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Dead Island 2

Dead Island 2 is a huge return for the series. Fans of the first game will find much more to enjoy than just their nostalgia in this new title, and I can see a whole new generation of gamers falling in love with zombie-chopping in Hell-A.
Dead Island 2 Game Cover
75%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
stability, grinding
76% User Score Based on 10,380 reviews
Critic Score 74%Based on 66 reviews

Platforms

Epic GamesPlaystation 5Playstation 4Xbox Cloud GamingXboxWindowsPlayStationXbox Series X|SPCXbox Game PassCloudMac OSXbox One
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Dead Island 2 Game Cover

About

Dead Island 2 is a single player and multiplayer open world hack and slash game with horror and comedy themes. It was developed by Dambuster Studios and was released on August 12, 2022. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

Buy Dead Island 2 on PlayStation Store. The open-world zombie-slaying action RPG makes its long-awaited return.

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Dead Island 2 screenshot
Dead Island 2 screenshot
Dead Island 2 screenshot
Dead Island 2 screenshot
Dead Island 2 screenshot
Dead Island 2 screenshot
Dead Island 2 screenshot
Dead Island 2 screenshot
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76%
Audience ScoreBased on 10,380 reviews
story899 positive mentions
stability96 negative mentions
  • The graphics are stunning, with detailed environments and impressive gore effects that enhance the immersive experience.
  • The combat mechanics are satisfyingly brutal and fluid, providing engaging gameplay with a variety of weapons and strategies.
  • The soundtrack is energetic and fitting, significantly contributing to the game's chaotic atmosphere.
  • The gameplay loop is repetitive and lacks depth, leading to a tedious experience after the initial excitement.
  • The story is often criticized for being generic and unsatisfying, with many plot threads left unresolved.
  • The game suffers from performance issues and bugs, which can significantly detract from the overall experience.
  • story
    3,783 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of "Dead Island 2" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it to be generic and lacking depth. While some appreciate its campy humor and engaging moments, others criticize it for being predictable and filled with cliché zombie tropes. The main narrative is often described as short and unsatisfying, ending abruptly and leaving many plot threads unresolved, which has led to disappointment among fans hoping for a more cohesive storyline. Overall, while the game excels in gameplay and gore mechanics, the story is frequently seen as its weakest aspect.

    • “The story is surprisingly decent for a zombie game, and you can clearly see where Dead Island 2 took its inspiration from, which is actually kind of funny.”
    • “The story keeps you invested as you meet various characters and face new challenges, all while evolving and adapting to become the ultimate survivor.”
    • “The story is engaging enough to keep you hooked, with plenty of twists and turns as you navigate through iconic locations like Beverly Hills and Venice Beach.”
    • “The story, characters, and dialogue and UI are pretty garbage.”
    • “The writing, story, and characters are all insufferable - it's practically on the same cringe level as Borderlands 3.”
    • “The story is forgettable and merely serviceable.”
  • gameplay
    1,501 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of "Dead Island 2" has received mixed reviews, with many players praising its satisfying combat mechanics, engaging gore system, and improved graphics compared to its predecessors. However, criticisms often highlight the repetitive gameplay loop, lack of depth in RPG mechanics, and a weak narrative that detracts from the overall experience. While the game excels in delivering fun zombie-slaying action, some players feel it falls short in innovation and variety, making it feel stale after extended play.

    • “The gameplay is incredibly engaging, particularly the combat, which features satisfyingly visceral mechanics of dismembering zombies.”
    • “The gameplay is fun and really that's all that matters.”
    • “The combat mechanics are satisfyingly brutal and fluid, providing a wide array of weapons and strategies to dismember the undead in creative ways.”
    • “The gameplay loop is painfully repetitive: kill zombies, loot trash, repeat.”
    • “The core gameplay mechanics work really well, but the gameplay can feel painfully flat at times, to the point where I just wanted to finish the game and move on.”
    • “The gameplay is boring and there is no innovation.”
  • graphics
    1,243 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in "Dead Island 2" have received widespread acclaim for their stunning visuals, detailed environments, and impressive gore effects, often described as some of the best in the zombie genre. Many players highlight the game's vibrant art style and smooth performance, even on lower-end systems, while some critiques mention occasional graphical glitches and a lack of depth in gameplay compared to its predecessors. Overall, the graphics are considered a major highlight, contributing significantly to the game's immersive experience.

