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Quarantine Zone: The Last Check

A tense management sim where you have to make choices and thrive on duty and atmosphere. Even though it has bugs and repeats itself a lot in the endgame, the inspection gameplay at its core makes for a gripping and thoughtful survival story.
Quarantine Zone: The Last Check Game Cover
79%Game Brain Score
gameplay, story
stability, grinding
82% User Score Based on 5,018 reviews
Critic Score 69%Based on 2 reviews

Platforms

PCXbox Game PassXboxWindows
Quarantine Zone: The Last Check Game Cover

About

Quarantine Zone: The Last Check is a single player management game with drama, post-apocalyptic and science fiction themes. It was developed by Brigada Games and was released on January 12, 2026. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

"Papers, Please" meets zombie apocalypse. Command the last blockade, inspect survivors, and decide their fate: trust, quarantine, or liquidate. Expand your base, upgrade defenses, and fend off hordes. Every step shapes humanity’s survival. Your choice matters and every mistake costs a life...

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82%
Audience ScoreBased on 5,018 reviews
gameplay260 positive mentions
stability308 negative mentions

  • Engaging inspection gameplay loop with progressively unlocking tools adds depth and keeps the game fresh.
  • Charming atmosphere with well-balanced tension and base management elements; includes amusing side quests and streamer cameos.
  • Active developer support with frequent bug fixes, and features like petting a cat add personality and enjoyment.
  • The game suffers from numerous bugs including crashes, soft-locks, and difficult symptom visualization leading to player frustration.
  • The campaign is relatively short and the gameplay becomes repetitive and tedious toward later stages and in endless mode.
  • Some game mechanics feel underdeveloped or out of place, such as the drone defense minigame disrupting the overall flow.
  • gameplay
    796 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay offers a solid and engaging core loop reminiscent of "Papers, Please," blending survivor inspection, base management, and defense mechanics that evolve gradually with unlocking new tools and symptoms. While initially addictive and satisfying with tense decision-making and inventive mechanics, many players find it becomes repetitive and somewhat shallow after several hours, with some secondary mechanics feeling underdeveloped or intrusive. Frequent bugs and unclear explanations of key systems occasionally disrupt the experience, but with ongoing updates, the gameplay shows promise for deeper and more polished engagement.

    • “Simple enough you won't get confused or frustrated with the gameplay, yet dynamic enough you can keep coming back without getting bored.”
    • “The gameplay loop is really fun and addictive, with a satisfying progression system that introduces new tools, symptoms, and challenges at a well-balanced pace.”
    • “The core gameplay loop consists of inspecting survivors for symptoms, making tough decisions, upgrading tools and base defenses, and managing resources, which is engaging and rewarding for fans of 'papers, please'-style games.”
    • “The gameplay gets stale fairly quick, might be worth it on sale if you're into it.”
    • “The base upgrades also make things a lot easier, which in some aspects are nice, but it takes away from some of the mechanics.”
    • “Gameplay is very repetitive and if you want, you can end the campaign under 10 hours.”
  • story
    642 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story mode offers a brief, simple narrative that primarily serves as a backdrop for gameplay, with limited depth, character development, or emotional engagement. While some players appreciate the light story and side quests for adding variety, many find the story shallow, repetitive, and bug-ridden, with frequent issues in quest completion and minimal impact on gameplay outcomes. Overall, the story is seen as a basic framework rather than a compelling narrative, with calls for more content, richer storytelling, and better quest design in future updates.

    • “The story blends routine checks with story elements and side missions, gradually expanding the systems you have to manage.”
    • “The story mode was a blast, with enough variety to keep things from feeling stale, and the storytelling teaches mechanics without feeling like a tutorial.”
    • “Great story and lots of content; the campaign is interesting enough for a short simple story and the base defense segments provide fun breaks.”
    • “Despite there being a campaign, there really is no story here.”
    • “All the mechanics are neat but since the game felt so barebone and had like 1 actual story mission it felt like I can't recommend this game as it is the size of a normal game's DLC.”
    • “Buggy, no story, very repetitive and lacks features which makes the campaign mode feel like an endless mode which should have ended after 4 hours because that's when you saw all that the game had to offer and the second half of the game doesn't introduce a single new feature.”
  • stability
    317 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is widely criticized for being highly buggy, with frequent glitches, soft locks, freezes, and crashes that often disrupt gameplay and progression. While some players find the core gameplay enjoyable despite these issues, many consider the current state too unstable for a full release and recommend waiting for further patches. Developers have been actively addressing bugs, but the game remains noticeably glitchy and inconsistent for many users.

