4 Horror games like DayZ that you should try

Games like DayZ · Find similar →

We filtered the 34 games similar to DayZ down to the 4 that fit the “Horror” category. Fallout 76, Left 4 Dead and Killing Floor top the list, ranked by affinity and similarity score to DayZ.

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GenreShooterSubgenreBattle Royale

The best horror games like DayZ

4 similar games foundUpdated May 2026

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.

Fallout 76

38 similarity to DayZ

NGL62

Closest overall match

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

MultiplayerCo-opOnlineDarkNarrativeOpen WorldPost-ApocalypticHorrorExplorationFirst PersonThird Person

Year 2018Dev Bethesda Game Studios · Bethesda SoftworksOn Xbox · PS4 · PC

What carries over from DayZ is shooting mechanics, dark, oppressive atmosphere and open world exploration. Both also lean on post-apocalyptic world and multiplayer gameplay. The distance is in genre and progression — its own ground is base building.

Released 5 years after DayZ.

Tone100Visuals100Setting87Game mode79World66Progression58

Left 4 Dead

37 similarity to DayZ

NGL90

Closest on setting

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

MultiplayerCo-opOnlineMeleeRangedDarkNarrativeHorrorPost-ApocalypticFirst Person

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

Where it meets DayZ is tone and place, not genre: shooting mechanics, dark, oppressive atmosphere and melee combat. To that it adds horror setting and multiplayer gameplay. They part company on genre: this one brings single-player focus.

Tone100Setting100Combat74Game mode74Visuals73Genre50

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Killing Floor

37 similarity to DayZ

NGL77

GenreShooterSubgenreFPS

Co-opMultiplayerOnlineRangedMeleeDarkNarrativeHorrorPost-ApocalypticFirst Person

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

What carries over from DayZ is shooting mechanics, dark, oppressive atmosphere and ranged combat. Both also lean on horror setting and co-op play. The distance is in progression and genre — its own ground is skill tree progression and 3D presentation.

Tone100Setting86Combat79Game mode75Visuals65Genre50

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Call of Duty: Vanguard

37 similarity to DayZ

NGL70

Closest on combat

GenreShooterSubgenreFPSSub-subgenreTactical FPS

MultiplayerCo-opPvPOnlineMeleeTacticalRangedDarkNarrativeHorrorFirst Person

Year 2021Dev Sledgehammer Games · ActivisionOn Xbox · PS4 · PC

Held in common with DayZ: shooting mechanics, dark, oppressive atmosphere and melee combat. To that it adds horror setting and multiplayer gameplay. They part company on setting and genre: this one brings historical setting.

Released 8 years after DayZ.

Combat100Tone100Game mode82Visuals73Genre50Setting44

Explore games similar to DayZ by category

If DayZ left you wanting more, this is where you narrow it down. Was it the survival or the adventure that hooked you? There is a list of just that. And if you play on PS5, PlayStation, Xbox and Mobile, filter by platform and skip the games you could not play anyway.

Rankings in the same genre

Sometimes what you want is not a DayZ look-alike but simply the best Battle Royale Games there are. That is what these rankings are for: no comparison to anything, just the highest-rated games. And if you feel like widening the net, the Shooter Games ranking is a good way to run into something you were not expecting.

The 17 Best Battle Royale Games (2026)The 20 Best Shooter Games of All Time (2026)