    • “The graphics are gorgeous, and the level design is very good.”
    • “The graphics are absolutely stunning, seriously, they really are amazing, and the characters, especially Jacob, are really well done.”
    • “The graphics and the gore effects are pretty much the only good thing about this game and make me want to play, but this is completely ruined by the most unfair broken combat mechanics I've ever seen in a game that involves melee combat.”
    • “When it comes to graphics, this game is poorly optimized with frequent stutters and headache-inducing camera motion (even with motion blur off).”
    • “Despite the visuals, this game feels unfinished and unpolished, more like an average indie project than a full-priced release.”
    • “The only thing that stands out about this game is the graphics and map.”
  • humor
    512 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in "Dead Island 2" is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its dark, irreverent tone and witty dialogue that often elicits genuine laughs, especially during co-op play. However, some find the humor forced or cringeworthy, leaning heavily on outdated references and millennial tropes that can detract from the overall experience. While the game successfully balances gore and comedy, opinions vary on whether its attempts at humor enhance or undermine the narrative and gameplay.

    • “The humor is actually pretty fun and well put, especially if you know the films they're often referencing.”
    • “The characters are charismatic, and the dialogues add personality and humor to the experience.”
    • “It's funny, the dialogue is pretty great and sometimes really funny.”
    • “The characters, including the main protagonist, are honestly boring, unfunny, and unlikeable.”
    • “It's extremely unfun, the 'humor' is not funny at all, cringe at best.”
    • “Attempts relation to newer generations by presenting us with jokes and unfunny banter as well as monologue that is constant.”
  • optimization
    343 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the optimization of the game has received mixed feedback from users. Many players praise its impressive performance and smooth gameplay, even on older hardware, highlighting the game's ability to run well at high settings with minimal stuttering. However, some users report significant performance issues, including frame drops and stuttering, particularly in certain areas or during intense gameplay, indicating that while the game is generally well-optimized, there are still notable inconsistencies that can affect the experience.

    • “The game itself is brilliant especially being able to run this game on high graphics and still have good performance, very well optimized.”
    • “The performance is great, I was seriously surprised by how amazing this game runs fully maxed out, with all the zombies, effects and stuff, the gameplay is amazing, just super smooth gameplay and the story's good too!”
    • “It's beautiful, polished, pretty much bug-free and well-optimized, it's brutal and both the physics and dismemberments are impressive.”
    • “Terrible optimization and audio bugs, unplayable.”
    • “The game is poorly optimized and unplayable.”
    • “Performance starts well with 80-90 fps, then becomes 20-40 fps with constant stutters after a few hours into the game.”
  • music
    294 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in *Dead Island 2* has received widespread praise for its energetic and fitting soundtrack, which enhances the game's chaotic atmosphere and complements the action-packed gameplay. Many players noted standout tracks, particularly the main menu theme and boss fight music, while some expressed disappointment over specific songs, especially the opening track. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a highlight, contributing significantly to the game's immersive experience and enjoyment.