    • “It's a great game, I'd say it was worth the price, and was not buggy in the slightest for me when I played.”
    • “For me, it ran perfectly with 10 hours of playtime and was 100% bug free.”
    • “It may not be verified as of this review, but the game runs great on Deck and the controls are perfect out of the gate.”
    • “There are so many glitches that make the game actually unplayable.”
    • “The amount of glitches and bugs in this game is beyond a joke; the developers need to fix it. Every time I play, I encounter a new problem. It has potential but constant issues ruin the experience.”
    • “Soft locks, hard locks, freezes, contraband not showing up, and other game-breaking bugs make progress impossible.”
  • graphics
    315 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's graphics are generally praised for their quality and atmospheric contribution, offering strong visuals that fit the theme well. However, many users report frequent graphical bugs such as pixelation, blurriness, crashes, and settings resetting, especially on AMD cards, leading to poor symptom visibility and gameplay disruptions. While high settings deliver good visuals, lower settings impair clarity, making diagnosis difficult, and the game suffers from optimization and stability issues that currently mar the overall experience.

    • “The graphics are great, the symptoms are very extensive, research is not the best.”
    • “It has the modern graphics issue, graphics are trying to be photorealistic while NPCs behave the same way they do in HL1.”
    • “The graphics are incredible, same for the voicelines and just the gameplay itself.”
    • “The game crashes almost every time I play it and I am required to play the game on lower quality settings due to a graphical processing error that makes the game nearly unplayable, with a complete breakdown of graphics and fidelity on higher settings.”
    • “Amd users have been known to crash, and the current fix they offer is a pop-up window asking players to downgrade their AMD graphics drivers. I didn't buy a new computer to keep up with newer games' graphical demands only to have to downgrade to play this.”
    • “Constant graphical glitches and crashing make this a genuine slog to try and play.”
  • humor
    103 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game features a mix of quirky, dark, and sometimes jarring humor that adds charm and levity to its zombie-themed gameplay, with many players appreciating the funny bugs, references, and easter eggs. While some find the humor occasionally out of place or repetitive, it generally enhances the experience by balancing tension with laughter through witty achievements, amusing side quests, and unexpected character moments. Overall, the humor is a highlight, making the game entertaining and memorable despite its flaws.

    • “The campaign was the perfect mix of charming jank, funny moments, and challenge that you'd want in a game like this.”
    • “The dark humor makes it even better because you’re stressed, guilty, and laughing at the same time.”
    • “Love all the Easter eggs and funny jokes.”
  • grinding
    97 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding in the game is widely described as tedious and repetitive, often becoming a chore after prolonged play. While some players find the repetitive tasks soothing or satisfying, many criticize the cumbersome UI, slow symptom-checking mechanics, and lack of meaningful progression, especially in later stages or endless mode. Bugs and poorly designed systems exacerbate the feeling of grind, making it difficult to maintain engagement beyond the initial hours.

    • “A bit repetitive near the end of the campaign but it wasn't tedious at all.”
    • “A bit grindy sometimes.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “It's a game and it's interesting for a few hours but then it's just "rinse and repeat" with a lot of grinding.”
    • “Nothing to upgrade, no new symptoms to find or tools to unlock, just grinding for the sake of it.”
    • “Instead, I can't recommend this game because it starts to just feel like a chore after a while, especially when I unlocked the UV light; it just made the game feel even more tedious, especially since the battery runs out after a couple of seconds and you have to keep pressing the button.”
  • optimization
    87 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Optimization for the game is mixed, with many users reporting poor performance, frequent bugs, and crashes, especially on AMD hardware, requiring workarounds like driver downgrades. While some find it runs smoothly on decent rigs or after patches, the game generally demands above-average hardware and suffers from inconsistent stability and graphical issues. Ongoing hotfixes show promise, but overall optimization remains a significant area for improvement.

    • “Very crisp, sharp, and satisfying to look at, and nicely optimized.”
    • “It seems very stable and optimized, having experienced minor bugs and 0 crashes.”
    • “Played the demo and now on the actual launch all the demo issues have been fixed and game runs smoothly.”
    • “You need good enough hardware to run this game smoothly too (poor optimization).”
    • “Even with a top-tier rig, you can't get both smooth performance and razor sharp resolution; you gotta choose one; and frame generation is all but mandatory.”
    • “After 11 hours I must say the gameplay is fun but it sucks that it becomes more difficult the worse your graphics are; otherwise it is quite badly optimized. I have it on medium settings and it looks mediocre or worse than Fallout 4 (which my laptop can run better than this game). There are plenty of bugs with pathfinding bugging out and me randomly getting catapulted into a soft lock after a guard pushed me, so I wouldn't recommend it at least until it's better optimized.”
  • replayability
    59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's replayability is generally seen as limited, with many users feeling it offers a fun but short experience that becomes repetitive and loses appeal after initial playthroughs. However, some players appreciate the challenge scaling, different scenarios, and potential for achieving alternate endings or achievements, which add moderate replay value. Overall, replayability hinges on future content updates and randomized elements to maintain long-term engagement.

