The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series

If you missed out on The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series now is your chance to experience this acclaimed franchise in one place.

92%Game Brain Score

story, emotional

stability, grinding

97% User Score Based on 16,423 reviews

Critic Score 85%Based on 8 reviews

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About

The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series is a single player survival action adventure game with horror, drama and post-apocalyptic themes. It was developed by Skybound Games and was released on September 10, 2019. It received positive reviews from critics and overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series contains all 4 Seasons and The Walking Dead: Michonne, which includes over 50 hours of gameplay across 23 unique episodes. With graphical enhancements, behind the scenes bonus features and faithful recreations of classic menus, this is the definitive way to experience Clementine's journey and find out how her story ends.

The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series screenshot

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97%

Audience ScoreBased on 16,423 reviews

story3.3k positive mentions

stability128 negative mentions

The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series is renowned for its emotionally gripping, character-driven narrative focusing on Clementine's growth, delivering a deeply immersive and unforgettable storytelling experience.
The series offers exceptional character development, especially the emotionally rich journey of Clementine, creating strong attachments to complex characters and impactful moral choices.
Enhanced visuals through the 'graphic black' art style, improved lighting effects, and quality-of-life upgrades in the definitive edition create a polished and atmospheric presentation that complements the story.

The game suffers from numerous technical issues including bugs, glitches, crashes, and performance problems across multiple seasons, which impact immersion and can frustrate players.
Certain seasons, particularly the Michonne side game and Season 4, receive criticism for weak storylines, poor pacing, underdeveloped characters, and disappointing writing.
Gameplay is simple, often repetitive and on rails, mainly involving dialogue choices and quick-time events, which can feel limiting compared to modern gameplay standards, and some player choices have minimal impact on the overall plot.

