There’s nothing better than diving into some open world zombie games when you’re craving some post-apocalyptic vibes. If you fancy bashing the undead to bits or simply want a bit of survival action in your backlog, why not check out this list of Xbox Series X|S open-world zombie games worth playing on Xbox Series X/S? See if your favorite made the list.
#11 Unturned
Publisher: Smartly Dressed Games, 505 Games
Developer: Smartly Dressed Games, Fun Labs
Platform: Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, PC, PS4
Release Date: July 2014
PC | Xbox | PlayStation
Unturned is a zombie survival game that asks players to live each day in a zombie-infested open-world environment. Players will need to use their wits to locate weapons and supplies as well as manage their food, water, and radiation levels. Unturned makes use of Roblox-style graphics, giving it a very simple look. The game itself, however, features a challenging combination of survival and combat mechanics that make it an engaging experience for players. The title also has different modes in multiplayer such as creative, RP, paintball, and battle royale, to name a few. This makes for a varied survival experience that players will really enjoy.
#10 Dead Rising
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Platform: Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, PC, PS4
Release Date: August 2006
PC | Xbox | PlayStation
The original Dead Rising sees players taking on the role of photojournalist Frank West who has to survive everyone’s worst nightmare; getting trapped inside a zombie-infested shopping mall. It managed to feel like an open-world experience despite being set in one specific location, allowing players to scavenge and loot resources and materials from around the mall to help them survive and fend off the zombie hordes. Thrown into the mix are psycho humans that seem to also want to kill Frank and the other survivors he’ll need to rescue within the mall. On top of this is a time limit; players only have 72 hours to complete the game’s story and ensure survival. Who doesn’t love a time trial?
#9 Dead Island Definitive Edition
Publisher: Deep Silver
Developer: Techland
Platform: Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, PC, PS5, PS4
Release Date: September 2011
PC | Xbox | PlayStation
Dead Island Definitive Edition sees players taking on the role of four playable survivors who find themselves as the only non-infected survivors of a deadly virus outbreak on an idyllic island. Players will need to survive the onslaught of the island’s zombie inhabitants as they search for supplies and try to find a way to make contact with the outside world. Dead Island makes greater use of melee combat weapons over firearms, although some guns can be used in later stages of the game. Primarily though, players will be fending off the hostiles with a range of axes, swords, canes, and knives, to name a few. This game gives the zombies different abilities too, so players will have to adapt their combat style to suit the type of attacker they’re dealing with.
#8 Dead Rising 3
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Developer: Capcom Vancouver
Platform: Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: November 2013
The third entry into the Dead Rising series gives players a much more expansive open world environment to explore. Of course, that world is still littered with zombies, and in this instalment of the franchise, there are more than ever before. In Dead Rising 3 players are also able to explore the world using different vehicles that they can craft using the game’s improved crafting system. This also extends to weapon crafting, meaning players can create ‘combo weapons’ to use when fending off the hordes. Dead Rising 3 also offers two-player co-op gameplay, meaning you can team up with friends to take on the zombie-infested world together.
#7 State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Developer: Undead Labs
Platform: Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: May 2018
The Juggernaut Edition of the popular zombie survival game State of Decay 2 sees players returning to Trumbull Valley in an improved and optimised version of the original release. There are new open-world maps to explore as you fight off the hordes of zombies that have infected the post-apocalyptic world while trying to build a new community of survivors. Players will need to set off on missions to scavenge for loot and medical supplies as they work to establish bases across each map and wrestle back control of the landscape from the fearsome zombies. This edition also features the hideous Juggernaut zombies that take an entire group of survivors to defeat. It’s great fun and strangely relaxing, as far as open-world zombie games go.
