Dread Dawn

Dread Dawn

Released Sep 2024

This is an open-world zombie survival game set in a quarantined city. You play as a student left behind due to missing the evacuation convoy. Together with classmates and other survivors, you must defend the school, survive, and await rescue.

72% positive · 2,276 reviews
Not yet
Released, but content still planned
High confidence
Content Planned
Not yet
Released, but content still planned
High confidence
Content Planned

Where to buy

Steam $12.39 $19.99 −38%
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Evaluation

Dread Dawn launched on September 30, 2024 and has been receiving consistent updates ever since. The developer, Kioop, shipped two major content additions post-launch: Director Mode on November 13, 2024, and a brand-new "Zombie Escape" survival mode on December 18, 2025. Alongside these, the game has received a steady stream of feature patches — adding systems like Sleep and Thirst values (April 3, 2025), buildable farmlands (May 27, 2025), dynamic weather with clouds (June 25, 2025), and most recently a new light machine gun and map additions on July 30, 2026. Most importantly, in a September 24, 2025 announcement post, Kioop explicitly confirmed that a paid DLC is in development. This DLC will cover events after the protagonist Jack escapes by boat and discovers a mysterious island, introducing new outdoor environments including towns, forest cabins, farms, and rivers. This DLC has not yet been released or appeared as a store listing. The developer has continued actively updating the game since that announcement, with the July 30, 2026 patch being the most recent communication, confirming the studio remains engaged with the title. The promised DLC has not yet shipped.
Evidence
Brand new 'Zombie Escape' mode launched, adding a co-op survival mode where players must escape a zombie-overrun city on foot.
news post · Dec 18, 2025 source content shipped
high
Developer announced a paid DLC in development featuring a new island map, continuing the protagonist Jack's story after escaping by boat. New environments include towns, forest cabins, farms, and rivers.
news post · Sep 24, 2025 source content planned
high

Media

Details

Developer
Publisher
Kioop
Achievements
—
Platform
Windows
Controller
—
Steam Deck
Playable
Players
Single-player

About this game

Note: The game currently does not support controller operation.

This is an open-world zombie survival sandbox game set in a city quarantined due to an unknown virus. You will play as a student in the city who failed to catch the evacuation convoy to escape the disaster and was forced to stay. As a modern metropolis, the city is fully equipped with public facilities including hospitals, subway stations, prisons, and schools, Etc。

The game will feature a large number of story-driven cutscenes. As you progress through the main storyline, you will experience both the tranquility before the zombie outbreak and the chaos during the city's downfall.

You need to stay in the school with the other survivors who remained in the city, defending your camp and surviving.

Utilizing the various materials collected for construction can enhance your camp's defense capabilities. These zombies like to invade your camp when your attention is relaxed.

You can plant some food in the spare areas of your camp, or raise chickens to get eggs. In the absence of food sources, this is a necessary skill for ensuring survival. The surplus crops can also be used for trading with other survivors.

Last evaluated Aug 27, 2026
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