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
  • 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
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Total Film
  • home
  • 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
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • 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
Resident Evil Survival Unit codes
Survival Horror Games Resident Evil Survival Unit codes (December 2025) and how to redeem them
Key art for Routine showing an astronaut looking at a CAT scanner with a shadowy robot figure behind them, and the moon behind them both
Survival Horror Games Routine review: "This imperfect but wonderfully atmospheric moon-based horror leaves a strong impression"
Key art for Sleep Awake showing Katja using an eye serum with stark red lighting
Survival Horror Games Sleep Awake review: "An all-timer horror premise is let down by tired stealth that I feel like I'm sleepwalking through"
State of Decay 3 screenshot showing a survivor on top of a car, aiming their gun at nearby zombies
Survival Games State of Decay 3: Everything we know so far
Hades 2 Melinoe accepting boon
Hades 12 Hades 2 tips and tricks to get you started in the Underworld
Dying Light: The Beast
Action Games The 10 best zombie games that will munch your brain
An overlook of a city in Anno 117 Pax Romana
Simulation Games Anno 117: Pax Romana city layout tips and tricks for building
Silent Hill 2 Remake screenshot
Survival Horror Games 10 Silent Hill 2 Remake tips and tricks to master the basics
Key art for Atomfall showing a character in the English countryside looking at a nuclear plant some distance away
Survival Games The 10 best survival games to play right now
Dying Light The Beast skills
Survival Horror Games The best Dying Light The Beast skills to get first
Battlefield Redsec two player characters looking out of helicopter ramp
Battlefield 10 Redsec tips and tricks to help you in the battlefield
Alan Wake 2 tips
Survival Horror Games 13 Alan Wake 2 tips we wish we knew before playing
Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Capcom says Resident Evil Requiem's "stalker" enemy will only be "a small part of the game," improving the worst thing about my favorite game franchise
Dying Light 2 Stay Human
Games 10 games like Dying Light 2 to play once you're done with Techland's latest
Dying Light: The Beast review
Survival Horror Games All 8 Dying Light: The Beast Chimeras and when you'll face them
Trending
  • Best Games of 2025
  • The Future of Total War
  • Fallout Season 2
  • Gift Guides
  • New Games for 2025
  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
 
 
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
 
 
Silent Hill 2 Remake screenshot
10 Silent Hill 2 Remake tips and tricks to master the basics
 
 
Latest in Action
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 fan tests historical accuracy, finds it's "a pretty amazing representation" of the era
 
 
Devil May Cry nero holding a mega man gun
Capcom wants to build Devil May Cry into a "core IP" like Resident Evil and Monster Hunter
 
 
Watching a whale from a pirate's ship in Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
Assassin's Creed: Black Flag remake appears to be all but confirmed
 
 
Detonate codes
Detonate codes (December 2025) for free Spins
 
 
Hideo Kojima waving near a Sam Porter Bridges statue
Despite Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding acclaim, Hideo Kojima says "sometimes I imagine a life where I make the best-selling thing," but that'd be boring: "I'd be at home with nothing to do"
 
 
Tomb Raider The Game Awards teaser
Tomb Raider reveal confirmed for The Game Awards as devs tease return of iconic dual-pistol Lara Croft: "Did you miss her?"
 
 
Latest in Features
Milano's Odd Job Collection
"I feel a strong need to prevent Japanese-style game development from being lost": 40-year games veteran argues Japan devs should make "unapologetically Japanese" games
 
 
An army attacks a fortified wall with a smoking breach in Total War: Three Kingdoms
The most influential Total War games, as chosen by 8 of its developers: "The team is incredibly introspective about our successes and failures"
 
 
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 protagonist Henry standing alongside a noble with a tower in the background
Despite censorship woes and the terrifying price of RAM, 2025 was the year I fell back in love with PC gaming
 
 
A child in a Christmas jumper holding Christmas lights in front of their face with a Christmas tree behind
These are the nerdy ugly Christmas sweaters I would actually wear
 
 
The Outer Worlds 2 screenshot showing companion Aza standing before a moon that hangs in the sky. GamesRadar+'s Best of 2025 logo sits in the top right-hand corner of the image
Obsidian hopes to stand alongside CD Projekt and Larian by making "best-in-class" reactive RPGs, says The Outer Worlds 2 director: "I don't know if we're there yet, but I'd love to get there"
 
 
Resident Evil Requiem trailer
10 predictions for The Game Awards 2025: Half-Life 3, Resident Evil Requiem, and more on Steam Machine please and thank you
 
 
  1. Key art for Skate Story showing the glass skater boarding through a dark underworld filled with spikes towards a door of light
    1
    Skate Story review: "A beautiful and unique skateboarding game with great, stylized visuals set in a grungy underworld"
  2. 2
    Octopath Traveler 0 review: "The strongest entry in this retro-styled JRPG series yet, I love the greater focus on tactical battles"
  3. 3
    Sleep Awake review: "An all-timer horror premise is let down by tired stealth that I feel like I'm sleepwalking through"
  4. 4
    Metroid Prime 4: Beyond review: "The series' atmosphere has never been better, while being dragged down by a boring overworld and clunky psychic powers"
  5. 5
    Routine review: "This imperfect but wonderfully atmospheric moon-based horror leaves a strong impression"
  1. Freddy Fazbear in Five Nights at Freddy's 2
    1
    Five Nights at Freddy's 2 review: "We have waited two years for a Five Nights at Freddy's 1.5"
  2. 2
    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"
  3. 3
    Wicked: For Good review: "Builds to an incredibly cathartic conclusion, but isn't quite as captivating as Part 1"
  4. 4
    The Running Man review: "Some fun action and Glen Powell's star power aren't enough to energize this disappointing Stephen King adaptation"
  5. 5
    Predator: Badlands review: "Die-hard fans may be disappointed, but as a blockbuster action-adventure, Badlands kills it"
  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...