneuvering. You can then outsmart the zombies by trying to stay in the air and above their hits.
You then have to move a train from its beginning to its destination to win without the zombies stopping you. It is a very unique game that you will either like or hate.
Go and try it to see if you enjoy it at all, and if you do, have fun.
Steam link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/939510/Pandemic_Express__Zombie_Escape/
HordeCore: Training Ground
This has got to be one of if not my favorite from this list yet. It is important to keep in mind that HordeCore: Training Ground is just a prologue but a really fun one and one you should consider.
I absolutely love the art style of this game, it’s really unique and I don’t know, there’s just something about it that makes it look so good.
Also, this is just a side note but I really like the main theme music for the game, it’s not anything crazy but I really like it.
Anyway, the game follows a group of survivors in an apocalypse, you fight zombies and scavenge for supplies. You also have a hub area where you can upgrade your characters, which all have pretty extensive skill trees.
The game also allows for local Co-op multiplayer and if not, you can seamlessly switch between characters as you play. Something else that is appreciated is that the NPC teammates aren’t useless and they actually kill zombies.
Each character has their own statistics and traits that they are good at. They also have their own abilities.
The game is super polished and playing it was a lot of fun, like I said before, I really like this one and if you try it out, I’m sure you will too.
Steam link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1421960/HordeCore_Training_Ground/
Transmission: Element 120
There is an overabundance of Source Engine games on the Steam store, and every once in a while you’ll find a good one. Transmission: Element 120 is a short, single-player game set in the Half-Life universe, and this is definitely one of the good ones.
It looks exactly like the Half-Life games with its dingy hallways and dark tunnels, and you fight the familiar headcrab zombies that infect the population.
The first weapon you get is the crowbar, which you can use to bash boxes and break padlocks.
There are gun turrets positioned around the area that you can pick up and use as a weapon against the zombies, and you get the typical weapons from the Half-Life games.
What’s surprising is that this game is a mod created by a single developer over the course of several years, and the attention to detail really shows in the quality of the gameplay.
Even though the game is very short, it’s very polished and optimized, even for older computers. If you’ve ever played the Half-Life games, or can’t afford any games like it, then this is an awesome free option for you.
Steam link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/365300/Transmissions_Element_120/
The Walking Zombie 2
The Walking Zombie 2 is another one of those hidden gems that a lot of people don’t know about.
The main thing that we really enjoy about this game is the art style, any game that looks similar to how this game look is always really cool and simple.
Basically, this game is about a young boy who was born during the zombie apocalypse. This boy turns out to be who you play as and you eventually find your way to a small camp with a bunch of other survivors.
You can then go around and complete main missions and side quests for money, which you can buy better gear to help you along the way.
The main missions consist of you going to different areas and clearing out the zombies or it could have you complete an objective while zombies are swarming you. The only thing that sucks about the game is that it is single-player only.
Most games on this list will be multiplayer, but for this one, you are gonna have to play by yourself, although the gameplay makes up for it. It’s a great zombie fps if you are ever bored and want to play something fun.
Steam link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/965200/Walking_Zombie_2/