    • “The soundtrack is phenomenal, perfectly matching the game's energetic and often brutal tone.”
    • “The music absolutely stole the show for me.”
    • “The soundtrack goes hard, bringing the kind of energy that sticks with you long after you log out.”
    • “Whoever put that ♥♥♥♥ song at the start with no way to turn it off should be fired and feel extremely bad about themselves for picking such a ♥♥♥♥ song to be the opening.”
    • “The music is very 'who gives a ♥♥♥♥'.”
    • “The soundtrack is eclectic but not especially memorable: from the dreamy pop chords that make the main menu feel like the credits sequence of a TV series to the boomy synth stabs that adorn the final arena of sola, you can’t really pin down Dead Island 2’s aesthetic to a single genre or sound - rather, it tries to emulate the diverse musical landscape of Hell-A, and that’s fine, if perhaps a little on the bland side.”
  • atmosphere
    136 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere in "Dead Island 2" receives mixed reviews, with many praising its vibrant and detailed world design, particularly the Los Angeles setting, which captures a post-apocalyptic vibe that is both beautiful and eerie. However, some players feel that the game lacks the darker, more serious tone of its predecessors, opting instead for a lighter, more comedic atmosphere that detracts from immersion. Overall, while the graphics and sound design contribute positively to the atmosphere, opinions vary on whether it successfully evokes the tension and depth found in earlier entries of the series.

    • “The atmosphere is very well crafted, and the level of detail is impressive, from the environments to the zombies and combat effects.”
    • “The stark contrast between the sunny, glamorous LA and its current state of decay creates an atmosphere that's both beautiful and eerie.”
    • “The game's atmosphere really draws you in, creating an engaging and often humorous experience.”
    • “There’s almost none of that gritty, serious atmosphere left.”
    • “The atmosphere, story, tone, exploration, gameplay depth, the entire identity of this game can be described as having no weight to it, not even through the poorly executed comedic direction.”
    • “Despite its age, Dead Island 1 had atmosphere, tension, and charm — everything this sequel lacks.”
  • stability
    135 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting various bugs and glitches, including issues with achievements, co-op connectivity, and character mechanics. While some users experienced smooth gameplay with minimal problems, others faced frequent crashes and game-breaking bugs that significantly impacted their experience. Overall, the game appears to be a mix of enjoyable gameplay and frustrating technical issues, with performance varying widely across different hardware setups.

    • “The game runs great on my i7 6700k + Vega 56.”
    • “The game is well optimized and runs great and looks pretty good too.”
    • “The game runs great, no huge FPS drops, no lag, and very high FPS with no crashing.”
    • “A buggy unfinished mess that wasn't even worth the five bucks on sale; it doesn't even feel like a Dead Island game. Understandable given the development issues, but this should at least have had a QA team that knew what they were doing.”
    • “The game is pure frustration; sometimes the zombies are near impossible to kill, and they sometimes just pop up behind you and kill you instantly. This game is also a buggy mess; the only thing it's designed to do is to kill you in 2 to 3 hits, so I do not recommend this game.”
    • “Game randomly crashes in co-op; I would refund it, but I spent 3 hours troubleshooting.”
  • grinding
    116 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often leading to frustration. Many reviews highlight that while the main story can be completed quickly, the latter parts of the game and side quests become monotonous, with excessive backtracking and farming for resources. Although some players enjoy the cooperative experience and the satisfaction of obtaining legendary weapons, the general consensus is that the grinding mechanics detract from the overall enjoyment, making the gameplay feel more like a chore than a challenge.

    • “A single player game like this should have been fun, not grindy feeling and boring.”
    • “The game was tedious before, but the new game plus just took it to a whole new level.”
    • “Every minute of this game is extremely tedious and mind-numbingly repetitive; every quest plays out the same way, and making bosses regular enemies just adds to the frustration.”
    • “The movement and combat systems are cumbersome, making encounters with zombies feel more tedious than thrilling.”
  • replayability
    91 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players praising the variety of characters, weapon upgrades, and DLC content that enhance replay value, while others criticize the repetitive gameplay and lack of a New Game Plus mode, leading to a sense of limited replayability after completing the main story. While some find the combat and gore mechanics engaging enough to warrant multiple playthroughs, many express disappointment in the overall depth and longevity of the experience. Ultimately, opinions vary widely, with some rating replayability as high as 9/10, while others deem it nearly non-existent.

