Dawn of the Dead

About this board game

Dawn of the Dead is a horror board game for 1–4 players, with games lasting around 180 minutes, based on the classic 1978 film. Set inside the movie’s shopping mall, it pits human heroes against slow but relentless zombies in a highly asymmetric struggle for survival.

The game supports several ways to play. Two players can take opposing sides, with one controlling the humans and the other controlling the zombies. It can also be played as a solitaire game, or as a cooperative experience for two to four players controlling the human heroes together.

Human characters are fast, but they are badly outnumbered and vulnerable to paralyzing panic attacks. Zombies move more slowly, yet their numbers are unlimited and their pressure never lets up. The contrast between speed, scarcity, and relentless opposition creates the central tension of every mall siege.

• The mall map recreates the key setting from the film.
• Cardboard counters represent the four human characters and randomly sized groups of zombies.
• Special rules cover berserk zombies, hidden zombies, and infected humans who become terrifying super zombies.

Victory depends on completing very different goals. The zombies win by killing the humans. To win, the human side must close all four mall entrances and eliminate every zombie within, turning the shopping mall from a trap into a secured refuge.

With its stark human-versus-zombie design and multiple play modes, Dawn of the Dead captures a desperate fight against overwhelming odds. Released in 1981, it offers a long, thematic confrontation shaped by panic, hidden threats, infection, and the need to clear the mall completely.