With Sony appearing to ease its stance on PC ports,Days Gonewill be the next game to appear on PC this spring. An open-world adventure set in the wilderness after a global pandemic, players control Deacon St. John, a drifter that fights to survive the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. In particular,Days Gonereceived praise for its open world exploration and its interesting progression system.
While the PC port forDays Gonemight be a few months away, the PC has become a fantastic platform for zombie and survival games over the years. Thriving on mod support and a heavier emphasis on sandbox games, PC zombie games have remained popular as they blend together different genres and mechanics. Fans looking forward to the release ofDays Goneshould give some of the other zombie games available on PC a try.
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7 Days to Die
Perhaps themost definitive zombie game available on PC,7 Days to Dietakes all the elements of a typical open-world survival game and combines them with sandbox mechanics. Players are able to craft, build, loot, survive, and co-operate with others to survive the zombie apocalypse. With so many different mechanics, from tower defense, to mining, to character progression,7 Days to Dieoften feels more like a RPG than a typical zombie survival game. Although there’s a learning curve, the community is quite friendly and many of the servers are accommodating of newer players.
Though7 Days to Diehas been in early access limbo for a number of years, the game does get updated consistently, and there are plenty of things to do in its current state. Newcomers will likely have to watch videos or playthroughs in order to decide whether the game is in an acceptable state for them, but7 Days to Dieis easily one of the deepest zombie survival games available based on the sheer amount of content. Fans ofDay Gonelooking to ramp up the crafting systemor explore an even bigger sandbox should try7 Days to Die.
AlthoughLeft 4 Dead 2was originally released over a decade ago, it has aged gracefully thanks to its mod support and unmatched multiplayer experience. Featuring a diverse cast and interesting storyline, players must fight their way through five different campaigns and numerous types of zombies in order to survive. With a heavy emphasis on co-operative gameplay,Left 4 Dead 2became the definitive multiplayer experiencefor PC zombie games for a number of years.
Left 4 Dead 2also set the bar for different AI mechanics, as it featured a unique gameplay system which would be procedurally altered. Based on the performance of players, the AI would procedurally spawn different enemies, weapons or items during the campaigns. The level layout and even weather can be affected which helps give unique challenges to players.Days Gonefans who are looking for a great multiplayer experience should look no further thanLeft 4 Dead 2.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that Telltale’sThe Walking Deadseries revolutionized video game storytellingfor the better. Featuring a distinct take on interactive storytelling, players were limited in interactions with the game world itself but had to make impactful decisions which would lead to different narrative branches. Though Telltale didn’t pioneer the concept,The Walking Deadseries popularized it and would eventually lead to strong narratives becoming an important selling point of many zombie survival games.
Much like other Telltale games,The Walking Deadseries mostly revolves around point-and-click mechanics, and many of the player interactions with the world are limited to quick time events. Making decisions along the storyline, players must learn to deal with potential consequences and adjust their choices on the fly.Fans ofDays Gonewho are looking for a more narrative-driven experience, or enjoy the narrative aspect of the game, should tryThe Walking Deadseries.
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Project Zomboid
The PC platform offers a way for developers to create ambitious games, andProject Zomboidis a perfect representation of that potential. Developed by an indie studio called The Indie Stone,Project Zomboidoffers the most in-depth apocalypse simulator availableon PC. Although the graphics and UI are simplistic, the rest of the game more than makes up for it through its vast map, co-op play, sandbox mechanics, and crafting systems. Players must even learn to grapple with depression and boredom while trying to survive in the game.
Although the game is still in early access, there are consistent updates every few months, andProject Zomboidhas a great community with mod support backing it.Project Zomboidhas a bit of a learning curve to it, but once players master some of the mechanics, it becomes an extremely rewarding zombie survival simulator. With a permadeath feature and a tough difficulty,Project Zomboidis the perfect sandbox zombie game forDays Gonefans looking for a even bigger challenge.
Dying Light
Developed by Techland who had originally releasedDead Islandin 2011,Dying Lighttakes the survival mechanics to new heightswith its dynamic day-night cycle and parkour movement system. Played from the first-person perspective, players must traverse an open-world environment that is being overrun by zombies. During the day, the zombies are slow and pose little threat but they turn extremely aggressive at night. What setsDying Lightapart from other zombie games is its focus on atmosphere during the night time. Players are encouraged to take risks but the constant suspense of a potential attack further heightens the survival elements of the game.
Dying Lightcontinues to receive updatesand regularly scheduled community challenges despite being released in 2015. Players can also join forces with others as the story campaign allows up to 4 players at once. Moreover, its unique parkour system allows a different style of play from typical zombie survival games. Deciding whether to fight or run from zombies becomes an important decision to make and players will need to climb ledges, slide, jump, and use ziplines in order to traverse the environment.Days Gonefans who are looking for a fluid, fast-paced type of zombie game should giveDying Lighta try.
Days Goneis available now on PS4 and PS5 with a PC port scheduled for Spring 2021.
MORE:10 Story-Heavy Games To Play If You Loved Days Gone
