There are few enemies more iconic than the zombie. Since the earliest days of 3D gaming, the undead have shambled onto our screens and into our hearts. Or, rather, they’ve been shambling toward our hearts.
Every console and every generation has had its staple zombie titles – and the Nintendo Switch is no different. The following ten represent the best zombie games on the Switch, from downloadable one-offs to classics that have lept from generation to generation. Thanks to the Switch, you can take your brain-eating on the go or enjoy it from the comfort of your couch.
Be sure to pay close attention to this list. There are some really bad zombie games on the Nintendo Store that hide behind pretty cool listing art.
THE BEST SWITCH ZOMBIE GAMES: I, Zombie | Grandpa and the Zombies | Resident Evil 6 | Zombie Army Trilogy | Into the Dead 2 | Zombie Night Terror | Doom | Dark Souls Remastered | Telltale’s The Walking Dead | Resident Evil Origins Collection
10. I, Zombie
Developer: Awesome Games Studio
Publisher: Awesome Game Studio
It’s not every day you get to rise from the grave and wreak bloody havoc on the world. I, Zombie changes things up a bit by putting you in the role of the walking dead. Survive and infect your human prey to amass an army of the undead to unleash on the unsuspecting world. I, Zombie integrates squad command elements, giving you full control over the shamblers you create.
Awesome Game Studio could have easily delivered a shallow experience and walked away, but the tactical gameplay requires players to think about how they want to utilize their horde to infect the world.
9. Grandpa and the Zombies
Developer: TWP / Tivola
Publisher: Tivola
Grandpa’s lived a long, fruitful life and has many stories to tell. However, his earlier experiences likely pale in comparison to that one time he went toe-to-toe with a horde of the undead.
Grandpa and the Zombies is a quirky puzzler that follows a resilient elder with enough pep to work through 120 zombie-filled levels.
Roll Grandpa along in his wheelchair across four worlds, but be mindful of zombies. With no brakes, he’ll keep moving until he hits a solid object. Especially if that object has gnashing teeth and a hunger for brains. Grandpa and the Zombies highlights the Switch’s handheld mode as it’s the type of game you play on road trips or while waiting for class to start.
8. Resident Evil 6
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Yes, I know Resident Evil 6 is often lauded as one of the worst Resident Evil games, and much of it doesn’t even feature zombies, but hear me out.
Leon S. Kennedy’s Tall Oaks segment is a solid setpiece that, for the most part, recaptured the survival horror thrills we love. Players who are too busy complaining about the game’s focus on action are missing out on the atmospheric horrors Leon faces in the sleepy town.
It was like being back in Raccoon City again as the undead lurk around every corner of the quaint municipality. It would have been great if more of the game was like our time in Tall Oaks, but I don’t mind booting it up every so often when I need a zombie thrill, especially if I can do so in handheld mode, which runs the game surprisingly well.
7. Zombie Army Trilogy
Developer: Rebellion
Publisher: Rebellion
With the release of Zombie Army 3, players were immersed in a trilogy of undead terrors.
Hitler has succeeded in bringing the dead back to life, turning the tides of World War II once again in his favor. Across all three zombie-filled campaigns, players will mow down hordes of Nazi zombies using period-specific weaponry.
Zombie Army Trilogy features three full campaigns along, playable alone or with up to three other players, and a four-player horde mode. Choose your hero, customize your loadout, and enter a world of grizzly horrors. It’s the zombie-slaying action you’ve been looking for, set against the brutality of the Second World War.
The trilogy includes remasters of the first two games and the full version of Zombie Army 3.
6. Into the Dead 2: Zombie Survival
Developer: PikPok
Publisher: Versus Evil
Sometimes, the simplest concepts make for some of the best games in a genre.
Into the Dead 2 isn’t some technical marvel, but I can bet you’ll be hooked once you start moving through the undead world. It’s all about moving forward in this unique zombie FPS. All you need to worry about is dodging the oncoming horde and timing melee strikes and ranged attacks to keep from plowing into rotting flesh.
