10 Best Cooperative Zombie Games
Zombie games are always a popular genre for players to pick up and enjoy. There’s a ton of great games out there and even more slated to release shortly. However, if you’re after something to play right now with a friend then we have a few games we could recommend. With that said, there are certainly a whole lot more video games to pick from and again there’s even more inbound so if you need something to tie you over then check out some of these games listed below.
#10 7 Days To Die
Platform : PC, PS4, Xbox One
Release Date : December 13, 2013
Genre : Survival horror
7 Days To Die is a game that’s been around since 2013 but has remained in early access. It’s a survival sandbox game where players are survivors in a zombie apocalypse. Throughout the game, players are scavenging for items and building up a base that can protect them from a slew of zombie creatures that will make their way into the area. As the name suggests, this game is based around a week where in the first six days the player won’t have much of a problem going around the open in search of new supplies, gear, and upgrades to make for their base. Meanwhile, on the seventh day, a horde of zombies will flood into the area which means that your base will be put to the test. If you manage to survive the night, players can once again go out and scavenge for more items, make upgrades to their base and once again attempt to make it through the next powerful horde of zombies. This does support cross-platform multiplayer so players can work together whether they are on the same platform or not.
#9 Dead Island
Platform : PC, OS X, Linux, PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One
Release Date : 6 September 2011
Genre : Action role-playing, survival horror, first-person shooter
Dead Island was developed by development studio Techland which had players taking a role of a random character trapped on a resort island when the zombie apocalypse hits. In this game, players are trying to find a means to escape the island which is a bit easier for you as it’s discovered that your protagonist is immune. Regardless, the different infected zombies are still very dangerous and as a result, players will need to use different weapons or objects nearby to melee the different hostile enemies at bay. It was a pretty thrilling game and it featured cooperative gameplay support.
Players can even join a game online and go through the different campaign missions together. Fans really took up with the IP and the game ended on a bit of a cliffhanger. Unfortunately, Dead Island 2 has quite the rocky development process with the IP being swapped around to different studios. It’s been several years now and so far there’s been no real signs of life for Dead Island 2, but fans are holding out hope that a new game will release, continue on a fun storyline, and provide some more great co-op fun.
#8 Resident Evil 5
Platform : Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
Release Date : March 13, 2009
Genre : Third-person shooter
Originally, Resident Evil 5 wasn’t the most highly respected title from the iconic survival horror franchise. This title threw players into the role of Chris Redfield as he partnered up with a local BSAA agent in Africa, Sheva Alomar. The duo is tasked with tracking down the latest virus outbreak that has popped up resulting in a nearby town becoming infected and incredibly hostile. Much like every Resident Evil game, the title is centered around a conspiracy full of twists and turns along the way. As mentioned, at the time this was a bit of a black sheep for the Resident Evil community as it was more action-oriented rather than being a survival horror experience that the IP was mainly known for. However, now players have changed a bit of their opinion and have found the game to be just a solid action-horror co-op experience. There’s plenty of firefights, melee combat, boss battles, and puzzles to solve along the way.
#7 Left 4 Dead 2
Platform : Xbox 360, PC, Macintosh, Linux
Release Date : November 17, 2009
Genre : Shooter
Left 4 Dead 2 was a massive hit when it launched. The game had players taking the role of a survivor attempting to escape from a dangerous infested area. This is an action-packed experience where players will get an assortment of guns to random objects they can use as a melee weapon. With up to four players being able to join into a group and go through the different levels and objectives, it’s surprising that as much positive reception this franchise got that we didn’t see a third mainline installment already. However, if you’re on PC then you’ll find that there is a ton of mod support here with new levels, designs, and gear being put into the market for players to enjoy. One update brought so much content that Valve pushed the update out officially on the PC platform years after the last previous final update to the game. Fans are still hanging onto Left 4 Dead 2 but it might not be the case for too much longer as there are more eyes on a spiritual successor IP coming out within 2021 called Back 4 Blood.
#6 State of Decay 2
Platform : PC, Xbox One
Release Date : May 22, 2018
Genre : Action
State of Decay 2 is a Microsoft exclusive that has players working together during a zombie apocalypse. This title has players building up a community, scavenging items, gathering survivors, and fighting off infected that roam into the area. Everything is a bit of a management simulation as you’re having to make upgrades to your community, seek out more people in need of help, and ensure you have enough resources to make the next journey out into the open. Players can swap around different community members with all their different attributes which may make them useful in certain areas but a burden in others. For instance, you might find a person that is great when it comes to shooting and endurance while another character is skilled in grounds keeping. Players can join into a game together online for a co-op session as well but the host will be the player that’s rewarded with the different resources and supplies. Currently, this is the latest installment to the State of Decay franchise, but we do know that the development studio is working on State of Decay 3. We just don’t have the details right now about what we can expect with the upcoming installment.
