There are certain formulas in video games that never stop working, and zombies are one of them. Since Left 4 Dead was released, people fell in love with the game and everything related to zombies, in general. But Left 4 Dead had lived for more than 10 years, and it deserved a remake, or at least, a successor, and that’s why Back 4 Blood came to the market.
With new mechanics, decks and cards implementation, and upgrades to your characters, Back 4 Blood feels like a new-era zombie game that searches for giving the player some replay value through RPG features.
But, if you drained the game enough and are looking for new experiences, or the game mechanics weren’t to your liking. I will provide you with a list, which in my opinion, the best games like Back 4 Blood that you should give a shot.
Top Picks: Vermintide and Killing Floor 2
This list will be divided into two categories depending on what you loved about Back 4 Blood: the zombies or the cooperative game.
Let’s get started!
1. Left 4 Dead 2
Left 4 Dead was getting into this list because Left 4 Dead is the father of Back 4 Blood. But, I will recommend Left 4 Dead 2 as it is way better in terms of mechanics, you can still find it in Steam, and its servers are still active, so you can play with your friends.
Also, Left 4 Dead 2 includes all the campaigns from the first Left 4 Dead, so you and your friends will have countless hours of entertaining gameplay. Lastly, Valve is always releasing content for the game.
I define Left 4 Dead as a perfect and harmonic combination between terror, suspense, and action. Think of everything that a game can have; gameplay, story, ambiance, graphics. All of that is in Left 4 Dead 2, a game that doesn’t feel old at all, even when you know that L4D2 was released in 2009.
In gameplay terms, Left 4 Dead 2 is simple. Take a weapon, and start killing zombies. Your only objective is to get from point A to point B and don’t die attempting it.
The game is subtle in storytelling. But it knows how to tell you the story of four survivors trying to get to a safe zone without long cinematics or sudden moments that stop the gameplay flow.
But why is Left 4 Dead 2 on this list?
- Left 4 Dead 2 is the predecessor of Back 4 Blood, so they are very similar in gameplay.
- Left 4 Dead doesn’t have annoying or hard-to-understand mechanics with decks; you’ll be in the field killing zombies as soon as possible.
- Thanks to the active community, the game has a lot of replay value, which is constantly creating maps and mods for the game. The fun is infinite in this one!
- Valve is constantly releasing content and updating the game, and the servers are still up, so you can play with your friends!
Resuming, Left 4 Dead 2 is a game that you can easily dedicate more than 500 hours to as it will not feel rusty while playing; the matches aren’t the same even when you are on the same map.
2. Dead Rising Saga
Now, if you don’t want the terror-based games and prefer some dark and spicy humor, Dead Rising is a great option.
I can define Dead Rising as chaotic and frantic. It isn’t the best game in gameplay terms, but it is really fun. Dead Rising is more based on the experience of having a variety of objects available to mix and use as weapons in an open map instead of following a linear route to get from a point to another.
Dead Rising’s plots are rather simple; you have to rescue other survivors and fight against the called “Psychopaths,” who are other survivors. They became crazy after realizing they were in a zombie apocalypse.
In gameplay terms, it is decent, but the game can get tricky to accomplish if you complete the story mode. Moreover, the game gets a bit infuriating as it’s tough to achieve some tasks because the NPC’s AI has a hard time cooperating with you. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t playable at all. To experience Dead Rising completely, you’ll have to play it several times. However, that’s a great thing as it has a lot of replay value, and you’ll enjoy it every time you are playing. You won’t do the same thing twice in this game.
Dead Rising doesn’t take itself so seriously; it’s more of a game to enjoy, exactly like those gore movies like Zombieland. Because, yes, Dead Rising is very gory. So, if you want a not-so-serious game that will make you laugh, go for Dead Rising. It’s a unique experience you have to experience.
Why is Dead Rising on this list?
- Back 4 Blood and Dead Rising are similar thanks to the fact that, in both games, your only objective is to kill zombies without much hesitation.
- The surviving feature is in Dead Rising and in Back 4 Blood. Still, in Dead Rising, you have many options to fight against the zombie hordes (even a ketchup bottle).
- The gore is a feature in both Back 4 Blood and Dead Rising; if you are a blood-enjoyer, those games are for you.
3. Dead Island
But we also have options for those thriller lovers, exactly, Dead Island.
