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Infestation: The New Z

46%Game Brain Score
humor, story
graphics, gameplay
46% User Score Based on 10,814 reviews

Platforms

PCPCWindowsWindows

About

"Infestation: The New Z" is a free-to-play, open-world shooter with a focus on player versus player combat. It features four different game modes, including Open World with traditional maps and close combat maps, Survival with scavenging and crafting, Competitive with rankings and groups of five, and a co-op Zombie Siege mode. The game is influenced by the old Infestation series, also known as The War Z. -- Steam ID: 555570.

Infestation: The New Z screenshot
Infestation: The New Z screenshot
Infestation: The New Z screenshot
Infestation: The New Z screenshot
Infestation: The New Z screenshot
Infestation: The New Z screenshot
Infestation: The New Z screenshot
Infestation: The New Z screenshot
Infestation: The New Z screenshot
Infestation: The New Z screenshot
Infestation: The New Z screenshot
+15

46%
Audience ScoreBased on 10,814 reviews
humor75 positive mentions
graphics205 negative mentions

  • The gameplay offers a fun mix of PvP and PvE elements, providing engaging experiences for players.
  • The atmosphere is immersive, effectively conveying a sense of isolation and danger that enhances the survival experience.
  • Some players appreciate the game's potential for humor, finding enjoyment in its flaws, especially when played with friends.
  • The graphics are widely criticized as outdated and poorly optimized, leading to a frustrating experience for many players.
  • The game suffers from severe performance issues, including frame rate drops, crashes, and numerous bugs that hinder gameplay.
  • The monetization strategy is seen as exploitative, with heavy reliance on microtransactions and pay-to-win mechanics that detract from the overall experience.
  • graphics
    673 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many users describing them as outdated, poorly optimized, and reminiscent of early 2000s titles. Common complaints include low-resolution textures, frequent bugs, and a lack of visual polish, leading to a frustrating experience even on high settings. While some players find the graphics acceptable for a free-to-play game, the consensus is that a significant graphical overhaul is necessary to enhance overall immersion and enjoyment.

    • “The graphics are great for what it is, the gameplay is amazing, the ability to do as you please is awesome and there are so many ways to do what you need to do.”
    • “Excellent graphics and artistic work.”
    • “This game has decent graphics.”
    • “The graphics are absolutely outdated and not to mention the fact that the controls are just garbage.”
    • “The graphics are terrible and fps drop occurs way too much and I have a decent PC that should be able to handle it, but I guess not.”
    • “The graphics are disgusting and look like they belong in a PS2 game.”
  • gameplay
    529 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing its clunky mechanics, outdated graphics, and numerous bugs that hinder the overall experience. While some enjoy the core mechanics and find the PvP and PvE elements engaging, others feel that the repetitive nature of gameplay, combined with pay-to-win mechanics and long respawn times, detracts from the fun. Overall, the game shows potential but requires significant improvements to its mechanics and optimization to enhance player enjoyment.

    • “The gameplay mechanics in Infestation: The New Z revolve around scavenging for resources, crafting items, and engaging in combat.”
    • “The core gameplay is fun.”
    • “This game is awesome for PvP and PvE gameplay.”
    • “The mix of PvP and PvE can be intense, but the game suffers from outdated graphics, bugs, and repetitive gameplay.”
    • “The graphics are bad, the skins are ugly, the mechanics are slow, the aiming is terrible, jumping might as well be an invitation to glitch out, and the menus and instructions seem to have been created by someone who's in the midst of a mental crisis.”
    • “The mechanics are terrible, the UI wasn't well thought out, and like its predecessors, the game is outrageously expensive for its free-to-play model and actual value.”
  • stability
    314 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is widely criticized, with players reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and frequent crashes that significantly hinder gameplay. Many users describe the experience as frustrating due to poor optimization, server instability, and persistent technical issues, making the game often unplayable. While some find enjoyment in the chaotic nature of the glitches, the overall consensus is that the game requires substantial improvements to its stability before it can be recommended.

    • “While the game itself is far from complete, it is free, bug-free (for the most part), and most importantly, fun!”
    • “Only played for four hours, it's a good enough game. The textures need work along with some other things (shadows, animations, etc.), but still, it runs great on my PC, getting 80-100 frames no matter what I'm doing.”
    • “A genuinely awful game, graphics are terrible even on highest settings, runs slow and buggy, zombies are laughable, guns shoot completely different direction to where you actually aim.”
    • “The game is filled with hackers, bugs, glitches and such.”
    • “This game is a buggy mess.”
  • optimization
    168 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization is widely criticized, with many players reporting severe performance issues, including frame rate drops, crashes, and bugs. Despite some updates aimed at improving stability, the overall consensus is that the game remains poorly optimized, leading to frustration among users. While a few players noted improvements, the majority agree that significant optimization work is still needed for a smoother experience.

