Best Zombie Board Games | 10 Survival Picks

Zombicide is the best overall zombie board game because 1 to 6 players fight through story missions together and the kill to level engine keeps every turn loud and tense.

I am Spector, a dad to Alex (7) and Emma (10), and zombie games are the shelf I love most and open least with the kids. The theme runs gory and the rules run heavy, so most of the boxes below are teen and adult games. Every player count and age below comes from the publisher or the box, and the opinions are mine from our table and my game nights with friends.

If your table loves cooperative survival without the gore, our Spirit Island co op guide is the same us against the board feeling with spirits instead of zombies. For survival horror in space instead of the undead, Nemesis is the other loud scream on our shelf.

Affiliate disclosure: this page contains Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through one we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, and it never changes the picks above.

Best zombie board games at a glance

The best zombie board game for most tables is Zombicide, with Zombie Kidz Evolution as the kid friendly pick and Dead of Winter as the story driven pick for teens and adults. The table below compares all 10 on player count, age, and style, and every game name links to an Amazon search.

Rank	Game	Players	Age	Style	Why we picked it
1	Zombicide	1 to 6	14+	Cooperative	Best overall survival missions
2	Dead of Winter	2 to 5	13+	Semi cooperative	Best story with secret goals
3	Zombicide Black Plague	1 to 6	14+	Cooperative	Best fantasy zombie setting
4	Tiny Epic Zombies	1 to 5	14+	Co op or competitive	Best small box with five modes
5	Zombie Kidz Evolution	2 to 4	7+	Cooperative legacy	Best zombie game for kids
6	Munchkin Zombies	3 to 6	10+	Competitive cards	Funniest zombie card game
7	City of Horror	3 to 6	13+	Voting and betrayal	Best backstab survival vote
8	Last Night on Earth	2 to 6	12+	One vs many	Best cinematic heroes vs zombies
9	Dawn of the Zeds	1 to 5	14+	Cooperative or solo	Best heavy solo defense
10	Zombie 15	2 to 4	14+	Real time co op	Fastest 15 minute campaign

Player counts, ages, and times follow the current base editions of each game. Revised editions and expansions can change those details.

Match the box to your table before you worry about theme. A big adult group wants Zombicide or City of Horror, young kids want Zombie Kidz Evolution, and a solo night wants Dawn of the Zeds.

Zombicide: the best overall zombie survival game

Zombicide is a 1 to 6 player cooperative game from CMON and Guillotine Games, designed by Raphael Guiton, Jean Baptiste Lullien, and Nicolas Raoult, with the second edition released in 2021. Each mission gives the team an objective on a modular city map, and survivors earn experience for every kill, leveling from Blue to Red while the spawn deck scales up to match. The box is rated 14 and up, a mission runs about 60 minutes, and the teach takes minutes because a turn is move, search, fight, and make noise.

• Similarities: Both use the same kill to level engine where stronger survivors draw stronger zombie spawns, and both win or lose as one team.
• Differences: Zombicide is modern survival with guns and cars, while Black Plague is fantasy survival with swords, armor, and necromancers.
• Why this game fans will enjoy it: If your table wants the theme everyone knows from movies, buy modern Zombicide, and if it wants spells with its zombies, buy Black Plague.

Dead of Winter: the best zombie story game for teens

Dead of Winter is a 2 to 5 player semi cooperative game from Plaid Hat Games, designed by Jonathan Gilmour and Isaac Vega and released in 2014. Each player leads a group of survivors in one freezing colony, working toward a shared main objective while chasing a secret personal goal, and one of those goals can be outright betrayal. Story cards trigger on player turns with hard moral choices, the box is rated 13 and up, and a game runs 60 to 120 minutes. This is the most adult table talk on the list, so keep it for teens and grown ups who enjoy arguing about food rations at midnight.

Zombicide Black Plague: the best fantasy zombie game

Zombicide Black Plague is a standalone fantasy Zombicide game for 1 to 6 players from CMON, released in 2016. It keeps the modern engine and moves it to a medieval world, so survivors carry swords and spells instead of guns, armor can block wounds on a lucky roll, and necromancers on the board multiply every spawn. The box is rated 14 and up, missions run 60 to 180 minutes, and it plays from the same cooperative rule set as modern Zombicide. Buy this one if your table lights up for fantasy, and buy modern Zombicide if it quotes zombie movies.

Tiny Epic Zombies: the best small box zombie game

Tiny Epic Zombies is a 1 to 5 player mall survival game from Gamelyn Games, designed by Scott Almes and released in 2018. The small box holds five play modes, so the table can play fully cooperative, one player can run the zombie horde against everyone else, or the game can run solo. Survivors grab gear on little ITEMeeple figures and must finish three objectives before the courtyard falls. The box is rated 14 and up and a game runs 30 to 45 minutes, which makes it the cheapest fast night on this list after the kid box.

Zombie Kidz Evolution: the best zombie game for kids

Zombie Kidz Evolution is a 2 to 4 player cooperative legacy game from Scorpion Masque and IELLO, designed by Annick Lobet and released in 2018. Kids defend their school by locking four gates before the zombie reserve runs out, and every game earns stickers that unlock 13 sealed envelopes of new powers and mutant zombies. The box is rated 7 and up, a game runs 5 to 15 minutes, and it is the only box here made for young kids instead of adapted for them.

