Screenshots
Watch trailer on Steam ↗Dead Engine
Chocolate Dungeon Games · Published by Gamersky Games, Red Axe Games
Mostly Positive — 72% positive (219 reviews)
Last updated 29 Sept 2026
Fight to survive against zombies in a pixel-art post-apocalyptic city. Loot and merge items, expand your backpack. In your camp, recruit survivors but burn the bitten. Trading uncovers haunting survivor stories.
£6.69
Lowest price we've ever recorded
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Price history
Action, Adventure, Indie, Strategy · 2026 · More £5 - £15 games
Explore a post-apocalyptic city as you fight zombies, expand your backpack, and make tough decisions at your camp. Recruit or burn the bitten to survive, uncover haunting stories through trading.
About this game
WISHLIST & FOLLOW ✨
About the Game
Dead Engine is a survival action-roguelike where players explore a post-apocalyptic city overrun by intelligent zombie threats. Each choice to fight or flee impacts survival as zombies actively track, adapt, and work together to hunt their prey. Loot critical items and manage your expandable backpack every item could mean the difference between life and death.
Hand-Drawn Pixel Environment and Survival Tactics
Our post-apocalyptic world comes alive through hand-drawn pixel art, where every corner of the carefully crafted maps holds strategic potential. Plan your escape routes, set clever traps, and transform city ruins into deadly obstacles. Your survival depends on how well you use the terrain against the zombie hordes.
Camp Management
The camp is a living system that requires constant management. When morale, hygiene, shelter, and resources fall out of balance, order within the camp quickly collapses. Keep the fire burning, build shelters, clean up poop, and maintain survivor morale. Every decision you make directly shapes the future of your camp.
The Future of Your Camp is in Your Hands
Some survivors will want to join your camp and improve your chances of survival, but you cannot know who will turn into a zombie as they may hide it from you. Be careful and check everyone at the gate. Others may not want to join but still seek to trade, so listen to their requests carefully. By selling them items they desperately need, you will not only earn more scrap but also uncover their haunting survival stories.
Advanced Zombie AI
Zombies in Dead Engine think, adapt, and hunt as a collective threat. Our unique pathfinding system enables them to intelligently move through the city, adjusting their routes based on your position. When they spot others nearby, they merge into dangerous hunting hordes. Ranged zombies bring another layer of challenge - they'll keep their distance while attacking and launch acid bombs over structures if you try to hide.
Expandable Backpack and Inventory Management
Find backpacks and expand them to carry more items. Merge items to free up space and customize your backpack to match your playstyle while exploring the city and fighting zombies. A well-upgraded backpack can be the key to survival.
Unique Characters and Journeys
Scattered across the map, characters await for your paths to cross but only if you can follow their traces. Each encounter offers a new perspective and a different way to survive. Explore, connect, and remember: you're not alone in this dangerous world. And when you discover a character, you’ll unlock the ability to play as them. Every meeting takes you deeper into the city, and into yourself.
Features
Intense 10-20 Minute Survival Runs
Camp Management System: Control who enters your camp: accept, reject, or kill.
