Zombies starts with an outbreak of one or two. Every survivor a zombie hits turns into a zombie too, so the horde grows with every shot until one survivor is left standing against everyone else.
It is the most dramatic mode on this list and a guaranteed favourite at birthday parties: nobody sits out, the tension builds all round, and the final stand is something the whole group watches. It scales from eight players to thirty without changing a rule.
At a glance
| Players | 8 to 30, every player for themselves |
| Ages | 9 and up, supervised |
| Field | Birthday-party size or full field, lots of scattered cover |
| Round length | 5 to 10 minutes, or until one survivor is left |
| Gear | The core kit plus green vests or armbands for the zombies and cones for the Graveyard |
Setting up the field
Use plenty of scattered cover instead of two mirrored halves: survivors need places to run to. Mark a Graveyard in one corner with cones and a gravestone (a cone or a flag) inside it, and a Town at the far end where survivors start. Keep a stack of green vests or armbands in the Graveyard.
Start with one zombie for every eight players: one or two for most groups, three for a big field.
Setup: patient zero in the graveyard
How to play
1. Patient zero
The starting zombies put on green vests and wait in the Graveyard, counting to ten aloud while the survivors spread out from the Town.
2. A hit turns you
When a zombie hits a survivor, that survivor raises a hand, walks to the Graveyard, puts on a green vest and counts to five before hunting as a zombie.
3. Survivors fight back
Survivors can shoot zombies, but a hit only stuns: the zombie walks back to touch the gravestone, then rejoins. Zombies are never eliminated.
4. The last stand
As the horde grows, survivors run out of places to hide. The last survivor standing wins the round.
5. Pass the outbreak on
The winner picks the next round’s starting zombies. Some groups make the winner patient zero instead.
The infection: a hit turns you
Fighting back: stun, don't cure
The last stand
Rules that keep it fair and safe
- Zombies plant their feet to shoot. No shooting on the run; it keeps shots controlled and stops collisions as the horde closes in.
- Respect the minimum shooting distance. Inside it, a zombie tags by calling out “Got you!” instead of shooting.
- Players heading to the Graveyard walk with a hand up, and no one shoots at a player with a hand up.
- The Graveyard is a no-shooting zone, in and out.
- A hit on a survivor who is already walking to the Graveyard doesn’t count twice.
- A clear vest or armband for every zombie, so there is never a doubt who is who.
Variations
Outbreak: only zombies have arrows. Survivors play without bows and win by not getting hit. To stop anyone hiding forever, the referee counts to ten aloud and every survivor must reach a different piece of cover before the count ends. Great for younger groups, because only a handful of players are shooting.
Survive the clock. Set a timer. If any survivors are still standing when it runs out, all of them win; if the horde gets everyone first, the zombies win.
The cure. Stand one foam knockout target in the middle of the field. A survivor who knocks it down turns one zombie back into a survivor, and the target goes back up.
Zombie walk. Zombies may only walk, never run. It gives survivors a fighting chance on a big field.
Get the gear for this game
Zombies needs the core kit plus green vests or armbands for the zombies and a few cones for the Graveyard. Our birthday and full-field kits cover the rest, including pinnies.
