Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • Games
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Hardware
  • Video
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Deals
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
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
View
Trending
  • Prime Day Deals
  • Superman
  • Donkey Kong Bananza
  • Switch 2 stock
Recommended reading
The best zombie games
Action Games The 10 best zombie games that will munch your brain
After Inc
City Builder Games My favorite Steam Next Fest city-builder so far is a chill sequel to Plague Inc, but I still ended up feeding dogs to my citizens
Key art for Atomfall showing a character in the English countryside looking at a nuclear plant some distance away
Survival Games 10 best survival games to test your will to live
The sandworm in Dune: Awakening
MMO Games "Y'all are pathetic": Dune: Awakening players are using sandworms to kill their rivals in PvE-only areas, proving once more that nowhere on Arrakis is safe
Dune: Awakening
MMO Games Dune: Awakening players are really getting into the spirit of things by hoarding water and blocking critical routes, but some have had a change of heart
Ground Zero in Future Games Show
Survival Horror Games If you’re after a retro Resident Evil fix, upcoming survival horror game Ground Zero will scratch that terrifying itch
a pixel art 2D screen showing a woman with a sci fi weapon on her back next to a rusty old RV
Simulation Games This post-apocalyptic farming sim might have the best pixel art and Steam trailer I've seen all year, but it's the Terraria vibes that really set the hook
  1. Games
  2. MMO
  3. H1Z1

H1Z1 brings out the best (and worst) of human nature in an undead apocalypse

Features
By Lucas_Sullivan published 14 May 2014

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

World War Me

World War Me

I warmly greeted the first person I saw in H1Z1's rural wasteland with a friendly wave. He waved back. I then brandished my torch, lit him on fire, and ran circles around him while he burned to death, his axe swinging frantically and futilely at my face. And yes--God help me--I teabagged his corpse. Such is but one of the memorable moments possible in H1Z1, Sony Online Entertainment's foray into the open-world, zombie survival genre.

H1Z1 drops players into a barren, zombie-filled forest, with only your wits, a torch, an axe, and the clothes on your back. Typically, the treacherous first hour in H1Z1 involves gathering firewood, foraging for scraps of food in the form of wild animals, and praying that no zombies catch your scent when night falls. But to a goofball like me, H1Z1 provided frantic, humorous experiences one after another. There was the time I killed a pursuing zombie, only to be devoured by a nearby rabid wolf. Or the time I lit a live deer on fire; why not kill and prepare the venison at the same time? There was a terrifying ring-around-the-rosie as I desperately ran around a table being chased by zombies. And the piece de resistance: standing in the pitch black of night, hearing moans and gurgles, and lighting my torch only to see a train of nine zombies lurching full-speed at me. It was exhilarating and hilarious at the same time.

The dusky, grimy aesthetic of H1Z1 and persistent, player-made changes to the gigantic world are everything you've come to expect from a top-notch zombie apocalypse MMO. It's a game of survival, and the consequences of trying to work with strangers when you're unsure if they're friend or foe. Or, in my case, it's a hilarious demonstration of just how miserably I'd fare if a zombie apocalypse actually occurs.

Check out the following screenshots for additional info!

Page 1 of 5
Page 1 of 5
Open-world PvP is enabled from the start, so you're always in danger of becoming a zombie's dinner or a bandit's unwitting mark

Open-world PvP is enabled from the start, so you're always in danger of becoming a zombie's dinner or a bandit's unwitting mark

Page 2 of 5
Page 2 of 5
H1Z1 allows for third-person or first-person perspectives, though it's far easier to see what you're slashing at from the behind-the-back camera

H1Z1 allows for third-person or first-person perspectives, though it's far easier to see what you're slashing at from the behind-the-back camera

Page 3 of 5
Page 3 of 5
The pre-alpha version of H1Z1 is slated to hit Steam Early Access soon, giving players the opportunity to give feedback help build the game from the ground up

The pre-alpha version of H1Z1 is slated to hit Steam Early Access soon, giving players the opportunity to give feedback help build the game from the ground up

Page 4 of 5
Page 4 of 5
Everything's on one giant, persistent server, so you'll definitely run into player-owned encampments as well as pre-existing architecture

Everything's on one giant, persistent server, so you'll definitely run into player-owned encampments as well as pre-existing architecture

Page 5 of 5
Page 5 of 5
CATEGORIES
PC Gaming Platforms
Lucas_Sullivan
Lucas_Sullivan
Social Links Navigation

Lucas Sullivan is the former US Managing Editor of GamesRadar+. Lucas spent seven years working for GR, starting as an Associate Editor in 2012 before climbing the ranks. He left us in 2019 to pursue a career path on the other side of the fence, joining 2K Games as a Global Content Manager. Lucas doesn't get to write about games like Borderlands and Mafia anymore, but he does get to help make and market them. 