    • “Incredibly well-optimized compared to WarZ/Infestation: Survival Stories, a fair amount of dedicated Brazilian and Thai players keeping this game alive!”
    • “Game no longer crashes when it used to crash all the time, load times are 5x faster and the FPS optimization is way better; it doesn't even seem like the same game because it used to be extremely laggy all the time even on top-tier PCs.”
    • “The game is really clean and optimized.”
    • “Performance issues—many players report severe frame rate drops and crashes.”
    • “Despite occasional updates, performance issues persist, leading to frustration among long-time fans.”
    • “This game is poorly optimized and is just a waste of time and space.”
  • monetization
    115 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization aspect of the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with players labeling it a "cash grab" due to its heavy reliance on microtransactions and pay-to-win mechanics. Many reviews highlight concerns about the game's balance, as paying players can gain significant advantages, while the presence of intrusive ads and constant upselling detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the monetization strategy is seen as exploitative, overshadowing any potential enjoyment from the gameplay itself.

    • “The biggest problem of The New Z is its microtransactions, which make it more of a freemium game than anything else.”
    • “For a free game, it has a lot of things to purchase. I'm not saying there shouldn't be any in-app purchases, but to play again after dying, you really have to purchase something.”
    • “Sure, there is an in-game purchase system, but it doesn't put you at a disadvantage too much, or even none at all in my eyes if you don't buy anything.”
    • “The game is full of microtransactions and they try to manipulate you to buy them.”
    • “As if being an atrocious game wasn't enough, it has pay-to-win microtransactions slapped on top of it for the ultimate shit sandwich of terrible gameplay.”
    • “The biggest problem of the game is its microtransactions, which make it more of a freemium game than anything else.”
  • grinding
    91 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game is a mixed bag among players, with many enjoying the equipment and experience farming, while others find it tedious and overly time-consuming. Players appreciate the frequent events and the thrill of PvP, but express frustration over losing hard-earned loot to snipers and hackers, making the grind feel futile at times. Overall, while some find the grinding enjoyable and rewarding, others feel it detracts from the overall experience, leading to a sense of frustration and repetitiveness.

    • “Good free-to-play game; it has its flaws, but it is fun and not too grindy!”
    • “This game manages to take every aspect of a survival game like Unturned and DayZ and make every single encounter in the game extremely boring and tedious.”
    • “All the hard work you put into grinding for ammo and food to stay alive, all the rare armor you find, all the attachments, gone, and you have to start all over again. I've gotten more frustration from this game than I have ever had in my life.”
    • “It's impossible to get into it, and all the good items take eons of farming to get anywhere, but even once you have those items, there's no point to it.”
  • humor
    79 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is often described as unintentional, stemming from its poor graphics, clumsy mechanics, and absurd situations, such as hilarious zombie sounds and glitches. Players find amusement in the game's shortcomings, with many noting that it is more enjoyable when played with friends, leading to shared laughter over the game's flaws. Overall, while the game has significant issues, its comedic elements provide a source of entertainment for many players.

    • “Game looks so bad, but it's so funny and fun with friends.”
    • “The fact you are mad over this is ridiculously funny.”
    • “It's hilarious, someone meme that sh*t.”
    • “Cool to play with friends, but alone is not funny.”
    • “I've lost so much time playing this game, and so many items, due to crashes, bugs, etc. I really do suggest you not download this game and don't make any in-game purchases, because this game sucks so much money out of you it's not funny.”
    • “Hey guys, after playing over 100 hours to fully give this game a chance, I would not recommend it in its current state. No wonder this game is free; it's so broken it's not funny. It has a lot of potential but has so many issues like constantly getting kicked, game crashing, or even the server going down. You rejoin and find you are dead and lost everything again. Plus, it seems that this is just another game made to sucker you into spending money. Everything good requires you to donate to buy items and skins. Just another cash grab. Don't take my word for it; give it a try yourself, but don't be a sucker and spend money. You would be better off playing CS:GO, H1Z1, Arma, or Dead Island if you want zombies, which seems that this game has ripped off a lot of ideas from other games. The only solution at the moment, if they are not going to fix the crashing issues, would be if you didn't lose your loot. Other than that, you're just going to get frustrated. The developers need to pull their fingers out and fix this game.”
  • story
    68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its absence, with many players noting that there are no quests, objectives, or narrative elements to engage with, leading to a lack of motivation and repetitive gameplay. While some players reminisce about past experiences and community interactions, the overall sentiment is that the game would benefit significantly from the addition of a structured storyline, missions, and NPCs to enhance the survival experience. Without these elements, players feel the game lacks purpose and depth.

