There’s something uniquely compelling about the combination of zombies and real-time strategy. On one hand, you have the relentless, mindless horde, a force of nature that threatens to overwhelm everything in its path. On the other, you have the need for careful planning, resource management, and tactical execution. It’s a genre that pits human ingenuity against primal chaos, and when it’s done well, it provides an experience you can’t find anywhere else. If you love the idea of building a fortress, managing survivors, and orchestrating the perfect defense against thousands of the undead, you’re in the right place.
Over the years, several games have tried to capture this specific thrill. Some focus on large-scale base building and massive armies, while others zoom in on the stories of individual survivors trying to make it through the apocalypse. The best ones make you feel the weight of every decision—that lost scavenger party or a poorly placed barricade can lead to a cascade of failure. This list is for anyone looking to add the very best of this niche to their gaming library, highlighting titles that offer deep strategy, tense survival, and that perfect zombie-bashing satisfaction.
Commanding the Last Stand: They Are Billions
If you ever wondered what a steampunk Victorian colony would look like trying to survive a zombie apocalypse, They Are Billions is your answer. This game is famous for its brutal difficulty and massive scale. Your goal is to build and defend a colony against waves of infected, culminating in a final “billions” strong horde. The tension is palpable; a single infected breaking through your walls can turn your entire settlement in minutes. It combines classic RTS base-building with tower defense elements, requiring meticulous planning and expansion. The satisfaction of successfully holding out against the final wave is a feeling few other games can match.
Forging a New World: Age of Darkness: Last Stand
Often described as a fantasy version of They Are Billions, Age of Darkness: Last Stand carves its own identity with a dark fantasy setting and some clever mechanics. The most notable is the “Fear” system, where the darkness itself empowers the enemy, forcing you to manage light sources as a key resource. Its “Final Stand” mode offers a similar survival experience against overwhelming numbers, but the game also features a story-driven campaign. With hero units and powerful reality-bending abilities at your command, it offers a high-fantasy twist on the zombie RTS formula that is both challenging and deeply engaging.
Leading a Community of Survivors: Surviving the Aftermath
While not exclusively about zombies, Surviving the Aftermath from the creators of Surviving Mars captures the spirit of post-apocalyptic survival perfectly. This game leans more into the city-builder and colony simulation side of things. You are responsible for a group of survivors after a world-ending event, managing their food, water, shelter, health, and morale. Threats come in many forms, from bandits to… strange mutated creatures that will feel very familiar to zombie fans. The focus is less on direct combat and more on long-term sustainability and exploration, making it a great choice for those who enjoy the strategic management aspects over constant combat.
A Classic Reanimated: Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse
This one flips the script entirely. In Stubbs the Zombie, you are not the commander of humans; you are the zombie. As the undead Stubbs, you lead a horde of your own, using a variety of grotesque and humorous abilities to overwhelm a retro-futuristic city. While its core gameplay is more action-adventure, it has strong RTS-lite elements as you recruit more zombies to your cause and direct the chaos. It’s a hilarious, unique, and wonderfully bizarre take on the genre that provides a refreshing change of perspective. Sometimes, it’s good to be on the other side.
Tactical Squad-Based Survival: Zombie Night Terror
If you enjoy puzzle games and Lemmings-style mechanics, Zombie Night Terror is a hidden gem. This game puts you in the role of the zombie plague itself. Your goal is to spread the infection by strategically directing your horde of zombies, using different mutant strains and abilities to overcome human defenses. It’s less about base-building and more about tactical puzzle-solving. You’ll need to think several steps ahead to guide your mindless minions to victory. Its pixel-art style and darkly comedic tone make it a distinct and incredibly satisfying experience for strategy purists.
Building a Fortress in a Zombie World: State of Survival
For players who enjoy a more social and persistent world, State of Survival offers a deep mobile and PC experience. This game blends RTS base-building with RPG elements and MMO-style alliance warfare. You build your survivor settlement, research tech, train troops, and recruit powerful heroes to lead them. A major part of the game involves cooperating with thousands of other players in a massive online world to take down powerful zombie enemies and compete with other alliances. It’s a huge time investment but offers a level of social strategy and persistent world-building that single-player games can’t.
A Different Kind of Strategy: Project Zomboid
While technically not a traditional RTS, Project Zomboid deserves an honorable mention for any fan of deep, strategic zombie survival. This is a hardcore isometric survival simulator where the focus is on the minute-to-minute tactics of staying alive. You must manage everything from hunger and boredom to depression and weather. The strategic depth comes from your personal choices: how to fortify a safehouse, where to scavenge for supplies, and how to navigate a town filled with the undead. It’s a story-generator that demands careful planning and punishes recklessness, capturing the tactical spirit of the genre from a deeply personal perspective.
Finding the Right Zombie RTS for You
With so many different takes on the genre, your perfect zombie RTS will depend on what you enjoy most. If you love the thrill of holding a line against impossible odds, They Are Billions or Age of Darkness will be your best bets. If you prefer the long-term management of a community and its resources, Surviving the Aftermath is a fantastic choice. For a more tactical, puzzle-oriented experience, Zombie Night Terror is unparalleled. And if you want to see what it’s like to be the cause of the apocalypse, Stubbs the Zombie offers a hilarious and unique romp.
The world of zombie RTS games is surprisingly diverse, offering everything from large-scale base defense to intimate stories of survival. Each of these titles brings its own unique mechanics and atmosphere to the table, ensuring that your time spent commanding against the undead is always fresh, challenging, and deeply strategic. No matter which one you add to your library, you’re in for a tense and rewarding experience that tests your planning and adaptability to the limit.