Games like DayZ
If DayZ is your kind of game, the closest matches are Infestation: The New Z, Survarium and Afterinfection — picked from the ranked list below. Reviewers single out its community servers transform experience, genuine adrenaline during pvp and anxious. Each pick is ranked by what players of this game also play, shared genres and tags, and review-mined similarity — not a generic popularity list.
Get personalized picks →DayZ is a survival game set in a post-apocalyptic world where players scavenge for resources, build bases, and progress their characters while navigating constant player-versus-player conflict. Players describe the experience as atmospheric and immersive, with genuine tension arising from encounters with other survivors. The game's community-server-mods and mmo-style co-op shape how players approach the survival challenge. Bohemia Interactive's 2018 release costs $49.99 and supports extensive character-progression and survival-systems mechanics. Reviewers highlight the no-hand-holding approach to survival, with the addictive loop of surviving, dying, and repeating keeping players engaged. The game holds a 74% positive rating from over 175,000 Steam reviews, though it is not supported on Steam Deck.
About DayZ: How long can you survive a post-apocalyptic world? A land overrun with an infected "zombie" population, where you compete with other survivors for limited resources. Will you team up with strangers and stay strong together? Or play as a lone wolf to avoid betrayal? This is DayZ – this is your story.
Players who liked DayZ also play
Steam players who put hours into DayZ also tend to own these titles — a signal called collaborative filtering. imho.run cross-references millions of library ownership patterns to surface games whose real audiences overlap, regardless of whether their genre tags match.
Infestation: The New Z
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with DayZ.
Top pick for DayZ fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Massively Multiplayer with DayZ.
The New Z is a FREE TO PLAY multi-game mode experience. SURVIVE with friends and gather loot, stash and trade. Go into wars against other groups in a massive OPEN WORLD or face them 5 v 5 in COMPETITIVE.
Survarium
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with DayZ.
Second-strongest match for DayZ fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Massively Multiplayer with DayZ.
Survarium is a post-apocalyptic online FPS game. If you are looking for a shooter where skills matter, look no further! The opposing players and deadly anomalies will never stop you on the way to victory, right? Then start playing now for free!
Afterinfection
WHY THIS
Shares base building and an atmospheric mood with DayZ.
Third-strongest match for DayZ fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Adventure with DayZ.
Afterinfection is a brand new zombie survival game designed in Unreal 4 and being developed by a small team from Thailand. After creating your survivor, you’ll start with nothing and have to make your way across a large island searching for food, water, weapons, and crafting supplies.
Fallen Earth Classic
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with DayZ.
Ranked #4 for DayZ fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Massively Multiplayer with DayZ.
Fallen Earth Classic is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Reloaded Productions and operated by Little Orbit. The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland located around the American Grand Canyon.
Just Survive
WHY THIS
Shares base building with DayZ.
Ranked #5 for DayZ fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Adventure with DayZ.
Just Survive is a post-apocalyptic survival game that immerses you in a world where humanity is fighting to take back control from the zombie hordes.
Miscreated
WHY THIS
Shares base building and an atmospheric mood with DayZ.
Ranked #6 for DayZ fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Adventure with DayZ.
Miscreated is a multiplayer online hardcore survival game set in a post-apocalyptic future. You will need to survive against mutants, players, and even mother nature herself.
Infestation: The New Beginning
WHY THIS
Shares a stressful mood with DayZ.
Ranked #7 for DayZ fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Massively Multiplayer with DayZ.
Infestation is a Survival Horror MMO that immerses players in a zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic world in which a viral outbreak has decimated the human population leaving in its wake, a nightmare of epic proportion.
XERA: Survival
WHY THIS
Shares base building and an atmospheric mood with DayZ.
Ranked #8 for DayZ fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Adventure with DayZ.
Action-focused, open world survival shooter, PvPvE against fellow mercenaries and lethal XOIDS. Raid for resources alone or with team-mates, build and defend your base, stash your gear and survive against the odds. You are the hunters. You are the hunted. And the robots never sleep…
Reviewers mention these as similar to DayZ
Surfaced from review text: when other players write 'if you liked X, try Y', we catch the name and resolve it back to a Steam game.
Arma 2
WHY THIS
Shares a stressful mood with DayZ.
Reviewers of DayZ cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action with DayZ.
Building on 10 years of constant engine development, ARMA II boasts the most realistic combat environment in the world. It models real world ballistics & round deflection, materials penetration, features a realtime day/night cycle and dynamic wind, weather and environmental effects.
Arma Reforger
WHY THIS
Shares a stressful mood with DayZ.
Reviewers of DayZ cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action with DayZ.
Engage in massive combined arms battles, create and curate combat missions in real time, and shape your experience with endless community mods. Deploy into the Cold War and experience the most authentic and immersive military sandbox ever created.
Escape from Tarkov
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with DayZ.
Reviewers of DayZ cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Massively Multiplayer with DayZ.
