From genuinely chilling horror experiences, to co-op horde shooters that will have you howling with laughter, our best Xbox zombie games list is packed with plenty of zombie-slaying greatness. If you (and maybe some of your friends) want to take on one of the most iconic creatures in entertainment, look no further.
Before we get into the list, some of these titles may take up dozens of hours of your time, so we recommend picking up one of the best Xbox controllers to ensure your hands are comfy for the blood-spattering adventures ahead. And for the survival-horror fans out there, it’ll be a truly immersive experience if you use one of the best Xbox headsets. So, let’s dive into our list of the best zombie games on Xbox.
Here are the best Xbox zombie games:
1. Dead Island 2
Releasing 12 years after its predecessor and delivering a bloody good time, Dead Island 2 is one of the best hack-and-slash zombie games you can play right now. Taking place in a satirical take on Los Angeles, you’ll collect, craft, and customize a variety of Dead Island 2 weapons. You can also pick from one of several Dead Island 2 characters, who come with unique looks, voice lines, personalities, and abilities.
As you progress through the game, you’ll unlock new skills that will help you kill the endless hordes of zombies. And with the sheer amount of weaponry and weapon mods available to use, the possibilities to create satisfying gameplay (or should we say, game-slay) loops is off the charts. Want to two-foot a zombie in the chest, throw a ninja star at it, then blast it away with an electrified shotgun? Dead Island 2 lets you.
It offers over 15 hours of chaos for those looking to complete the story but will jump up to almost 40 hours to 100%, and that’s without playing through again with different characters. There are also DLC expansions that you can purchase, should you want to experience even more of what Hell-A has to offer.
You can read even more about it in our Dead Island 2 review. As well as being purchasable digitally on the Microsoft store or physically from retailers, Dead Island 2 is also one of the best Xbox Game Pass games.
2. Back 4 Blood
While it might not hit the sky-high bar that Valve’s Left 4 Dead series set, Back 4 Blood is still a great time. Our Back 4 Blood review even called it “one of the best co-op games” at the time.
While you can go it alone with AI partners, Back 4 Blood is best enjoyed with up to three friends as you play through various levels of horde-slaying goodness. To keep things fresh (and keep you on your toes), Back 4 Blood constantly evolves and modifies its levels to scale with your own progression. If things are getting too easy, the game will toughen things up with hurdles like low-visibility fog or additional enemies.
The best part about Back 4 Blood is not only how it adapts the Left 4 Dead formula in its own way, but the immense level of customization. You can create decks out of the best Back 4 Blood cards and fine-tune them to your play style. If you’re looking to replace that Left 4 Dead 3-shaped hole in your heart, Back 4 Blood is worth it.
3. 7 Days to Die
In a sea of survival games 7 Days to Die still stands strong and is the perfect survival experience for all you zombie lovers. Unlike most other zombie games that focus on all-out slaying, in 7 Days to Die you’re thrust into an open-world where avoiding zombies is just as important as caving their heads in. It encourages you to explore and scavenge in order to survive, rather than just mow down shamblers.
While you can attempt to take on the undead alone, 7 Days to Die is most fun when played with up to three friends online, or with one friend in split-screen co-op. Considering how often that journey out of your home base can quickly go south, it may be worth bringing another survivor along.
Despite being released back in 2016, 7 Days to Die is still a popular choice amongst survival enthusiasts, giving you the thrill of those close-to-death excursions despite the odds stacked against you.
4. World War Z
If a zombie apocalypse was to ever become real, we hope that World War Z’s zombies aren’t the ones rising from the dead. A third-person shooter based on the beloved Left 4 Dead formula, World War Z will see you and up to three others take on massive amounts of zombies and attempt to reach the end of each level.
Fortunately, for those who prefer the intensity and immersion that comes with a first-person perspective, the Aftermath expansion delivered new content and an FPS mode, making the fear of dealing with World War Z’s terrifying hordes even more frightening.
There’s a lot of replayability within World War Z too as you level up each of the eight classes, all of which offer their own perks and play styles. This means that you can build the perfect anti-zombie squad with your friends and create the perfect team.
