The Walking Dead Has Officially Switched Genres

3 hours ago 7

Published Sep 23, 2026, 1:00 AM EDT

Nicholas Becher is a gaming journalist with an MFA in Creative Writing from FAU. With extensive experience playing video games, he covers all forms of gaming content at Screen Rant, from breaking news to the latest fan theories. Most-played games range from Clair Obscur to Civ to Elden Ring to Halo 2 and beyond.

The Walking Dead has entered a brand-new era, with the zombie franchise continuing to expand well beyond the conclusion of AMC's original television series. The Walking Dead: Dead City recently wrapped its third season, continuing Maggie and Negan’s story in Manhattan, while AMC has already offered a first look at the fourth and final season of Daryl Dixon, which will reunite viewers with Daryl and Carol in Spain when it premieres in 2027.

Outside television, Robert Kirkman's original comic continues to live on through The Walking Dead Deluxe's full-color rereleases, while games like The Walking Dead: Aftermath are still receiving substantial new content. Even after more than a decade of television, comics, games, and various other spinoffs, The Walking Dead continues to find new ways to expand its post-apocalyptic universe. With the franchise still evolving across multiple forms of media, it now appears to be heading in an especially interesting new direction with its latest release (via Steam).

The Walking Dead Just Switched Lanes

Season 8 of The Walking Dead promo photo

In the franchise's most experimental departure in form yet, The Walking Dead is taking a dramatically different approach in the gaming sphere with The Walking Dead: Streets of Survival, a retro-inspired arcade beat-'em-up that launched September 18 and transforms AMC's zombie apocalypse into a fast-paced 2D brawler.

Previous adaptations have leaned heavily into narrative adventures, first-person action, survival horror, strategy, and VR, but Streets of Survival takes us down an entirely new road. Developed by Odaclick Game Studio and published by Trailmark Games, the game lets players control Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon, and Michonne, with Negan becoming playable after completing the campaign.

Each survivor has a distinct fighting style and signature weapons, including Michonne's katana, Daryl's crossbow, and Rick's revolver, as players string together melee attacks, ranged abilities, combos, and finishers against both walkers and human enemies.

Streets of Survival reimagines the "All Out War" storyline and the Savior conflict from Seasons 7 and 8, taking players through recognizable locations including Alexandria, Hilltop, and the Sanctuary. Its campaign also incorporates light survival and exploration mechanics alongside traditional side-scrolling combat, while boss battles include familiar threats such as Negan, Simon, Winslow, and the Well Walker.

Streets of Survival isn't your run-of-the-mill Walking Dead adaptation, and while it won't be everyone's cup of tea, the arcade reinterpretation and adaptation of one of the show's biggest storylines gives longtime fans a lot to chew on.

Streets Of Survival Is Available Now, With A Free Demo On Steam

Streets of Survival is available to play now, having launched across PC and consoles on September 18. PC players can purchase the full game through Steam, but anyone interested in trying it first can also download a free demo, offering a small sampling of its arcade-style combat before you commit to the full release.

The game also arrived day-and-date on Xbox Series X/S, where it costs $19.99 and supports Xbox Play Anywhere, letting you play across compatible Xbox consoles and Windows PC with a single purchase. However, the current Xbox store listing does not show Streets of Survival as being included with Game Pass and was not launched as a Day One release either.

PlayStation players can jump in on PS5, with the standard edition likewise priced at $19.99 and the Deluxe Edition available for $29.99. The game also launched for both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, giving players plenty of options to try Streets of Survival on various platforms.