Zombie games are one of the biggest genres in the gaming industry; whether you hate them or love them, it has impacted the industry. However, sometimes playing a single-player zombie game is not as fun as playing a cooperative one.
Mowing down zombies with your friends, completing a story-dense game with someone else, or just trying to survive as many rounds with your squad can be the very reason you buy the game. We have compiled a list of the best 11 cooperative zombie games that you and your friends can pick up right now! Let’s check them out!
#12 Dead Island 2
Platform: PC PS4 Xbox One PS5 XSX|S
Release Date: April 21, 2023
Epicgames | Playstation | Xbox
It took years and multiple development studios to bring a sequel to Dead Island. Fortunately, the wait has ended, and you can dive right into Dead Island 2. The game takes place several years after the first installment, where we’re now dealing with a zombie plague outbreak in California. You’re just one of the unlucky few stuck in Los Angeles and on a journey to find an escape. Soon into the game, your protagonist will discover they are immune to the disease, and their blood could be the cure, but it’s a long way to reach an extraction point. Gameplay is similar to the first installment, focusing on melee combat. Fortunately, you can play this game online with friends. Currently, at the time of writing this description, Dead Island 2 supports up to three players online. All you need to do is reach about thirty minutes into the campaign before the cooperative mode opens up. From there, you and your friends can go through the storyline with progression carrying over to each player.
#11 7 Days To Die
7 Days to Die has some great potential to be one of the best zombie survival horror games but fails along the way. It brings enough to the table for you and your friends to get some fun out of it, but it really depends on a player-to-player basis if it’s going to keep you entertained for long enough. Players will have the ability to play coop, of course, and across the span of 7 days, they must get supplies to build a shelter for the incoming zombie horde, which arrives in 7 days. The game allows players to chop wood, scour the randomly generated map for supplies, and manage to keep themselves alive while fighting zombies along the way. Despite some major flaws, the game has its pluses as it can surely be a good time, it might just come down the each player’s preference.
#10 Resident Evil Revelations Series
Originally released way back in 2012, the Resident Evil Revelations series serves as a sort of a spin-off series to the main franchise. However, there are main entry characters in the game like Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield, and many more. The Resident Evil signature is mostly there keeping the story interesting enough to progress through and the coop allows for you and your friend to dive deep into a spooky story together. Revelation 1 has a couple of different story perspectives between characters while Revelations 2 follows one main story. Both serve as a good balance between each other and on a whole the Resident Evil franchise even though they act more as a spin-off series. It will be interesting and keep you and your friend playing, especially if you are both Resident Evil fans.
#9 Zombie Army 4 Dead War
Zombie Army 4 Dead War brings a slower pace of action compared to some other titles on the list. From the developers who brought us the Sniper Elite franchise, the game is focused on weapon recoil and specialty. Players will have a range of weapons from up close and personal to sniper-like weapons that give you some space between you and your enemy. The action and gunplay are top tier and players will be treated to a nice story along the way.
#8 Dead Island
Dead Island has become an iconic game in the gaming industry as it spawned off a ton of great horror survival games as time has gone on. When it was initially released, it brought a new sense of surviving a zombie-infested world, with crafting weapons, hand-to-hand combat, and interesting side characters to keep the story moving along. The game’s coop mode suits it very well as you and your friend can take on missions together, find interesting ways to kill zombies, and explore the island which is filled with a ton of zombies to kill. Dead Island might be a little dated in terms of interface and some gameplay feedback, but nonetheless, it is one of the greatest coop zombie games on the list!
#7 Resident Evil 5
Capcom brought something very unique to the table with Resident Evil 5. Up until this entry, the franchise has been focused on single-player horror and RE5 shakes that all up. This time around, players will still be treated to the iconic Resident Evil story and gameplay mechanics, but with now a co-op option. The entire game, from start to finish can be played while in co-op and it’s rare to find a game in today’s time that offers that. Is it the best in the series? That’s up for debate, but it definitely shook the franchise up and if you haven’t checked it out by now, this is the perfect time to give it a go with a friend.
#6 World War Z Aftermath
Iconic for its title, World War Z brings more zombie-killing fun to its players. This game is in a third-person view and will have you and your friends running through hordes of zombies. Aftermath is a more structured game, where there is actually a story going on in the background, you and your friends will complete missions ranging from the crowded dense city to the cold blistering weather of Russia. The gameplay is also noteworthy as it is very addicting to mow down hordes of zombies, and with your friends, each of your weapons will create a dynamic response to the zombies.
#5 State of Decay 2
Microsoft’s sequel, State of Decay 2 brought what players loved from the original and added even more features to build upon. State of Decay 2 has you and your friends recruiting survivors to help build a base in a town infested with zombies. The sequels map is pretty large allowing players to scour the open landscapes, ruffling through abandoned homes, and loot everything in between. The catch to this game is that if you develop a bond with your character and upgrade them, you better make sure to keep them safe because if they die, they’re gone for good. The game will continue from where you are, but you will now have to adopt a new main character to play from your camp. This sense of realism brings incredible tense moments; you and your friends will make sure that when you go out in the wild, everyone has each other’s back because death is final for some!
#4 Back 4 Blood
Left for Dead fans will get the most of Back 4 Blood as it is essentially the spiritual successor of the classic cooperative zombie game. This game will bring you back to the nostalgic days of Left 4 Dead in a good way while bringing new elements to the game creating a more diverse and engaging gameplay experience for the players. You and your friends will mow down hordes of zombies, completing tasks along the way to your next safe house hoping to survive. The formula for Left 4 Dead works, but not everyone can manage to nail it on the head, however Back 4 Blood comes really close and is worth the playthrough with your friends. Whether you’re a hardcore Left 4 Dead fan or a newcomer to the genre, Back 4 Blood will be a bang for your buck!
#3 Killing Floor 2
Killing Floor 2 brings a familiar cooperative gameplay style of Call of Duty’s Zombies, but has its very own spin to it. Tripwire Interactive managed to capture the essence of CoD’s Zombies mode and build upon it by adding new mechanics such as tiny missions to complete, a variance of enemies to kill, and a slew of weapons that keep the gameplay engaging. This game is a blast and when you have a squad of four players rolling through, the fun times will surely explode!
#2 Dying Light 2
Dying Light 2 was in the works for quite some time, and now that it’s finally available to play, the wait is finally over. The sequel builds upon the original with even more parkour, intense zombies, and a story that will keep you engaged for hours to come. The beauty of this game is that you can play in single-player mode or with a friend, and if you do play it cooperatively, the parkouring across the dense city, while zombies are following you, will create some very fun and intense moments for you and your friend.
#1 Call of Duty Zombies
Call of Duty Zombies is debatably the most iconic cooperative zombie game out there. This mode started way back in the day and has grown to be a fan favorite in the Call of Duty community. So much so that we have been seeing a story between some of the characters follow through across different game titles. Hidden easter eggs are scattered throughout the maps, the endless rounds to survive will keep you and your friends on your toes, and the weapons/perks players pick up to make their run go as long as they could are all elements that this game mode is one of the best in its genre. CoD Zombies will serve you and your friends endless hours of fun, you need to try it if you have not yet.
There are many great games on this list and it might just come down to preference as each game on this list can be enjoyed while playing in co-op. But, which one reigns supreme for you? Let us know in the comments below!