This game is more based on telling you a story about 4 playable survivors who went to a rave party on a fictional Island named Baloi. They awaken with a hangover to a zombie apocalypse. These 4 survivors have to make it to a shelter where military enforcements are waiting for them. They are immune to the infection and can be used to develop vaccines and save the rest of the survivors from the infection.
Dead Island’s ambiance is wonderful, even knowing that the game is from 2011; it doesn’t feel old at all. Instead, you can feel what the survivors feel thanks to the dead bodies and harsh sunlight: fear and loneliness.
And talking about gameplay, it is on point. Dead Island is rather simple, you can have a variety of weapons. You have to be careful too, as it accomplishes what every survival horror game has to have: limited resources.
Why is Dead Island on this list?
- Dead Island and Back 4 Blood are about the same; surviving. But surviving is a hard task to do in Dead Island, as the resources will be limited.
- Both games have excellent graphics that successfully pushes you into the game through the maps’ ambiance.
- As well as with Dead Rising, Dead Island has a lot of gore.
- Lastly, both games will take you at least a jump out of your chair, thanks to their terror features.
4. World War Z
World War Z is what should have been Back 4 Blood. Simple and to the point: you and your friends have to choose a character based on the class you want. This will determine the weapons at your disposal. Then you will get a map and start killing zombies.
World War Z counts with two different game modes, the Co-op campaign, which is Player vs Environment, and a Multiplayer mode which is player versus environment or surviving against your opponents and the zombies.
The game can be played for several hours thanks to two factors: it has what I name “the Left 4 Dead effect,” which means it will always have a new experience to offer even when you are playing the same game with the same maps. The second factor is that the game is still active and receiving new content. Recently, World War Z got a DLC named WWZ: Aftermath, with new content. Also, the game gets consistently updated with free content.
Another great thing to know about WWZ is its cross-platform gameplay; the game was released for a large variety of consoles. If your friend has a Playstation 5 and you are playing on a PC, you can still play with them.
Why is WWZ on this list?
- WWZ is what B4B could be if the things weren’t complicated because of the confusing decks. This game has tiers.
- WWZ, Left 4 Dead, and B4B are similar games; it’s only you and your friends against zombie hordes. This means that you’ll get a lot of replay value even if you are playing the same map repeatedly.
- WWZ is constantly receiving DLCs and free updates, which gives the game more replay value.
- Lastly, WWZ has cross-platform gameplay.
To resume, World War Z will not disappoint you if you only want to get to a map and start shooting zombies as if your life depends on it.
5. State of Decay 2
Our next choice in our list is State of Decay 2 since you can’t buy the first SoD, and Undead Labs is about to release State of Decay 3.
What makes State of Decay a special game is that it’s the most realistic interpretation of what you should do in a zombie apocalypse: trying to survive.
The objective of this game is to get resources, weapons (and therefore, ammo), and other survivors to help you through your adventure and create a community that can survive through the zombie apocalypse.
A great thing about the State of Decay is that every time you play, the game will be different as you can set the conditions of your survival. You can use one of the 5 maps available while varying the number of resources, zombies, and more.
You can play with your friends as the game allows an online multiplayer mode. Therefore, you can face Zombies, special infected creatures, and other kinds of dangerous hazards with your friends!
A last great thing about this game, it is on the XBOX game pass, so if you have the game pass, you can play it both on PC or your favorite console.
Why is State of Decay on this list?
- State of Decay is simply just another approach to the zombie games like B4B. This time, our task is to survive for the longest time, but on an open-world map instead of a linear map.
- State of Decay, like B4B, has a lot of replay value thanks to its different maps and options to play.
- You can play State of Decay until you get tired of it. It is infinite and about creating a community with other survivors.
- You can play State of Decay with your friends as it has cross-play.
Resuming the State of Decay, you will not get boring for a long time as it is a complete survival experience.
I have a shortlist of games that aren’t exactly about zombies (now we will see corrupted clones, aliens, and even big rats). Still, their mechanics and gameplay share several features with Back 4 Blood. Let’s go!
6. Killing Floor
This one is for those classic lovers. This game is on this list because of two reasons: I put it here because it is an old game, which means that it will run on every single PC you can think of, and also, this game is a not-so-known gem that still deserves some love.
This one is simple, you are part of a Special Forces in London, England, fighting against mutants which origin comes from clone experimentation that went wrong. The gameplay is easy; you have a lot of weapons to your disposition and, if you love gore, this one has an outlandish amount of blood.