    • “The game has immense replay value because it's only toward the end that it reveals every enemy type and provides you all your tools.”
    • “The co-op multiplayer mode adds significant replay value, allowing players to team up and tackle the zombie apocalypse together.”
    • “This diversity adds replayability and strategic depth, encouraging experimentation with different builds and cooperative tactics.”
    • “The downside is that it's very repetitive, the story just sort of ends without any resolution, and there isn't much replayability.”
    • “Personally, replayability is just non-existent. Sure, the other characters have different cards to play with, but it's just not fun to go through everything again.”
    • “The most evident one: not much replay value once you complete the main storyline.”
  • emotional
    40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is largely criticized, with many reviewers noting a lack of depth in the story and character development, leading to a shallow emotional experience. While some players found moments of emotional engagement through specific characters and side quests, the overall narrative is described as boring and forgettable, failing to evoke strong feelings. The game's chaotic and fun gameplay contrasts with its weak storytelling, leaving players feeling disconnected from the emotional weight that could have been present.

    • “Characters speak words, those words travel through the room, and suddenly I’m emotionally invested in a door.”
    • “If you can stand the story at times, the game will reward you with emotional story beats that brought a tear to my eye, much to my surprise.”
    • “However, Dani and especially Carla are my personal favorites, and I can listen to them react and engage with other characters all day. They made certain side quests and their conclusions vastly more emotional than I thought they could be.”
    • “Cringe characters, boring story, repetitive and tedious gameplay.”
    • “I like how the original developers of this game improved so much in the Dying Light series, I cannot say the same for this disaster, with the boring and creatively lacking missions of activating fuse boxes and unlocking doors over and over again, coupled with the most cringe dialogue I've ever heard in a game.”
    • “Basically Dying Light 2 but with slightly better combat, poor movement, a boring story, worse map, and most of the characters are annoying as hell.”
  • character development
    25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the depth and storytelling, while others criticize it as lacking or superficial. Many feel that the sequel shifts focus away from character growth in favor of combat mechanics, leading to a less engaging narrative experience. Overall, while character designs are often praised for their visual appeal, the depth of character development is seen as inconsistent and sometimes disappointing.

    • “Stunning storytelling and character development with the addition of an interchangeable card system allowing the player to use different abilities.”
    • “There's a surprising amount of character development, as it turns out.”
    • “This game, as the sequel, now mainly focuses on the fighting mechanics and does not go deep into character development.”
    • “The plot is uninspiring, the narrative lacks depth, and character development is basically nonexistent.”
    • “I like that the characters are recurring so they're not as forgettable, and there is some character development, but overall the depth isn't really there.”
  • monetization
    23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization strategy of the game has drawn significant criticism, with many players labeling it a cash grab due to the prevalence of in-game advertisements and microtransactions that detract from the overall experience. While some users appreciate the game's fun elements, they express disappointment over the intrusive ads and the feeling that the game prioritizes profit over quality. Overall, the monetization approach has left a negative impression, overshadowing the game's potential and nostalgic value.

    • “As far as I know, there aren't any predatory microtransactions; it's stable and fun enough to keep you entertained for a while.”
    • “Don't sleep on Dead Island 2; the game is amazing. It gets flak for structurally being like a 'PS3/360 game,' but in my opinion, that's when games weren't tainted by monetization, and it's so much fun.”
    • “Cool game concept from a cool original title that seems to be just a cash grab.”
    • “To get to the main menu on boot, you have to sit through or skip 7 notifications, load screens, or advertisements.”
    • “As a successor to Dead Island 1, it feels like a cheesy, polished cash grab slapped with the franchise name for marketing.”
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74%Critics’ scoreBased on 65 critic reviews
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14h Median play time
22h Average play time
4-47h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 67 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Dead Island 2 is a open world hack and slash game with horror and comedy themes.

Dead Island 2 is available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox Series X|S and others.

On average players spend around 22 hours playing Dead Island 2.

Dead Island 2 was released on August 12, 2022.

Dead Island 2 was developed by Dambuster Studios.

Dead Island 2 has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its stability.

Dead Island 2 is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Dead Island Steam Key GLOBAL, Dying Light 2 Stay Human: Reloaded Edition, Borderlands 3, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, Far Cry 6 and others.