Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
UK EditionUK US EditionUS CA EditionCanada AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Black Friday
    • Gaming
      • Black Friday PS5 Deals
      • Black Friday Switch Deals
      • Black Friday Xbox Deals
      • Black Friday Retro Deals
    • PC
      • Black Friday Gaming Laptop Deals
      • Black Friday Gaming Monitor Deals
      • Black Friday Graphics Card Deals
      • Black Friday Alienware Deals
    • Tabletop & Merch
      • Black Friday Lego Deals
      • Black Friday Board Game Deals
      • Black Friday Pokémon Card Deals
      • Black Friday Warhammer Deals
      • Gift Guides
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • Quizzes
    • Newsletters
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Total Film
  • home
  • Black Friday
    • View Black Friday
      • Black Friday PS5 Deals
      • Black Friday Switch Deals
      • Black Friday Xbox Deals
      • Black Friday Retro Deals
      • Black Friday Gaming Laptop Deals
      • Black Friday Gaming Monitor Deals
      • Black Friday Graphics Card Deals
      • Black Friday Alienware Deals
      • Black Friday Lego Deals
      • Black Friday Board Game Deals
      • Black Friday Pokémon Card Deals
      • Black Friday Warhammer Deals
      • Gift Guides
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • Quizzes
    • Newsletters
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Don't miss these
Dying Light The Beast tips
Survival Horror Games 11 Dying Light The Beast tips to help you smack zombies with a shovel
STALKER 2 tips
FPS Games 10 STALKER 2 tips to help you survive in the Zone
Quarantine Zone
Simulation Games A zombie apocalypse sim that puts you on the front lines of a The Last of Us-style outbreak is tearing up Steam Next Fest
Cronos tips
Survival Horror Games 9 Cronos the New Dawn tips to help you stay alive in this time travelling survival horror
STALKER 2 There and Back Again walkthrough
FPS Games STALKER 2 There and Back Again walkthrough for the tutorial prologue
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 screenshot
FPS Games Stalker 2 guides and walkthroughs to help you survive in the Zone
Dying Light 2 Stay Human
Games 10 games like Dying Light 2 to play once you're done with Techland's latest
Alan Wake 2 tips
Survival Horror Games 13 Alan Wake 2 tips we wish we knew before playing
Dying Light: The Beast
Action Games The 10 best zombie games that will munch your brain
A screenshot shows a woman wearing a dress concealed by shadow
Horror Games Blumhouse first-person horror game is a Silent Hill dystopia where nobody sleeps, and you need to stealth around like it's Alien: Isolation – which I might be better at if I weren't so scared
Dying Light: The Beast key art showing protagonist Kyle Crane pulling apart the skull of a zombie
Games Dying Light: The Beast has put me in a huge zombie game mood, so here are the 10 games you need to play next after beating it
Dying Light: The Beast screenshot of Kyle Crane punching a Biter using the knuckle dusters, with a GamesRadar On The Radar overlay
Survival Horror Games Dying Light: The Beast feels like Action Man: The Game, and I can't get enough of Kyle Crane's badass skull-smashing moves
No I'm Not a Human screenshot featuring the Indie Spotlight Logo that shows an unsettling figure saying "the only thing you can stop is a heartbeat"
Horror Games The most unsettling horror game of the year is the Mouthwashing publisher's No, I'm Not A Human – Junji Ito meets Papers, Please with a monstrous twist
Hades 2 Melinoe accepting boon
Hades 12 Hades 2 tips and tricks to get you started in the Underworld
Dying Light The Beast: A screenshot of Kyle Crane in the upcoming game.
Open World Games Dying Light: The Beast – Everything you need to know
Trending
  • Black Friday gaming deals
  • Fallout Season 2
  • New Games for 2025
  • Gift Guides
  1. Games
  2. Action
  3. ZombiU

ZombiU preview How to survive the first hours of the game

Features
By Lorenzo Veloria published 25 October 2012

Surviving the zombie apocalypse is no easy task

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Londons hungry, and youre on the menu

Londons hungry, and youre on the menu

Besides the tempting lineup of first party games coming to the Nintendo Wii U at launch, Ubisofts ZombiU looks like it might be the most promising third-party title to hit Nintendos new console. We had a chance to play through the first few (horrifying) hours of the games campaign, and the brain-bashing, flesh-gnawing experience left us hungry for more.

