A once-dead zombie co-op game is better than ever, and it's free

The zombie-slasher Dead Island 2 (Steam) will be getting a brand new, free game mode in October. Until a few years ago, it wasn't even clear whether the game would actually be released – let alone whether it would be any good.

What kind of game is this? Dead Island 2 is an action role-playing game in which you fight your way through a zombie-infested LA alone or with up to two friends. You have a variety of weapons to choose from with which you can tear zombies to pieces and make the blood splatter.

Dead Island 2 is the latest installment in the Dead Island series. Unlike its predecessor, the zombie game was not developed by Techland, the studio behind Dying Light, but by Dambuster Studios.

After a long and chaotic development history, Dead Island 2 was released in 2023 and was better than anyone had dared to hope. GameStar gave the game 80 out of 100 points, on Steam 74 percent of around 6,000 reviews are positive.

Dead Island 2 is available for PC on Steam and Epic as well as for PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. In a trailer, the developers presented their new game mode “Neighborhood Watch” for the first time.

You can watch this trailer here:

Horde mode with new classes

What does the new game mode bring? Neighborhood Watch is a horde mode in which she fights for survival with a group of new characters. This time you are a member of the Bobcats – a group of students who defend their refuge from the zombies.

The mode is divided into several stages, which are counted as days in the game. The first four days you will search the Venice Canals for equipment and improve your arsenal. On the fifth day you will have to fend off a huge horde of zombies with the clever use of fallen soldiers, weapons and your talents.

Each of the new characters is assigned to a specific class, which has its own talents and promotes a different playing style.

• The “Chemist” specializes in the construction of corrosive Fallen and the use of explosive weapons.
• The “Medic” can heal his allies, but is also no burden in combat.
• The “Hunter” can eliminate zombies from a distance and distract them with meat skewers.

Unlike in the main story, this time there will be no “Fury Mode” to help you if you get into a tricky situation. This will make good team play even more important.

When does Neighborhood Watch come out? You can try out the new game mode from October 22, 2024. It is free for all owners of the game.

The fact that you can only play with three people in Dead Island 2 is simply because the levels are a bit too small for four players. Another shooter also comes with a co-op for up to three players, but there is a different reason for that – at least that's what the developers say: Space Marine 2 only offers co-op for 3 players, because 4 Space Marines would be “too many” in the world of Warhammer 40k. Massacre”