story
6,486 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
47%
2%
Telltale's The Walking Dead definitive series is widely acclaimed for its emotionally gripping, character-driven story centered on Clementine's growth amid a zombie apocalypse. While many reviewers note that player choices often create an illusion of impact without dramatically altering the main plot, the narrative's powerful themes, deep character development, and heart-wrenching moments make it a masterpiece of interactive storytelling. Celebrated as one of the best story-driven games ever, it delivers a compelling, immersive experience that resonates long after completion.
- “Telltale’s The Walking Dead is a masterclass in storytelling, blending emotionally devastating choices with unforgettable characters to create a game that stays with you long after the credits roll.”
- “Tracking Clementine’s journey from a frightened child to a hardened survivor across all four seasons, this series delivers a gripping, character-driven narrative where every tough decision matters.”
- “An unforgettable, gut-wrenching, and powerful journey — anyone who loves well-crafted narratives and immersive storytelling should play it at least once.”
- “The michonne side game is the weakest of the collection as it doesn't pertain to clementine's story at all or even the TV version of Michonne but instead her comic book version around the middle of the comic book's canon.”
- “It's the shortest of the games with 3 episodes and that really kills the pacing where it feels like everything happens and yet nothing happens, leaving us no time to get to know characters and for the plot to be so contrived to happen because of the short run time.”
- “The final season has a strong story with clementine mentoring a child in a cruel world, however, so the series ends on a good note (just don't read the clementine comics).”
emotional
1,753 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series is widely praised as an emotional rollercoaster with deeply touching storytelling that forges strong attachments to its characters, especially Clementine and Lee. Players consistently report being moved to tears multiple times, highlighting the game's powerful narrative, heartfelt character development, and impactful, though sometimes limited, choices. It stands out as one of the most emotionally resonant and unforgettable experiences in gaming, highly recommended for those seeking a compelling, story-driven journey.
- “Following Clementine's journey has been one of the most powerful and emotional experiences a gamer can have. The emotional depth, character development, and decisions made you truly care about the outcome.”
- “The Walking Dead isn't just a game—it's an emotional journey that stays with you long after the credits roll. You start as Lee Everett, a man with a rough past, and very quickly become emotionally responsible for Clementine, a child who will absolutely ruin you as a person over the next four seasons.”
- “This game made me cry multiple times and I'd do it all over again. The story is outstanding and provides a heart-wrenching saga of surviving in the apocalypse, filled with tough decisions and unforgettable characters.”
- “Season 4: weak and boring story, annoying characters. I finished it just to see the end of the trip. 5/10”
- “I've never had a storyline captivate me so much. I had all my friends tuning in every day while I played live to see the story progress. They enjoyed the story, but the lack of new games in the series is heartbreaking. My friends and I would love to see what Clementine and AJ are up to now.”
graphics
1,083 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
66%
4%
The graphics of "The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series" feature a distinctive cel-shaded, comic book-inspired art style that aligns well with the source material, enhanced by the "graphic black" filter which adds a cohesive and atmospheric visual presentation across all seasons. While earlier seasons show dated visuals and occasional graphical glitches or bugs, the definitive edition offers notable improvements in lighting, textures, and character models, creating a more polished and immersive experience, though some players prefer the original look or disable the graphic black mode. Overall, the art style is praised for its emotional impact and timelessness, complementing the storytelling despite not having cutting-edge graphics.
- “The definitive series isn’t just a simple bundle — it comes with polished visuals, a unified art style called graphic black, improved lighting effects, and quality‑of‑life upgrades like smoother UI, better performance, and bonus content such as developer commentary, music players, art galleries, and behind‑the‑scenes documentaries.”
- “The "graphic black" art style—now applied across all seasons—makes the game look like a living comic book, dripping with atmosphere.”
- “This collection is also brimmed with plenty of quality-of-life improvements and additions that weren't featured in the original releases for these games, such as remastered textures and the ability to enable the "graphic black" art style featured in the fourth season throughout all of the games, as well as many other features and improvements.”
- “The amount of weird graphical issues and things not looking as they should has taken me out of a lot of scenes, especially in Season 2 - highlights include: the rain of S2E1, driving scenes with Kenny and Jane in S2E5, the yellow sledgehammer of power in S2E4, and Sonic Adventure-esque face-expression snapping throughout both seasons.”
- “There are some negatives I would like to point out though.. there are graphical, audio, lighting and texture problems but they are all minor, they just pulled me out of the story.”
- “The game is a downgrade from just playing the original games individually as the definitive series has introduced numerous graphical bugs that weren't in the originals, including missing or broken textures and lighting glitches.”
gameplay
993 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
72%
6%
The gameplay in The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series is simple and primarily revolves around narrative-driven dialogue choices, quick-time events, and limited exploration, with minimal traditional action or complex mechanics. While some seasons introduce slight improvements and new elements like enhanced combat, the gameplay remains mostly static and can feel repetitive or clunky compared to newer titles. However, the emotional weight of decisions and the storytelling are so compelling that the limited gameplay is generally forgiven and seen as a vehicle for an impactful, character-rich narrative experience.
- “Across 23 episodes and over 50 hours of gameplay, you’ll follow a gripping, character‑driven story set in a zombie apocalypse where every tough choice matters.”
- “While the gameplay mechanics are relatively simple—primarily dialogue trees, quick-time events, and light exploration—the emotional and moral weight of the decisions is where the real challenge lies.”
- “The gameplay, focused on decision-making and dialogues, makes the game accessible to various types of players, not just fans of the zombie theme.”
