Project Zomboid has become one of the most popular survival games in recent years. With its immersive gameplay, challenging mechanics, and the constant threat of the undead, it has captivated players around the world.
However, if you’re looking for more games that offer a similar experience, you’re in luck. In this article, we’ll explore 20 games like Project Zomboid that are sure to keep you entertained for hours on end.
The Long Dark
The Long Dark is a survival game that takes place in the aftermath of a geomagnetic disaster. Stranded in the freezing Canadian wilderness, players must scavenge for supplies, hunt for food, and fend off predators. What sets this game apart is its emphasis on realism.
In The Long Dark, hunger becomes more than just a minor inconvenience. It gnaws at your stomach, reminding you of your body’s need for sustenance. You must carefully ration your food, making sure to prioritize the most nutritious options.
Will you choose to hunt for game, risking exposure to the elements and potential encounters with aggressive wildlife, or will you scavenge for non-perishable items in abandoned buildings, hoping to find a hidden stash of supplies?
Thirst is another constant companion in this unforgiving wilderness. As you trek through the snow, your water bottle gradually empties. You must find sources of freshwater, whether it be from melted snow or natural springs. But be cautious, as not all water sources are safe to drink. Contaminated water can lead to illness, further complicating your struggle for survival.
As day turns to night, fatigue sets in. Your eyelids grow heavy, and your body yearns for rest. Finding shelter becomes a top priority. Will you stumble upon a cozy cabin, providing temporary respite from the harsh elements, or will you have to construct your own makeshift shelter using the limited resources at your disposal?
Whether you’re a seasoned survival enthusiast or new to the genre, The Long Dark offers a unique and captivating experience. It challenges you to think critically, make tough decisions, and adapt to an ever-changing environment.
7 Days to Die
7 Days to Die is an open-world sandbox game that combines elements of survival horror, crafting, and tower defense. Set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies, players must gather resources, build shelter, and fight off hordes of the undead.
7 Days to Die offers a vast open world, filled with diverse environments to explore. From decaying cities to dense forests, each location presents its own challenges and opportunities. Scavenge for supplies in abandoned houses, factories, and stores. Hunt animals for food, or plant crops to sustain yourself. The world is yours to shape and survive in.
As you progress, you’ll unlock new crafting recipes, allowing you to create more advanced weapons, tools, and defenses. From simple wooden clubs to deadly sniper rifles, the arsenal at your disposal is vast. Experiment with different combinations of materials to create the ultimate zombie-slaying arsenal.
But remember, survival is not just about fighting off the undead. It’s about building a community, forming alliances, and trading with other survivors. Join forces with friends or strangers to increase your chances of survival. Together, you can establish a thriving settlement, complete with farms, workshops, and defenses.
With its endless possibilities and immersive gameplay, 7 Days to Die offers hours of thrilling and heart-pounding experiences.
State of Decay Series
The State of Decay series is a zombie survival game that focuses on building and managing a community of survivors.
In these games, players must gather resources, secure their base, and make difficult decisions that can impact the fate of their group.
With its open-world exploration and strategic gameplay, the State of Decay series offers a unique take on the zombie genre.
One of the standout features of the State of Decay series is its emphasis on community management. Players not only have to worry about their own survival but also the well-being of their fellow survivors.
Exploration is a key aspect of the State of Decay series. The game world is vast and filled with abandoned buildings, hidden caches, and dangerous encounters.
As players progress in the game, they will encounter various factions and groups vying for control in the post-apocalyptic landscape. These factions can be potential allies or enemies, depending on the player’s actions and choices. Building alliances can provide valuable resources and support, while making enemies can lead to deadly confrontations.
The State of Decay series presents a morally gray world where survival often comes at a cost.
DayZ
DayZ is a multiplayer survival game set in a post-Soviet state infected by a mysterious virus. In this game, players find themselves in a desolate and unforgiving world, where the remnants of society struggle to survive amidst chaos and uncertainty.
The game begins with players waking up on the coast, disoriented and vulnerable. As they explore their surroundings, they quickly realize the gravity of the situation. The once bustling cities and towns are now ghostly remnants of their former selves, with dilapidated buildings and abandoned vehicles scattered across the landscape.
Players must search buildings, abandoned cars, and even corpses for supplies such as food, water, weapons, and medical supplies. Every decision matters, as resources are scarce and the consequences of a wrong move can be dire.
However, the infected zombies are not the only threat in DayZ. Other players, driven to desperation by the harsh reality of the world, roam the land as well. Some may be willing to cooperate and form alliances, while others may see you as nothing more than a means to an end.
Trust becomes a precious commodity, and every encounter with another player is a tense and potentially deadly interaction.
Survival mechanics in DayZ are designed to be as realistic as possible. Players must manage their hunger, thirst, body temperature, and overall health.
Exploration is a key aspect of DayZ, as players venture into the vast open world in search of better gear and safer locations. From dense forests to decaying industrial areas, each environment presents its own challenges and opportunities. The dynamic weather system adds another layer of immersion, with rainstorms, fog, and even snow affecting visibility and player movement.
Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead
Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead is a roguelike survival game that takes place in a post-apocalyptic world.
Players must navigate through a vast open world, scavenge for supplies, and fight off a variety of threats, including zombies, mutants, and other survivors.
With its deep crafting system and complex mechanics, Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead provides a highly customizable and challenging gameplay experience.
This War of Mine
This War of Mine is a survival game that puts players in the role of civilians trying to survive in a war-torn city. Unlike traditional war games,
This War of Mine focuses on the hardships faced by ordinary people caught in the crossfire. Players must scavenge for food and supplies, make difficult moral choices, and deal with the emotional toll of war.
With its unique perspective and thought-provoking gameplay, This War of Mine offers a powerful and unforgettable experience.
Don’t Starve
Don’t Starve is a survival game with a unique art style and a dark, whimsical atmosphere. Players must explore a randomly generated world, gather resources, and fend off dangerous creatures.
The game features a day-night cycle, with nighttime presenting new challenges and dangers. With its challenging gameplay and quirky charm, Don’t Starve is a game that will keep you on your toes.
RimWorld
RimWorld is a sci-fi colony management game that combines elements of survival and simulation. Players must build and manage a colony of settlers on a distant planet, dealing with threats such as raids, natural disasters, and disease.
The game features a complex AI storyteller system, which generates events and challenges based on the player’s actions. With its deep gameplay and endless possibilities, RimWorld offers a highly immersive and addictive experience.
Dead State
Dead State is a turn-based RPG set in a zombie apocalypse. Players must manage a group of survivors, scavenge for supplies, and make tough decisions that can mean the difference between life and death.
The game emphasizes resource management, strategic combat, and character development. With its engaging story and tactical gameplay,
Dead State is a must-play for fans of both RPGs and survival games.
Neo Scavenger
Neo Scavenger is a post-apocalyptic survival game set in a world ravaged by an unknown cataclysm. Players must scavenge for resources, craft tools and weapons, and use their wits to survive encounters with other survivors and dangerous creatures.
The game features permadeath, meaning that each playthrough is unique and full of tension. With its deep mechanics and challenging gameplay, Neo Scavenger is a must-play for hardcore survival enthusiasts.
Subsistence
Subsistence is a thrilling and immersive game that transports you into the heart of a challenging and unforgiving wilderness. As the protagonist, you find yourself stranded in a remote location, cut off from civilization and left to fend for yourself.
With limited resources and constant threats lurking around every corner, your survival skills will be put to the ultimate test.
Building shelter is a key aspect of Subsistence. You’ll need to construct a sturdy and secure base that will protect you from the elements and provide a safe haven from the dangers that lurk outside.
Careful planning and strategic decision-making are essential as you balance the need for exploration and expansion with the necessity of fortifying your base.
One of the standout features of Subsistence is its realistic survival experience. The game incorporates dynamic weather systems, with rain, snow, and storms affecting your surroundings.
Similar to the popular game Project Zomboid, Subsistence rewards players who approach the game with careful planning and strategic thinking. Every move you make has consequences, and the choices you make will determine your fate in this unforgiving wilderness.
Subsistence offers an immersive and adrenaline-pumping gameplay experience that will keep you hooked for hours on end.
Miscreated
Miscreated takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where players must scavenge for supplies, fight off mutated creatures, and contend with other survivors.
The game offers a vast open world, filled with abandoned cities, dangerous wildlife, and hidden secrets waiting to be discovered.
The game’s environments are beautifully rendered, with realistic lighting effects and immersive sound design. Whether you’re exploring a crumbling building or venturing into dense forests, every step feels like a life-or-death decision.
Surviving in Miscreated is not just about finding supplies and fending off threats, it’s also about forming alliances and navigating the complex dynamics of human interaction. Other survivors roam the wasteland, some looking for companionship and safety, while others are driven by greed and violence.
As you progress in Miscreated, you’ll uncover the dark history of the world and the events that led to its downfall.
Through scattered notes, audio logs, and environmental storytelling, you’ll piece together the puzzle of what happened and gain insight into the lives of those who came before.
With its attention to detail, vast open world, and complex gameplay mechanics, it offers a truly unforgettable journey for those brave enough to step into its desolate landscapes.
Unturned
Unturned is a unique take on the survival genre, featuring a charming blocky art style reminiscent of Minecraft. Despite its simplistic appearance, the game offers a surprisingly deep and engaging experience.
In Unturned, players find themselves in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies. The once bustling cities now lie in ruins, and the survivors must scavenge for supplies to stay alive. The blocky art style adds a touch of nostalgia, reminding players of the early days of gaming.
As you start the game, you are dropped into the world with nothing but your wits and a basic set of tools. You must explore the desolate landscape, searching for food, water, and weapons. Every decision you make can mean the difference between life and death.
Unturned offers a wide variety of maps and game modes to keep players entertained for hours on end. Whether you prefer the fast-paced action of PvP (Player versus Player) or the cooperative gameplay of PvE (Player versus Environment), there is something for everyone.
