Games like DayZ · Find similar →
More about this game →We filtered the 34 games similar to DayZ down to the 17 that fit the “Xbox” category. Fortnite, Rust and PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS top the list, ranked by affinity and similarity score to DayZ.
Did you find what you were looking for?
Quick answer
Within the “Xbox” category, the closest game to DayZ is Fortnite — scoring 75/100 on our similarity scale. Rust and PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS follow close behind.
Help us build the best rankings
Community poweredVote on each result below — good match or not. Every vote directly shapes how we rank similar games for everyone.
Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to DayZ. Each one has been evaluated across 26 real attributes — from combat style and progression mechanics to world structure and visual perspective — so every recommendation is based on how the game actually plays, not just its genre label.
✓ Both are battle royale shooters — sharing shooter, battle royale tension and deep simulation
≠ Where it differs: brings offline, single-player focus and free to play, while skipping first-person shooting
Released 7 years after DayZ.
✓ Shared with DayZ: shooter, first-person shooting and survival mechanics
≠ Where it differs: brings procedural generation, crafting mechanics and base building, while skipping battle royale tension
To survive is the main task in the game Rust. It is necessary to survive in the area, which is now wholly wild but was recently inhabited. At the beginning of the game, there is only a rock and a torch. The rest will have to be found or stolen.
Where it drifts furthest from DayZ: progression.
Released 5 years after DayZ.
✓ Fits the battle royale shooters cluster, with shooter, survival mechanics and battle royale tension
≠ Where it differs: brings third-person shooting, competitive edge and single-player focus, while skipping deep simulation
PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS is battle-royale shooter made only for the multiplayer experience. Players should do their best to become the last one alive. Matches are held on 3 main maps of a large size (Erangel, Miramar, and Sanhok). Each match has 100 participants fighting for themselves.
Where it drifts furthest from DayZ: tone.
On reception: its Steam reviews are mixed, against mostly positive for DayZ.
Released 4 years after DayZ.
✓ Fits the battle royale shooters cluster, with shooter, battle royale tension and adventure storytelling
≠ Stands apart with setting scifi, setting cyberpunk and crafting mechanics, while skipping deep simulation
Conquer with character in Apex Legends, a free-to-play* Battle Royale shooter where legendary characters with powerful abilities team up to battle for fame and fortune on the fringes of the Frontier.
Where it drifts furthest from DayZ: setting and progression.
On reception: its Steam reviews are mixed, against mostly positive for DayZ.
Released 6 years after DayZ.
✓ Same family of battle royale shooters: shooter, survival mechanics and battle royale tension
≠ Stands apart with competitive edge, crafting mechanics and free to play, while skipping adventure storytelling
**IMPORTANT NOTICE** The Cullings servers will be shut down on May 15, 2019. This means online matches, the culling store, and all online features will no longer be available. Welcome to The Culling.
On reception: its Steam reviews are mixed, against mostly positive for DayZ.
Released 3 years after DayZ.
✓ Fits the battle royale shooters cluster, with shooter, first-person shooting and adventure storytelling
≠ Where it differs: brings vibe casual, historical setting and setting modern, while skipping survival mechanics
Battlefield™ 2042 is a first-person shooter that marks the return to the iconic all-out warfare of the franchise. Adapt and overcome in a near-future world transformed by disorder.
Where it drifts furthest from DayZ: setting and tone.
On reception: its Steam reviews are mixed, against mostly positive for DayZ.
Released 8 years after DayZ.
✓ If you enjoyed DayZ, expect shooter, first-person shooting and survival mechanics
≠ Stands apart with single-player focus, while skipping adventure storytelling
The AI Director is the whole design: it places hordes and items based on how well you are doing, so no two runs of a campaign play the same and tension stays authored without being scripted. Four campaigns only, which is thin, and the sequel superseded it so completely that finding populated servers now takes patience.
✓ Both are battle royale shooters — sharing shooter, first-person shooting and battle royale tension
≠ Its own twist: historical setting, setting modern and single-player focus, while skipping survival mechanics
Where it drifts furthest from DayZ: setting.
Released 6 years after DayZ.
✓ Both are battle royale shooters — sharing shooter, battle royale tension and survival mechanics
≠ Where it differs: brings fighting mechanics and single-player focus, while skipping adventure storytelling
On reception: its Steam reviews are mixed, against mostly positive for DayZ.
Released 10 years after DayZ.
✓ Same family of battle royale shooters: shooter, battle royale tension and first-person shooting
≠ Its own twist: setting scifi and skill tree progression, while skipping survival mechanics
Where it drifts furthest from DayZ: setting and progression.
Released 13 years after DayZ.
✓ Shared with DayZ: shooter, first-person shooting and horror tension
≠ Where it differs: brings historical setting, single-player focus and offline, while skipping survival mechanics
Where it drifts furthest from DayZ: setting.
On reception: its Steam reviews are mixed, against mostly positive for DayZ.
Released 8 years after DayZ.
✓ If you enjoyed DayZ, expect shooter, first-person shooting and deep simulation
≠ Where it differs: brings third-person shooting, historical setting and setting modern, while skipping survival mechanics
The vehicle modelling is the draw: aircraft, tanks and ships with per-component damage, and simulator modes that go far beyond arcade handling. Free to start. The grind is the well-known cost — progression slows sharply at higher tiers, repair costs punish bad matches, and the pressure toward premium purchases becomes hard to ignore.
Where it drifts furthest from DayZ: setting.
✓ Shared with DayZ: shooter, first-person shooting and deep simulation
≠ Where it differs: brings single-player focus and early access, while skipping survival mechanics
A tactical shooter aiming for pre-Vegas Rainbow Six: lethal, slow, no regenerating health. That intent is clear and the appeal is real for the audience it targets. The execution is not — it released visibly unfinished, with broken AI, minimal mission variety and no save system, and it was widely criticised on those grounds.
On reception: its Steam reviews are mixed, against mostly positive for DayZ.
The full catalog of games sharing gameplay DNA with DayZ, ordered from highest to lowest similarity score. Use the filters above to narrow down by genre, setting or game mode and find the alternative that best fits your playstyle.
