Zombies Aren’t Real, a top-down strategy game about stopping a zombie outbreak in real cities, has made a strong start on Steam since its release at the end of last week. The Early Access game from Jogamedev, the studio behind Spellmasons, launched on 13 November and holds an Overwhelmingly Positive rating, with 96% of 611 user reviews recommending it on its Steam page. It reached an all-time peak of 5,782 concurrent players on 14 November, according to SteamDB, and was still above 5,300 players when TalkEsport checked. It costs $9.99, with a 10% launch discount until 20 November.
The idea is simple to explain and hard to master. You look down on a real city from above before an infection breaks out, spend limited resources on defences, and then try to contain the horde while saving as many civilians as you can. Every mission is scored on lives saved, which turns each decision about where to place troops into a question of who you can afford to leave outside the line.
You defend real cities, and the map can be your own
The most distinctive feature is where the outbreaks happen. Missions take place in large real-world cities built by the developer, and the game already supports custom maps through Steam Workshop. Jogamedev says custom maps can pull in public geographic data for zip codes worldwide, so players are not limited to the cities that ship with the game.
The first Workshop campaigns show where the developer’s head is. The four maps listed so far, all made by the developer, are Sighișoara in Romania, Auckland in New Zealand, and Nördlingen and Wemding in Bavaria. Sighișoara and Nördlingen are both famous for their surviving medieval town walls, which makes them obvious places to hold back a horde. Workshop pages for the game are available on its Steam Workshop hub.
For players in India, the zip code support is the most interesting part. If postal codes outside the US and Europe work as the store page suggests, Indian players could build and defend maps of their own neighbourhoods. The developer has not shown an Indian city yet, and TalkEsport has not tested how well the map data works for Indian postal codes.
Snipers, mortars and gunship helicopters, but civilians come first
Your tools are a mix of ground forces and air support. The Steam page lists snipers, turrets, mortar squads and garrisons on the ground, with bombers and gatling gun helicopters available as air strikes. Those strikes have to be aimed carefully, because the game counts civilian casualties as well as zombie kills, and players can also place safe zones and gates to protect people from the spread.
The game supports online co-op for two players, as well as Steam Achievements, leaderboards and a level editor. It is a 2D game, and the minimum specification asks for a four-core 3GHz processor, 8GB of RAM and a graphics card on the level of a GeForce GTX 750 Ti or Radeon R7 260X. It needs just 2GB of storage, and the developer recommends the Low graphics setting for smoother play on older PCs.
Interface text is available only in English at launch, with no full audio or subtitles in other languages listed. That may limit its reach in some markets, although the minimal 2D presentation means there is little dialogue to translate. Steam does not yet list a Steam Deck rating, so the store’s new frame rate data for Deck games is not available for it either.
Version 1.0 is due in early 2027, and the price may rise
Jogamedev says it released the game in Early Access because interest was strong, and that it already offers a few hours of play. The studio plans to add more troops, vehicles, aircraft and upgrades before version 1.0, which it is targeting for the first quarter of 2027. It also warns that the price may go up at 1.0, because the full game will have more content.
Jogamedev’s earlier games sit alongside this one on Steam. A bundle collects its catalogue, Spellmasons, Some of You May Die and Zombies Aren’t Real, and a $4.99 Supporter Pack is available for players who want to back development. Zombies Aren’t Real joins other small Steam successes this month, including Punch The Walls, in a November crowded by major releases led by GTA 6. Anyone tempted has until 20 November to buy it at the launch discount of 10%.
