Zombies are probably the greatest video game villains ever made. Nothing lends itself more to exciting gameplay than an undead shambling horde just waiting to be exploded into a cacophony of blood and guts, and the PS5 is as good a home as any to do it.
Whether it’s 4-player co-op mayhem or some of the best storytelling ever put to pixels, zombies are a great backdrop for the very best gaming has to offer. For this list, we’re only considering games that have a native release on PS5, and we’re taking a pretty generous definition of the word “zombie” as being anything that could reasonably be described as a zombie.
No one will deny that the release ofBack 4 Bloodwas something of a disappointment to many, but that was likely because of the immense expectations coming off the legendaryLeft 4 Dead 2which Turtle Rock also had a big hand in making. Still, Turtle Rock delivered a modern interpretation of the 4-player co-op zombie shooter that satiated decades-old cravings for the time being.
After a raft of patches and updates, the game’s actually in a pretty good place these days. With a couple of friends,Back 4 Blooddelivers where few other games do with a headfirst dive into zombie-based mayhem that would make for a great way to spend a couple of weekends.
The originalDead Risingwas the crossover Capcom success that no one really expected. Taking place in a mall overrun with zombies, clearly inspired by the Romero movies,Dead Risingsees photographic journalist Frank West rack up a body count in the thousands as he races to try and survive the oncoming apocalypse.
Dead Risingis renowned for its ongoing time system that constantly ticks down, putting pressure on the player as they navigate through an increasingly whacky world with absurdly violent weapons. This remastered version has got a very distinct slapstick charm unlike anything else in the video game world, making itone of the best Dead Rising games released.
The originalDying Lightwas built on a premise so simple but good that it pioneered an entire franchise. What if there was an open-world zombie game based around parkour? By combining the parkour ofMirror’s Edgewith the intense zombie action of films like28 Days Later,Dying Lightwas a breath of fresh air in the increasingly saturated world of zombie video games.
Dying Light 2takes everything that worked about the original and turns it up to 11. With ziplines, parachutes, an in-depth combat system, RPG mechanics, faction mechanics, and a truly beautiful world, the formula Techland pioneered in 2014 reached its platonic point of perfection here.
There’s no denying that of the many games that struggle through development,Dead Island 2had a particularly tough time, bouncing between studios and entering a period so dismal that most thought it wouldn’t release at all.
Yet, it did arrive, plunging players into a post-apocalyptic version of Los Angeles overrun by the nasty biters. Players must navigate through a whacky heightened world, defined by its absurd weapons, zany characters, anddeadly apex zombies.
Being aResident Evilfan in the modern day is a special kind of delight, considering the dismal pits the franchise sunk to in the early 2010s. These days, every new entry promises genuine invention on the zombie survival formula withResident Evil: Villageincluding not only zombies, but robots, vampires, werewolves, big babies, fish monsters, and everything else but the kitchen sink.
It truly is excessive, camp, and Gothic beyond belief, but it’s absolute catnip for horror fans. Everything about the game is designed to make horror fans squeal with delight, and though its exaggerated campness may have isolated some players, it’s hard to think of any recent zombie games that go quite as far as Capcom,making modernResident Evilgames some ofthe best entries in the entire franchise.
It’s hard not to feel bad for theDead Spacefranchise, a series of games that showed so much potential but snuffed out too early as it struggled to find its tonal feet. Luckily, in 2023, Motive got the opportunity to remake the original completely and showed just how much potential remains unplundered.
InDead Space, players take up the role of Isaac Clarke, an engineer who joins an expedition to the Ishimura, a massive spaceship, to try and find his girlfriend alongside hishefty bag full of deadly engineering tools. Things go sideways (to say the least), and zombies roam the halls, ready to disembowel Isaac from stem to stern at a moment’s notice. The Necromorphs, a riff on the zombie, is a great innovation that is genuinely frightening, making it one of the best zombie horror games currently on PS5.
Ever since its release,The Last of Us: Part Twohas been a lightning rod for controversy, somewhat understandably considering the bold design and narrative decisions it makes. Regardless, on its own merit, it’s a bold, wonderful, and artistic game that dares to put players in uncomfortable places that video games normally don’t.
The infected, the fungal-based zombies of this particular apocalypse, are a big reason why it works. The clickers have become iconic as horror villains, and the new prowlers scare zombies in ways they haven’t been for some time. Naughty Dog’s bold sequel won’t be forgotten any time soon, and it’s hard to find examples of better zombie games on the PS5.
Of course, only one game could top this list. Widely considered not just be one of the greatest zombie games of all time, but one of the greatest games of all time, the originalResident Evil 4is about as stone-cold a classic as the video game canon has got, and the recent remake does not disappoint, changing what doesn’t work, modernizing what did, and rendering it through the ever-stunning RE engine.
Though the Ganados aretechnicallynot zombies, their behavior certainly puts them in that camp, and it would be difficult to think of a more zombie-coded horror set piece than the opening village survival scene that has gone down in gaming history.Resident Evil 4delivers on action, scares,iconic boss battles, and pure heart, making it the definitive choice as the best zombie game currently playable on the PS5.