#5 Killing Floor 2
Platform : PC, PS4, Xbox One
Release Date : November 18, 2016
Genre : First-person shooter, survival horror
Killing Floor 2 is a game that is often recommended for players looking for a new multiplayer zombie game to play. While zombies are a bit of a loose term here since there are a lot of mutated creatures to battle against called Zeds, this is still a thrilling game to play. Overall, this is a wave-based game where players are working as a group defeating the different aggressive monsters that flood into the level. With different classes available, each member of the group can provide a useful attribute to help in the various battles. Meanwhile, the game round will end allowing players to use the in-game currency earned to purchase even more useful upgrades and weapons.
#4 Resident Evil Revelations
Platform : Nintendo 3DS, PC, PS3, Wii U, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Release Date : January 26, 2012
Genre : Survival horror
Resident Evil fans have started to feel that the game series was getting a bit too action-horror focus rather than being survival horror much like how the IP started. With Resident Evil Revelations, Capcom took a step back and provided the survival horror aspect of tight corridor locations and plenty of puzzles to solve but also keeping the refined gun mechanics to deliver more precise aiming. Meanwhile, this game is centered around a large conspiracy as organizations have raised to deal with the different BOWs and bioterrorism that still is very much a major threat long after Umbrella had been dealt with. In this game, we’re transported to two different groups as they attempt to figure out what is behind the latest BOW attack so the game does split the narrative up leaving players in slight cliffhangers as they bounce between BSAA agents Jill Valentine along Parker or Chris Redfield and Jessica. It’s a thrilling storyline that mainly takes place on a secluded luxury ship within the middle of an ocean. With backup far away, players are mainly left to fend for themselves during their investigations.
#3 Resident Evil Revelations 2
Platform : PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC, PlayStation Vita,
Release Date : February 24, 2015
Genre : Action, Adventure
If you enjoyed the Resident Evil Revelations installment then the sequel may be just as appealing. It keeps up with the same mechanics and style as the first title. Here players are following another two sets of characters but to avoid spoilers we’ll be sticking with just the first main set. This game brought back Claire Redfield to the franchise where she had joined an anti-bioterrorism organization called Terra Save. During the welcome party, Barry Burton’s daughter Moira Burton attended to celebrate but the celebration was cut short. A mysterious group breaks in and knocks the duo out where they wake up in a mysterious remote island facility. Now the two are working together to figure out what is going on. This is an episodic journey but with all the episodes available, players can go through the game fully.
#2 Call of Duty Zombies
Platform : iOS
Release Date : November 16, 2009
Genre : First-person shooter
I know this is a broad point but it’s one worth mentioning and that’s the various Call of Duty games that feature the iconic zombie’s mode. This is a fan-favorite game mode that is constantly popping up. Here the game is a bit like Killing Floor 2 where you’re dealing with waves of zombies as you attempt to earn money for better weapons along with opening up more sections of the level. Usually, there’s a wide range of different objectives you can complete as well rather than being a strictly wave-based shooter. Since there are so many installments out there it’s a game mode worth looking into if you happen to have some of the latest Call of Duty video game installments.
#1 Dying Light
Platform : PC, PS4, Xbox One, macOS
Release Date : 27 January 2015
Genre : Survival horror, action-adventure
Speaking of Techland from our earlier point, Dead Island, the game they went on to develop after Dead Island was Dying Light. This video game is quite a bit like Dead Island in the fact that you have an open-world environment, melee combat with some gunplay along undead zombies to battle against. However, the game made a big change-up in that it was more focused on parkour. Players were running, vaulting over objects, and climbing up buildings to escape the monsters. This was a crucial mechanic as at night the zombies were far more aggressive and could chase players around. Just like with Dead Island, there is an online multiplayer component here as well. When players join online they can roam around the world freely or complete the various missions available. There’s even another mode where a group of players are having to battle against an opposing player that takes the role of an undead zombie creature. Here the opposing player is attempting to defeat the survivors while also making different upgrades to their character so that their attacks are even more deadly.