Choose Village of Zombies
Choose Village of Zombies if you want a Free To Play experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Village of Zombies launched in 2022.
Village of Zombies vs Escape Z
Village of Zombies and Escape Z both land in Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam. Village of Zombies (2022) is 3 years older than Escape Z (2025). Village of Zombies is free; Escape Z is paid (6.99 USD). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Escape Z
Choose Escape Z if you want the LAN Co-op, Custom Volume Controls, and Stereo Sound side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2025) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Escape Z launched in 2025.
Both Village of Zombies and Escape Z sit in Action, Indie, and Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player, Steam Leaderboards, and Online Co-op, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Village of Zombies |  Escape Z | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2022 | 2025 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Free To Play | Action, Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | 6.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 85.7% positive (28 reviews) | 4 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op |
| Developers | Marco Games | Matt Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Village of Zombies (2022) is 3 years older than Escape Z (2025).
- Village of Zombies is free; Escape Z is paid (6.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
Village of Zombies vs Escape Z — FAQ
- Should I play Village of Zombies or Escape Z first?
- If you want chronology, Village of Zombies (2022) came out before Escape Z (2025). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Village of Zombies and Escape Z similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Do both Village of Zombies and Escape Z have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Village of Zombies ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Escape Z ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op.
- Is Village of Zombies free?
- Yes — Village of Zombies is a free-to-play Steam title. Escape Z is paid (6.99 USD).