    • “The lore of that game is pretty interesting and the story behind Unturned Russia can actually turn your survival trip into a hunt for the truth in Russia.”
    • “For me, this story around WarZ has been one hella fun one; people that were part of the community back then, wow.”
    • “The game itself has a long story; now, let me tell you, take a good snack, sit down in your chair comfortably, and enjoy.”
    • “☑️ This game has no story.”
    • “There are no quests or goals that guide you in the wasteland or tell a story, which also leaves you with no motivation.”
    • “It's a grinder game without a story or a purpose.”
  • music
    49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many players describing it as repetitive, annoying, and forgettable. Users have expressed frustration over the inability to mute the music completely, and the loading and menu tracks have been particularly criticized for being grating and poorly composed. While a few players found some nostalgic value in the music, the general consensus is that it detracts significantly from the overall experience.

    • “I made friends during the time I played this game, and the music I listened to while playing brings me happy memories of driving a bus into zombies while getting 1k cash per kill.”
    • “The background music and the sounds the zombies make set just the right mood to be fighting the undead.”
    • “The music and sounds are okay; you can actually tell where shots are being fired from.”
    • “Also, the annoying music still plays when you have it entirely set to off.”
    • “The loading screen when you join a server takes 3-4 minutes every time, and you're stuck listening to the awful single sound of menu music.”
    • “The menus music and loading screen 'music' are simply awful, like I mean really bad.”
  • atmosphere
    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere in "Infestation: The New Z" is widely praised for its immersive world design, effectively conveying a sense of isolation and danger that enhances the survival experience. While some players appreciate the ambient sounds and night lighting, others criticize the graphics and audio quality, noting that they detract from the overall atmosphere. Despite technical issues like crashes and poor FPS, many players find the game's tense environment compelling enough to keep them engaged.

    • “The sense of isolation and danger is palpable, creating a tense atmosphere that keeps players on edge as they explore the world.”
    • “Atmosphere and audio in this game are just perfect; you feel that you're playing a post-apocalyptic game.”
    • “It has some very positive things, like a day/night cycle, nice night atmosphere, and good lighting.”
    • “Didn't really fancy it, nor did I waste much time on it, but for me, it looked like a free DayZ, with that atmosphere of walking miles just to find a can of soda, exploring the dead remains of what once was a civilization.”
    • “I think the best way to sum up this game is that it was built on an engine that just feels right for the PvP intense atmosphere that we know as CrashZ, I mean... WarZ, I mean... Infestation: Survivor Stories or whatever emulator we happen to be playing at the time.”
    • “Visuals: 25% - muddy textures, sketchy post-processing and a boring, generic atmosphere.”
  • emotional
    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional responses to the game are overwhelmingly negative, with players expressing feelings of disappointment, frustration, and even despair. Many users report a profound sense of loss and betrayal, indicating that the game's shortcomings have deeply affected their enjoyment and connection to gaming as a whole. The recurring theme of tears and emotional stakes highlights the intensity of their reactions, leading some to vow never to engage with the developers again.

    • “Tears welled up in his eyes when he realized what exactly was at stake.”
    • “I was only 10 years old when my mother said to him, 'if you ever want to see your grandchildren graduate, you have to stop immediately.' Tears welled up in his eyes when he realized what exactly was at stake.”
    • “Joshi sees an emotional response has registered.”
  • replayability
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's replayability is heavily criticized, with some players finding it infinitely replayable while others rate it as low as 2/10 due to persistent bugs and a lack of engaging content. The overwhelming presence of PvP elements and unchanging graphics further detracts from the experience, leading to frustration rather than enjoyment.

    • “Infinitely replayable.”
    • “Replayability: I guess so.”
    • “The game offers a variety of experiences that encourage multiple playthroughs.”
    • “Replayability and content: 2/10”
    • “Additionally, the persistent bugs and glitches detract from any sense of replayability, as players are likely to encounter the same issues repeatedly.”
    • “Except for the fact that there are more players who chase you down after you leave the safe zone to kill you for no reason, since weapons are not a problem... you find an abundance of them everywhere. The graphics and physics of the game haven't changed since the last release, which I can't believe I paid for. Maybe if there was a mode to be flagged non-PVP, it would be more playable if you really don't have anything else to play!”
  • character development
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is hindered by the requirement of a subscription to access survival or arcade modes, limiting players' ability to fully engage with and evolve their characters. Additionally, the character designs have received mixed feedback, suggesting that while they may be visually appealing, they do not significantly enhance the overall development experience.

    • “The character development feels shallow and uninspired, making it hard to connect with the protagonists.”
    • “I was disappointed by the lack of meaningful choices that affect character growth throughout the game.”
    • “The characters seem one-dimensional, lacking depth and backstory that would make them more engaging.”

Buy Infestation: The New Z

6h Median play time
81h Average play time
2-30h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 91 analyzed playthroughs

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