The original Killing Floor has two modes: the Killing Floor mode, where you handle on the field against the mutants until you have a boss fight, and the Objective Mode, where you have to go around the map to complete quests that will give you money to enhance your weaponry.
Killing Floor is for you if you appreciate the old titles, but Killing Floor 2 is available for you if you don’t like that.
Killing Floor 2 takes all the good things from the original one and takes the bad things and enhances them until getting a title that can be compared to games like Left 4 Dead 2. In Killing Floor 2, you’ll find a lot of new maps. A great Heavy-Metal-based OST that will be running through your mind for a long time. Fantastic replay value through custom maps and an excellent mutant design.
Why is Killing Floor on this list?
- Killing Floor is like an old-fashioned B4B, especially its Objective Mode, which will let you enhance your weapons.
- You’ll have to face against big hordes of enemies, like in B4B.
- Once again, the gore is present in this game.
- This game has a local multiplayer mode, so you can play with your friends in the same place, but Killing Floor 2 has an online co-op and cross-platform if you don’t like this option.
Killing Floor 2 feels alive, and it’s about mayhem. A game that you have to play if you can.
7. Vermintide
Its complete game is Warhammer: The End Times – Vermintide, and it’s a saga of two games. While the first one is more based on magic powers. The second is one of the best games in its genre, in my opinion. It combines the best things you can add to a horde-based game. I will talk about the second game, as it is really good.
The plot is simple. You and your friends are fighting against the hordes of the Chaos Army of Skaven. The game will last until you and your teammates die, as it has a co-op multiplayer endless mode.
It has what is needed to have an L4D-based game to be replayable, but with some extras that make the game perfect: Now, you can choose one of the 15 available classes, play different maps, and use a great ability tree system that doesn’t feel complicated like the one in B4B. There are specific loots for every class, and it even has mod support on PC.
Vermintide is the best L4D-like game that you’ll find. It feels like Killing Floor 2 but in a fantastic world; also, it has that gore that zombie fans love!
Why is Vermintide on this list?
- Vermintide and B4B share the RPG feature, but Vermintide implemented this feature perfectly through ability trees instead of complicated decks. You can also have a lot of classes to choose from.
- Vermintide is also about surviving, but into an arena where you have to handle alongside your friends until you fall.
- This game is very gory, even when you are not killing zombies.
I have seen a list with the best games like Back 4 Blood, based on zombies, but I will add a bonus that made it onto my list because of its co-op mode.
Bonus: Payday 2
This one can feel like a surprise, but let us explain why this game is on our list.
Payday 2 is a game whose objective is to make yourself rich through executing well-planned heists. The game doesn’t have zombies, but it has that 4-player thing that makes it similar to Back 4 Blood; sometimes, you and your friends will be trapped against a big horde of cops blocking your way to success.
Payday 2 is such an entertaining game, with a perfect mix between stealth and rampage. I recommend this one if you want to play a game with your friends for a long time. Thanks to its well-made gameplay and its replay value based on difficulties. The difficulty can make it different from before, even when you are doing the same mission.
Why is Payday 2 on this list?
- Payday 2 and B4B are similar thanks to their 4-player co-op design. However, in this game, you’ll need to be in sync with your friends; a small error and everything will go from 0 to 100 in a second.
- If you are going for a rampage, you and your friends will be facing hordes of (this time) cops. When the rampage happens, the objective is to survive.
- Payday 2 has a lot of replay value because the developers are constantly releasing DLCs with new maps and missions for you and your friends to enjoy!
FAQs
Question: Which games do you recommend if you want to play alone?
Answer: The best games to play alone in this list can be Left 4 Dead, State of Decay, Dead Rising, or even Killing Floor. Still, the best one to play by yourself as you’ll enjoy the full experience like that is Dead Island, a great terror game.
Question: Which is the best L4D-like game?
Answer: There are many solid contenders in the category but I will choose Vermintide and Killing Floor 2, as they are the most look-alike with L4D games on the list.
Question: Which is the best L4D-like game with RPG features?
Answer: The answer is simple; Vermintide. The game has a classic ability tree system that doesn’t feel complicated or rushed.
Conclusion
Back 4 Blood wasn’t the game Left 4 Dead fans were waiting for a long time; it can feel disappointing and soulless; it was made for the money. It isn’t a bad game, but it doesn’t feel like a worthy successor of one of the best games from the 2000’s decade.
I hope that in the list I made, you can find that specific game that you, as a Left 4 Dead fan, were waiting for.
