Pandemic Express - Zombie Escape is a free-to-play massively multiplayer first-person action shooter video game that lets you live out a zombie apocalypse. Developed by TALLBOYS and published by tinyBuild, Pandemic Express - Zombie Escape offers two classic factions: the humans and the zombies. This game is pretty much a standalone version of all those zombie game modes that popular first-person shooter games have. However, unlike in those where you have to eliminate the other party to win, the humans’ win condition is escaping the zombies by riding a train.

All aboard!

In Pandemic Express - Zombie Escape, the world and conflict are on a much larger scale compared to the zombie game modes you know. It’s an open-world map that can accommodate up to 30 players. Set in a post-Soviet ghost town, all human players are respawned in one enclosed area first. Then one player is randomly infected at the start and several seconds pass before the humans can escape the area and the newly-made zombie. 

The zombie must infect all players to win, while the humans must scavenge weapons and supplies to survive and head to the train to escape the map—taking care to keep on the safe zone. Pandemic Express plays out like battle royale, as zombies can’t be cured to regain more human players and they can respawn after dying, while the humans turn into zombies when they lose all three hearts. Humans can bounce when they shoot the ground, slide indefinitely, and drive and ride cars. 

Zombies, on the other hand, can manually respawn somewhere to stop the train and throw teammates. Plus, the more they die, the more chances they can gain temporary abilities like self-destruction and invisibility. The game can feel one-sided with the zombies at times but that’s the real challenge, alongside the flighty game physics. Pandemic Express’ 3D models look amazing alongside its dreary map atmosphere. With its cosmetic-only microtransactions, this is a great FPS game you can play with friends.