20 Best Games Like The Day Before

The Day Before is set to release later this year and will be including some of the most intense multiplayer gameplay focusing on zombies around. Unlike most of the features on this list, The Day Before is an open-world MMO that lets you play with other players to fight zombies, find colonies of survivors, and enter places where no one else dares. If you’re like us and can’t wait for the release, here is a list of the 20 best games like The Day Before that you can enjoy while you wait!

#20 State of Decay 2

Publisher: Xbox Game Studios

Developer: Undead Labs

Platform: PC, Xbox One

Release Date: May 2018

State of Decay is among my favorite in this list because it mixes everything I love about survival horror with the realism of having to travel with people whom you have no control over. The game is set in an open-world environment and allows you to play as different characters in order to take advantage of their different characteristics and skills in order to survive. You can play cooperatively with your friends to build shelters and gather resources to fight against different hoards of zombies through the day and night cycles. There are also vehicles you could drive but it’s important to note that they do require gas and can be damaged when running over zombies or smashing into obstacles.

#19 Dying Light 2 Stay Human

Publisher: Techland

Developer: Techland

Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Switch, PC

Release Date: December 2021

Dying Light 2 came out earlier this year and has become a contender for game of the year and one of the best zombie games of all time. You take on the role of Aiden Caldwell who will use his parkour skills to collect weapons and fight against the zombie hordes plaguing the city. There is a ton of the map to explore and there are even vehicles that you can take advantage of to further destroy enemies and get around faster. You’ll also have the option to craft weapons using the items that you find lying around on your adventure. There is even a four-player multiplayer co-op where you can experience the story with friends considering that there is a large emphasis on character decisions and multiple playthroughs.

#18 Days Gone

Publisher: Sony

Developer: Bend Studio

Platforms: PS4, PC

Release Date: April 2019

When Days Gone came out, I remember there being a lot of discussions about the fact that it looked as though it would be as emotionally telling as other zombie titles like The Last of Us. Again, the game doesn’t like to refer to the enemies as zombies but it follows a similar premise of an open-world concept where the players needs to fight off the enemy zombies in order to survive. The different between this game and others on this list is that the Freakers in this game can chase you in hordes by the hundreds which can make traversing the open world seem that much more terrifying. You will quite literally need to take advantage of environment choke points to avoid being overwhelmed by all of the Freakers that you’re going to be encountering.

#17 Dead Matter

Publisher: Quantum Integrity Software Inc

Developer: Quantum Integrity Software Inc

Platforms: PC

Release Date: Closed Alpha

Dead Matter is an interesting title because it is not your average zombie shooter. In fact, it’s a rogue-lite which means that characters can die and be revived without the weapons and abilities that they acquired, making each playthrough completely different. The game brings its own touches to the open-world survival genre and does a great job at balancing gameplay with the perfect amount of survival mechanics. It’s also important to note that the developers are very adamant about the fact that there are no pay-to-win features and that players will be able to mod the game as they wish and play around with it in the Steam Workshop.

#16 DayZ

Publisher: Bohemia Interactive
Developer: Bohemia Interactive
Platforms: PS4, PC, Xbox One
Release Date: December 2013

DayZ has been out for a while and is probably one of the more hardcore zombie survival games you could play. Not only is the map absolutely massive at about 230 kilometers wide, but there are also a wide array of landscapes and landmarks that are all beautifully rendered and based on real places. The entire point of the game is to try to stay alive at any cost. Because of this, you will experience a dynamic day and night cycle as well as threats from all over that will test your capabilities. You will be able to play with up to 60 players on the same map that you can make friends with, kill, or even betray for whatever it is that they have on their person.

#15 The Long Dark

Publisher: Hinterland Studio
Developer: Hinterland Studio
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Release Date: August 2017

The Long Dark is an exceptionally well-told story that mixes open-world survival gameplay with a rich story. The game is presented in different chapters that have you journeying through the harsh Canadian wilderness in the snow. You will come across wildlife that you can hunt or defend yourself against as you get from location to location. You will also need to keep a close watch on things such as your health, hunger and thirst levels, and the weight of the items that you’re carrying. There are different modes available depending on how you would prefer to play the game but regardless of whichever you choose, you will still be able to experience a chilling narrative.