5. Death Road to Canada
A unique take on the beloved zombie genre, Death Road to Canada sees you take control of a car full of fools as you explore various cities in an undead world. It’s probably the strangest (and bloodiest) road trip you’ll ever embark on.
As you find yourself in new locales, this randomly-generated game will deliver you various people to recruit, take on different events, and do a lot of arguing with your equally foolish friends thanks to co-op.
If you’re looking for something different from the standard first-person shooter affair that many zombie games fall into, Death Road to Canada may be the dream undead game for you. And that randomness certainly adds to the replayability.
6. State of Decay 2
State of Decay 2 has certainly had a mixed reception from players and critics over the years, but we think it’s an excellent open-world game for zombie fans.
State of Decay 2 doesn’t do anything revolutionary when it comes to the enemies you face, as they’re mostly what you’ve come to expect from your typical zombie game. But what makes State of Decay so unique is the fact that you get to make so many choices. You choose which survivors to bring into your faction, which ones to sacrifice during excursions, how to set up your base, and more.
As you can tell, we absolutely adore State of Decay 2, thanks to the sheer amount of freedom you have with your time in the game. And with such a long wait before the State of Decay 3 release date, now’s the time to jump into the Xbox exclusive.
7. Resident Evil 2 Remake
Whether you’ve been a fan of the classic survival-horror series that makes up most of the best horror games list for years, or a newcomer thanks to the recent entries, Resident Evil 2 is a must-play for horror fanatics. But given the old tank-style controls in the classic game may be contemporary gamers off, the remake delivers a true third-person action game.
You start Resident Evil 2 remake as Leon, a rookie Racoon City police officer about to start their first shift before things go south very quickly. With limited resources, some dangerous zombies, and lots of puzzles, you’ll attempt to discover what happened in Racoon City.
Resident Evil 2 remake will keep you horrified with an intense 15 hours of story, but the fun only continues from there. Like many other Resident Evil fans, you can attempt to complete the game as fast as possible, with some players taking only 50 minutes to see the finale in future playthroughs.
8. Resident Evil 4 remake
The perfect blend of pure survival horror and the beloved campiness the series is known for, the Resident Evil 4 remake delivers a truly revamped experience for modern consoles.
Once again, you play as Leon from the second game in the series who is now an agent for the United States government. Your mission is to find and save the president’s daughter, Ashley, who’s been captured in a rural village in Spain. Of course, being a Resident Evil game, things aren’t as easy as they seem. Considering how tough it might get, it may be worth using our Resident Evil 4 walkthrough to help fight off the crazed villagers you’ll come across.
No matter if you’ve played Resident Evil 4 before or not, the remake is the definitive way to play, boasting impressive visuals and great quality-of-life upgrades, while keeping the charm that the original game had. And, as our Resident Evil 4 remake review points out, it is a “perfectly paced and truly gripping ride that will keep you glued to your seat at all times”.
9. Telltale’s The Walking Dead
Despite sharing a name with the popular series that some may call one of the best TV series ever, The Walking Dead doesn’t require you to know anything about the characters from the popular show or comics. Instead, Telltale’s narrative-driven Walking Dead game focuses on original characters that require no previous knowledge.
Unlike other entries in our list, The Walking Dead puts you on the spot frequently as you make difficult choices in the heat of the moment, causing unforeseen consequences that play out over episodes. You won’t be defeating waves of zombies, but rather, emotionally connecting with characters you’ll come to love or hate.
The Walking Dead definitive edition includes all four seasons, as well as two additional spin-offs, bringing over 50 hours of heart-wrenching stories that will surely make you cry.
10. Zombie Army 4: Dead War
Imagine if World War 2 featured you sending zombie Hitler to the depths of Hell and then having to deal with the undead rising from the graves. Well, that’s Zombie Army 4: Dead War, in a nutshell, a game that offers silliness and fun for you and up to three friends.
Based on the Sniper Elite series, Zombie Army 4 will see you take on Hitler’s undead forces in a third-person shooter with at least 12 hours of playtime on each playthrough. With exciting weapons to use, amazing gunplay (including the classic Sniper Elite bullet slowdown), and some truly terrifying enemies, this is a truly exhilarating time.
And for those of you who love to get the full experience, Zombie Army 4 offers plenty of customization, allowing you to build the perfect zombie slayer thanks to the different perks and upgrades you can use.
11. Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse
With a name that doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse (which we will call Stubbs from now on) puts you into the undead shoes of a zombie as you explore a fictional city and devour human brains.
The original game was released way back in 2005 but got a faithful remake in 2021. While some of the gameplay may have aged quite a bit, the feeling of being on the side of the monsters for once is an interesting change of pace.
Stubbs is a short-and-sweet hit of zombie action, and should take you no longer than eight or nine hours for a full playthrough.
12. Dying Light 2
Developed by the team behind the original Dead Island game, Dying Light 2 delivers a great fusion of zombie slaying similar to Techland’s first zombie game and Mirror’s Edge-like parkour, allowing you to jump across the rooftops to avoid the various infected or get down and dirty against the hordes roaming.
While Dying Light’s strength doesn’t lie in its narrative, it delivers a satisfying action RPG that gives you the feeling of becoming a true zombie killer, as you gain better equipment and unlock more skills. Another great thing is that Techland has been adding new content and bringing interesting events constantly since its launch, giving you more reasons to return to Dying Light 2.
However, we have one warning for any newcomer to the series. While you may be hacking through hordes during daylight, any standard zombie can become a horrifying threat when the sunsets, and worse, there are even stronger infected waiting to chase you during the night. Read our Dying Light 2 review for more on this excellent zombie game.
13. DayZ
With hardcore survival mechanics and the constant risk of losing all your loot if you day, DayZ is one of the most intense zombie games on Xbox. Sure, it’s not going to win many awards for its visuals, and it is charmingly janky, but there aren’t many games that offer up such a serious and atmospheric survival experience.
DayZ’s massive, post-apocalyptic worlds are not only infested with zeds, but they are inhabited by other players as well. Everyone has the same goal of looting supplies, finding weapons to defend yourself, and building secure strongholds to keep out the undead, but it’s up to you whether you team up with the players you encounter or if you take them out to claim their stash and their base for yourself.
Of course, you can always drop in with a group of friends and try and become kings or queens of the server by working together. DayZ is also on Xbox Game Pass, so you can try it at no extra cost if you’re already subscribed.
14. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3
While many fans of the Call of Duty Zombies mode may expect a round-based experience set on various maps, Call of Duty MW3 Zombies is a lot different compared to its predecessors. For one, the limit of players has been bumped up from only four to 24 players, but don’t worry, there’s an open world map to explore.
Similar to the Warzone DMZ mode, Modern Warfare Zombies tasks you with dropping into Urzikstan with your choice of gear, ranging from the best MW3 guns to any schematics you may have, as you prepare to complete objectives, collect new gear, and try to exfil before you succumb to the undead forces. At its core, it’s very much Call of Duty Zombies but with a unique twist fit for a different subseries.
Our Call of Duty MW3 review praised the interesting twist on the Zombies mode, saying it’s “MW3’s biggest iteration and does genuinely feel like a breath of fresh air”. So, if you’ve picked up a copy of MW3 and are growing tired of the MW3 meta dominating MW3 multiplayer, why not give zombies a try?
15. Sker Ritual
If you miss the good old days of Call of Duty Zombies (and by that, we mean the really old days of COD World at War) then Sker Ritual will give you that hit of nostalgia. With a UI that is certainly, erm, similar to early COD Zombies games, players of a certain age will feel all warm and fuzzy inside when first booting Sker Ritual up.
With a focus on all-out survival using steampunk weapons and powers bestowed upon you by Celtic gods, this little-known but big-hearted zombie slayer is an absolute riot. There are also easter eggs to solve too!
It’s not the most sophisticated game in the world when it comes to visuals, but the gameplay more than makes up for that. You can take on Sker Ritual as a solo slayer, or you can jump in with up to three others. If you’re still on the fence about this one, there’s a free demo that you can jump into so you can try before you buy.
So there you have it, our list of the best Xbox zombie games that you can play right now. If you’re looking for something a bit more shocking, make sure to check out our list of the best Xbox horror games – you’ll find something there to quicken your pulse, we’re sure. Alternatively, if you’re simply looking for an epic new game to play, regardless of genre, our overall best Xbox games guide is guaranteed to sort you out.
