Summary
SurrounDeadis finally having its moment on Steam, smashing its old peak player count nearly three years after its release. The early access survival title first came out in 2022 but never seemed to draw a big crowd, which can be difficult in the crowded zombie game market. It seems the dog days are finally over, though, as Steam users are suddenly flocking toSurrounDeadto try it for themselves.
The premise behindSurrounDeadis a familiar one, placing players in a post-apocalyptic world with minimal resources to see how long they can survive both zombie hordes and human enemies. As games likeDays Gone RemasteredandDying Light: The Beastignite a zombie game renaissance, the genre is surging back into popularity, giving once-overlooked titles a chance to experience the limelight. It seemsSurrounDeadhas benefited particularly well from the resurgence.
According tocharts on SteamDB,SurrounDeadhit an all-time player count peak of 4,151 simultaneous players on June 1. While the game has been available since mid-2022, it never passed the 2,000-player mark until this year. Things started to change between March and April before the player count skyrocketed in May to reach its current point. It could be that players are itching for a new zombie experience while waiting tosee ifState of Decay 3has news in store this summeror that Steam’s Zombie vs. Vampires Fest convinced people to grab it on sale. Whatever the reason, it’s a big moment forSurrounDead.
Zombie media was everywhere in the 2010s, thanks to the massive popularity ofThe Walking Deadon TV and games likeThe Last of Us, DayZ, andDead Island,though the craze eventually died down. Now it seems to be coming back to life, and it’s not just the well-established franchises from AAA studios that are benefiting from it. While not every recent zombie release has had a warm reception, withDarkest Daysgetting review-bombedafter a disappointing open beta, others, likeSurrounDead,have ridden the wave into growing popularity.
SurrounDeadis still in early access, though it’s unclear if the recent influx of players will help push things along. Still, it’s a good time for the studio behind it and an even better time to be a zombie fan. There are plenty ofupcoming zombie games likeKilling Floor 3to look forward toin 2025, and more indie gems likeSurrounDeadto discover.