#14 The Forest

Publisher: Endnight Games
Developer: Endnight Games
Platforms: PC, PS4
Release Date: April 2018

The Forest doesn’t stray too far from what you would expect from an open-world survival game but does add its own twist. Players start off in an airplane with their son, Timmy, as they experience a fatal crash that lands them in a forested peninsula. You are tasked with looking for Timmy but not before learning how to make shelter, hunt, and do everything that you can to survive. There are plenty of supernatural and pretty eldritch themes going on here as you slowly discover that there is more to the crash site than meets the eye. You’ll have a wide array of weapons and skills that can be developed through crafting and searching for items everywhere you go.

#13 7 Days To Die

Publisher: The Fun Pimps
Developer: The Fun Pimps
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Release Date: December 2013

7 Days to Die is interesting as most people would describe it as Minecraft but with zombies. You are spawned in a randomly generated world where you can play with your friends to survive for as long as possible both against the elements and against the zombies around you. There is no set objective but you can build shelters, hunt, and practice your crafts to create new weapons and find different ways to survive. Part of the reason why it is called 7 Days to Die is because of the Blood Moon event that happens every seventh day which causes hordes of zombies to come after you and challenge the things you’ve learned up until then.

#12 Fallout Series

Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: Bethesda Softworks
Platforms: PC, Mac, Switch, PS2, PS3, PS4, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, iOS, Android
Release Date: October 1997

You’re lying if you’ve never heard of the award-winning and critically acclaimed Fallout series. Each game follows a different story but the overarching theme for each of them is that a nuclear attack happened several years prior to the game and the players need to venture out into the open world to continue their journey. The style of each game is of a retro-futuristic genre that imitates many elements from the 1950’s. Every Fallout game up to now allows you to essentially create your character and interact with the NPCs of the world using the different skills you’ve earned. Different characters can react differently according to your actions and some elements of the games can be changed altogether according to your reactions.

#11 Horizon Zero Dawn & Horizon Forbidden West

Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Guerilla Games
Platforms: PS4, PC
Release Date: February 2017

Horizon Zero Dawn breaks the mold for action-adventure games with the character of Aloy. It takes place in a point so far off in the future that humans have essentially regressed to their neanderthal ways, going back to hunting and fishing with spears. The world has an influx of technology with even some of the wildlife and animals essentially being robots in their own right but the gameplay is focused on manual weapons and attacks. Despite this, Aloy also has the ability to ‘hack’ into these animals in order to use them for her own gain (riding them) or to take down immense enemies. The narrative is incredibly well written and the performance given by Ashly Burch in both games is absolutely worth experiencing.

#10 Death Stranding

Publisher: Sony Interactive Interactive
Developer: Kojima Productions
Platforms: PS4, PS5, PC
Release Date: November 2019

One of the most interesting games I have ever played, Death Stranding manages to find a way to collide everything a game needs from incredible storytelling, compelling gameplay, and dynamic characters. The game takes place after a cataclysmic event has essentially caused another mass extinction, leaving surviving humans to rely on new sources for things like food, water, and even transportation. This new source is in the form of Sam Bridges and the Bridges Organization which is tasked to do exactly that. Sam will take hold of a small baby in a pod that he dubs BB after a series of strange memory flashbacks tell him. With BB in tow, Sam must traverse the United States, delivering packages, transporting people, and ensuring that BB is safe from the elements and powers that be.

#9 The Division 2

Publisher: Ubisoft

Developer: Massive Entertainment

Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Stadia

Release Date: March 2019

The Division 2 takes place in an open-world Washington DC that is seeing a civil war between the survivors of the events from the previous game as well as bands of marauders and bandits. Players can enjoy an online experience with friends in different modes that include Dark Zones which provides players with loot and different raids. You’ll also have the opportunity to take advantage of different downloadable content as well as an update for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S users so that they can run the game as well.

#8 Scum

Publisher: Gamespire
Developer: Gamespire
Platforms: PC
Release Date: August 2019

Similar to DayZ, Sum is an open-world survival game in which players are dropped in Croatia with 64 other players. Each player’s role is to survive and attempt to leave the island by removing implants that prevent them from leaving. Each player has four different attributes that they can build on: strength, dexterity, constitution, and intelligence. These four attributes will make or break your experience as the simulation mimics a real body, with the HUD even counting your calories and vitamins. There is also a huge weight on other mechanics common in survival games including your clothing wetness, clothing, and much more.

