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The Walking Trade Game Cover

About

The Walking Trade is a single player survival shooter game with horror, economy and post-apocalyptic themes. It was developed by Microwave Games and was released on March 5, 2026. It received positive reviews from players.

Run a shop in the zombie apocalypse! Trade batteries, craft stock, manage your staff, and fend off undead hordes. Will you be a hero, or profit at any cost? Your choices shape your store - and your fate.

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88%Audience ScoreBased on 832 reviews
gameplay50 positive mentions
stability49 negative mentions

  • Engaging gameplay loop that combines shop management, scavenging, crafting, and zombie defense.
  • Unique concept mixing a store simulator with zombie apocalypse survival elements.
  • Active and responsive developer with frequent updates and bug fixes.
  • Game suffers from numerous bugs and AI pathfinding issues affecting gameplay experience.
  • Inventory and item management are clunky and often frustrating due to physics and collision problems.
  • Lacks sufficient content and depth leading to repetitive gameplay and lack of long-term goals.
  • gameplay

    137 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay offers an engaging and addictive simulator experience blending shop management, survival, and combat mechanics, with a unique and evolving gameplay loop that many find satisfying. However, it can become repetitive and slows down significantly after extended play, with bugs, AI issues, and limited content hindering long-term depth and complexity. Players appreciate the solid core mechanics and developer responsiveness but hope for more polish, expanded features, and richer management systems in future updates.

    • “Not always the most intuitive but it's a pretty in-depth little simulator game with a good balance of mechanics.”
    • “The combination of shop management, resource gathering, and survival mechanics forms a loop that feels different from more traditional simulators.”
    • “The core gameplay is strong, it is easy to get hooked, and it has that dangerous “I’ll just keep playing for a little longer” energy that simulator fans know all too well.”
    • “The gameplay loop is incredibly mundane and boring, employee AI works about as well as a housefly trying to control a fighter jet.”
    • “My progression has slowed to a crawl as the majority of my gameplay now is just rebooting the game every time the AI crashes.”
    • “While the gameplay is different than most in the genre in that you actually do more than just run the shop, the game is lacking quite a few systems and depth to make it more engaging and fulfilling.”
  • stability

    51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is notably buggy, with frequent glitches affecting UI, AI behavior, item management, and performance, especially in late-game scenarios. While these issues can be frustrating and at times game-breaking, the developer is highly active and responsive, regularly releasing fixes to improve stability. Overall, the game remains enjoyable but still requires significant polish to address its numerous bugs.

    • “Overall, it's pretty smooth even though it isn't bug free, and it's intuitive and easy to figure out the controls and master the gameplay aspect.”
    • “They are both the same type of setting but differ in objectives, so both will give you two different environments and mechanics, but Rise of Gun® runs great, much further along and not riddled with bugs.”
    • “That being said the game is so buggy it's funny for the first five minutes, then just rage inducing—shelves and items sometimes fire off through the store when someone gets too close.”
    • “My issue is that the endgame is really buggy; the premise is an autonomous shop, but storage and employee bugs make it impossible to craft or do other tasks because the store ends up too hands-on.”
    • “The game is really buggy: the screen sometimes turns completely brown, cleaners get stuck in random places about 50% of the time, and auto minigun turrets did not work at all.”
  • story

    30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game currently has little to no overarching story or clear ending, with most progression tied to completing missions and crafting tasks rather than narrative development. Players find the missions fun but feel the experience lacks depth and motivation without a more defined plot or continuous objectives. While some appreciate the unique gameplay blend, many hope for expanded story content and more varied missions to maintain long-term engagement.

    • “There's plenty to unlock, and a story to keep you entertained, as well as the standard annoyances any retail worker has to deal with on a day to day basis.”
    • “There is actually a story, skill progression, and quite easy to get someone to run the counter for you while you handle fighting zombies.”
    • “Story progression - I like the objectives of crafting 20 items, or opening the first gate.”
    • “There's no real story to speak of or overarching objective other than clearing the map.”
    • “No story, no clear instructions, no end; just too suck. When I have too many items, NPCs don't even clean anymore, it becomes a big mess. Also, gameplay is boring, too easy and nothing special. There are bugs like zombies or items stuck in the wall.”
    • “My main criticism is that once you’ve completed the available missions and explored the current locations on the map, the game can start to feel like there’s not much left to work towards.”
  • graphics

    28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's low-poly, simplistic graphics are generally praised for their charming and nostalgic style, effectively complementing the zombie apocalyptic theme. While some users find the visuals somewhat outdated or occasionally glitchy, many appreciate the clear, functional art direction that suits the gameplay. Overall, the graphics are viewed as pleasant and fitting, though they may lack polish or complexity for those seeking a more detailed experience.

    • “The low-poly art style works surprisingly well for the atmosphere.”
    • “It pairs nicely with the zombie apocalyptic aesthetic.”
    • “✔️ Clean low-poly visuals that deliver graphically.”
    • “It has a bit of jankiness to it and the graphics remind me of games I used to play when I was a teenager...some thirty years ago.”
    • “Mildly entertaining, I'd probably like it more if the game had a real art style.”
    • “The visuals follow a simple, low-poly style that prioritizes clarity over detail, which suits the gameplay but does little to elevate the presentation beyond functional.”
  • grinding

    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding in the game is often described as tedious and time-consuming, particularly when it comes to crafting, achievement hunting, and managing chores like cleaning and organizing. While the gameplay loop and combat offer fun breaks, many players find repetitive tasks and constant micro-management dull, though hiring NPC helpers can alleviate some grind. Overall, the grind slows progression and can detract from the experience despite the game's addictive elements.

