The 10 Best Zombie Games of All Time

6. Zombies Ate My Neighbors
The survival horror genre had barely been invented when Zombies Ate My Neighbors was released, but despite the vast number of zombie-killing games that would come in the wake of Resident Evil, no other videogame has had quite so much fun dispatching the undead. The game’s simple 16-bit art allowed it to fully embrace the goofier side of horror flicks, offering players a variety of oddball weapons to squash horror villains. The title was in fact a bit of a misnomer, considering that while it certainly contained zombies munching on neighbors, it also featured a wide cast of other enemies inspired by everything from Texas Chainsaw Massacre to Little Shop of Horrors. This gave the simple run-and-gunner more variety than most games it was inspired by, and while it’s not terribly sophisticated, Zombies Ate My Neighbors is still the only zombie game that took more lessons from Raimi than Romero.—Sean Gandert

5. The Walking Dead (2012)
Telltale’s The Walking Dead may be one of the best licensed games of all time in the way it re-creates the pacing and feel of the comic series. The game is heavy on character interaction and suspense, like the comic and show. Action sequences are spread out; this is a character driven game with action elements only added in when completely necessary. Think of The Walking Dead as Maniac Mansion and a poor man’s version of Heavy Rain put into a blender containing 10 or 15 issues of Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard’s comic—a nice mix, especially for the episode price of $4.99.—Keith Veronese

4. Plants vs. Zombies
Everybody knows zombies are carnivorous. Even the strictest vegans come back from the grave craving flesh. So who better to defend us from the undead than mutant plants (and mushrooms)? The PopCom game was released in 2009 for PC and Mac and found its natural home on mobile devices when the iOS version was launched the following year. The clean design, clever twists and easy learning curve made this a tower-defense game that could be enjoyed by the most casual gamer (my wife and kids included). Even when the plants don’t decapitate, torch or squash all of the oncoming horde, a line of lawnmowers serves as the final defense.—Josh Jackson

3. Resident Evil 4 (2005)
You could easily switch the slots for the two Resident Evil games on this list. They’re both here because they’re pretty much two entirely different games. Resident Evil 4 strikes the right balance between action and survivalism. A capable and smart player might occasionally fear for ammo and health, but it’s rarely punitive to the point of driving the player away. It’s a pitch-perfect blend of horror, action and story, and the most engrossing Resident Evil in terms of narrative and atmosphere. When it came out in early 2005 few games felt as adult or alive as Resident Evil 4, and unlike the earlier games in the series it doesn’t feel all that outdated.—Garrett Martin

2. Resident Evil (1996)
For desensitized gamers trained to react to monsters, terrorists, soldiers and yes, zombies, popping out of nowhere, it’s not easy to get creeped out. Here’s where Capcom stepped in starting in 1996 with Resident Evil, which reels back the blood and gore (although there’s still plenty of that) in place of an eerie, zombie-ridden backdrop. Players find themselves in the middle of a crisis that involves a “T-Virus” that causes those exposed to mutate. As a member of the Raccoon City Special Tactics and Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S.) you’re trapped in a creepy, way-too-quiet-to-not-bite-your-nails mansion, fighting off the creatures and trying to make it through the night. Although the game’s puzzles and moments of eerie silence make it different from anything that came before it, that’s also what made it the most terrifying.—Tyler Kane

1. Left 4 Dead / Left 4 Dead 2
Left 4 Dead and its quickly released sequel are too similar in quality and characteristics to separate. Remove the zombie element and you still have the best squad shooters yet to exist. Add in the most convincingly realized videogame zombie apocalypse, one that’s as legitimately scary and tense as the best horror movies, and one that has also influenced almost every zombie game since (see the proliferation of Boomer and Hunter style enemies), and you have the best zombie games ever made. Top it off with a pitch-black sense of humor and a warm humanity that most games don’t even attempt and then you can debate if the word “zombie” is even needed in that last accolade.—Garrett Martin