Each map has its own unique challenges and resources, making exploration a key aspect of the game. From dense forests to abandoned military bases, there is always something new to discover. And with regular updates and community-created content, the world of Unturned is constantly expanding.
Unturned is definitely worth a try. Its charming art style, deep gameplay mechanics, and endless replayability make it a standout in the genre. Are you ready to face the challenges of a post-apocalyptic world?
The Forest
The Forest is a first-person survival game set in a mysterious forest inhabited by cannibalistic mutants. As the lone survivor of a plane crash, you find yourself stranded on an island shrouded in mystery and danger. The dense foliage and eerie silence create an atmosphere of both beauty and terror.
Your journey begins as you step onto the sandy shores, the wreckage of the plane lying behind you. The sun casts long shadows through the towering trees, and the sound of rustling leaves fills the air. You take a deep breath, steeling yourself for the challenges that lie ahead.
With nothing but your wits and a few supplies salvaged from the wreckage, you set out to explore the island. The forest is teeming with life, both benign and malevolent. As you traverse the dense undergrowth, you come across a variety of flora and fauna, some of which may hold the key to your survival.
As you delve deeper into its depths, you uncover a compelling storyline, filled with secrets and mysteries waiting to be unraveled. The remnants of an ancient civilization lie scattered throughout the island, their purpose and fate lost to the passage of time. Each discovery brings you closer to understanding the true nature of this enigmatic place.
As the days turn into nights, and the seasons change, you become intimately familiar with the ebb and flow of life in the forest. You learn to adapt, to survive, and to thrive in this harsh yet captivating environment. The forest becomes more than just a backdrop for your struggle; it becomes a character in its own right, with its own secrets and stories to tell.
Stranded Deep
Stranded Deep places you in the role of a plane crash survivor stranded in the Pacific Ocean. With only limited supplies and a raft at your disposal, you must navigate the treacherous waters, explore deserted islands, and scavenge for resources.
Unlike other survival games, Stranded Deep puts a strong emphasis on exploration and discovery. Each island hides unique challenges and valuable resources, making every expedition a thrilling adventure. With realistic underwater environments and an immersive day and night cycle, Stranded Deep offers a truly immersive survival experience.
SCUM
SCUM is a multiplayer survival game that takes place on a massive open-world prison island. In addition to managing hunger, thirst, and health, players must also contend with the ever-present threat of other inmates and the prison guards.
What sets SCUM apart is its depth and realism. The game features an advanced metabolism system, allowing you to track your character’s vitals and adjust their diet accordingly. From building muscles to controlling your metabolism rate, SCUM offers a unique level of customization and immersion.
Survivalist
Survivalist is a top-down survival game that puts you in charge of a group of survivors in a zombie-infested world. As the leader, you must allocate resources, assign tasks, and make tough decisions to ensure the survival of your group.
One of the standout features of Survivalist is its focus on relationships. You’ll have to build trust with other survivors, establish alliances, and manage conflicts to maintain a harmonious community. With its engaging gameplay and complex decision-making, Survivalist offers a fresh take on the survival genre.
Green Hell
Green Hell is a brutal survival game set in the thick Amazon rainforest. As an explorer stranded in the wilderness, you must navigate dense vegetation, hunt for food, and avoid deadly diseases and parasites.
What makes Green Hell unique is its realistic survival mechanics. You’ll need to monitor your character’s physical and mental health, manage wounds, and craft tools and weapons using the resources at your disposal. With its stunning graphics and immersive atmosphere, Green Hell is a survival game that will test your limits.
Escape From Tarkov
Escape From Tarkov is a hardcore multiplayer shooter that combines elements of survival and FPS gameplay. Set in the war-torn city of Tarkov, players must scavenge for weapons, gear, and supplies while avoiding hostile mercenaries and other players.
What sets Escape From Tarkov apart is its attention to detail and realism. The game features realistic ballistics, complex weapon customization, and a unique health system that adds an extra layer of tension to every encounter. With its intense firefights and high-stakes gameplay, Escape From Tarkov offers a thrilling survival experience.
How to Survive Series
Lastly, the How to Survive series offers a unique blend of survival and action RPG elements. With its top-down perspective and colorful art style, these games provide a more lighthearted take on the survival genre.
In How to Survive, players must scavenge for resources, craft weapons, and fend off hordes of zombies and other monstrous creatures. The game’s quirky characters and humorous dialogue add a fun and engaging element to the gameplay.
Whether you’re playing solo or cooperatively with friends, the How to Survive series offers a unique and enjoyable survival experience.
Conclusion
If you’re a fan of Project Zomboid and looking for more games that offer a similar experience, the 20 titles listed above are sure to keep you entertained for hours on end.
From the realistic survival mechanics of Subsistence and Miscreated to the unique art styles of Unturned and How to Survive, each game offers its own unique take on the survival genre.
Whether you prefer intense combat, meticulous base building, or thrilling exploration, there’s a game on this list that will cater to your preferences.
So gather your supplies, sharpen your survival skills, and embark on your next virtual adventure in one of these 20 excellent games like Project Zomboid.