Into the Dead 2 is chock full of content, from 60 story levels to multiple endings. You’ll utilize 25 different weapons, explore sie stories, and make use of animal companions on your forward-moving push through the walking dead.
5. Zombie Night Terror
Developer: NoClip
Publisher: Good Shepherd Entertainment
A zombie horde is nothing but a chaotic mess without the proper direction. That’s where you come in.
Drive the direction of the apocalypse by commanding the undead, ensuring they spread their infection to increase your numbers. Implement mutations to create even deadlier, brain-hungry monstrosities to stand up to the much smarter, well-equipped humans.
Zombie Night Terror is a fun, visually delightful experience that charges you to use everything at your disposal to move your horde forward. Picture Lemmings, just with blood and guts. Need to get your zombies to the other side of a chasm? If only you had a zombie that could propel them forward.
Think, act, and eat your way across 50 expansive levels in this creative zombie experience.
4. Doom (2016)
Developer: id Software
Publisher: Bethesda
Am I on sketchy ground with this one? Personally, I don’t think so.
One of the first things you do in Doom is stand up and punch a demon zombie in the face. Though they are demons at heart, the slow-moving fiends are very close to classic depictions of the undead. They’re close enough, and they’re also incredibly fun to kill.
Doom tests your patience with an array of increasingly difficult demons, but you can always count on the zombies to crumble beneath the weight of your arsenal. It never gets old chainsawing, shotgunning, and all-around eviscerating these lesser demons.
Along with the health and ammo pickups they drop, killing zombies is almost therapeutic – which is definitely needed for a game like Doom.
3. Dark Souls Remastered
Developer: FromSoftware
Publisher: BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment
Yes, there are many enemy types scattered throughout the dingy realm of Lordran in Dark Souls Remastered, but the Hollow is the very first monster to greet players.
Alone, they’re quick to take down and don’t pose much of a threat. In groups, though, the Hollow can become a grave danger for even seasoned adventurers.
The Hollow pop up frequently during your journey through the decaying world. From the Undead Asylum to the Undead Parish and the New Londo Ruins, the zombie-like Hollow are a nuisance you can’t seem to get rid of. Their persistence can get frustrating, but they’re also good practice should you feel yourself getting a little rusty.
2. Telltale’s The Walking Dead: Season One
Developer: Telltale Games
Publisher: Telltale Games
Convicted criminal Lee Everett and young Clementine may not seem like the perfect pairing at first, but the deeper you get into Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead, the more their father/daughter bond starts to become evident. Unfortunately, they don’t get to enjoy each other’s company too often because there’s always a threat of the undead to evade.
The Walking Dead takes cues from Robert Kirkman’s series and puts human drama at the forefront of the experience. That’s not to say the undead don’t pose a threat. They most certainly do, and one wrong move will have them piling on top of characters you’ve grown to like.
No one is safe in The Walking Dead, so make your decisions carefully. It doesn’t take much for the undead to get the upper hand in this interactive, episodic adventure.
1. Resident Evil Origins Collection
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Jam-packed with two classic Resident Evil titles, the Origins Collection brings players back to the very beginning of the series.
Before we really knew the magnitude of Umbrella’s evils, we survived a night of unspeakable terrors in the mountainous surrounding Raccoon City. Resident Evil Zero and the original’s remake – both initially released on the GameCube – are visually stunning games with incredible sound and lighting design.
First, follow rookie S.T.A.R.S. member Rebecca Chambers as she wrestles with an alleged war criminal and mutated leaches. Then, explore the Spencer Mansion and uncover the truth behind the rash of murders plaguing the small town. Zero plays near identical to the REmake, though its story is a little weaker and depicts what happened before the events of the first game.
Zombie lovers, horror aficionados, and Switch owners absolutely must get their hands on the Origins Collection. Particularly if you’re looking for some zombie action, of which the game has a ton.
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