Escape from Tarkov is the original extraction FPS where every raid is a gamble with death. Prep your raid, bleed, endure and fight through ruthless PMC players and Scavs, gain tactical advantage and cling to your loot — only extraction decides if you live or lose it all.
SCUM
WHY THIS
Shares base building, character progression and a stressful mood with DayZ.
Reviewers of DayZ cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Adventure with DayZ.
Traverse punishing environments, looting, crafting and evading the constant threats to your life. The unprecedented levels of character customization and progression are your ultimate tools for survival.
ARMA: Gold Edition
WHY THIS
Shares an immersive mood with DayZ.
Reviewers of DayZ cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action with DayZ.
ARMA: Gold is pack of ARMA: Armed Assault and an expansion pack ARMA: Queen's Gambit. ARMA is a first person tactical military shooter with large elements of realism and simulation. This game features a blend of large-scale military conflict spread over large areas alongside the more closed quarters battle.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with DayZ.
Reviewers of DayZ cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action with DayZ.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl tells a story about survival in the Zone – a very dangerous place, where you fear not only the radiation, anomalies and deadly creatures, but other S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s, who have their own goals and wishes.
Minecraft: Story Mode - A Telltale Games Series
WHY THIS
Reviewers of DayZ cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Adventure with DayZ.
Episode 1 is now FREE - for a limited time! In Minecraft: Story Mode, playing as either a male or female hero named 'Jesse,' you’ll embark on a perilous adventure across the Overworld, through the Nether, to the End, and beyond.
The Long Dark
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with DayZ.
Reviewers of DayZ cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Adventure with DayZ.
THE LONG DARK is a thoughtful, exploration-survival experience that challenges solo players to think for themselves as they explore an expansive frozen wilderness in the aftermath of a geomagnetic disaster. There are no zombies -- only you, the cold, and all the threats Mother Nature can muster.
Cheaper alternatives
Games in the same vein priced at least 40% below DayZ at current Steam store prices.
Phasmophobia
WHY THIS
Priced ~60% under DayZ on Steam right now. Shares Action with DayZ.
Phasmophobia is a 4 player online co-op psychological horror. Paranormal activity is on the rise and it’s up to you and your team to use all the ghost-hunting equipment at your disposal in order to gather as much evidence as you can.
Lethal Company
WHY THIS
Priced ~80% under DayZ on Steam right now. Shares Action and Adventure with DayZ.
A co-op horror about scavenging at abandoned moons to sell scrap to the Company.
Left 4 Dead 2
WHY THIS
Shares an intense mood with DayZ.
Priced ~80% under DayZ on Steam right now. Shares Action with DayZ.
Set in the zombie apocalypse, Left 4 Dead 2 is a co-operative action horror FPS takes you and your friends through the cities, swamps and cemeteries of the Deep South, from Savannah to New Orleans across five expansive campaigns.
Schedule I
WHY THIS
Priced ~60% under DayZ on Steam right now. Shares Action with DayZ.
From small-time dope pusher to kingpin - manufacture and distribute a range of drugs throughout the grungy city of Hyland Point. Expand your empire with properties, businesses, employees and more.
Hollow Knight
WHY THIS
Priced ~70% under DayZ on Steam right now. Shares Action and Adventure with DayZ.
Forge your own path in Hollow Knight! An epic action adventure through a vast ruined kingdom of insects and heroes. Explore twisting caverns, battle tainted creatures and befriend bizarre bugs, all in a classic, hand-drawn 2D style.
The Forest
WHY THIS
Shares base building and an atmospheric mood with DayZ.
Priced ~60% under DayZ on Steam right now. Shares Action and Adventure with DayZ.
As the lone survivor of a passenger jet crash, you find yourself in a mysterious forest battling to stay alive against a society of cannibalistic mutants. Build, explore, survive in this terrifying first person survival horror simulator.
People Playground
WHY THIS
Priced ~80% under DayZ on Steam right now. Shares Action with DayZ.
Shoot, stab, burn, poison, tear, vaporise, or crush ragdolls in a large open space.
Free alternatives
Free-to-play games that recommended players of this title also tend to enjoy.
Ultimate Custom Night
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Action with DayZ.
Welcome to the ultimate FNAF mashup, featuring 50 selectable characters and custom difficulties!
Bongo Cat
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Massively Multiplayer with DayZ.
Bongo cat needs your help. Bongo cat needz more hatz!!! Every time you press a key, Bongo cat will punch your taskbar. Type, click, play, work to collect more points. Which hats will you find?
Indigo Park: Chapter 1
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Action and Adventure with DayZ.
Explore the abandoned childhood wonder of Indigo Park! Guided by Rambley the Raccoon, help restore power to the destroyed amusement park while you run from the reason it shut down.
The Looker
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it.
You wake up, alone, on a strangely familiar island full of puzzles that will frustrate and annoy you.
Counter-Strike:Global Offensive
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Action with DayZ.