Surviving ZombiUs undead apocalypse isnt as easy as you might think. Having precise aim and being able to swing a cricket bat accurately helps, but if you arent smart, youll end up on the lunch menu. Thats why weve put together this survival guide so youll know what to expect when the dead rise.

Page 1 of 8
Page 1 of 8
Stock up on the necessities

Stock up on the necessities

It should go without saying that in a survival situation, you should let your hoarding instincts run wild. In ZombiU, youll need every bullet, scrap of plywood, and bran muffin you can find. Youll need to scan every room, check cabinets, and search (hopefully) dead bodies. All of your helpful items can be carried in your handy bug-out-bag (backpack), or stored in a chest back at home base. More importantly, dont go wasting your precious supply of ammo and grenades on a lone zombie. If you do, youre bound to hear the click of an empty chamber just when youre about to have some teeth dig into your flesh.

Page 2 of 8
Page 2 of 8
Dont get surrounded

Dont get surrounded

Most of the single zombies can be dispatched easily. You can switch off your flashlight, sneak up from behind, and bash them in the head until their brains explode. But smashing a brain can take several wallops to the cranium. So, becoming surrounded by even a small group of zombies can end up being a death sentence, but luckily, brain-dead zombies arent very smart.

Page 3 of 8
Page 3 of 8
Use barricades and bottlenecks to even the odds

Use barricades and bottlenecks to even the odds

Barricading closed doors and bottlenecking undead hordes are strategies that will keep you alive. It takes zombies much longer to break down a door youve reinforced with your plywood scraps. Once they crowd up against the door and manage to break it down, a perfectly placed grenade can turn a whole group into rotten, meaty chunks.

Page 4 of 8
Page 4 of 8
Always have a means of escape

Always have a means of escape

Even the most careful survivor can end up in a tight spot. Supplies run out, health drops low, and your scavenging efforts dont provide what you need. It doesnt mean the end if youve prepared a way of escape. Spread throughout London are shortcuts that lead you back to your home base through the sewers. Its all just a matter of exploring the environment and discovering their locations.

Page 5 of 8
Page 5 of 8
Make sure the area is clear before doing anything

Make sure the area is clear before doing anything

You are never safe when there are zombies about. Even when you are digging through your inventory, picking locks, or scanning rooms with your special sensor device, you can get attacked--leaving it up to the next survivor to find your undead corpse and cave its skull in. Check your surroundings and every dark corner. Once you are absolutely sure its safe, grab what you need as fast as you can, and get moving.

Page 6 of 8
Page 6 of 8
Kill the brain

Kill the brain

Everyone knows zombies dont die unless you turn their brain into bloody pudding, but crushing a skull takes effort. If you want to survive you should crush every dead head you see. This goes for those corpses you find lying on the ground, too. Nothings worse than rolling over a body to take the candy bar out of some dead guys pocket, and he suddenly wakes up and bites a chunk out of your face. For the walkers, aim for the head, and keep shooting till those suckers go down. One bullet from a handgun doesnt always stop a shambling corpse from making you its midnight snack. Administer deadly force until theres nothing left but a headless body and a puddle of goo.

Page 7 of 8
Page 7 of 8
Will you survive?

Will you survive?

Are you looking forward to ZombiU? Do you think you would be able to survive a zombie apocalypse? Let us know your thoughts on the upcoming game or the upcoming apocalypse in the comments below.

For more on ZombiU be sure to check out our multiplayer preview video and keep an eye out for when the game hits stores alongside the Wii U on November 18.

Page 8 of 8
Page 8 of 8
TOPICS
Ubisoft
CATEGORIES
Wii-u Platforms Nintendo
Lorenzo Veloria
Lorenzo Veloria
Social Links Navigation

Many years ago, Lorenzo Veloria was a Senior Editor here at GamesRadar+ helping to shape content strategy. Since then, Lorenzo has shifted his attention to Future Plc's broader video game portfolio, working as a Senior Brand Marketing Manager to oversee the development of advertising pitches and marketing strategies for the department. He might not have all that much time to write about games anymore, but he's still focused on making sure the latest and greatest end up in front of your eyes one way or another.

