World War Z

47 Games like World War Z that you should try

Games like World War Z · Find similar →

More about this game →

World War Z is hard to replace: few games combine shooter, dark, oppressive atmosphere and melee combat in quite the same way. We analyzed over 2,000 titles across 18 gameplay attributes and found 47 genuine alternatives — not generic genre suggestions. Left 4 Dead 2, Left 4 Dead and Killing Floor lead the list, with Left 4 Dead 2 reaching a 96/100 similarity score. Every game here is ranked by how closely it replicates what makes World War Z special.

iRank78/ 100

Did you find what you were looking for?

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

Tags

DarkSoloMultiplayer

Year 2019Dev Saber Interactive

Stores

Steam ↗Epic ↗Xbox ↗PS ↗Nintendo ↗

Quick answer

The closest game to World War Z is Left 4 Dead 2 — scoring 96/100 on our similarity scale. Left 4 Dead and Killing Floor follow close behind.

#1Left 4 Dead 296 #2Left 4 Dead96 #3Killing Floor95 #4Team Fortress 293 #5Quake II91

🗳️

Help us build the best rankings

Community powered

Vote on each result below — good match or not. Every vote directly shapes how we rank similar games for everyone.

Games like World War Z

47 similar games found

#1Left 4 Dead 2

96

iRank91

Left 4 Dead 2

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

MultiplayerCo-opSoloOnlineRangedMeleeDarkHorrorFirst Person

Steam👍 98%· 1.0MRAWG👍 85%· 3.4KMC89IGDB89· 5

Year 2009Dev Valve Software · Electronic ArtsPlaytime ~9hOn PC · Xbox · Apple Macintosh

✓ Nearly identical: shooter, first-person shooting and survival mechanics.

≠ Missing: third-person shooting.

96

iRank90

Left 4 Dead

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opOnlineMeleeRangedDarkHorrorPost-ApocalypticFirst Person

Steam👍 96%· 67KRAWG👍 87%· 1.7KMC89IGDB85· 7

Year 2008Dev Valve Software · Electronic ArtsPlaytime ~5hOn PC · Xbox · Apple Macintosh

✓ Fits the first-person shooters cluster, with shooter, first-person shooting and survival mechanics

≠ Stands apart with strong narrative focus, while skipping third-person shooting

#3Killing Floor

95

iRank77

Killing Floor

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

Co-opSoloMultiplayerOnlineRangedMeleeDarkHorrorPost-ApocalypticSkill TreeFirst Person

Steam👍 95%· 69KRAWG👍 59%· 856MC72IGDB68· 5

Year 2009Dev Tripwire InteractivePlaytime ~5hOn PC · Apple Macintosh · Linux

✓ Both are first-person shooters — sharing shooter, first-person shooting and survival mechanics

≠ Stands apart with strong narrative focus, setting scifi and visual 3d, while skipping third-person shooting

#4Team Fortress 2

93

iRank83

Team Fortress 2

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

MultiplayerCo-opOnlineMeleeRangedSkill TreeFirst Person

Steam👍 91%· 1.2MRAWG👍 66%· 2.9KMC92IGDB80· 1

Year 2007Dev Valve Software · ValvePlaytime ~8hOn PC · Apple Macintosh · Linux

✓ Fits the first-person shooters cluster, with shooter, first-person shooting and melee combat

≠ Its own twist: PvP competition, crafting mechanics and free to play, while skipping third-person shooting

91

iRank89

Quake II

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opRangedMeleeDarkHorrorFirst Person

OC89· 25

Dev Head Games PublishingOn PC

✓ Same family of first-person shooters: shooter, first-person shooting and dark, oppressive atmosphere

≠ Its own twist: setting scifi, while skipping third-person shooting

#6Superfighters Deluxe

91

iRank89

Superfighters Deluxe

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

MultiplayerCo-opSoloOnlineMeleeDark

Steam👍 89%· 3.5K

Year 2018Dev MythoLogic InteractiveOn PC

✓ Both are first-person shooters — sharing shooter, first-person shooting and dark, oppressive atmosphere

≠ Where it differs: brings precision platforming, fighting mechanics and offline, while skipping third-person shooting

#7Doom II: Hell on Earth

90

iRank91

Doom II: Hell on Earth

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opMeleeDarkHorrorPost-ApocalypticFirst Person

Steam👍 95%· 9.1KIGDB84· 2

Year 1994Dev id Software · ImagineerOn PC · Mac

✓ Both are first-person shooters — sharing shooter, first-person shooting and horror tension

≠ Stands apart with puzzle design, setting scifi and visual pixel, while skipping third-person shooting

#8The Expendabros

91

iRank85

The Expendabros

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opMeleeRanged

Steam👍 97%· 18KRAWG👍 70%· 391IGDB80· 1

Year 2014Dev Free Lives · Devolver DigitalPlaytime ~1hOn PC · Apple Macintosh

✓ Same family of first-person shooters: shooter, first-person shooting and adventure storytelling

≠ Its own twist: precision platforming, offline and visual 2d, while skipping third-person shooting

90

iRank89

Cry of Fear

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opOnlineMeleeDarkHorrorFirst Person

