ZED ZONE

About

ZED ZONE is a single player open world role playing game with a post-apocalyptic theme. It was developed by Leven Liu and was released on March 29, 2023. It received positive reviews from players.

A great catastrophe has come, and you, who are on duty, crash and trapped in a Zed Zone. There are zombies and monsters everywhere, In order to escape, by collecting materials, upgrading skills, building shelters, defeating zombie waves and mysterious mechs, chasing a glimmer of hope.

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82%

Audience ScoreBased on 719 reviews

gameplay27 positive mentions

optimization11 negative mentions

Immersive survival mechanics with diverse crafting, base building, and resource management.
Engaging and satisfying combat system with a wide variety of weapons and unique zombies.
Frequent updates and active developer communication showing strong ongoing support.

Numerous bugs including game-breaking crashes, save corruption, and inventory issues affecting stability.
Poor optimization causing frequent frame drops and performance issues even on higher-end hardware.
Clunky UI with small fonts, confusing inventory management, lack of keybinding support, and inconsistent translations.

gameplay
96 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
69%
3%
The gameplay offers an engaging and immersive survival experience with diverse crafting, combat, and base-building mechanics reminiscent of popular zombie survival games, though it remains rough around the edges. While the core gameplay loop is addictive and shows great potential, issues like bugs, UI clutter, performance problems, and a steep learning curve currently hinder the overall experience. Ongoing updates and developer communication suggest improvement prospects, making it promising for fans of action-based, detailed survival gameplay once polished.
- “It has everything a good zombie game needs: crafting, survival mechanics, vehicle use, weapon crafting and modification, base building, trading, and zombie, animal, and human enemies.”
- “The mechanics are somewhat simple to learn, and a lot of progress can be made in a single session while not feeling like the game is just handing free stuff out.”
- “The concept and gameplay is top notch; the feel of the guns firing and the impact of melee weapons can really be felt through the screen.”
- “I have never been able to get into Project Zomboid mostly because there are so many different mechanics and ways to play the game that I kind of get overwhelmed, my character has like 20 debuffs in the first 30 minutes, and the combat just felt too slow and sluggish.”
- “Sure it has some fun elements but right now at least it's messy, both visually and mechanically.”
- “My biggest gripe is that food and water deplete frustratingly quickly as most of my gameplay was comprised of just getting food and water to keep my meters filled.”
graphics
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
73%
7%
The graphics feature a distinctive pixel art style with atmospheric, gritty, and post-apocalyptic visuals that enhance immersion, though some find the art direction and perspective confusing or jarring. While the style is charming and offers customization options like filters and shaders, there are occasional technical issues such as frame rate drops and graphical glitches. Overall, the graphics are functional and fitting for indie survival fans, though they may feel unpolished or insufficiently refined compared to similar games.
- “ Atmospheric and gritty visuals: explore a vividly depicted post-apocalyptic world, with gritty visuals and immersive settings that heighten the survival experience.”
- “The dark, atmospheric visuals and detailed environments further immerse players, enhancing the sense of isolation and urgency as they face off against waves of the undead.”
- “Graphics are a mix of retro/new (bloom effects, shading and all is quite impressive for a game like that) and you have like 4 different options to change the style of pixels.”
- “The 'perspective' artstyle of being behind a building is pretty bad; it's honestly jarring and confusing.”
- “Graphical glitches, items rarely disappearing and some collision issues are a few that come to mind.”
- “I have a 1070 and a decent computer to boot, and even with many graphic options turned off, I'm having to deal with constant frame drop even with no enemy on the screen.”
optimization
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
58%
27%
Optimization remains a significant issue, with frequent stuttering, crashes, and high resource demands, especially during intense combat or large enemy spawns, even on high-end systems. While ongoing updates have improved performance somewhat, many players still experience inconsistent FPS and occasional bugs, making the game frustrating to play at times. The developer's active efforts are noted, but further optimization is urgently needed for a smoother, more stable experience.
- “The solo developer is obviously very passionate in his work, and I have yet to run into any game-breaking bugs. When I first played, there were some optimization issues, but throughout the updates it's only gotten better and better.”
- “I looted the nearby bodies next to a crashed chopper and found the performance to be far better than the week-old build I played first, and the graphics (UI and game itself) to be smoother and easier on the eyes.”
- “Also haven’t encountered many, if any, bugs so far and it seems to be decently optimized.”
- “The game’s high resource demand, especially during large enemy spawns, has led to crashes for many players, even on higher-end systems.”
- “The optimization is just about the worst I've seen for a game that doesn't seem like it would be difficult to run.”
- “Very poorly optimized with hard FPS drops fairly often even on medium map and medium enemy population.”
stability
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
93%
The game currently suffers from numerous bugs and glitches, including graphical issues, item disappearing, collision problems, and UI glitches, reflecting its early access and alpha status. Despite these stability issues, many users acknowledge its potential and enjoyable core gameplay, expecting improvements with further patches. The solo or small development team contributes to slower bug fixes, but the game shows promise once stability is enhanced.
