8 – Day Z
What started out as a mod for the war simulator Arma II turned into a hit success with now a stand alone title. Day Z is as much a social experiment as it is a game. You’re dropped in a giant open map with other players and of course, the zombies and the name of the game; survival. If your character dies you start over with all your hard earned equipment gone. The trust factor goes straight out the window when you encounter other players, some will be friendly and pass by but most will befriend you, shoot you in the back and take your gear. For bringing such an interesting concept to the zombie genre, Day Z deserves its place in the number eight spot. It would rank much higher if it weren’t for the fact that the game was riddled with bugs and the graphics were sub par. Luckily, innovation and style was its saving grace. Currently out for PC but Xbox One and PS4 versions are slated to release in the future. 
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7 – State of Decay
A true zombie apocalypse simulation, State of Decay introduced a lesser used concept in zombie games and that’s permadeath for your characters, meaning if they die there’s no reviving them. At any point you can switch between characters, each with their own set of skills. The game begins with Marcus Campell returning from a fishing trip and finding his town overrun by zombies. This might be the character you start with but it’s definitely not the character you’ll finish with. The majority of State of Decay is spent micromanaging settlements and performing tasks such as: building medical tents, recruiting new survivors, sustaining the food supply and managing the well-being of your people. Keeping your camp in good health was crucial because sending someone on a supply run unprepared could result in their permanent death. Naturally you end up growing fond of a character and play them more often — watching them perish hits closer to home and gives you a serious case of the feels. 
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