20 Games Like Dead Island
Games Finder’s compilation of games like Dead Island features other survival RPGs that mix action, zombies and open worlds together.
The Dead Island franchise was born in 2011 with an action role playing game that combined randomised loot, melee based combat, skill trees, open environments and zombies into a single game. Challenging players to survive on an island now over run with a virus outbreak the game was the start of a popular franchise.
Weapons in the series are randomly generated giving the game a loot hunt style approach and encouraging more exploration of the ravaged island. While much of the early game focuses on melee weapons guns soon become your staple weapon against the infected. In addition to finding the perfect weapon players can design their own character through the varied skill tree options and even team up with friends to capitalise on the different character strengths.
The games like Dead Island on this page feature similar themes from zombies to open environments and randomised loot. In these video games you’ll get to team up with friends, engage in melee combat, customise your character and more.
Rust
Rust is a survival game that comes from the same brains that brought you Garry’s Mod. Drawing inspiration from a wide range of games and genres you’ll find plenty of depth to explore while struggling to survive. The game is best described as a mixture of Minecraft and DayZ. In Rust players will spawn with nothing (other than a rock) and must adventure through the game world to gather food and resources for crafting. This world isn’t free of threats though with other players and animals able to k...[Read Review]
Killing Floor
Killing Floor is a co-operative game that matches a team of players against zombie like enemies in a series of increasingly difficult waves. Your key to success lies within leveraging the map designed choke points and complimenting each other through the class system that provides tangible in game benefits as you acquire experience in a particular class. While the game is best enjoyed with close friends players can also tackle the game solo or join a server with other players in the community wi...[Read Review]
State of Decay
State of Decay combines the open world genre with a zombie outbreak to create one of the largest and most impressive games in the genre to date. The game started out as a title on the Xbox Marketplace and eventually made its way to Windows. The game plays out in an open world environment with players taking control of their survivors in a third person perspective. State of Decay is packed full of unique elements with a crazy amount of depth for players to explore. While the game has zombies with...[Read Review]
Left 4 Dead 2
Left 4 Dead 2 continues the co-operative zombie adventure with all new characters, locations, enemies and weapons to change up the popular gameplay introduced in the original Left 4 Dead. The popular AI director also makes a return with plenty of tweaks to ensure players are always challenged. Just like the original game plot elements are kept minimal with players following four survivors of an infectious disease that has turned the population into zombie like creatures. The story is portrayed t...[Read Review]
CastleMiner Z
CastleMiner Z is a sequel to the popular Xbox Live Indie Game of CastleMiner while also bringing the series to the computer environment via Steam. While the original CastleMiner was a creatively focused experience the sequel pushes the game into survival orientated gameplay instead aligning it with other games in the genre that offer a survival sandbox experience in a block based game world. This CastleMiner Z block based gameplay also features mechanics that are familiar to the genre with zombi...[Read Review]
Sir, You Are Being Hunted
Sir, You Are Being Hunted is one of the more unique games to be released in recent years with its offering of stealth gameplay combined with free roaming sandbox mechanics. As the name might suggest players spend their time being hunted in a procedurally generated game world by killer robots. Unlike the zombies, mutants or humans of other games these British themed robot opponents give Sir, You Are Being Hunted a unique setting over other stealth and survival titles. Players find themselves in t...[Read Review]
Far Cry 3
If you like open world games but also enjoy them with plenty of shooter action as part of the core gameplay loop you’ll love what Far Cry 3 brings to the table with vast strides over the previous entries in the franchise. The game is the third in the series of open world shooters and mixes a number of different genres together which has proved a successful formula with gamers and critics across the games released so far and continues with Far Cry 3. Far Cry 3 uses a first person perspective and ...[Read Review]
Fallout 3
Fallout 3 is an action RPG that has players exploring a massive wasteland in a post-apocalyptic game world. The game was developed by Bethesda Game Studios and released in 2008 for multiple platforms. There are a total of 5 pieces of downloadable content available for Fallout 3 that each adds new locations, features, enemies and an increased level cap. All of these additional content packs are available in the Fallout 3 Game of The Year Edition which is available (and recommended) on all platfor...[Read Review]
Left 4 Dead
Left 4 Dead (L4D) is a zombie survival experience that focuses on co-operative gameplay against a varied and randomised zombie infection. Left 4 Dead separates itself from similar co-operative shooters by promising a different experience each time you load up a game map thanks to the AI director that alters aspects of the map each time it is played. The Left 4 Dead base game takes place across four varied and unique acts all with a movie design to the campaign, their own tagline and five separat...[Read Review]
