Project Zomboid similar games & best alternatives

Project Zomboid - Trailer
Project Zomboid - project-zomboid_1.avif
Project Zomboid - project-zomboid_2.avif
Project Zomboid - project-zomboid_3.avif
Project Zomboid - project-zomboid_4.avif
Project Zomboid - project-zomboid_5.avif
Project Zomboid - project-zomboid_6.avif

Project Zomboid

Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac • 2013

Should you play it?

Project Zomboid is the ultimate in zombie survival. Alone or in MP: you loot, build, craft, fight, farm and fish in a struggle to survive. A hardcore RPG skillset, a vast map, massively customisable sandbox and a cute tutorial raccoon await the unwary. So how will you die? All it takes is a bite..

What works

  • Deep and realistic survival mechanics
  • High replayability and emergent storytelling
  • Extensive crafting and building systems
  • Strong community and mod support
  • Immersive audio and atmosphere

Things to keep in mind

  • Steep learning curve and high difficulty
  • Early access with occasional bugs
  • Multiplayer still developing with latency issues
  • Graphics are simple and may deter some players
  • Can be frustrating due to frequent character death

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

  • Jagged Alliance 2 - Wildfire

  • Door Kickers 2: Task Force North

  • Expeditions: Conquistador

  • Delivery from the Pain:Survival / 末日方舟:生存

  • Grimshire

  • 秦殇 (Prince of Qin)

More fantastical

Games that feels like Project Zomboid but with more imaginative fiction

  • Elin

  • Exiled Kingdoms

  • Shadowrun: Hong Kong - Extended Edition

  • Hero's Adventure: Road to Passion

  • Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut

  • Shadowrun Returns

Less social

Games that feels like Project Zomboid but with less teamwork and cooperation

  • UnderRail

  • ZERO Sievert

  • Xenonauts 2

  • Second Front

  • Dice Gambit

  • Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game

Choose your own criteria ->

Similarity map

How to compare these games

Compare nearby games

Each card is a nearby game on the similarity map, compared with Project Zomboid. Swipe sideways to move between games. Titles already listed in What to play next are left out.

  • Cover and title: open that game’s page.
  • What works / keep in mind: the same highlights as the desktop comparison panel.
  • Bars: the main motivational differences versus this game.
How to use the graph

Similarity map

Each dot is a game placed from its motivation profile relative to this page’s game. Direction shows which motivation differs most; distance along that axis shows how large the gap is.

  • Purple star: this page’s game at the centre — everything is relative to it.
  • Direction: each axis is a main motivational difference vs this game (e.g. more / less competitive).
  • Distance on an axis: how large that difference is (ring scales show +/− points).
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot to preview that game in the panel on the right; click to keep that comparison.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom.

How to read the map This is a polar difference map: direction = which motivation differs, and distance = how much (same units as the sidebar deltas).

Swipe to compare nearby games with Project Zomboid. These titles are not in What to play next.

Project Zomboid: Less representative of its motivational profile, with noticeable differences. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Cooperation, Fellowship, Intimacy, Leadership. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Survival. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Fantasy, Relaxation.

Last update: 21/08/2026