- “There's little gameplay; the whole series feels like an interactive movie since progression is railroaded.”
- “The gameplay is simple (mostly choices and quick-time events), and some bugs and rough edges remain.”
- “However, as an on rails, choice-driven series, these games have limited gameplay features, relying on quick time events, button mashing, linear movement, and somewhat limited puzzles.”
music
310 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
59%
1%
The soundtrack of The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series is widely praised for its haunting, emotional, and atmospheric qualities that deeply enhance the game's storytelling and mood. Composed by Jared Emerson-Johnson, the music effectively underscores key moments with evocative melodies that resonate long after playing. The inclusion of a comprehensive in-game music player, alongside developer commentary and concept art, adds significant value and immersion for fans.
- “One of the standout elements of this series is its hauntingly beautiful soundtrack.”
- “The musical score, composed by Jared Emerson-Johnson, perfectly complements the game's emotional tone, enhancing key moments with haunting melodies and powerful themes.”
- “The music choices, as well as the OST, are immaculately chosen and give the whole story different feels from time to time; some of the soundtracks and their corresponding scenes are still stuck in my head till this day, bringing me happy and sad memories alike.”
- “The soundtrack is forgettable, which is very disappointing when coming off of season 2, and the art style is gross to look at.”
- “Definitive series audio bug s2: the music and sound effects are just too loud and I seriously can't hear the voice acting (they're mumbling).”
- “Volume is messed up in places like some music tracks are way louder so you can't hear what people are saying.”
character development
171 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
48%
3%
The game is widely praised for its exceptional character development, especially the emotionally rich and evolving journey of Clementine, which deeply engages players. The storytelling expertly weaves player choices into meaningful growth arcs, creating strong attachments to complex, believable characters and elevating the narrative to a highly immersive and cinematic experience. While some seasons receive minor criticism for pacing or weaker development of certain characters, the overall consensus is that character development stands out as a core strength and a major reason to play.
- “Clementine’s journey is one of the best character developments I’ve seen in any game; you really feel like you grow with her through every season.”
- “The character development is absolutely incredible, the writing is very good, you feel an actual connection to the characters and there is very little wrong with the first 3 seasons.”
- “The deep character development, intense moral choices, and heartbreaking moments make this game an unforgettable narrative experience.”
- “The final season makes zero sense plot wise or in terms of character development, is the most poorly written season by a long shot, the previous seasons are okay but they're only good because they're nostalgic, not because the games themselves are any good - a lot of decisions you make don't really matter.”
- “The writing is absolutely awful, comically bad doesn't do it justice because there is nothing funny about the total lack of: cohesive narrative, consistent pacing, character development, or choices that you would want to select (because frequently the only available options make a jarring lack of sense).”
- “But it causes issues with character development, with a lot of wasted potential as some strong characters don't get as much time as they should and some characters are killed before they get true development.”
stability
136 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
94%
The game suffers from frequent bugs, glitches, crashes, and visual errors across multiple seasons, including issues with saves, audio, animation, and load times that can disrupt immersion and gameplay. While the definitive edition improves stability compared to the originals, many technical problems persist, making the experience occasionally frustrating despite the strong story and overall enjoyment it offers.
- “It runs great on anything imaginable and the story draws tears.”
- “Runs great on Steam Deck.”
- “Game is bug free.”
- “Buggy, constant crashes, cheesy story, bad characters, choices don't matter (at all).”
- “Season one is great, but season 2 is a buggy mess where you can't continue a game if you have exited it, only restart - a bug that has been reported for years but never fixed, forcing you to replay/sit through like an hour or two of unskippable cutscenes unless you play the whole long episode through in one go.”
- “This is one of the most buggy games I've ever played and most bugs have been there since the originals, I had to use a bunch of tricks like backing up saves, making anti-virus exclusions, reducing the resolution, running in Windows 8 compatibility + administrator mode.”
optimization
107 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
51%
19%
The Telltale Definitive Series offers improved visuals and generally smoother performance compared to the original releases, making it a solid way to experience the complete story. However, some seasons—especially Season 1 and later ones—still suffer from occasional stuttering, frame rate drops, and minor technical bugs, which can impact immersion. Overall, the optimization is good enough to run on lower-end systems, but some performance issues persist, preventing a fully polished experience.
- “The definitive series isn’t just a simple bundle — it comes with polished visuals, a unified art style called graphic black, improved lighting effects, and quality‑of‑life upgrades like smoother UI, better performance, and bonus content such as developer commentary, music players, art galleries, and behind‑the‑scenes documentaries.”
- “The load times are significantly reduced, the frame rate is smooth, and the overall performance is polished, creating a seamless and immersive experience.”
- “The telltale definitive series brings together all the seasons in one place, letting you experience Clementine’s journey from beginning to end with updated visuals and improved performance.”
- “Season 1 has performance issues baked in it the definitive edition can't fix.”
- “Not a remaster, not an update, not a patch, just packed in a launcher, with worse performance than the original games and visual glitches and frame rate issues, this collection is really only worth it on a deep sale, or if you really like bonus features (of which I couldn't load without the launcher crashing, lol.) Get the original games on their own to experience this story at its best.”
- “The season 1 is not that optimized so regardless how powerful your PC is, it will show stutter and lag, unless you lower the graphics all the way down.”
atmosphere
104 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
57%
