Project Zomboid is a post-apocalyptic survival game that sets a high standard in this genre. A hardcore RPG skill set, immersive gameplay, and a cute tutorial raccoon await the unwary.

For those who have mastered Project Zomboid or are seeking new adventures in similar games, many titles provide an opportunity to test your survival skills and bring unique features to the table.

Whether it's building a community, fighting off hordes, or exploring vast open worlds, the survival games in this article promise an adventure where every decision counts, and survival is a constant struggle.

• Release Date: May 18, 2018.

• Developer: Undead Labs.

• Publisher: Xbox Game Studios.

• Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S.

• Metascore: 66.

This title is a zombie survival game set in a post-apocalyptic world where you lead a group of survivors, making crucial decisions to rebuild civilization.

The game offers a vast map with forests, cities, and, of course, zombies. You'll need to manage your base, scavenge for resources, and craft weapons to survive. Additionally, it has co-op gameplay, allowing you to join forces with other survivors.

I constantly balance resource gathering with defending my base against zombie hordes. The thrill of crafting weapons and collaborating with other players in the game's open world genuinely captivated me.

State of Decay 2 features:

• Each character has unique skills and traits.

• The game presents various types of zombies.

• Every playthrough is shaped by your decisions and the survivors you recruit.

State of Decay 2 Steam CD Key is available for purchase on RoyalCDKeys.

• Release Date: Oct 7, 2021.

• Developer: Turtle Rock Studios.

• Publisher: Warner Bros.

• Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox Cloud Gaming.

• Metascore: 77.

Back 4 Blood is a thrilling multiplayer first-person shooter game reminiscent of the Left 4 Dead series. In this game, you face off against the Ridden, once-human hosts of a deadly parasite, now monstrous enemies.

The game emphasizes teamwork and strategy as you work together to survive and reclaim the world from these terrifying monsters. With various weapons and limited resources, you must navigate through missions, crafting strategies, and utilizing your character's unique skills to stay alive in this zombie-infested world.

Once, I found myself cornered by a towering monster. With limited ammo and my heart racing, I could take it down with a shotgun blast. I highly recommend using this weapon to kill zombies in this game.

Back 4 Blood features:

• You can choose from 8 customizable characters.

• The game director adjusts to the player's actions.

• Unique "rogue-lite" card system.

Back 4 Blood Steam CD Key is available for purchase on RoyalCDKeys.

• Release Date: Dec 15, 2014.

• Developer: Blue Bottle Games.

• Publisher: Blue Bottle Games.

• Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Android, iOS.

• Metascore: 77.

Neo Scavenger is a survival RPG game set in a post-apocalyptic world like Project Zomboid. In this game, you must navigate a harsh environment where every decision can mean life or death.

The game's turn-based system allows you to carefully plan each move, manage resources, and use your character's skills to survive. The gameplay also focuses on crafting, scavenging, and strategic thinking.

With the opportunity to create personalized characters, I crafted one with strong scavenging skills but poor combat abilities. Searching for resources was easy, but I struggled to face every zombie encounter.

When you create your character, make sure to combine the skills so your game journey is balanced between strength, combat, and looting.

Neo Scavenger features:

• The map and game elements are semi-random.

• An extensive crafting system.

• Combat is detailed and realistic.

NEO Scavenger GOG CD Key is available for purchase on RoyalCDKeys.

• Release Date: Dec 13, 2018.

• Developer: Bohemia Interactive.

• Publisher: Bohemia Interactive.

• Platforms: PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Cloud Gaming.

• Metascore: 31.

DayZ is an open-world zombie survival game where you travel around the post-Soviet country of Chernarus, now infected by zombies. Like Project Zomboid, this game is all about survival, requiring you to craft items, interact with other players and survivors, and explore areas to search for resources.

While playing this game, I found Zelenogorsk to be an excellent place for looting, especially the military barracks. Be aware because you might encounter hostile players, but finding an AK74 mags made it worth the danger.

With no scoreboards or quests, you must create your own story, and the threat of permanent death adds intensity to every decision as you fight to stay alive in the game's challenging environment.

DayZ features:

• Online co-op with Intense PvP interactions.

• Realistic survival mechanics like hunger, thirst, and body temperature.

• The game supports mod installations.

DayZ Global Steam CD Key is available for purchase on RoyalCDKeys.