Read more
Dying Light The Beast tips
11 Dying Light The Beast tips to help you smack zombies with a shovel
 
 
STALKER 2 tips
10 STALKER 2 tips to help you survive in the Zone
 
 
Quarantine Zone
A zombie apocalypse sim that puts you on the front lines of a The Last of Us-style outbreak is tearing up Steam Next Fest
 
 
Cronos tips
9 Cronos the New Dawn tips to help you stay alive in this time travelling survival horror
 
 
STALKER 2 There and Back Again walkthrough
STALKER 2 There and Back Again walkthrough for the tutorial prologue
 
 
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 screenshot
Stalker 2 guides and walkthroughs to help you survive in the Zone
 
 
Latest in Action
Frank West fighting a zombie with a teddy bear in Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster
After almost 10 years, a Dead Rising sequel is reportedly happening with Capcom bringing back time limits and trapping Frank West in a zombie-infested Hollywood
 
 
Hollow Knight Silksong
Silksong devs say it's "unfortunate" their release date caused so many panicked indie delays: "We didn't even know the date until basically a week or two before"
 
 
Hornet clashes with the pinstress in Hollow Knight: Silksong in a training cutscene
Silksong devs "have other games that we plan to make" that aren't just Hollow Knight, but their own deaths weigh on them: "It’s not that far off if you spend 7 years per project"
 
 
GTA 5
Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser left the studio because of how long GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 took to make: "I don't know if I had another one of those games in me"
 
 
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing female protagonist Naoe
"Hope is not lost" for Assassin's Creed Shadows to follow Mirage's lead and add the fan-favorite manual jump in a post-launch update
 
 
Promotional image for Assassin's Creed Shadows Attack on Titan crossover.
Assassin's Creed Shadows lead says microtransactions pay for free updates: "It allows us to do the Isu stuff, the quest stuff, the parkour updates"
 
 
Latest in Features
100 Nights of Hero
I'm not a fan of rom-coms or romantic fantasy – but the delightfully queer 100 Nights of Hero made me a believer
 
 
Picard and Ryker in Star Trek Next Generation looking at the GamesRadar+ Quiz icon
How well do you know Star Trek?
 
 
A spooky necromancer's city with a green sky in Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era
As Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era soars, Hooded Horse boss Tim Bender says passion-publishing trumps chasing money: "Why would anyone want to work with you if not for total lack of choice?"
 
 
Jotun in Troll 2
Troll 2 director on the kaiju-sized sequel to Netflix's most-watched non-English language movie: "We wanted the troll to feel very different to the first movie"
 
 
Robert rides the elevator to work in Dispatch with his dog Beef, looking out of place surrounded by superheroes
How Dispatch helped me to see my father's death in a new light
 
 
The Big Preview art of Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era showing a vampire holding a glowing skull
The Big Preview for Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era – Exclusive dev access and hands-on with the strategy RPG revival
 
 
  1. Escape from Tarkov review
    1
    Escape from Tarkov review: "An extraction shooter that will make you truly miserable if you let it, but can offer dizzying highs you won't find elsewhere"
  2. 2
    Fans think this is the best strategy board game ever made, and I have to admit that they've got a point
  3. 3
    Constance review: "If Hollow Knight: Silksong seems too daunting, this wonderful paint powered adventure should do nicely"
  4. 4
    This enthralling team board game is perfect for playing with family this Thanksgiving
  5. 5
    Kirby Air Riders review: "This racer is also equal parts fighting game, minigame collection, and roguelike – and I'm shocked at how well that works"
  1. Josh O'Connor and Daniel Craig in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
    1
    Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery review: "Brings Knives Out back to its roots for a sequel that's almost on a par with the original"
  2. 2
    Wicked: For Good review: "Builds to an incredibly cathartic conclusion, but isn't quite as captivating as Part 1"
  3. 3
    The Running Man review: "Some fun action and Glen Powell's star power aren't enough to energize this disappointing Stephen King adaptation"
  4. 4
    Predator: Badlands review: "Die-hard fans may be disappointed, but as a blockbuster action-adventure, Badlands kills it"
  5. 5
    Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc review "Storytelling just as compelling as the chainsaws, devils, and visually excessive fight scenes"
  1. Noah Schnapp as Will Byers and Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna in Stranger Things season 5
    1
    Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 review: “Can the Duffer brothers stick the landing? It’s sure looking like they will”
  2. 2
    Pluribus season 1 review: "Easily one of the year's best dramas"
  3. 3
    The Witcher season 4 review: "The Henry Cavill-less fourth season is the best yet"
  4. 4
    IT: Welcome to Derry review: "A supremely confident step back into the history of Stephen King's cursed town and killer clown"
  5. 5
    Splinter Cell: Deathwatch review: "A pale imitation of the long-dormant stealth franchise"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...