Zomboid was originally inspired by CDDA. Much of the game flow and ideas are 1 to 1 copies. The biggest difference is that CDDA is a turn based game that is played on tiles (think rogue or nethack). From the inventory system to crafting to base construction to reading books, it’s all there.

Oh. Except bites aren’t instant death. There’s no zombie virus. Dead bodies rise up (including yours!). You can still get infections and die from them, but you can also just clean your wounds. 1v1-ing a zombie is suicide though unless you have a decent weapon.

Also, zombies evolve… So they scale well into the late game. Having a zombie hulk throw you through a concrete wall and breaking every bone in your body is usually lethal.

If you’re enjoying Project Zomboid, you might want to check out Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead (CDDA). It’s a fantastic open-world survival game with a similar vibe, but it offers a lot more depth and complexity in its gameplay mechanics. Best part? CDDA is free and open-source.

1. Minecraft with the gregtech new horizons mod pack

2. Cataclysm Dark Days Ahead

3. Rimworld with my current 300+ mod setup

I could easily sink another 10k hours in each of those games