Counter-Strike:Global Offensive (CS:GO) expands upon the team-based action gameplay that it pioneered when it was launched over 2 decades ago. CS:GO features new maps, characters, weapons, and game modes, and delivers updated versions of the classic CS content (de_dust2, etc.).
The Expendabros
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Action and Adventure with DayZ.
The Expendabros have assembled and set their sights on the forces of ruthless arms dealer Conrad Stonebanks in the forests of Eastern Europe.
Dagon: by H. P. Lovecraft
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Adventure with DayZ.
Face unspeakable horrors. Succumb to madness. Welcome to a free daemonic narrative experience inspired by H. P. Lovecraft.
Narrow it down
Head-to-head comparisons
More from Bohemia Interactive
Other recommendable Steam games by Bohemia Interactive, ranked by review count so the studio's hits land first.
Arma 3
WHY THIS
Shares an immersive mood with DayZ.
Another title from Bohemia Interactive, the studio behind DayZ. Shares Action with DayZ.
Experience true combat gameplay in a massive military sandbox. Deploy with a wide variety of single- and multiplayer content, a massive arsenal of modern weapons and vehicles, and limitless opportunities for content creation. Authentic, diverse, open - Arma 3 sends you to war.
Arma Reforger
WHY THIS
Shares a stressful mood with DayZ.
Another title from Bohemia Interactive, the studio behind DayZ. Shares Action with DayZ.
Engage in massive combined arms battles, create and curate combat missions in real time, and shape your experience with endless community mods. Deploy into the Cold War and experience the most authentic and immersive military sandbox ever created.
Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead
WHY THIS
Shares a stressful mood with DayZ.
Another title from Bohemia Interactive, the studio behind DayZ. Shares Action with DayZ.
Three years after the conflict in Chernarus, portrayed in the original Arma 2, a new flashpoint explodes in the Green Sea Region. Coalition forces led by the US Army are deployed to Takistan to quickly restore peace and prevent further civilian casualties.
Ylands
WHY THIS
Another title from Bohemia Interactive, the studio behind DayZ. Shares Adventure with DayZ.
Adventure awaits you and your friends in the world of Ylands! Gather resources, craft tools, construct anything and everything, and explore the lands! Build a ship and set sail, encountering mythical animals, a wide variety of sea-life, enemies of all kinds and much more!
ARMA: Cold War Assault
WHY THIS
Shares an atmospheric mood with DayZ.
Another title from Bohemia Interactive, the studio behind DayZ. Shares Action with DayZ.
Bohemia Interactive's debut game published by Codemasters as Operation Flashpoint in 2001, became genre-defining combat military simulation and the No. 1 bestselling PC game around the world and has won many international awards, including “Game of The Year” and “Best Action Game”. Over 2 million copies have been sold since its release.
Arma 2
WHY THIS
Shares a stressful mood with DayZ.
Another title from Bohemia Interactive, the studio behind DayZ. Shares Action with DayZ.
Building on 10 years of constant engine development, ARMA II boasts the most realistic combat environment in the world. It models real world ballistics & round deflection, materials penetration, features a realtime day/night cycle and dynamic wind, weather and environmental effects.
Take On Mars
WHY THIS
Shares an immersive mood with DayZ.
Another title from Bohemia Interactive, the studio behind DayZ.
Take On Mars places you right in the middle of mankind’s most exciting undertaking. Start out in the seat of a rover operator, finish as the first human to have ever set foot on the Red Planet.
Vigor
WHY THIS
Shares base building and an atmospheric mood with DayZ.
Another title from Bohemia Interactive, the studio behind DayZ. Shares Action and Adventure with DayZ.
Outlive the apocalypse! Dive into intense Encounters and extract the most valuable spoils the Outlands have to offer! Loot, shoot, and build to become the absolute Outlander and explore the landscape of a post-war Norway in Vigor, a free-to-play looter shooter.
Frequently asked about DayZ
- Does DayZ work on Steam Deck?
- DayZ is currently rated Unsupported on Steam Deck. It may not launch or may have significant issues that block normal play.
- How much does DayZ cost?
- DayZ is listed on Steam at 49.99 USD (current store price; Steam sales may reduce this temporarily).
- Does DayZ have multiplayer or co-op?
- Yes — DayZ supports multi-player play according to its Steam store listing (Multi-player, Online PvP, Online Co-op).
- What games are most similar to DayZ?
- Based on Steam play patterns and shared genres/tags, the games most often recommended alongside DayZ are Infestation: The New Z, Survarium, Afterinfection.
- Who developed DayZ?
- DayZ was developed by Bohemia Interactive.
imho.run ranks Steam game alternatives using a mix of collaborative filtering (ALS / iALS / EASE / LightGCN), content scoring over genres, categories, Steam tags, developers, and publishers, plus AI-extracted vibes mined from review text. The page above is generated in seed mode anchored on DayZ.
For library-aware picks tuned to your specific taste, sign in with Steam on the home page.