#7 Rust

Publisher: Facepunch Studios
Developer: Facepunch Studios
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Mac
Release Date: February 2018

Rust is a multiplayer-only game that pits players against one another in a harsh open world where everyone’s goal is to survive. The flora and fauna of the land around you will prove to become their own threats as well as your need for resources in order to survive. There are different things you need to keep track of like your hunger and thirst levels as well as more obtuse things such as stamina and hypothermia levels. The world is so large that you can take advantage of vehicles such as cars, boats, and airborne vehicles to help you traverse the area quicker. The game also utilizes crafting to create more resources as well as structures to better protect you against the forces though you can also take advantage of different air drops that provide more resources at the expense of getting founded by your enemies.

#6 Hunt: Showdown

Publisher: Crytek

Developer: Crytek

Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4

Release Date: August 2019

Hunt: Showdown is a little bit different from you average first-person shooter in the sense that your purpose is to hunt down the game’s bosses to claim their bounty. There are four bosses in total that you can find with up to three maps to explore. It is exclusively multiplayer which means that you and your friends can search for clues to narrow down the location of the monsters and take them down. But beware, once someone collects a bounty, that puts them one step closer to being able to escape the area, meaning that players are free to take down other players for their bounty. There’s a lot of fun to be had and you can also play in a quickplay mode that plays out as a 15-minute battle royale with up to 12 players.

#5 Project Zomboid

Publisher: The Indie Stone
Developer: The Indie Stone
Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux
Release Date: April 2011

The latest build of this game actually came out in December 2021 that has an influx of new areas to explore, music to enjoy, and a revamped multiplayer. Like most zombie games, the purpose of this game is to survive for as long as possible using the weapons and skills you have at your disposal. It is a little bit different in the sense that the interface mostly employs the use of drop-down windows and charts to get by. Players start in Knox County where they make their characters and explore the world, surviving against slower-moving zombies and acquiring the things necessary to ensure that they survive. The gameplay follows an isometric style as well as several point-and-click elements.

#4 Dead Rising 3

Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Developer: Capcom Vancouver
Platforms: PC, Xbox One
Release Date: November 2013

A launch title for the Xbox One, Dead Rising 3 brought a resurgence to a franchise that some fans thought was long dead. The game follows 10 years after the events of the Fortune City outbreak from the previous game and 15 years after the Willamette Outbreak. You play as young Nick Ramos who is a mechanic that knows his way around crafting an engine or two. Unlike the previous two games, however, there is no need for a crafting table which means that you are able to create things on the fly as you find the necessary resources and supplies. There are multiple endings so there is also plenty of replay value.

#3 Unturned

Publisher: Smartly Dressed Games
Developer: Smartly Dressed Games
Platforms: PS4, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Release Date: July 2017

Don’t let the low production fool you. Unturned is a beast of a survival game that was developed by a single, 16-year-old Canadian boy. Each mode faces the same concept of zombie survival but manages to make it compelling and different. There are multiple different types of gameplay that players can engage in including a battle royale mode as well as survival and multiplayer modes. You will be able to find and pick up an array of weapons and armor to ensure that you are at peak performance. The graphics look similar to Roblox, as it was the developer’s first source of game development, but still retains a semblance of self that allowed it to be greenlit onto the Steam platform and made available on console.

#2 Night of the Dead

Publisher: jacktostudios
Developer: jacktostudios
Platforms: PC
Release Date: August 2020

Night of the Dead follows Lucy who awakes from a human experiment and gets trapped in a city that is covered head to toe in zombies. She must survive nightly zombie waves and communicate with a group of survivors to escape from the isolated area. The game is incredibly customizable, with modes available to turn off completely if you simply don’t like them. You’ll be faced with an open world and plenty of opportunities to create and craft new weapons and armor that protect you from the forces that be. You’ll also be able to customize your character from the start for a truly interesting experience.

#1 Dysmantle

Publisher: 10tons Ltd
Developer: 10tons Ltd
Platforms: PC
Release Date: November 2021

As you ascend from your shelter after the long long years, a brave new old world awaits you, a world inhabited by nasty and vile creatures. You need to find a way to escape the wretched island. But before that, enjoy the bittersweet apocalypse. You’ll be able to clear areas of monsters and take them over as your own, building atop and even destroying them if you feel ready to move on. Unlike some of the other titles on this list, you won’t need to worry about dying of hunger or keeping track of your thirst level. The world is a dangerous place, and you may take a few steps back once in a while, but eventually, you will thrive.