While literature and film are popular media that highlight the horrors and thrills of zombies, today we are going to look at video games as another realm invaded by the undead hordes. Video games provide a unique space where we can explore different worlds from our controllers and consoles. Unlike film and books, video games provide a space for players to choose their own adventure and sometimes loosely guide where the story leads them.
In this Bookstr article, let’s explore some of the most popular zombie video game franchises over the years.
The Last of Us
Skyrocketing to popularity with the hit television series on HBO Max starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, the story of The Last of Us originally unfolded on a two-part video game. Set in 2013, the story begins as the world is ravaged by an outbreak of a fungus called Cordyceps, in which airborne spores and bites causing people to turn into flesh-hungry fiends. The perspective alternates between Joel and Ellie. After losing his daughter at the beginning of the pandemic, Joel is wandering through post-apocalyptic life as a smuggler, just trying to survive. When he is tasked to smuggle a 14-year-old named Ellie across the country, life begins to take on a new meaning for Joel. This action-packed story challenges you to survive in a world of terrifying monsters, both the zombies and the humans, doing anything to live. Gamers can find The Last of Us on PlayStation and Windows.
Left 4 Dead
Back in 2008, Left 4 Dead was a massively popular first-person shooter game, which could be found on Xbox 360 and Windows. In this scenario, the eastern coast of the United States is ravaged by a sickness called the “Green Flu.” This illness causes humans to become transformed into zombies, increasing their aggressiveness and lowering their brain functions. In the center of all the action, a small group of survivors team up to fight their way out of Pennsylvania to locate safer grounds. These four remaining humans are named William “Bill” Overbeck, Zoey, Louis, and Francis. Gamers can pick between the varied personalities and backgrounds of the four characters. You can either play with multiple people, up to these four. Or AI takes control of any unplayed character.
Resident Evil
This series spawned a multi-part film series starring Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez. But the video game series is even more comprehensive as it has spanned nearly thirty different editions between 1996 and 2023. It is originally based on a horror series from Japan called Biohazard. At the center of the outbreak is the mysterious company, the Umbrella Corporation — an entity that is responsible for creating mutagenic viruses, transforming humans into mindless zombies. Although the franchise of Resident Evil spans an intricate world with multiple environments and characters, the initial installment featured an elite task force called Special Tactics and Rescue Service (STARS). This team explored zombie-infested areas of the secret Umbrella facilities, looking for clues and survivors along the way.
Dead Rising
Spanning PlayStation, Xbox, and Wii, Dead Rising has been a multi-part video game series starting in 2006, with the latest release in 2024. The main star of Dead Rising is Frank West — a photojournalist looking for his next assignment. When he reaches Williamette, Colorado, Frank finds some extremely interesting events to cover, but also needs to survive the zombie hordes. Finding himself trapped in a shopping mall — a popular zombie environment — players must use anything they can find as a weapon to survive.
Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare
Also found on multiple different consoles, Undead Nightmare is an alternate timeline stemming from the popular Red Dead Redemption franchise. Playing as the previous outlaw John Marston, gamers are tasked to look for a cure and reason for the current zombie apocalypse. Both John’s wife and son have been infected with this curse, motivating his drive across the countryside. While on this mission to save his family, John finds himself rescuing others as he stumbles across zombie-infested towns.
Rise of the Tomb Raider: Lara’s Nightmare
Similar to Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, the multi-platform game Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration has a wicked DLC called Lara’s Nightmare. Set in the iconic Croft Manor, Lara must deal with the drama of battling with her uncle for the keys to the mansion, amidst the backdrop of a zombie takeover. With a mission to find the master key to the manor, Lara must use her limited supply of weapons to fight off the living undead, whose numbers are increasing, chomping at her heels throughout her journey.
While film and books have provided fantastic platforms for zombie awareness, the world of video games allows gamers to come face-to-face with these frightful characters. What are some of your favorite video games featuring zombies?
Interested in learning more about the origins of zombies? Check out my article Forgotten Folklore to Modern Classics: Revealing the Undead.
Also browse our bookshelf: Nail-Biting YA Thrillers, Mysteries, and Horrors Reads.