    • “Very good game, I enjoy the premise and how things get harder with time and how it is so replayable.”
    • “Love it, the amount of detail and different scenarios you run into make it replayable and fun. Highly recommend.”
    • “Strong replay value and well worth the price—you can easily play for hours.”
    • “It has 0 replay value, so it's a one-and-done type situation—super repetitive and gets boring after a while.”
    • “There isn't nearly enough here to justify playing for more than a few hours, and there is only replayability if you are an absolute animal for processing the same characters with the same symptoms over and over again.”
    • “The experience is solid during that time, but replayability drops off significantly once the campaign is finished.”
  • atmosphere
    55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its tense, immersive, and oppressive mood, enhanced by gritty visuals, sound design, and weather effects that pull players into a post-apocalyptic world. While some mention repetitive elements and lack of threat, the overall experience is consistently described as compelling, dark, and well-suited to its survival horror and moral-choice themes. The atmosphere is considered the game's strongest asset, effectively complementing gameplay and narrative.

    • “The atmosphere is excellent — it’s tense, immersive, and really pulls you into the world.”
    • “The atmosphere is a standout: gritty visuals, unsettling audio design, and the constant pressure that one bad decision can unravel everything.”
    • “The atmosphere is incredibly well done — dark, oppressive, and constantly filled with suspense.”
    • “The atmosphere is dull, and the gameplay is clunky at best.”
    • “No atmosphere, no tension, no audio cues that make you nervous.”
    • “The atmosphere is nowhere near what it could be; there is no danger or threat despite being, as I said, on the first line of defence in a zombie apocalypse.”
  • music
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music generally fits the zombie game setting well, offering a chill and appropriate atmosphere reminiscent of games like "The Last of Us." However, it is often described as light, infrequent, or "meh," with some players noting long silent stretches that could benefit from more ambient tracks. Overall, while not outstanding, the soundtrack supports immersion and relaxation without being overwhelming.

    • “The best part of this game currently is the soundtrack; especially on the main page.”
    • “The music and atmosphere has a "The Last of Us" vibe which I love!”
    • “The music fits the setting amazingly well.”
    • “No jukebox or option to listen to all the soundtrack.”
    • “The audio is lacking; there’s music and stings in some areas, but long stretches of silence elsewhere feel noticeable and could benefit from subtle ambient music.”
    • “Music is light and infrequent; the game could use a bit more music in general.”
  • emotional
    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional impact of the game is mixed, with some players feeling a sense of responsibility and empathy, while others find it lacking in meaningful tension and depth compared to similar titles like Papers, Please or This War of Mine. Many note that the emotional weight is limited by bugs, vague storytelling, and the absence of intense moral dilemmas, resulting in a less engaging experience for those seeking a heavy, dramatic narrative. Overall, the game shows potential for emotional complexity but currently falls short of delivering a truly impactful or heartfelt experience.

    • “I would give it a 9, but having to lose the campaign felt bad; my survivors kept dying due to overcrowding, and it made me feel like I was failing my people who were counting on me.”
    • “You are regularly confronted with situations where empathy and logic clash, and the game never lets you off the hook emotionally.”
    • “Overall, Quarantine Zone: The Last Check stands out as a thoughtful and emotionally demanding survival simulation that prioritizes consequence over spectacle.”
  • monetization
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization of the game is widely criticized as a shameless cash grab with repetitive, underdeveloped content and intrusive ads, despite the absence of microtransactions. While some users appreciate the in-game quest rewards, many feel the game lacks meaningful updates and feels more like a quick money-making effort than a polished product. Overall, the monetization approach has left players disappointed and skeptical.

    • “- No microtransactions”
    • “Waste of time, super repetitive, not a lot of content, seems incomplete and a quick cash grab.”
    • “Atm it's chill time-killer but too cash grab and under-developed.”
    • “It's a twitch hype cash grab that will be forgotten in two weeks.”
  • character development
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development is praised for the engaging survivor scanning mechanic, but is hindered by confusing and inconsistent character designs that blur the line between symptoms and game glitches.

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9h Median play time
10h Average play time
5-15h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 59 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Quarantine Zone: The Last Check is a management game with drama, post-apocalyptic and science fiction themes.

Quarantine Zone: The Last Check is available on PC, Windows, Xbox Game Pass and Xbox.

On average players spend around 10 hours playing Quarantine Zone: The Last Check.

Quarantine Zone: The Last Check was released on January 12, 2026.

Quarantine Zone: The Last Check was developed by Brigada Games.

Quarantine Zone: The Last Check has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its stability.

Quarantine Zone: The Last Check is a single player game.

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