Dead Rising, at its core, is a game about chopping up hordes of the undead. If you’ve made your way through the main story of the recent remake—Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster—and now need to slay more armies of grisly enemies, we’ve got you covered.
We’ve compiled a list of 10 games with a similar vibe to Dead Rising, blending solo and co-op games, so you’ll be all set for some more solo play, or a zombie-demolishing session with buddies. Hear that gurgling sound? They’re coming!
Read More: Capcom Explains Why Frank West Looks So Different In Dead Rising’s Remaster
Dead Rising 2 and 3
Those exposed to the Dead Rising franchise for the first time via Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster may be happy to hear that the game has multiple installments. Dead Rising 2 and 3 do a great job of capturing the charm of the first game, while expanding the world.
The second game has you playing as former motocross champion Chuck Greene, this time in a combined casino and shopping complex, all while ensuring Greene’s daughter receives regular medication to prevent her turning into one of the undead.
For Dead Rising 3, you’re in control of mechanic Nick Ramos, in the sprawling fictional city of Los Perdidos, CA, in a much bigger, open-world setting.
There was never a Dead Rising 4. Don’t look for one. It’s better this way.
Hopefully, if this first Deluxe Remaster does well enough, we could also see both of these games reimagined for modern machines.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
The enemies may not be undead in Space Marine 2, but they sure are in hordes. For the majority of the game, you’re insanely outnumbered by the various enemies, and the only way to survive is by slashing your way through them all.
It’s a great power fantasy sim, a lone warrior taking on impossible odds. If you’re jumping into the game for the first time, be sure to check out our guide detailing 11 things we wish we knew before playing and one detailing the best guns.
Dead Space (2023)
Dead Space is another excellent example of an average guy being thrown into a world full of hurt. Set in the far future, the fourth entry in the long-running (and before this, long-absent) franchise has you playing a systems engineer who gets stuck on a spaceship full of zombie-like creatures. Similar to Dead Rising, it’s by progressing through the campaign that you learn how this unhappy situation came about.
The first Dead Space came out in 2008, followed by a couple of well-received sequels, but then from 2013 went quiet—too quiet. So 2023’s remake of the first game was a welcome surprise, with hopes that there will be more Dead Space games to come.
Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare
Undead Nightmare is an absolute gem, and more people should play it. If you’ve never played the original open-world cowboy game from the creators of Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, don’t worry, as this game serves as a “What If” situation.
Undead Nightmare tells a unique and involved story in the traditional Rockstar fashion, but at the same time, if you’re just looking to kill hordes of zombies as one of the best gunslingers ever to live, that’s on offer here too.
World War Z
If you were to ask me what the overall story of World War Z is about, I would stare at you blankly for a couple of seconds, before suddenly changing the subject.
However, I can tell you that if you’re looking for a game from the same developers as Space Marine 2, where you and your buddies have to survive by murdering waves of the undead, this is it. You won’t necessarily play it for the plot, but that’s okay—the gameplay is more than enough to carry it. If you’re playing with friends, it’s even more enjoyable.
Left 4 Dead 2
Left 4 Dead 2 was Valve perfecting a four-player zombie survival game created by Turtle Rock for the original Left 4 Dead. With its AI “Director,” every co-op game plays out completely differently, with the infamous zombie types (everyone remembers the Boomer, but then silently shudders when you remind them of the Witch) spawned in according to how you’re playing.
On top of that, all four player characters are excellently voiced with thousands of possible lines, spoken to match the situation in which they currently find themselves. The result is an utterly terrifying, completely compelling game.
Resident Evil 4(2023)
Resident Evil 4 is often considered one of the best survival horror games of all time, and for good reason. It tells a compelling story and has superb gameplay, with a plot that doesn’t need you to have played any of the previous games. That makes it very beginner-friendly for newcomers to the series.
Characters are enormously fleshed out, while the fighting is so good, reviewers at the time of its 2005 release would refer to “choreography.” Bringing decent voice actors to the RE franchise also made a huge difference. You’ll come for the zombie killing and stay for the cheesy puns.
Doom Eternal
Just like in Dead Rising, Doom Eternal will pit you against wave after wave of enemies. Unlike it, this is a first-person shooter from id Software, the creators of the original, seminal Doom. It’s extraordinary to see the series lasting 30 years, albeit feeling very different these days.
Eternal has an overly-serious story that doesn’t really fit the inherent silliness of Doom, but still remembers the importance of shotguns and gibs. There’s only a year to wait for id’s next entry, Doom: The Dark Ages, and you can get the original Doom and all its sequels on Game Pass.
Project Zomboid
Project Zomboid is an open-world sandbox, with the main goal being “Survive.” Around since 2011, it received ten years of updates to create one of the most well-loved zombie survival sims. It’s still alive and well, because despite its last major update happening in 2021, it is buoyed by a lively modding community and an involved development team.
The game doesn’t tell you how to do anything, so there is a bit of a learning curve, but there’s a ton of documentation out there. Plus, you can play online with your buddies, creating your own post-apocalyptic idyll.
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