Dead Matter

About

"Dead Matter" is a role-playing game in which players can survive a zombie-infested world in single-player, multiplayer, or co-op modes for up to 2 players. Set in 2025, the game places players in the Kananaskis area of Alberta, where a mysterious virus has turned people into flesh-eating monsters. The game is currently in Early Access, with the developers frequently updating the Nightly testing branch based on community feedback.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

+12

35%

Audience ScoreBased on 340 reviews

graphics11 positive mentions

optimization7 negative mentions

The game has beautiful graphics and a great foundation, showing potential to become one of the best zombie survival games if the developers continue to improve it.
Some players have found the gameplay enjoyable, particularly the exploration and weapon variety, despite the game's current issues.
The developers are actively working on updates and improvements, which gives hope for the game's future.

The game is plagued by performance issues, frequent crashes, and numerous bugs, making it largely unplayable for many users.
Zombies exhibit poor AI behavior, often walking through walls and not posing a significant threat, which detracts from the survival experience.
Many players feel that the game was released too early and does not meet the expectations set by its long development time and marketing.

graphics
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
59%
15%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the beautiful visuals and detailed weapon designs, while others criticize significant performance issues and graphical glitches that hinder the experience. Many users note that high-end hardware is necessary to achieve satisfactory frame rates, and there are complaints about the lack of customizable graphics settings and overall poor optimization. Despite its potential, the game's graphical performance is often described as subpar, leading to frustration among players.
- “Ok, the graphics are actually very good and the weapon designs and animations are above most of the games.”
- “It has a great foundation in graphics, gun handling, reloading animations, and sounds (not gunshot sounds).”
- “Cause even with UE Nanite, Lumen, etc., showing that much detail on screen, environment, assets, lights, with realistic graphics and that many zombies, even if they all look the same, is insane.”
- “This game has many graphics issues and performance needs to be fixed. One of the biggest issues is the global illumination quality, which needs a big optimization because it significantly drops your FPS.”
- “The game on epic settings looks absolutely terrible; it's blurry and resembles an oil pastel painting. The graphical settings, if you try to alter them, only have placeholder names, so you can't even tell what you're doing if you want to lower specific settings.”
- “I can run Star Citizen, Starfield, and Squad at the same time on max settings and still get better FPS and graphics than this game gives me at low settings.”
optimization
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
70%
19%
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with players reporting numerous graphics issues, frequent stuttering, and poor overall performance, even on high-end systems. Many suggest that the developers need to prioritize fixing global illumination quality and zombie spawning mechanics to enhance gameplay. While some players see potential for improvement, the current state of optimization is viewed as a major barrier to enjoyment.
- “As a solo player, I'm absolutely blown away by the performance improvements.”
- “This game has a lot of potential; the devs just need to focus on bug fixing and performance improvements for now until the game runs more smoothly. I recommend this game to anyone that is willing to support the devs and provide feedback so they can improve the game and make it more enjoyable for players like myself.”
- “This game has many graphics issues and performance needs to be fixed; one of the biggest issues is the global illumination quality, which needs a big optimization because it drops your FPS significantly.”
- “I think I saw something about using the new Unreal Engine in the update post, and all I can say is I hope it improves performance because I guarantee most players right now can't enjoy the lighting of this game because it is so demanding.”
- “They need to sort the performance issues out further for the game to be playable.”
gameplay
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
70%
13%
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of polished mechanics and significant bugs, with strong elements like gunplay and looting praised, while movement and zombie mechanics are seen as lacking. Players appreciate the depth of customization and the introduction of new features, but many express frustration over the game's overall stability and some poorly implemented mechanics. Despite these issues, the core gameplay experience remains engaging for many, showcasing the game's potential.
- “A very good looter shooter with rock solid animations and looting. I was very happy with the overall functionality of the game's core mechanics.”
- “It overhauls the base game with new mechanics, guns, a Tarkov style of gunfight and weapon management, and tons more new features.”
- “Whether it be just to run around and shoot the undead, explore a new map, or work out the mechanics behind fortifying your own homebase.”
- “Some areas (such as the guns) feel very fleshed out and polished, while other areas seem neglected and lacking, namely the zombies and movement mechanics.”
- “As far as the gameplay goes, it's impressively terrible.”
- “The man is scratching his head for every fix players are asking; every complex mechanic causes the game to be way too big for him.”
stability
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is plagued by significant stability issues, including frequent crashes, severe bugs, and poor animations, leading to a frustrating experience for players. Despite some improvements in the latest update, many users report persistent glitches, invisible walls, and performance problems that can lock up their systems. While the core gameplay elements are praised, the overall instability makes it hard to recommend at its current price point.
- “It runs extremely poorly and everything just feels tacky and extremely buggy.”
- “Yes, we are still experiencing massive amounts of bugs, shoddy texturing that doesn't match the map layouts, invisible walls and objects, constant crashes and glitches.”
- “Currently a buggy mess not realistically worth $40.”
story
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
56%
33%
The game's map is small but features well-crafted points of interest that contribute to a narrative, distinguishing it from other titles like DayZ and Scum. However, many players feel the overall content is lacking, with little to no substantial story present, leading to disappointment. Additionally, numerous bugs detract from the experience, further emphasizing the game's unfinished state.
- “The current map is small, but the existing points of interest are decently crafted and different from games like DayZ and SCUM, where buildings are copy-pasted. The map itself tells a story.”
- “The game has very little to no content, no story.”
- “I wanted to give it a try, seeing they released an update and yes I was expecting some bugs, but omg let me count the things that have gone wrong. I've never had a game not work this bad.”
- “I just want to provide a bit of backstory and warning on this for the people who see this and do not know, so that hopefully not another person will have their money stolen from them.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
17%
17%
The atmosphere of the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating its immersive world and interactivity, likening it to a single-player version of DayZ. However, some criticism is directed at the gunshot sounds, which are perceived as mismatched with the overall ambiance. Despite minor bugs, the game's atmosphere contributes significantly to the enjoyment of the survival zombie experience.
- “I like the atmosphere.”
- “I know I have played only 2 hours so far, but it's a pretty good game. I'm loving the atmosphere and the interactivity within the world. Yes, it has some bugs, but hopefully future updates can fix that. Man, I'm really impressed so far; it's a dream game for me. It's DayZ but single player. I recommend it to anyone who is mildly interested in survival zombie games.”
- “The current gunshot sounds do not fit the overall atmosphere of the guns and their handling/reloading sounds.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users have noted significant improvements in replayability following the first update, which has enhanced overall gameplay stability and reduced crashes, making the game more enjoyable to revisit.
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy has been criticized as a blatant cash grab, indicating that the development team has lost interest in the game's ongoing support and improvement.
- “The development team clearly gave up on this years ago, and just want to get a cash grab while they can and be done with it.”