3%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive, haunting, and tension-filled portrayal of a post-apocalyptic world, enhanced by a distinctive comic-book art style, evocative music, and strong voice acting. This blend creates a gripping emotional experience that resonates throughout all seasons, making each choice feel impactful and the narrative deeply engaging. Overall, the atmospheric soundtrack, visual style, and sound design work seamlessly together to deliver a rich, memorable ambiance often compared favorably to other top narrative-driven games.
- “Combined with a hauntingly fitting soundtrack and strong voice performances, the atmosphere is unforgettable.”
- “The game’s atmosphere perfectly captures the tension and bleakness of a post-apocalyptic world, with haunting music and sound design that elevate the emotional impact.”
- “The story, art style, atmosphere, and soundtrack all come together beautifully to create an immersive experience.”
- “It pretty much just adds a visual filter over the entire game that aims to give it a more comic book style look, but I think it overall messes with the original art style and atmosphere intended by the developers because it wasn't implemented very well.”
- “Buy them separately this "definitive" collection absolutely butchers these games and makes them look like busted up pieces of crap completely ruining the atmosphere of some sections and somehow having more bugs than a 2012 Telltale game.”
- “The changes to the graphics are noticeable especially in the first and second game, no more Javier glitchy backpack in 3, and overall more shadows which do add to the atmosphere but it does seem like too much darkness sometimes in some areas.”
replayability
92 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
55%
3%
The game offers strong replayability driven by meaningful, choice-based narratives that lead to multiple story paths and varied endings, encouraging players to explore different outcomes. While some note that core experiences may not drastically change after multiple playthroughs, the emotional investment and branching decisions provide significant value for at least one or more additional runs. Overall, the series is praised for its immersive storytelling and compelling characters, making it a highly replayable experience for fans of narrative-driven games.
- “Choice-based narrative often has you regretting or questioning your decisions in a good way, making for good replay value.”
- “Replaying with knowledge of how different choices can lead to drastically different outcomes adds immense replay value.”
- “This dynamic decision-making not only adds replay value but also invests players emotionally, as they grapple with the repercussions of their choices, fostering a unique and personal gaming experience.”
- “Therefore, this game is completely unreplayable.”
- “It's not replayable though, unless you want to do the entire thing again.”
- “I didn't like how linear gameplay can feel with little replay value; I understand the choices you make dictate the way the game is played, but the second season is a prime example of how no matter what you choose, the outcome is the same.”
humor
81 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game masterfully balances deep, emotional storytelling with moments of genuine humor, often derived from character interactions, witty dialogue, and occasional technical glitches that create unintentionally funny scenes. Players frequently experience a rollercoaster of emotions—laughing amidst sadness and tension—with humor serving as a heartfelt relief in the otherwise grim narrative. While some find the writing or animation unintentionally amusing, the humor contributes significantly to the game's charm and emotional impact.
- “The gameplay is pressing a few buttons but no one plays a Telltale game for its gameplay, and the dialogue can be equally funny and deranged at times.”
- “I once accidentally got someone killed because I thought I was choosing a friendly option, and I couldn't stop laughing at the absurdity of it all.”
- “Season 4 - I like how the game remembers my stupidest choices from the previous games like I called Lily's dad a racist in the first game and it actually came back in reference in this one. Clem mentioning it is actually funny as hell; the fact that made a comeback made me laugh my ass off even though it was such a minor dialogue choice.”
grinding
74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
74%
22%
Grinding in the game is widely described as tedious, slow, and repetitive, often making progression feel frustrating or boring despite an overall engaging story. While some moments or fight scenes are praised, frequent repetitive gameplay sections lead to fatigue and a sense of excessive grind.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Time for grinding will be required.”
- “You'll be grinding a lot.”
- “Bro this game is actually insane, I've been grinding it since childhood and it still makes me want to cry every playthrough.”
- “The definitive series cannot rectify fundamental writing issues in season three, making progress to the final season feel tedious.”
- “I found it tedious, slow and not engaging.”
monetization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization is praised for avoiding aggressive tactics like microtransactions, relying solely on the base purchase without pushing additional spending. However, some frustration is noted regarding the lack of proper save support between seasons and limited advertising for the series as a whole. Overall, it is seen as a fair and less exploitative approach compared to previous cash-grab versions.
- “Why play a cash grab from a character of a failed TV series.”
- “The remaster is much better compared to the terrible cash grab collection version that Telltale released before it shut down.”
- “I saw ads for season 3 as it was coming out, but without my original save (or any save) to continue from, I never picked up season 3 and then completely missed the final season when it came out.”

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85%Critics’ scoreBased on 8 critic reviews

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50h Median play time

80h Average play time

35-57h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 56 analyzed playthroughs

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The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series is a survival action adventure game with horror, drama and post-apocalyptic themes.

The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series is available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and others.

On average players spend around 80 hours playing The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series.

The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series was released on September 10, 2019.

The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series was developed by Skybound Games.

The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series for its story but disliked it for its stability.

The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series is a single player game.

Similar games include The Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: Season Two, The Walking Dead: The Final Season, Life is Strange, The Walking Dead: A New Frontier and others.

The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series

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