Steam👍 89%· 84K

Year 2013Dev Team PsykskallarOn PC

✓ Fits the first-person shooters cluster, with shooter, first-person shooting and horror tension

≠ Its own twist: strong narrative focus and free to play, while skipping third-person shooting

#10Shotgun Farmers

89

iRank93

Shotgun Farmers

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

MultiplayerSoloCo-opOnlineMeleeRangedSkill TreeFirst Person

Steam👍 93%· 9.9K

Year 2017Dev Megastorm GamesPlaytime ~2hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Both are first-person shooters — sharing shooter, first-person shooting and melee combat

≠ Where it differs: brings setting cartoon, PvP competition and visual 3d, while skipping third-person shooting

89

iRank92

Quake

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opRangedMeleeDarkHorrorFirst Person

Steam👍 97%· 15KRAWG👍 88%· 487MC94OC87· 37

Year 1996Dev id Software · SEGAPlaytime ~1hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Same family of first-person shooters: shooter, first-person shooting and horror tension

≠ Where it differs: brings strong narrative focus, setting scifi and setting medieval, while skipping third-person shooting

Steam Epic Xbox

92

iRank82

Tower Unite

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

MultiplayerSoloCo-opOnlineMeleeRangedDarkHorrorSkill TreeThird PersonFirst Person

Steam👍 90%· 22KRAWG👍 69%· 60

Year 2016Dev PixelTail GamesPlaytime ~7hOn PC

✓ Both are first-person shooters — sharing shooter, first-person shooting and adventure storytelling

≠ Its own twist: racing gameplay, deep simulation and card game strategy, while skipping third-person shooting

#13Gotham City Impostors Free to Play

95

iRank66

Gotham City Impostors Free to Play

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

MultiplayerCo-opOnlineRangedMeleeSkill TreeFirst Person

Steam👍 86%· 12KRAWG👍 32%· 168IGDB73· 7

Year 2012Dev Monolith Productions · Warner Bros. InteractivePlaytime ~2hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Fits the first-person shooters cluster, with shooter, first-person shooting and ranged combat

≠ Its own twist: free to play, while skipping third-person shooting

#14Grand Theft Auto Online

88

iRank94

Grand Theft Auto Online

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opFirst PersonThird Person

IGDB94· 1

Year 2014Dev Rockstar North · Rockstar GamesOn Xbox · PlayStation 3 · PS4

✓ Fits the first-person shooters cluster, with shooter, first-person shooting and adventure storytelling

≠ Where it differs: brings sandbox freedom, sandbox world and open world exploration, while skipping third-person shooting

#15Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter

90

iRank86

Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

SoloMultiplayerCo-opOnlineMeleeDarkFirst PersonThird Person

Steam👍 91%· 926IGDB77· 2

Year 2010Dev Croteam · Devolver DigitalOn Linux · PC

✓ Both are first-person shooters — sharing shooter, first-person shooting and dark, oppressive atmosphere

≠ Stands apart with setting scifi, while skipping third-person shooting

Games like World War Z

DOOM 3

DOOM 3

shooter · FPS

Metal Slug

Metal Slug

shooter · FPS

Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders

Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders

shooter · FPS

Zombie Panic! Source

Zombie Panic! Source

shooter · FPS

F.E.A.R. 3

F.E.A.R. 3

shooter · FPS

Max Payne 3

Max Payne 3

shooter · FPS

Back 4 Blood

Back 4 Blood

shooter · FPS

Fallout 76

Fallout 76

shooter · FPS

Team Fortress Classic

Team Fortress Classic

shooter · FPS

Resistance 2

Resistance 2

shooter · FPS

Rankings in the same genre

Best FPS Games Best Shooter Games

Frequently asked questions

What is the best game similar to World War Z?: The closest game to World War Z is Left 4 Dead 2, scoring 96/100 on our similarity scale. They share 13 gameplay attributes, including shooter, first-person shooting and survival mechanics. It's the most faithful alternative currently available.
What are the top games like World War Z?: The three closest games to World War Z are: 1. Left 4 Dead 2 (96/100, 13 shared attributes) 2. Left 4 Dead (96/100, 14 shared attributes) 3. Killing Floor (95/100, 15 shared attributes). All share World War Z's most important gameplay attributes, ranked out of 47 candidates across 18 dimensions.
Is Left 4 Dead similar to World War Z?: Yes, very much so — Left 4 Dead scores 96/100 similarity to World War Z. They share 14 attributes, including shooter and first-person shooting. It's one of the most direct alternatives available.
What Shooter games are similar to World War Z?: The best Shooter games similar to World War Z are Left 4 Dead 2, Left 4 Dead, Killing Floor and Team Fortress 2. All share the Shooter genre alongside other key World War Z attributes like shooter, first-person shooting and survival mechanics.
How is similarity to World War Z calculated?: We compare World War Z against every game in our catalog using 18 gameplay attributes: genre, atmosphere, world structure, play modes, combat style, and more. Each category is weighted differently — genre matters more than visual style, for instance. The result is a 0-100 score reflecting how closely a game replicates the World War Z experience, not just whether it shares the same genre label.
Are there free games similar to World War Z?: Yes — Team Fortress 2 and theHunter Classic are free and score well on similarity to World War Z. They're a great way to test whether the play style clicks before investing in other paid titles.