- “Runs great.”
- “Riddled with run-breaking bugs and glitches.”
- “Graphical glitches, items rarely disappearing and some collision issues are a few that come to mind.”
- “Played this game shortly after launch and aside from it being a buggy mess, there was zero keybind support, and the dev really didn't care when multiple people made requests for it to be added.”
story
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
68%
16%
The game's story is currently minimal, with only a main mission and scattered lore notes providing background, leaving many players wanting more quests, NPCs, and narrative depth to enhance immersion. While the setting and atmosphere are compelling, the lack of clear goals and factions makes the story feel underdeveloped. Players hope for future updates to expand the narrative and add more engaging content.
- “The story gradually reveals itself as players uncover clues about the disaster and their place within this decaying environment.”
- “The game's intricate design, compelling storyline, and stunning graphics immediately pulled me in.”
- “Decent price, good gameplay, the loop/story could use some work in presentation, but it's nothing negative, just feels a little wonky, still getting updates, nice.”
- “Currently it's an excellent zombie survival sandbox, something like a zomboid, but would love to see a story/narrative added in (even if it's just for flavor) at some point.”
- “My biggest concern is that there appears to be no story to speak of, no quests, so currently I am at a loss about what to do now that I have fixed the targeting computer.”
- “I'm not sure why I should continue playing it, if I go in and try to play it like a shooter my weapons break, there's no quest to do or people to visit.”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
92%
Grinding in the game can feel somewhat tedious, especially when gathering resources like fuel or managing inventory and crafting, but it is implemented in a way that remains engaging without becoming overwhelmingly grindy. While some players find certain aspects like farming and item management a bit time-consuming, others appreciate that the game avoids turning into a frustrating grind, keeping progression intuitive and enjoyable.
- “Gas is a a little weird to come by as well; even if you find a gas tank in a supermarket, it's always empty for some reason, and it's a bit grindy to get fuel by burning fat.”
- “A fairly grindy game, even for a game of this survival genre; the heavy reliance on crafting turned me off.”
- “Inventory management and storage is grindy.”
music
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
Users find the in-game music repetitive and limited, often preferring to play external music for a better experience. They suggest adding more varied tracks and improving sound design to enhance immersion, as continuous looping tracks and background noise currently detract from gameplay. Overall, the soundtrack is considered decent but could benefit from expansion and refinement.
- “One of my biggest requests is adding more music!”
- “I hope in the future more songs will be added to mix it up a bit!”
- “The soundtrack is nice and the sounds are alright.”
- “Sorry but I can't play this game - as a music producer myself - how can you add music to the background noise?”
- “Having the same song play for each area I enter on a constant loop is very annoying and breaks immersion.”
- “From playing lots of Stalker, Project Zomboid, The Long Dark, and other great survival games, I’ve noticed they don't play music 24/7 and instead have downtime where the ambiance immerses the player and keeps them on edge.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a highly immersive and gritty post-apocalyptic atmosphere, with dark, detailed visuals that effectively enhance the sense of isolation and survival urgency. Players appreciate the well-designed environments and varied, interesting mobs, which contribute to a compelling and engaging experience despite some ongoing development issues. Overall, the atmosphere is praised as a standout element that elevates the gameplay and exploration.
- “Really promising zombie game, with great gunplay and atmosphere, although still in development and therefore a little clunky.”
- “The dark, atmospheric visuals and detailed environments further immerse players, enhancing the sense of isolation and urgency as they face off against waves of the undead.”
- “Atmospheric and gritty visuals: explore a vividly depicted post-apocalyptic world, with gritty visuals and immersive settings that heighten the survival experience.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
Replayability for "Zed Zone" is seen as promising due to ongoing updates and intuitive design, offering depth for survival fans. However, some players find it less replayable initially because of existing flaws, though improvements through patches are enhancing its long-term appeal.
- “With the promise of additional updates and content, 'Zed Zone' stands out as an engaging choice for survival enthusiasts looking for both depth and replayability.”
- “The design is excellent, it's very intuitive, and the replayability is rather high.”
- “I can see the developer is hard at work and has been doing a really good job at patching and fixing the game, so it's in a more playable state.”
- “All fixable with changes, this game has a lot of potential, but is not very replayable once you realize how many flaws there are to it.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is appreciated for its playful and quirky elements, such as illogical funny moves and an amusing kill cam. Players find the comedic touches entertaining and recognize the developers' effort to create a fun experience, with options available to adjust or disable certain features.
- “And doing funny moves like putting a banana mag in a Kriss Vector, which is illogical.”
- “Don't be disheartened by the reviews too much. I can clearly see you trying to make a fun game, and I find it funny but also cool how much you take inspiration from other games.”
- “There's even a kill cam, funny enough. Don't worry, most of these options can be tweaked or disabled.”