Fallout: New Vegas
Fallout: New Vegas adds another impressive RPG experience to the Fallout franchise with an action role playing title that is packed full of content. Exploring the wasteland that is the Mojave Desert players will meet countless enemies, NPCs and side quests throughout the Las Vegas area. Developed by Obsidian Entertainment and released in 2010 Fallout: New Vegas remains a fan favourite of the Fallout franchise and Obsidian developed games. Like many open world RPGs since it’s original relea...[Read Review]
Fallout 4
The bombs have dropped and Fallout 4 is climbing out of the rubble allowing you to explore a devastated Boston landscape in the year 2287 over two centuries after the world was taken to the edge by nuclear war. Released on Windows, Xbox One and PS4 as the fifth major game in the Fallout franchise Fallout 4 has everything you’ve come to expect from the post nuclear war series. For the first time though players will be able to experience the day that the bombs were dropped around the world w...[Read Review]
Torchlight 2
Torchlight 2 is a Diablo inspired action role playing game developed by Runic Games. The game was released for digital purchase in September 2012 with a playable demo also available so you can easily try before you buy. The game is packed full of fun and unique features with plenty of innovation providing a new experience within the action RPG genre. Torchlight 2 offers four different classes, a single player campaign, multiplayer, crafting, gems, fishing, pets and much more. Torchlight 2 has a ...[Read Review]
Dying Light
Parkour across a massive city while also slashing zombies to pieces in Dying Light a game with plenty of open world and RPG elements. The game is available on Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Centred around agent Kyle Crane whose objective is to infiltrate the quarantine zone of Harran. This city is overrun with infestation that has turned its populace into aggressive zombie inspired creatures. At the core of this adventure is parkour that takes you over the city rooftops and a day night cyc...[Read Review]
Dead Rising 3
If you want more over the top zombie killing you’ve probably been waiting for the release of Dead Rising 3 which takes the game series to all new levels of awesomeness. The game was released in mid-2013 as launch title for the Xbox One platform. If you’ve been following the series closely you’ll find that Dead Rising 3 takes place a decade after the events of the second game. This doesn’t mean the world is in complete ruins though as the game area that players get to explore has only recently su...[Read Review]
Dead Rising 2
Dead Rising is back with more zombie killing goodness, in Dead Rising 2 players can expect a similar open world horror experience to the original with endless hordes of zombies just waiting to be dealt with. Dead Rising 2 takes place half a decade after the first Dead Rising and introduces a new protagonist into the game (Chuck Greene). The game setting has also changed and now takes place in a fictional town called Fortune City which feels very much inspired by the likes of Las Vegas. Chuck Gre...[Read Review]
Dead Rising
Dead Rising combines horror and open world environments to create a fun and unique survival experience for players. The game was released in 2006 and is only available on the Xbox 360 platform. In Dead Rising players take on the role of Frank West in a shopping mall that is simply packed full of zombies. In the game you’ll have to fight to stay alive as you attempt to unlock the secrets behind this strange incident. During your adventure you’ll complete a large number of main story missions alon...[Read Review]
Far Cry 4
Action and adventure hit new heights in Far Cry 4, a game that sticks to the open world shooter mechanics developed from previous additions in the franchise pretty closely. While new mechanics are few and far between in Far Cry 4 it’s a solid experience set in one of the more unique settings of the series. Set in Kyrat players assume the role of Ajay Ghale who returns home from America to spread his mother’s ashes. Upon returning though you find yourself in the centre of the civil war taking pla...[Read Review]
Tom Clancy’s The Division
Tom Clancy’s The Division takes third person shooting into the online realm, taking place in a near future New York City in the aftermath of a pandemic you’ll play as an agent seeking to rebuild by battling criminal activity. After a smallpox pandemic takes over New York City after being planted on the simple banknote Manhattan is placed under quarantine by the US government while in turn activating sleeper agents to assist in recovery of the city and regain order. This strain of sma...[Read Review]
ZombiU
ZombiU (Zombi on non Wii U platforms) brings the zombie genre onto Nintendo’s platform with an amazing and horrifying experience that shows off some unique mechanics and potential of the Wii U. On non Wii-U platforms some of these features are taken out or redesigned while still retaining the impressive fundamental design of the primary Wii U version mot notably the fantastic London setting and horror tones that are magnified by the permanent death mechanic with some graphical improvements along...[Read Review]
Far Cry 2
Far Cry 2 belongs to the open world genre and released back in 2008. The game has very few ties to the original Far Cry and is an entirely new experience for players to enjoy. In the game players will have the opportunity to explore a number of African inspired landscapes that are locked in a civil war. You’ll assume the role of a mercenary in Far Cry 2 as you travel across desert and jungle to find and assassinate the head of a gun running rink, known only as The Jackal. Far Cry 2 introduces pl...[Read Review]