New Zombie Game is Drawing Thousands of Players on Steam

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The new zombie game, Quarantine Zone: The Last Check, is quickly becoming popular on Steam. Developed by Brigada Games, this first installment stands out in the horror genre because it emphasizes investigation and puzzle-solving more than typical zombie combat.

Despite sharing the bleak atmosphere of other zombie games, Quarantine Zone: The Last Check sets itself apart with its unique system of screening survivors for infection. Players face difficult choices: they must assess the health of new arrivals, manage limited resources, and make tough moral decisions to protect the safety of those already sheltered in the outpost. This focuses on a less-explored aspect of the zombie genre, adding a new layer of complexity and emotional weight.

Quarantine Zone: The Last Check Turns Heads on Steam

I’ve been playing Quarantine Zone: The Last Check since it launched on January 12th, and honestly, it’s really grabbed me. The gameplay is super engaging, and I’m finding it really satisfying. It’s clearly popular too – SteamDB shows over 31,000 of us were playing on day one, and it’s stayed consistently high, never dropping below around 23,000 players since then. The Steam reviews are mostly positive – about 74% of players like it, and people are really praising the base upgrades and lab improvements, along with the screening process. Even the people who are having a few issues seem to be enjoying it, but they’re recommending others wait for some of the early bugs to get fixed before jumping in. Overall, it’s a promising start!

Image via Devolver Digital

At its heart, Quarantine Zone: The Last Checkpoint is about identifying and isolating the infected – and it does this exceptionally well. As you play, you unlock medical tools like x-rays and stethoscopes, but also rely on your own senses, to determine if incoming survivors are becoming zombies. This forces you to make tough choices: allow potentially sick people in, or deny them entry, possibly sentencing them to death, even if they have a common illness. While it offers a unique take on zombie survival, players have noted similarities to games like Papers, Please and That’s Not My Neighbor.

Image via Devolver Digital

Devolver Digital, the publisher of Quarantine Zone: The Last Check, has a knack for spotting and releasing successful indie games. They initially gained recognition by re-releasing the Serious Sam games, but really hit their stride with the critically acclaimed Hotline Miami in 2012, which still boasts a 96% positive rating on Steam. Since then, Devolver Digital has published several other popular titles, including the charmingly creepy roguelike Cult of the Lamb, the unusual FPS Anger Foot, the unique platformer The Plucky Squire, and the skateboarding demon game Skate Story. They also published Ball x Pit, a major indie success in 2025, and will publish the sequel to the popular dungeon crawler Enter the Gungeon in 2026.

Image via Devolver Digital

It remains to be seen if Quarantine Zone: The Last Check will become as popular as other games from Devolver Digital, but it looks like zombie games are making a big comeback this year. Several major zombie titles are on the way, including Resident Evil Requiem, John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando, and The Midnight Walkers. Highly anticipated games like Beautiful Light and State of Decay 3 are also expected to be released by the end of 2026.

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2026-01-17 23:04