Best single-player zombie shooters you can play fully solo
Our top single-player zombie shooters are Resident Evil 2, The Last of Us Part I, and Days Gone. They are built for one player from the start. Some co-op shooters, such as Left 4 Dead 2, also work solo with AI teammates. This list gives you ten games and says exactly how solo play works in each one.
Three kinds of solo play
"Single-player" does not always mean the same thing. Before you buy, check which kind of solo play a game has:
- Built for one player. The whole game is designed for you alone. There is no co-op to miss.
- Co-op game with AI teammates. The game is made for a team, but computer-controlled teammates fill the empty places.
- Co-op game that you play alone. You can play solo, but there are no AI teammates. The game can be much harder alone.
Each entry below has a Solo type line with one of these three labels.
Route 48 (our game)
Full disclosure: we made Route 48, so we put it first.
Solo type: Built for one player.
Route 48 is a single-player, first-person driving survival game in Early Access on Steam. You fight zombies and armed hostile survivors with guns, and you search abandoned buildings for weapons and ammunition. Between fights, you manage your fuel and repair your car. There are no other players, so you decide alone when to fight and when to get back on the road.
Resident Evil 2
Developer: Capcom. Released: 2019. Players: Single-player.
Solo type: Built for one player.
This remake of the 1998 game is a third-person shooter set in Raccoon City during a zombie outbreak. You play rookie police officer Leon Kennedy or college student Claire Redfield, and each one has a separate campaign.
Your inventory has only eight slots at the start, and you combine gunpowder to make ammunition. A large enemy called the Tyrant follows you through the environment, and you cannot kill it. Each shot must count.
The Last of Us Part I
Developer: Naughty Dog, with Iron Galaxy for the PC version. Released: 2023 on PC. Players: Single-player.
Solo type: Built for one player.
You play Joel, who must take 14-year-old Ellie across a ruined United States. The infected are people changed by a mutated fungus. You also fight hostile humans.
The game is played in third person. You use firearms, improvised weapons, close combat, and stealth. The PC version also includes the prequel chapter Left Behind.
Days Gone
Developer: Bend Studio. Released: 2019 (PC: 2021). Players: Single-player.
Solo type: Built for one player.
You play Deacon St. John, a former outlaw biker in post-pandemic Oregon. The Freakers can gather into huge hordes that chase you as one group.
You use firearms, melee weapons, traps, and stealth. Your motorcycle needs fuel and repairs. The Freakers are stronger at night, so you must plan when to go out. The PC version includes a Survival mode and a Challenge mode.
The Last of Us Part II Remastered
Developer: Naughty Dog, with Nixxes Software and Iron Galaxy. Released: 2025 on PC. Players: Single-player.
Solo type: Built for one player.
The story follows Ellie and Abby in a third-person action game with infected and human enemies. You use guns, stealth, and melee weapons such as machetes and hammers.
The Remastered version adds No Return, a roguelike survival mode. Each run has random combat encounters and a boss fight, and you lose your upgrades and weapons when the run ends. It gives you a reason to come back after the story.
7 Days to Die
Developer: The Fun Pimps. Released: 2024 (version 1.0), after Early Access from 2013. Players: Single-player or online co-op and PvP.
Solo type: Co-op game that you play alone.
This is a first-person shooter mixed with survival, crafting, and tower defense. You can play the whole game solo, from the first day to a fortified base.
Alone, you must loot, craft weapons and tools, and build defenses yourself. With the default settings, a Blood Moon horde attacks every seventh night. You can change the difficulty and zombie speed in the game settings, which helps a solo player.
Zombie Army 4: Dead War
Developer: Rebellion. Released: 2020 (Steam: 2021). Players: Solo or online co-op for up to 4 players.
Solo type: Co-op game that you play alone.
This third-person shooter comes from the makers of Sniper Elite. You fight occult zombie armies in an alternate 1940s Europe, with sniper rifles and other guns. An X-ray kill camera shows your bullets in slow motion.
The campaign and the Horde Mode work for 1 to 4 players. Reviews note that there are no AI teammates, so solo play is harder than co-op. Choose a lower difficulty for your first solo run.
Left 4 Dead 2
Developer: Valve. Released: 2009. Players: Single-player with AI teammates, or online co-op for up to 4 players.
Solo type: Co-op game with AI teammates.
This first-person co-op shooter takes four survivors through five campaigns in the southern United States. The Single Player mode gives you three AI teammates, and it also works with Steam in offline mode.
The AI Director changes the zombie numbers, the weather, and some paths to match how you play. Players say that the AI teammates are weak, so you must carry more of the fight. If you die, the chapter starts again.
Back 4 Blood
Developer: Turtle Rock Studios. Released: 2021. Players: Solo with AI teammates, or online co-op for up to 4 players.
Solo type: Co-op game with AI teammates.
This first-person shooter comes from the creators of Left 4 Dead. You fight the Ridden, people turned into monsters by a parasite. In solo play, you lead a team of AI teammates through the campaign.
A card system lets you build a deck that changes your abilities for each run. A Game Director changes the fights based on your actions, so the runs differ.
World War Z: Aftermath
Developer: Saber Interactive. Released: 2019 (Aftermath edition: 2021). Players: Solo with AI teammates, or online co-op for up to 4 players.
Solo type: Co-op game with AI teammates.
This shooter is about swarms of hundreds of zombies that climb over each other to reach you. You choose one of eight classes and level it up. The game is third person, but the Aftermath edition adds a first-person mode.
You can play alone with AI teammates. Some players report that the AI teammates are weak on the higher difficulty levels.
Quick comparison
| Game | Solo type | View |
|---|---|---|
| Route 48 | Built for one player | First person |
| Resident Evil 2 | Built for one player | Third person |
| The Last of Us Part I | Built for one player | Third person |
| Days Gone | Built for one player | Third person |
| The Last of Us Part II Remastered | Built for one player | Third person |
| 7 Days to Die | Co-op game you play alone | First person |
| Zombie Army 4: Dead War | Co-op game you play alone | Third person |
| Left 4 Dead 2 | AI teammates | First person |
| Back 4 Blood | AI teammates | First person |
| World War Z: Aftermath | AI teammates | Third or first person |
How we picked these games
We chose zombie games where guns are a main part of the combat and where you can finish the game without other players. We checked each game's Steam page for its player modes. For AI teammates, we also read official store pages and player reports.
Which one should you play first?
- Play Resident Evil 2 if you want tense horror with scarce resources.
- Play The Last of Us Part I if story and characters matter most to you.
- Play Days Gone if you want huge hordes and a motorcycle.
- Play Left 4 Dead 2 if you want co-op action without other people.
- Play Route 48 if you want first-person gunfights, a car to maintain, and a new world each game.
For more solo games outside the zombie genre, read our list of the best single-player survival games. For first-person zombie action with melee, see our list of games like Dying Light.