See more PC Gaming Features
Read more
The best zombie games
The 10 best zombie games that will munch your brain
After Inc
My favorite Steam Next Fest city-builder so far is a chill sequel to Plague Inc, but I still ended up feeding dogs to my citizens
Key art for Atomfall showing a character in the English countryside looking at a nuclear plant some distance away
10 best survival games to test your will to live
The sandworm in Dune: Awakening
"Y'all are pathetic": Dune: Awakening players are using sandworms to kill their rivals in PvE-only areas, proving once more that nowhere on Arrakis is safe
Dune: Awakening
Dune: Awakening players are really getting into the spirit of things by hoarding water and blocking critical routes, but some have had a change of heart
Ground Zero in Future Games Show
If you’re after a retro Resident Evil fix, upcoming survival horror game Ground Zero will scratch that terrifying itch
Latest in MMO
The Lord of the Rings Online screenshot shows two characters adventuring, looking at a building and a mountain in the distance.
After 3 years of attempts, the Lord of the Rings MMO's "Great Hobbit Run" is finally successful as a band of tutorial-level hobbits make it to Mount Doom, and celebrate by jumping into lava
Old School RuneScape Smite collab
So many World of Warcraft veterans and top streamers are trying Old School RuneScape that even Jagex has noticed, and the gap in MMO muscle memory is hilarious: "Chat I'm freaking out"
Dune Awakening
Dune: Awakening will finally reward your personal contributions in Landsraad thanks to a "game changer" update
Phil Spencer
Phil Spencer reportedly had so much fun playing the Elder Scrolls Online dev's unannounced MMO that Xbox's Matt Booty had to take his controller from him — 4 months later it's canceled
Dune Awakening
Dune: Awakening hoarders swiftly discover a second item duping glitch, barely a day after the survival MMO's devs fixed the first one: "This game is cooked"
Elder Scrolls Online
After 18 years, Elder Scrolls Online director and studio head Matt Firor is leaving the company amid Microsoft layoffs: "There are many more stories to be told, adventures to be had"
Latest in Features
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom gameplay running with the Switch 2 upgrade
I wanted to make a beeline for Tears of the Kingdom's ending, but Zelda's Switch 2 upgrade has forced me to slow down
Star Wars Battlefront 2 (2017) screenshot showing Darth Vader walking through a hangar flanked by two stormtroopers
I've spent 11 hours fighting AI in EA's Star Wars Battlefront 2, and it's taking me back to the glory days of PS2 skirmish modes
Dollman is lost in thought in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
This is now a Dollman fan account: Death Stranding 2's puppet pal makes for my favorite PlayStation duo since Ratchet & Clank
Agent 47 on a mission in Hitman: World of Assassination
I'm loving Hitman: World of Assassination on Switch 2, but the game's always-online requirement is worse than ever
Kaizen: A Factory Story key art featuring a production line making a toy electronic
"Make games and die. That's my plan": Coincidence's Zach Barth on making games about making things, a year of teaching, and being in it for the long haul
Cyberpunk Edgerunners
Cyberpunk Edgerunners season 2: Everything we know about CD Projekt Red's anime
  1. A Gundam style mech in Mecha Break
    1
    Mecha Break review: "This mech battler makes up for lacking customization with a varied roster that lets me live out my Evangelion fantasy"
  2. 2
    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse"
  3. 3
    Rematch review: "As with Rocket League, the just-one-more-game pull is magnetic"
  4. 4
    Tron: Catalyst review: "Disc slinging is a thrill in this gorgeous rendition of the series, but I'm let down by a time-loop story that falls flat"
  5. 5
    FBC: Firebreak review: "A disappointingly bland multiplayer FPS that's missing far too much of what made Control special"
  1. David Corenswet as Superman inside the Fortress of Solitude in James Gunn's Superman.
    1
    Superman review: "A triumphant reinvention and a promising start for the DCU"
  2. 2
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  3. 3
    M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion"
  4. 4
    28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy”
  5. 5
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  1. Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
    1
    Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever"
  2. 2
    Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era"
  3. 3
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  4. 4
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision

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

  • 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...