Dead Maze
Dead Maze is a free-to-play 2D cooperative zombie survival MMO that drops you into a bleak post-apocalyptic setting where teamwork matters more than twitchy PvP reflexes. You and other survivors scavenge dangerous zones, fend off swarms of undead, and turn whatever you can carry into gear through a surprisingly deep crafting loop.
 | Publisher: Atelier 801 Playerbase: Low Type: Survival Release Date: February 13, 2018 Pros: +Snappy, action-forward combat. +Accessible mechanics and onboarding. +Extensive crafting and salvaging. Cons: -Some pay-to-win pressure. -Activities can start to feel samey over time. -No PvP options. |
Dead Maze Overview
Dead Maze is a free-to-play, isometric 2D zombie survival experience built around cooperative play in a harsh, ruined world. While many modern zombie sandboxes lean on player-versus-player tension, Dead Maze focuses on PvE progression instead, pushing you toward quest chains, exploration, and group encounters rather than ambushes from other survivors. Maps are designed like compact, winding zones packed with loot spots and undead patrols, so each run becomes a balance between risk, stamina, and how much you can realistically haul back.
At its core, the loop is scavenging and crafting. You pick through the environment for usable items and salvageable junk, then convert those materials at crafting benches into practical upgrades such as weapons, armor pieces, food, and other survival essentials. Combat is intentionally flexible, letting you swing a wide range of found objects as improvised weapons, which gives the game a scrappy, resourceful tone. Alongside fighting, you also juggle basic needs like hunger, thirst, and stamina, encouraging breaks at campfires and making cooperative downtime feel like part of the routine rather than a menu-only reset.
Your campsite acts as a personal hub. It is where you store valuable equipment, set up crafting stations, and decorate with furniture you build over time. This home base becomes increasingly important once you start preparing for tougher zombie types and boss encounters, since inventory space is limited and smart organization can be as valuable as raw damage.
Dead Maze Key Features:
- Fight to Survive – push through dense zombie packs using different abilities, and coordinate with other players to bring down world bosses.
- Crafting System – turn salvaged materials into a broad range of gear, including armor, upgrades, weapons, and food to keep your survivor running.
- Campsite – build out a customizable base with furniture, storage, and crafting stations to manage limited inventory and prep for harder content.
- Cooperative Gameplay – team up in parties or organically alongside other survivors in the world to tackle tougher hordes and boss fights for better loot.
- 500+ Usable Weapons – use an enormous variety of objects in combat, from goofy improvised items to more serious firearms found while scavenging.
Dead Maze Screenshots
Dead Maze Featured Video
Dead Maze Review
Dead Maze plays like a compact MMO survival game distilled into fast sessions: enter a hostile zone, loot aggressively, manage your meters, and decide when to retreat before the undead overwhelm you. The isometric presentation keeps navigation clear and makes group fights readable, even when the screen fills with enemies. Moment-to-moment combat is quick and simple to grasp, but it still rewards positioning, stamina awareness, and choosing when to commit to a fight versus slipping past trouble.
Where the game stands out is its crafting and salvaging ecosystem. Progress is tied to turning scavenged clutter into meaningful upgrades, and the sense of “making do” fits the setting well. The variety of usable weapons also helps keep early and mid-game runs entertaining, because you are rarely stuck waiting for a specific drop to keep playing. Instead, you usually have something workable, even if it is not ideal. The campsite layer adds a nice long-term anchor, since it gives purpose to gathering furniture resources and encourages players to think about storage and preparation, not just raw power.
Questing provides structure, guiding you through different areas and objectives so the experience is not purely aimless wandering. That said, the same strengths can become the game’s biggest hurdle over time: the maps and routines can start to blur together, especially if you are grinding materials for specific recipes. Dead Maze is at its best when you are coordinating with friends, sharing roles, and pushing into riskier zones, because cooperation makes the scavenging and boss fights feel like a proper MMO activity rather than a solo farming loop.
The monetization is also worth noting. While the game is playable without spending, it can give off pay-to-win vibes depending on how you approach progression and efficiency. Players who want a completely even playing field may find that aspect distracting.
Overall, Dead Maze is a solid pick for players who want a PvE-focused zombie survival MMO with a strong crafting backbone and a co-op-first identity. If you are specifically looking for PvP drama, raiding, or player-driven conflict, the absence of PvP means you will need to enjoy the PvE loop on its own terms.
Dead Maze System Requirements
Minimum Requirements:
Operating System: Windows 7 / Mac OS X 10.11.6
Processor: 2.0 GHz
Memory: 1 GB RAM
Storage: 250MB available space
Dead Maze Music & Soundtrack
Coming Soon…
Dead Maze Additional Information
Developer: Atelier 801
Publisher: Atelier 801
Open Beta Date: July 12, 2017
Release Date: February 13, 2018
Development History / Background:
Dead Maze is developed and published by Atelier 801, a French studio best known for the multiplayer browser title Transformice. Production began in 2015, and the project was first shown publicly on July 12, 2017 alongside its open beta. The full Steam release followed on February 13, 2018.