#6 DayZ
Publisher: Bohemia Interactive
Developer: Bohemia Interactive, Dean Hall
Platform: Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, PC, PS5, PS4
Release Date: December 2013
PC | Xbox | PlayStation
A game for those who like their zombie-based survival adventures to be particularly challenging, DayZ throws players in at the deep end. The main aim of the game is simply to survive for as long as possible in a harsh open-world environment that’s filled with both zombies and tons of other players fighting to stay alive. Players will need to hunt and scavenge for whatever resources they can find using any means necessary, meaning that player interactions with others in this multiplayer sandbox can turn hostile very quickly. It’s not just the zombies that are out to get you in DayZ! A change in the weather or a chance encounter with another player can turn your luck instantly. It’s great fun but definitely a challenge.
#5 Strange Brigade
Publisher: Rebellion Developments
Developer: Rebellion Developments
Platform: Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, PC, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Stadia
Release Date: August 2018
PC | Xbox | PlayStation
Strange Brigade takes players back to the Egyptian deserts of the 1930s for an epic treasure hunting adventure filled with zombies, mummies, and a range of other mythological terrors. This game makes use of cooperative gameplay quite heavily, meaning that players will be best off teaming up with friends in order to work through the various combat encounters and puzzles they’ll be presented with in Strange Brigade. Exploration is a big part of the game, with trap-filled tombs to discover and ancient ruins to hunt for riches in. Grab your friends and get ready to send some foul beasts back to the Underworld.
#4 Dysmantle
Publisher: 10tons Ltd
Developer: 10tons Ltd
Platform: Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, PC, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: November 2020
PC | Xbox | PlayStation | Nintendo
Dysmantle is a post-apocalyptic survival experience in which players need to find a way to escape a hostile island environment. After the world’s end, the inhabitants of the island have turned aggressive, and the now zombie-like population are well and truly out to get you. Dysmantle is unique in that the survival mechanics in-game are designed to help players thrive, unlike other zombie survival games where once you die, you die. This open-world setting is crammed with resources and materials for you to scavenge and use for crafting as you establish a base and try to claim back the land from the zombies.
#3 Dying Light
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
Developer: Techland
Platform: Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, PC, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: January 2015
PC | Xbox | PlayStation | Nintendo
Dying Light is a highly popular survival horror that sees players exploring an open-world city environment that happens to be a quarantine zone. Of course, it’s quarantined because the world is filled with pretty terrifying zombies. One of the key components of Dying Light is its focus on the dynamic day-night cycle, which has an effect on the aggression levels of the zombies that plague the city. Explore by day and the zombies are slower and less feral, but venture out at night and it’s a whole different ballgame. The game’s use of parkour mechanics enables players to escape from dangerous situations if they need to, but combat is also a large part of this game, with over 100 different weapons with a range of different customization and crafting options available. Dying Light is a great open-world zombie game for those who like to get the adrenaline pumping when they play.
#2 Dying Light 2: Stay Human
Publisher: Techland
Developer: Techland
Platform: Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, PC, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: December 2021
PC | Xbox | PlayStation
Dying Light 2: Stay Human is the recently released follow-up to 2015’s Dying Light. It sees players once again exploring a zombie-filled open world environment and is set 22 years after the events of the first game. Players can still make use of the parkour mechanics that made the first game so popular but this time more emphasis is placed on melee combat than before. Dying Light 2: Stay Human also expands on the open-world gameplay that was introduced in Dying Light by introducing a huge new urban locale for players to explore as they navigate the game’s storyline and try to survive against the infected undead that lingers in the city. The game has a number of choice-and-consequence-based elements, meaning that there are a range of different endings to be explored. We love replayability.
#1 7 Days To Die
Publisher: The Fun Pimps, Telltale Games
Developer: The Fun Pimps
Platform: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: December 2013
PC | Xbox | PlayStation
Despite still being in Early Access, 7 Days To Die is one of the most popular open-world zombie games, selling 14 million copies to date. Combining first-person shooter mechanics with role-playing elements, tower defense, and survival horror, the game puts a strong focus on crafting and building defenses in order to hold off the zombies. The sheer scale of the game’s open world makes it ripe for RPG-style exploration as well. 7 Days To Die features a dedicated world for the game’s main campaign, as well as a randomly-generated world setting that has over 550 unique locations to explore. You can pretty much do anything in this game, as long as you can survive and fight off the zombies you encounter on your adventures.
