Our Most Anticipated Zombie Games!

By Adam Dodd on May 17, 2016

Zombies. Everybody loved them until games developers started dropping their rotten asses onto all the video games in an attempt to cash in on their enormous popularity. As their numbers swelled, so did their haters. The slow, wobbly march of the undead hordes has slowed down somewhat since then, leaving us with an acceptable number of new games to look forward to over the next two years.

I’ve been working to break down the fairly intimidating slate of upcoming horror games that are the most deserving of your anticipation into themed listicles, like virtual reality and Lovecraftian horror, so this is more of that. Anyway, let’s go!

Capcom doesn’t have the most successful track record when it comes to Resident Evil spin-offs, which includes Operation Raccoon City, Mercenaries 3D, and the middling Chronicles series of on-rails shooters. We’re really hoping their next attempt, the squad-based competitive shooter Umbrella Corps, will find company next to the Revelations and Outbreak series instead. Thankfully, we won’t have to wait very long to find out.

Why We’re Excited: Excited is a strong word, but the game does have ghouls, guns, and settings taken from previous games, including the village from Resident Evil 4 and the shantytown from Resident Evil 5.

Release Date: June 21 (PC, PS4)

Telltale’s new publishing division is bringing one of the more addictive zombie survival games I’ve spent way too much time playing on Steam to consoles, with added support for local co-op. The partnership will also get us new multiplayer modes in future updates, in case you tire of all that crafting, exploring, scavenging, mining and zombie murder.

Why We’re Excited: It’s like Minecraft, only better.

Release Date: Summer 2016 (PS4, XBO)

Season 3 of Telltale’s acclaimed episode series based on The Walking Dead promises to be more of the same — but in a good way — when it arrives later this year. After the mostly solid appetizer course that was Michonne mini-series, we’re more than ready to reunite with Clem and Co. for another round of post-apocalyptic people watching.

Why We’re Excited: The first and second seasons were frighteningly consistent in their ability to make us laugh, cry, or quickly switch to something less emotionally draining, so we’re confident Telltale will deliver another dose of drama with the third season.

Release Date: Fall 2016 (PC, PS3, PS4, 360, XBO, Mobile)

Earlier this month, Capcom hinted at the existence of another, mysterious entry in the Resident Evil series that we can expect to get our hands on as early as this year. That’s literally all we know about this one. So… moving on?

Why We’re Excited: Who doesn’t love a good mystery? Also, pleasebegoodpleasebegoodpleasebegood.

Release Date: Between now and March 31, 2017 (More than one, probably)

When I stare longingly into the Dead Island 2 screenshots I keep in a very special place on my MacBook — i.e. next to the por- actually, forget it, no one downloads porn in 2016 — I see a game that wants to bring us the best of California (the lovely weather, ocean views), sans the less-appealing bits, like kale chips or the state’s propensity for seemingly sentient wildfires. Now that I think about it, knowing the longer I stay within state lines increases my chances of getting caught inside a blazing inferno might actually benefit this game.

Why We’re Excited: This kind of depends on what’s been changed since Deep Silver replaced its original developer, Yager, with Crackdown 3 maker Sumo Digital — but you can bet it’ll have satisfying combat, addictive co-op and a shitload of zombies.

Release Date: TBA (PC, PS4, XBO)

Capcom delighted everyone when they announced their plans to remake the beloved survival horror classic that is Resident Evil 2, so we can all move on to the next items on our list, starting with more Dino Crisis, another Outbreak, and something, anything, that stars the Merchant from Resident Evil 4.

Why We’re Exci-For real? It’s a remake of Resident Evil 2. That’s Resident Evil, followed by a 2. Nothing more needs to be said.

Release Date: A long fucking time from now (PC, PS4, XBO)

I think I’ve adequately covered Overkill’s The Walking Dead game, as well as my anticipation for it, in these lists. We have yet to actually see the game in action, and that’s not likely to change until we’re a little closer to its late 2017 release date. We know it’s a standalone story set in the Walking Dead universe, and that it’ll feature a cooperative multiplayer mode similar to Payday 2. We also shouldn’t confuse it for Overkill’s The Walking Dead VR, which is it’s own thing.

Why We’re Excited: Series creator Robert Kirkman seems super pumped about the game, which he once referred to as the “Walking Dead co-op action game fans have been waiting for.” Surely he wouldn’t lead us astray?

Release Date: Fall 2017 (PC, PS4, XBO)

As far as sequels go, Killing Floor 2 is one of the few that goes above and beyond in its sequel duties in just about every area. It’s a stellar shooter that looks fantastic and takes its gore seriously. It also sports some satisfyingly visceral gunplay, a solid character customization system and access to an endless stream of user-created content, courtesy of Steam Workshop. This game is an easy one to recommend despite being unfinished, and that’s something I’m not quite ready to say about the other Early Access zombie games, including Moving Hazard, DayZ and H1Z1.

Why We’re Excited: I’ve actually played this one, so my excitement for it is based on 33+ hours of experience, rather than, say, the hundreds of hours I’ve spent dreamily wondering what a Resident Evil 2 remake might look like.

Release Date: You can get it now on Steam, or wait until it leaves Early Access and/or comes to consoles.

UPDATE: Well, shoot. A Resident Evil 7 reveal might not be that far away after all.

Resident Evil 7, Dying Light 2, Left 4 Dead 3 and Dead Rising 4. We want ’em something fierce, but it’ll likely be a while before we get any of them. None of these games have been officially announced, and that’s okay. They’re still worth mentioning in a list about our most anticipated zombie games. Hell, I’ll even throw the non-conforming zombie game Dead Space 4 in there too. I could probably come up with a few more if I wanted to make myself sad. I don’t though, so let’s wrap this up.

Why We’re Excited:

Release Date: Don’t bother. (That they’ll each make the current console generation is about the best we can hope for until their respective publishers throw us a bone.)