• Similarities: Both keep the rules light and the tone playful, and both play in well under two hours.
• Differences: Zombie Kidz Evolution is fully cooperative with a legacy campaign for ages 7 and up, while Munchkin Zombies is competitive take that card play for ages 10 and up.
• Why this game fans will enjoy it: If the players are under 10, Zombie Kidz Evolution is the only pick here made for them, and Munchkin Zombies is the next step when they outgrow it.

Munchkin Zombies: the funniest zombie card game

Munchkin Zombies is a 3 to 6 player competitive card game from Steve Jackson Games. The joke is the setup, because every player starts as a zombie and the monsters are ordinary people like soccer moms and action heroes, and the first player to reach level 10 wins. Atomic, Plague, and Voodoo mojos replace the usual classes, the box is rated 10 and up, and a game runs about 90 minutes. If your table likes card driven teamwork without zombies, Marvel Champions is the cooperative card game we reach for on non zombie nights.

City of Horror: the best zombie betrayal game

City of Horror is a 3 to 6 player survival voting game from Repos Production, designed by Nicolas Normandon and released in 2012. Each round the horde attacks one packed location, and the players there vote on who gets thrown to the zombies, trading gear and favors to stay off the menu. Most editions list ages 13 and up while the current Repos box lists 14 and up, and a game runs about 90 minutes. It plays best with 5 or 6, so if your group is that size our best board games for 6 players has more boxes that scale cleanly.

Last Night on Earth: the most cinematic zombie game

Last Night on Earth is a 2 to 6 player one vs many game from Flying Frog Productions, designed by Jason C. Hill and released in 2007. One or two players run the zombie horde while everyone else plays small town heroes working through horror movie scenarios on a modular town map. The rulebook rates it 12 and up, a game runs 60 to 90 minutes, and the box even packs a soundtrack CD for the table. This is the pick for a Halloween night when the table wants to quote movies instead of optimize moves.

Dawn of the Zeds: the best heavy zombie solo game

Dawn of the Zeds third edition is a 1 to 5 player cooperative and solo tower defense game from Victory Point Games, designed by Hermann Luttmann and released in 2016. Players hold the town of Farmingdale against waves of Zeds across a multi level campaign, spending painfully few actions against a deck that never stops. The box is rated 14 and up, a game runs 90 to 120 minutes, and it is the heaviest rules load on this list. If your shelf already holds big solo epics like Mage Knight, this is its zombie shelf mate.

Zombie 15: the fastest zombie campaign game

Zombie 15 is a 2 to 4 player real time cooperative game from IELLO, designed by Guillaume Lemery and Nicolas Schlewitz and released in 2014. A 15 minute soundtrack sets the clock, teen survivors sprint a modular town to finish scenario goals, and the campaign runs 15 scenarios deep. The box lists ages 14 and up, and the pace is the whole point, because slow planning gets eaten. This is the box for a group that finds normal zombie games too slow and wants the panic turned up.

More cooperative games for game night

If the night needs more than zombies, our best board games of all time list ranks the whole shelf, from gateway boxes to heavy epics. Zombie games are at their best as an occasional scream between friendlier nights, so pair one loud box above with something everyone can play.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best zombie board game for families?

Zombicide is the best overall zombie board game because 1 to 6 players fight through story missions together and every loss teaches the table something new. Zombie Kidz Evolution is the best pick for kids under 10 because it is rated for ages 7 and up and plays in about 15 minutes.

Can kids play zombie board games?

Zombie Kidz Evolution is the one zombie game made for kids because it is rated for ages 7 and up with cartoon art and a 15 minute play time. Most zombie games on this list are rated for ages 12 and up or higher because of gore and heavy rules, so save them for teens and adults.

What is the best cooperative zombie board game?

Zombicide is the best cooperative zombie game for most tables because the rules stay simple while missions stay tense from the first spawn to the last stand. Dead of Winter is the deeper story pick because secret goals and story cards force hard group choices every round.

How many players do zombie board games need?

Most zombie board games play best with 3 to 5 players because co op missions need enough survivors without long waits between turns. Zombicide and Zombicide Black Plague stretch from 1 to 6, while City of Horror needs at least 3 to run its vote.

What is the difference between Zombicide and Zombicide Black Plague?

Zombicide is modern survival with guns and cars, while Zombicide Black Plague is fantasy survival with swords and spells. Both play 1 to 6 and share the same kill to level engine, so buy modern for the theme you know and fantasy for armor and necromancers.

Are zombie board games too gory for kids?

Most zombie board games are too gory for young kids because miniatures and card art show the undead in graphic detail. Zombie Kidz Evolution uses cartoon art for ages 7 and up, and Munchkin Zombies plays the theme for laughs for ages 10 and up.

What is a fast zombie board game for game night?

Zombie 15 is the fastest zombie board game here because a 15 minute soundtrack sets the clock and every scenario ends when the music stops. Tiny Epic Zombies is the next fastest box because it packs five play modes into a 30 to 45 minute mall crawl.