• Release Date: Oct 8, 1992.

• Developer: 10tons Ltd.

• Publisher: 10tons Ltd.

• Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Linux, Mac OS, Android.

• Metascore: N/A.

Dysmantle is an adventure game set in a post-apocalyptic world where you emerge from a shelter into a land filled with zombies. It emphasizes exploration and crafting more than mere survival.

You can break down over 99% of objects for materials and use them to craft tools and weapons. The goal is survival, solving puzzles, exploring the vast world, and ultimately finding a way to escape the island.

This game is highly addictive, and you have multiple activities like fishing, hunting, farming, and cooking. My favorite activities were building and exploring. The thrill of uncovering hidden areas and solving puzzles while constantly upgrading my gear made the gameplay incredibly engaging.

Dysmantle features:

• Single player with shared/split screen co-op.

• The world has various mysteries to uncover.

• Extensive crafting system for creating weapons, tools, and more.

Dysmantle Steam CD Key is available for purchase on RoyalCDKeys.

• Release Date: Sep 18, 2023.

• Developer: Yodubzz Studios.

• Publisher: Freedom Games.

• Platforms: Microsoft Windows.

• Metascore: N/A.

HumanitZ is an early-access, isometric survival game set in a world overrun by a zombie outbreak. You'll navigate vast, unforgiving landscapes, choosing to either scavenge in dangerous cities or live off the land in the countryside.

The game offers robust character customization, a dynamic weather system, and cooperative gameplay. Like in Project Zomboid, you must kill zombies, craft items, and survive in a world where humans are infected.

Playing HumanitZ, I enjoyed going around the city on a truck, where the risk of encountering zombie hordes was high. The city is also the best place to find valuable loot like food, weapons, and tools.

HumanitZ features:

• You can play as a lone wolf or join with three more players.

• Character customization includes perks, stats, and firearms.

• Multiple zombie types, including fast and dangerous ones.

HumanitZ Steam CD Key is available for purchase on RoyalCDKeys.

• Release Date: Dec 13, 2013.

• Developer: The Fun Pimps.

• Publisher: The Fun Pimps Entertainment LLC.

• Platforms: PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Mac OS, Linux, Xbox Cloud Gaming.

• Metascore: 35.

In 7 Days to Die, you navigate a collapsing open world after a nuclear war. Infected survivors turn into zombies, creating a relentless challenge.

Like every game in this genre, 7 Days to Die demands resource management and strategic defense, especially during the Blood Moon cycle every seventh night, bringing massive ghoul waves. Here, fortifying is vital as you embark on this survival journey, fighting zombies and testing your apocalypse survival skills.

I recommend you find a crossbow to kill zombies. This weapon became my favorite one, offering a perfect balance of stealth and power, ideal for taking down zombies without attracting more.

7 Days to Die features:

• Building options include designing forts with traps, power systems, and defenses.

• Crafting and repairing system with over 500 recipes.

• Cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes.

7 Days to Die Global Steam CD Key is available for purchase on RoyalCDKeys.

• Release Date: Feb 4, 2022.

• Developer: Techland.

• Publisher: Techland.

• Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

• Metascore: 76.

Similar to Project Zomboid, this game is a zombie survival adventure set in a post-apocalyptic world, two decades after a global zombie outbreak. You assume control of Aiden, who, spoiler alert, is already infected by the zombie virus. The game is set in Villedor, potentially the last city standing in the world.

DL2 combines first-person parkour with intense combat and has a day/night cycle that intensifies the gameplay difficulty. Likewise, your choices shape the narrative and the city's future, offering a unique blend of action, strategy, exploration, and five different endings.

Regarding moral choices, the toughest decision I had to make was in the quest "True Friends." The mission led me to Buddy, a stray dog who is sadly dying, and I had to end his misery or leave him to die. My choice here didn't really have strong consequences in the rest of my storyline, but it left me with a bittersweet taste.

Dying Light 2 features:

• 2-4 player co-op gameplay.

• Open-world exploration with advanced parkour skills.

• There are 13 types of zombies with different killing difficulties.

Dying Light 2: Stay Human Steam CD Key is available on RoyalCDKeys.

• Release Date: August 17, 2017.

• Developer: Acid Wizard Studio.

• Publisher: Acid Wizard Studio.

• Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, an9d Xbox Series X/S, Mac OS, Linux, Google Stadia.

• Metascore: 80.

Darkwood is a thrilling survival game with a top-down perspective set in a sinister forest. By day, you scavenge for material and craft weapons, while at night, you must secure your hideout against horrifying creatures.

This title offers no hand-holding system, meaning you won't get help to solve the game when you feel stuck, challenging you to survive a world where reality blurs with nightmarish fantasies.

I stumbled upon the Silent Forest. Its dense, misty landscape was terrifying, filled with twisted trees and eerie silence. I felt vulnerable, and every step I took in the forest felt like being part of a horror movie.

Darkwood features:

• Unique skill and perk system.

• Decisions impact the game's course and its inhabitants.

• Ever-changing open world.

Darkwood Steam CD Key is available for purchase on RoyalCDKeys.

• Release Date: Jun 1, 2020.

• Developer: Bob.

• Publisher: Ginormocorp Holdings Ltd.

• Platforms: Microsoft Windows.

• Metascore: N/A.

Ten years after a devastating infection that transformed humanity into zombies, you must explore an open world where long-established settlements are collapsing. The game focuses on base building, managing resources like food, ammo, and tools, and surviving against zombies and other threats.

With a massively customizable sandbox environment, you can recruit fellow survivors to build a community and use stealth or combat to survive.

When I first played, I bumped into some refugees almost immediately and recruited the group's youngest. Thanks to the game's AI and NPC interactions, I could start my community from that point. After having around ten other survivors, I could change my character and play as any community member.

Survivalist: Invisible Strain features:

• Realistic survival systems like sleep, hunger, and body temperature.

• Dynamic quests in the sandbox and multiple NPCs.

• You can scavenge, build, loot, mine, cut trees, hunt, farm, and more.

Survivalist: Invisible Strain Steam CD Key is available for purchase on RoyalCDKeys.

• Release Date: Apr 26, 2019.

• Developer: Ben Studio.

• Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment.

• Platforms: Microsoft Windows.

• Metascore: 71

In Days Gone, you play as Deacon St. John, a biker navigating a world after a zombie apocalypse. Just like Project Zomboid, the game combines elements of scavenging, crafting, and combat against vicious gangs and hordes.

Set in a dynamic, open world with a changing weather system, Days Gone offers an immersive gameplay experience with a fluid combat system and a captivating main story. You must survive in this harsh environment, facing unique zombies and other challenges like wolves.

One of my most memorable experiences in Days Gone was escaping a massive horde of Freakers. I was low on ammo and had to rely on stealth and quick thinking to navigate through a dense forest, hiding myself in bushes. Those moments were a powerful shot of adrenaline.

Days Gone features:

• You can use everything from improvised weapons to firearms.

• The game only features one difficulty level.

• The character's motorcycle requires careful management to enhance your journey.

Days Gone Global Steam CD Key is available for purchase on RoyalCDKeys.

• Release Date: Aug 28, 2020.

• Developer: Jacktostudios.

• Publisher: Jacktostudios.

• Platforms: Microsoft Windows.

• Metascore: N/A. 

Night of the Dead is a survival horror game blending zombie apocalypse themes with tower defense mechanics. Released in early access, it challenges you to build and upgrade bases using materials gathered from the environment.

Each night, you will face waves of increasingly difficult zombies, requiring strategic use of traps and defenses. Additionally, the game offers a large open world to explore, focusing on crafting, from basic tools to complex structures and weapons.

I remember spending hours meticulously planning and constructing my fort with traps. My favorite was the flamethrower trap, which I strategically placed at choke points. The first night, I watched several zombies being incinerated. It was a mix of terror and triumph and actually was quite funny.

Night of the Dead features:

• Acquire food through hunting and farming.

• Online Co-op to team up with friends.

• Day/Night cycle that intensifies the difficulty.

Night of the Dead Steam CD Key is available for purchase on RoyalCDKeys.

For survival games like Project zomboid fans, the gaming world offers multiple titles that capture the essence of survival in post-apocalyptic settings. Each of the abovementioned brings unique flavors to the genre, whether fighting, exploring, base-building, or community management.

Other titles we can't forget to mention are The Last Stand: Union City, Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead, and Dead Frontier 2, all providing diverse experiences that challenge players to adapt, strategize, and survive.

Try them all and see which you like the most!