18 Games Like H1Z1
Our assembled list of games like H1Z1 features other zombie survival and battle royale games that require you to survive in the zombie apocalypse where you need to scavenge, build, craft, fight or fight against others to tbe the last one standing as you survive against the odds.
Originally H1Z1 and later H1Z1: Just Survive and H1Z1: King of the Kill offered players a combined experience of battle royale style PvP challenge and PvE battles against the zombie horde. In time this ambitious project was split into two separate video games of Just Survive (cancelled) and Z1 Battle Royale with plenty of controversy along the way as they mechanics and community were split up.
The Just Survive portion of the game was set within a rural area of the United States as players were challenged by the environment, the zombie horde and other players while seeking to obtain resources, craft items, build a shelter and in time become the best equipped player on the server. On the other hand the battle royale mode offered the familiar last one standing formula of other titles on a map that gets smaller and smaller over time with a range of weapons to utilise.
The games like H1Z1 found below are also set in post-apocalyptic environments which will challenge players to scavenge the environment while fighting off zombies or other players in the battle royale titles.
Cuisine Royale
The first battle royale game of its kind Cuisine Royale combines the typical experience of the genre with a host of kitchenware and food to be discovered, looted and equipped. Intended as a joke by the developers of the upcoming World War II shooter Enlisted the game quickly gained traction and a reasonable community that warranted it’s own development process. Thankfully though due to the similar themes to their planned title Cuisine Royale started from a solid foundation of shooting mech...[Read Review]
Rust
Rust is a multiplayer survival game that encourages players to explore, build and survive. With threats coming from other players and the environment you’ll start with nothing as you build up your chances of survival by acquiring resources and equipment. Originally for Windows and Mac Rust has since expanded to the console realm with a PlayStation 4 and Xbox One release in 2021. While Rust began it’s development cycle following the likes of DayZ over the years it has morphed and evol...[Read Review]
Contagion
Contagion offers co-operative and PvP game modes set within a number of zombie infected environments and combined with first person shooter gameplay. With a healthy dose of maps, game modes and weapons underneath the generic setting Contagion has provided a popular framework for fans of the FPS zombie sub genre to sink their teeth into while avoiding infection from the zombie horde. Contagion offers 4 different game modes at the core which are all multiplayer focused but bring something differen...[Read Review]
Fallen Earth
Fallen Earth is a MMO that combines FPS and role playing features with its post-apocalyptic game world to deliver an experience akin to the modern games in the Fallout series. Fallen Earth originally launched in 2009 as a paid MMO game before transitioning to a free to play game in 2011, it was later shut down for a temporary 2 year period between October 2019 and October 2021. Fallen Earth is centred around the Grand Canyon area which is now a wasteland after a series of devastating natural eve...[Read Review]
State of Decay
State of Decay combines the open world genre with a zombie outbreak to create a large and challenging adventure that has you leading a settlement of survivors through a number of trials. First released on the Xbox 360 in 2013 the title was quickly brought to Windows and eventually remastered in a Year-One Survival Edition version that also added Xbox One support. The fictional Trumbull Valley is the setting for this zombie adventure and feels like a small to medium sized rural area in the real w...[Read Review]
Wurm Online
Wurm Online is a sandbox style MMORPG that has a creative focus allowing you to create your own adventure in a medieval themed world. Players can play Wurm Online with a basic account for free but to remove some restrictions you will have to commit to a subscription based premium account. Following the initial 2012 release a stand alone paid version was launched in 2015 known as Wurm Unlimited gives players the toolkit they need to have their own single player adventure or host a multiplayer ser...[Read Review]
Infestation: The New Z
Infestation: The New Z offers another iteration on the open world survival genre with close ties to The War Z and Infestation: Survivor Stories games before it to offer a familiar experience in a reset game world. Like these games that predate it players will explore the free to play world as they co-operate with friends and battle through PvP to ultimately survive in the harsh game world. Ignoring the rocky history that this franchise has had with countless development issues and decisions that...[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]
Project Zomboid
Placing itself into the open world survival horror genre Project Zomboid (PZ) has been in development since late 2013. Throwing you directly into a post apocalyptic landscape ravaged by zombie infestation your goal is to survive and ideally thrive for as long as possible. The game is the first development project by The Indie Stone and received generally favorably by the committed zombie survival community for offering an experience that is highly realistic, vast and unforgivingly hardcore at ti...[Read Review]
Fortnite
Starting its life as a cooperative sandbox survival experience (known as Save The World) Fortnite has since grown to also include a highly popular (and free) Battle Royale experience. Available across vast range of platforms Save The World continues to be a paid title while Battle Royale launched as a free to play experience. While Save The World has since taken a backseat to the incredible popularity of Fortnite Battle Royale although both game modes are still offered for a mix of both PvP and ...[Read Review]
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG)
Starting the battle royale craze in 2017 PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) quickly commanded an audience of millions and gave birth to a wider genre that would dominate the gaming industry for years to come. Subsequent to its success on Xbox One and Windows the game was released on the PlayStation 4 and on mobile devices (iOS/Android) with a free price tag to compete with other mobile free to play battle royale titles. Based on a mod created by Brendan “PlayerUnknown” Greene...[Read Review]
Unturned
Focusing on zombie survival the free to play multiplayer game known as Unturned spent 3 years in Early Access before its final release on the Steam platform in July 2017. Since release the game has not only proved popular in its core gameplay but also the Arena mode which is similar to battle royale titles such as PUBG. In November 2020 the game was expanded to consoles with releases on PS4 and Xbox One as a paid experience. Regardless of the game mode players opt for the same basic premise rema...[Read Review]
Dead Island
In Dead Island you’ll have to explore an open world environment and try to prevent being eaten by using whatever weapons you can find around the place. Dead Island is a great role playing experience for fans of survival horror and is available on Windows, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. Dead Island features a fictional island which is home to a luxury tropical resort. After a night of wild partying the player wakes up as one of the four available characters (each with their own stats and skills) an...[Read Review]
Dead Island: Riptide
Dead Island: Riptide is the second game in the Dead Island series and continues on with familiar lore and mechanics from your previous adventure but takes place on a whole new island which keeps it accessible to newcomers to the franchise. Launching in 2013 for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 its an overall similar experience released only two years after the success of the original zombie beat down title. The events in Dead Island: Riptide occur right after those of the first Dead Island game although th...[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]
Rules of Survival
Moving the constantly growing battle royale genre into the mobile arena Rules of Survival was an early entrant into the mobile battle royale market allowing it to capture a committed audience. While other big names in the genre such as Fortnite and PUBG have since moved in Rules of Survival continues to be a popular title for the mobile audience and offers an experience most similar to PUBG with a realistic themed shooter and various vehicles. Subsequent to the mobile success of Rules of Surviva...[Read Review]
Grand Battle Royale
Bringing across the popular battle royale formula to the mobile universe is Grand Battle Royale a game for both iOS and Android gamers to play for free. Offering the same massive multiplayer online arena style of games that have come before on other platforms Grand Battle Royale aims to offer an experience akin to those larger budget titles. Spawning into the game world in a random location Grand Battle Royale follows the format of similar titles with players acquiring melee weapons and guns lit...[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]