    • “If you are achievement hunting you will probably need to spend a good chunk of time finishing it out, so expect it to get grindy.”
    • “In the current state of the game, crafting is a tedious slog that doesn't feel worth the time even when fully upgraded.”
    • “Having to constantly reassign the workers every single day to the same tasks I always put them on is a tedious chore and makes me roll my eyes every time I have to do it.”
  • optimization

    16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game generally runs smoothly with strong performance and an easy-to-use UI, especially early on, but experiences notable optimization issues and lag in the late game, particularly after extensive upgrades and complex setups. Some bugs and performance drops, including stuttering and freezing related to specific in-game actions, occasionally disrupt gameplay. Overall, it shows promise but would benefit from further optimization and bug fixes to enhance late-game stability.

    • “Concept is very cool, no performance issues and UI was easy to use and had a nice design.”
    • “✔️ Strong performance stability at 4k.”
    • “It runs smoothly, and I highly recommend buying it if you like simulator games and zombies.”
    • “Was having tons of fun but when I bought all the upgrades for expanding the store, the performance went to crap.”
    • “Now the real issue is late game optimization becomes a nightmare... extremely laggy.”
    • “But it definitely needs a little polish and AI and bugs pop up from time to time as well as a late game performance issue where the game freezes whenever you put a basket or cardboard box back on its stack near the front door.”
  • humor

    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is often derived from its quirky, unpredictable glitches and amusing character moments, such as exploding items and hilarious zombies. While funny at first, some bugs can become frustrating over time, though they add a charming, unintended comedic element. Overall, the game’s humor adds to its appeal, especially for fans of absurd, bug-induced chaos.

    • “It's pretty funny main lining one scavenging spot with all your employees and watching on as they bring back 20 double shelf units exploding everywhere.”
    • “I love the random zombies, the guy in the hotdog suit is hilarious.”
    • “There are a few bugs that create quite some hilarious moments, like cleaners turning your whole store upside down because they believe baskets are useless and everything belongs on the floor.”
  • music

    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is generally appreciated for being pleasant and enhancing the relaxing atmosphere, though some users feel the soundtrack is lacking and suggest adding more variety and voices to enrich the experience. Overall, the audio is considered stable and enjoyable but could benefit from additional content.

    • “The checkout sounds are literally magnificent, the music is nice, and honestly everything about the game is just chef’s kiss.”
    • “Great game to chill with music.”
    • “I'm enjoying the game, I like the art style, the music is not annoying and it runs stable and well.”
    • “It could use some music and more voices because it feels a bit lonely and sparse in that regard.”
    • “My only gripe is that the soundtrack sucks.”
    • “More decorations and ways to draw customers (music, treats, food cart, etc.) to your shop would be cool.”
  • atmosphere

    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's distinctive low-poly art style effectively creates a strong, immersive atmosphere that balances tension and curiosity, enhancing the world-building and overall mood. Players find the atmosphere unique and engaging, contributing significantly to an enjoyable and captivating experience.

    • “The low-poly art style works surprisingly well for the atmosphere.”
    • “Strong atmosphere: the world-building and overall mood successfully keep me on edge yet curious to explore further.”
    • “This game is a very enjoyable experience with a unique atmosphere and engaging gameplay.”
  • replayability

    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users generally find the game's replayability limited at its current state, noting that while some intentional leveling adds minor replay value, overall there isn't much incentive to replay. However, this is not seen as a major issue and may improve with future content updates.

    • “Personally adds replayability as some things you actually have to intentionally level up, whereas other things are sort of done for you.”
    • “I think my main complaint (ignoring the glitches/bugs because they're getting fixed regularly) is that there isn't a lot of replayability.”
    • “Price point is MSRP is 3 dollars too much IMO, but it's still early and I need to see what content and replayability there is.”
    • “Doesn't have a lot of replayability as of current.”
    • “I think my main complaint (ignoring the glitches/bugs because again, they're getting fixed regularly) is that there isn't a lot of replayability.”
    • “Price point is MSRP is 3 dollars too much IMO, but it's still early on and I need to see what content and replayability there is.”
  • monetization

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users feel that the monetization relies heavily on AI-driven cash grabs, which diminishes the enjoyment of the game, and they express frustration over misleading advertising.

    • “There are too many games from this genre/style that are quick AI cash grabs and are sucking the fun out of this type of game.”
    • “The advertising lies yet again.”
  • emotional

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users found the game emotionally frustrating and unengaging, citing poor controls, lack of community support, and tedious, uninteresting gameplay that led to discomfort and boredom from the start.

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9h Median play time
10h Average play time
6-12h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 21 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

The Walking Trade is a survival shooter game with horror, economy and post-apocalyptic themes.

The Walking Trade is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 10 hours playing The Walking Trade.

The Walking Trade was released on March 5, 2026.

The Walking Trade was developed by Microwave Games.

The Walking Trade has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked The Walking Trade for its gameplay but disliked it for its stability.

The Walking Trade is a single player game.

Similar games include HumanitZ, Night of the Dead, Zombie Graveyard Simulator, Mist Survival, Sunkenland and others.