5 games like Undawn to play on your phone

Tencent's upcoming open-world zombie survival game Undawn has been turning a lot of heads in the mobile gaming world. With the closed betas underway, many players are in awe of the scope, quality, and graphical fidelity of the game. As it is still restrictive, many have been watching gameplay on sites like YouTube.

For most, though, watching is not as fun as playing - and if they can't get into the closed beta, something has to scratch that zombie-shooter itch. Here are five mobile games to play while waiting for Undawn to release, and what makes it even better is that they're all free.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's views.

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5 zombie-shooters to play while waiting for Undawn's release: Unkilled, Mad Zombies and more

1) Dead Trigger 2

The finales to the campaigns feature spectacular boss fights (Image via YouTube/Anhesenamon3000)

Many will already know of the Dead Trigger name - the series has been around since 2012. This first-person shooter is set in a zombie wasteland on Earth, and what makes it special is the sheer variety of levels. Featuring five campaigns, each set in different regions of the world (USA, China, Africa, Europe, and South America), Dead Trigger 2 has no shortage of content.

For a mobile game from 2013, it looks a lot better than most of its counterparts from the time period, even if it's not comparable to Undawn. At least it'll run on practically any modern phone, and it's still a fun zombie massacre experience, with a fully voiced campaign.

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2) ZOZ: Final Hour

Collecting and evacuating with mysterious "blood crystals" forms the core gameplay loop (Image via YouTube/ImOwFromYT)

Following a group of mercenaries infiltrating a zombified city to retrieve a possible stop to the zombie apocalypse, ZOZ: Final Hour's third-person action is reminiscent of games like CODM:BR and PUBG, offering a good warm-up for when the time comes to step into the world of Undawn.

The game has many special gear items that can drastically change the battlefield, on top of the usual guns and armor - tools like gliders, grapplers, and jetpacks that keep the gameplay fresh and fun hours in. It also features online multiplayer and high-fidelity graphics with a slick UI that's tough to get tired of.

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3) Unkilled

Fighting massive groups of zombies is only part of the fun (Image via YouTube/Lomelvo)

This fast-paced first-person shooter throws you into an apocalyptic setting as a soldier, progressing through a set of missions to rescue survivors and fend off the undead horde.

Once again an older game that takes up comparatively less storage, this title's satisfying gunplay and realistic lighting effects hide its age incredibly well. Further, the variety of bosses ensure there's always a new challenge around every corner.

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4) Left to Survive

Dramatic extractions are a staple of zombie media (Image via YouTube/thegamingcity986)

Beyond the zombie setting and gunplay, following the standard apocalypse plot, what makes this game similar to Undawn is that it has base-building mechanics as well. As the last survivors on Earth, players bases are some of the only safe spaces in the entire world, making them especially important.

With satisfying banners for everything from causing an explosion to landing a melee kill, this game is a raw, feel-good zombie shooter. Moreover, the graphics and UI give it a gritty, grounded feel that makes you feel even more powerful when destroying corpses.

Additionally, it also features an online PvP deathmatch mode, in case shooting the undead isn't enough.

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5) Mad Zombies

The variety of bosses in Mad Zombies is a key factor in making it so fun (Image via YouTube/androidgaming8757)

Last but not least is Mad Zombies, a first-person arcade shooter following a zombie killer going on missions in a ruined city. Compared to other titles on the list, this one is less realistic in its gameplay. It featuress sequences where players mow down hordes in the streets like at a shooting gallery and fight massive unique bosses on every other mission.

While the graphics aren't the most modern, being an older game, it does mean that it's able to run on more phones than games like Undawn. Additionally, the gunplay is quite crisp, meaning that playing through the myriad levels will not get tiring any time soon.