12 Best PS4 Zombie Games to Play in 2026 (With PS5 Upgrade Notes)

Updated October 3, 2026. The best PS4 zombie games in 2026 are Resident Evil 2, The Last of Us Part II, Days Gone, Dying Light and Dead Island 2, followed by co-op horde shooters such as World War Z: Aftermath, Back 4 Blood and Zombie Army 4. All 12 PlayStation 4 zombie games below run on PS5 too, and for each one we note whether a free or paid PS5 upgrade exists, so you know which version to buy.

This page replaces our 2020 list. Resident Evil 2, Dying Light, World War Z and Telltale's The Walking Dead still belong here, and Death Road to Canada keeps its spot as the best small game. Urban Dead (a browser game that was never on PS4) and the dated Resident Evil HD Remaster have made way for bigger releases from the last few years.

All 12 best PS4 zombie games at a glance

Best PS4 zombie games for survival horror and story

1. Resident Evil 2

Capcom's 2019 remake is still the best pure zombie horror game on PS4. You play as Leon Kennedy or Claire Redfield escaping a zombie-infested Raccoon City, and the tension comes from scarce ammo, tough zombies that keep getting up, and the stalking Mr. X. Tight resource management and short, replayable campaigns make it the first pick for anyone searching for zombie games on PS4.

PS5 upgrade: free. On June 13, 2022 Capcom released PS5 versions of Resident Evil 2, 3 and 7 with ray tracing, high frame rate options and 3D audio. PS4 owners add the PS4/PS5 bundle from the PlayStation Store at no cost.

2. Resident Evil 3

The 2020 remake of Resident Evil 3 is shorter and more action-focused than RE2, built around Jill Valentine running from Nemesis through Raccoon City's streets. It is the natural follow-up if RE2 clicked, and it got the same free PS5 upgrade in June 2022.

3. The Last of Us Part II

Naughty Dog's sequel is the strongest zombie-adjacent story on PS4. The infected are not classic zombies, but the stealth encounters with Runners, Stalkers and Clickers in a ruined Seattle are some of the most tense in the genre. The writing is divisive and deliberately bleak, so know what you are getting into.

PS5 upgrade: $10 to The Last of Us Part II Remastered, released January 19, 2024. The upgrade adds the roguelike survival mode No Return, which is a great extra if you like replaying the combat.

4. Days Gone

Bend Studio's open-world biker game is the PS4's best "zombie apocalypse road trip". You ride across Oregon as Deacon St. John, scavenging fuel and parts, and the signature moments are the hordes: hundreds of Freakers swarming at once, which you lure into traps and choke points.

PS5 upgrade: $10 to Days Gone Remastered, released April 25, 2025, with improved graphics, DualSense support and three new modes: Horde Assault, Permadeath and Speedrun. New buyers pay $49.99 for the remaster.

5. The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series

If you want choices instead of combat, this is the complete Telltale package: all four main seasons, 400 Days and the Michonne mini-series in one PS4 release from 2019, plus developer commentary and a documentary about how The Final Season was finished. Clementine's story is still one of the best-written zombie narratives in games.

Best open-world and action zombie games on PS4

6. Dying Light

Techland's 2015 game remains a top pick thanks to its parkour movement and brutal melee. Days are for scavenging across rooftops; nights are for running from Volatiles. It supports four-player co-op, and our 2020 list featured The Following expansion, which adds a large countryside map and a drivable buggy.

PS5 upgrade: a free next-gen patch in 2022 added Performance (60 fps at 1080p), Balanced (60 fps at 1440p) and Quality (30 fps at 4K) modes on PS5.

7. Dying Light 2 Stay Human

The 2022 sequel moves to a bigger city, adds a paraglider and grappling hook, and keeps four-player co-op. It launched on PS4 and PS5 on February 4, 2022, and Techland made the PS4 to PS5 upgrade free. Its follow-up, Dying Light: The Beast, launched on September 18, 2025 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC; PS4 and Xbox One versions were announced but still had no release date at the time of writing.

8. Dead Island 2

Dead Island 2 is the goriest and funniest game here. Set in a zombie-infested Los Angeles, it focuses on first-person melee with a detailed damage system that shows every hit, plus a card-based skill system. It launched on PS4 and PS5 on April 21, 2023. The Haus and SoLA Festival expansions followed, and an October 2024 update added New Game Plus and a co-op horde mode called Neighbourhood Watch.

Best co-op zombie games on PS4

9. World War Z: Aftermath

Saber Interactive's four-player shooter is built around huge swarms; its engine was designed to put up to 1,000 enemies on screen. The original game launched on PS4 in April 2019 and the expanded Aftermath edition in September 2021, adding first-person mode and new episodes.

PS5 upgrade: free. The PS5 version launched on January 24, 2023 at 4K and 60 fps, along with Horde Mode XL, which adds special waves of more than 1,000 zombies on PS5, Xbox Series and PC.

10. Back 4 Blood

From Turtle Rock, the studio behind the original Left 4 Dead, Back 4 Blood is a four-player co-op shooter with a deck-building card system that changes each run. Warner Bros. offers a free PS4 to PS5 upgrade on all editions. Note that development has ended: the final expansion, Rivers of Blood, released in December 2022, so what you see now is the complete game.

11. Zombie Army 4: Dead War

Rebellion's spin-off from Sniper Elite has you clearing undead WWII armies with up to four players, complete with Sniper Elite's slow-motion X-ray kill cam. It is pulpy, over-the-top and ideal for co-op nights. A free PS5 upgrade in April 2021 added 4K at 60 fps.

12. Death Road to Canada

Kept from our original list, Rocketcat Games' roguelike road trip came to PS4 in 2018. You drive a small group of survivors from Florida to Canada through randomly generated events, scavenging and fighting off hordes. It is cheap, funny and supports local co-op, so it is the best small zombie game on the console.

Which version should you buy in 2026?

Sony says the vast majority of PS4 games run on PS5, so every game here works on both consoles. But if you own a PS5, the version matters:

• Free PS5 upgrades: Resident Evil 2 and 3, Dying Light 2, World War Z: Aftermath, Back 4 Blood and Zombie Army 4. Buying the cheaper PS4 copy still gets you the PS5 version.
• $10 upgrades: The Last of Us Part II and Days Gone. Buy the PS4 version on sale and pay $10, or buy the Remastered version directly.
• Disc owners: free upgrades from a PS4 disc generally need a PS5 with a disc drive. Back 4 Blood's support page, for example, says the disc must be inserted and match your account region.

For more PS4 picks, see our best PS4 action-adventure games and best PS4 flying games. Xbox players can check our best horror games for Xbox One, and if you are choosing a subscription, our Game Pass vs PlayStation Plus comparison covers what each service includes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources checked on October 3, 2026 against the PlayStation Blog, Capcom, Techland, Saber Interactive, Warner Bros. Games support and Naughty Dog announcements, and the Steam store pages for each game.