Most zombie games are about making it to tomorrow, but Zombuds is more interested in what happens after that.
Fifteen years after civilization fell apart, humanity has settled into an uneasy routine. Survivors have rebuilt small communities, the undead still wander the world beyond their walls, and somebody has spotted an opportunity. If the apocalypse has left behind abandoned towns, valuable resources, and an endless supply of willing customers, why not turn it into a business?
The upcoming open-world co-op management game from Gamecraft Studios, whose first public demo arrived on Steam earlier this week. Released on July 22, the demo offers around three hours of gameplay, introducing the opening quests and core systems while giving players a chance to help shape development through feedback before launch.
Success isn’t measured by how many zombies you eliminate. Instead, you’ll spend your time exploring abandoned locations, gathering resources, and transforming them into profitable operations. The supplies you recover can be manufactured into medicines, drugs, and a range of other products before being sold to survivor settlements, gradually expanding what begins as a modest operation into something much larger.
As your business grows, so does the workforce behind it. Survivors can be recruited to keep production running smoothly, but they’re only part of the gameplay. One of Zombuds’ stranger features is the ability to brainwash zombies into becoming productive employees, turning the apocalypse’s greatest threat into another cog in your ever-expanding enterprise.
The demo also gives players their first opportunity to try the game’s online co-op. Friends can build and manage their business together, dividing responsibilities while exploring the open world and growing their operation side by side. With multiplayer still being actively developed, Gamecraft Studios says player feedback will help shape the experience ahead of release.
One of Zombuds’ more interesting ideas is the way it combines roguelike progression with business management. Every expedition beyond the safety of your settlement is another opportunity to uncover valuable resources, expand your operation, and come back better equipped for the next venture. Rather than treating the apocalypse as something to escape from, it encourages you to lean into the chaos, slowly transforming a zombie-infested wasteland into the foundation of an ever-growing empire.
If that sounds like your kind of apocalypse, the demo is available to download now on Steam. Three hours should be more than enough time to see whether building a business at the end of the world is every bit as entertaining as it sounds.