Advanced Zombie AI with Dynamic Horde Behavior
Hand-Crafted Pixel Art Environment
Dynamic Environment with Strategic Traps and Defensive Turrets
Inventory Management System
Mergeable Items
Expandable Backpack
Base Building & Trading System
Rich Survivor Stories to Uncover
4 Unique Playable Characters
Roguelike Progression System
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: Intel Core i3-3210
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- DirectX: Version 10
- Storage: 1 GB available space
Recommended
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 11
- Processor: Intel Core i5-4690
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 or AMD Radeon R7 265
- Storage: 1 GB available space
Supported Languages
Latest news
Patch NotesOfficial
HOTFIX #6
Hello Survivors!We've fixed the issue where players got stuck on the loading screen during area transitions. If you left your save at the point where this bug occurred, you should now be able to continue from where you left off without any issues.We've also made some performance optimizations.We're sorry for the poor experience. Thank you for your patience.Read full article on Community Announcements (Sphynixy)AnnouncementsOfficial
FULL RELEASE IS OUT
Hello Survivors! The full release is here. Features added to the game: New Map: Pumpkin VillageA brand new map has arrived. A dangerous autumn village filled with pumpkins. Surviving amidst its warm color palette offers a completely different experience. Stat Reset ChangeWe knew you didn't like having your earned upgrades — your stats — reset between rounds, and we prepared the game for a major backend change. We no longer reset your stats until you die. We've balanced the difficulty accordingly. New Difficulty SystemWe realized that difficulty scaling through enemy count alone wasn't enough. As you progress through new sections, enemies gain increased speed, health, and damage.New Difficulty OptionsIf you win all sections in the first run, a new difficulty will unlock. Each time you defeat a difficulty, the next one unlocks. Along with this, the resources you earn also increase.NormalSurvivalVeteranNightmareCamp Energy SystemActivities at camp such as cleaning waste, clearing trash, chopping trees, and breaking rocks now use a limited energy pool. Prioritize your work order based on the resources you need. To refill your energy, you need to head out on the bus for another adventure.Legendary Items (Level/Tier 4 Items)We heard you wanted items to have more levels. Items now have 4 tiers instead of 3, making them stronger and expanding our merging options.New ItemsItems like Drone Buddy and Airplane are returning. We're bringing them back with their flaws fixed for a more enjoyable experience.UI Visual ImprovementsWe noticed that as your bag — your inventory — grew larger, your field of view narrowed. So we increased its transparency. You can also hide your bag by pressing B.Added gamepad button icons to the UI.The visual notification that appeared when a character's health regenerated was too weak — we've strengthened it.Adjustments made for text readability on Steam Deck. Various text sizes have been increased. We're still working on it.Bestiary UI readability has ...Read full article on Community Announcements (Sphynixy)AnnouncementsOfficial
📢 BIG NEWS: Full Release Launching June 3rd!
Hello Survivors!First of all, a massive thank you to each and every one of you. Your incredible support, invaluable feedback, and detailed playtest reports have been our biggest motivation. We’ve been working non-stop to shape the game exactly how you wanted to experience it.Today, we are thrilled to announce that the wait is almost over: The Full Release (1.0) is officially launching on June 3rd!To celebrate this milestone and give you a taste of what’s coming, here is a breakdown of the major features, new content, and balance overhauls dropping with the 1.0 update:🛠️ Version 1.0 Patch Highlights:New Playable Character - Captain Roger: Smashing zombies using a shield crafted entirely from a trash can lid. Get ready for a whole new playstyle!New Map: Explore the eerie paths of the brand-new Pumpkin Village.Tier 4 (Legendary) Items: Take your builds to the absolute limit with the newly added Legendary item variants.Stat Progression Rework: Mid-run stat resetting between stages has been removed to create a more meaningful and strategic progression.New Difficulty Scaling: The heat is on! Difficulty scaling has been completely overhauled, making enemy progression feel much more impactful as the run goes on.Custom Difficulty Options: Tailor your survival experience with newly added difficulty settings.Camp Energy Mechanics: You now have a limited Energy Bar for camp activities. We wanted to make every single camp task feel more impactful and meaningful for your meta-progression.The Trading & Hub Area is Back: The area where you trade and welcome new survivors back to the camp has been reintegrated as a fully engaging side-activity.Balance & Tweaks: General balancing changes across weapons, items, and enemy stats.Bug Fixes: Various pesky bugs and glitches have been successfully squashed.UI & QoL Improvements: Cleaned up and optimized interfaces for a smoother gameplay experience.Steam Deck Optimization: UI and text readability have been fully enhanced for seamless handhe...Read full article on Community Announcements (Sphynixy)Patch NotesOfficial
Gamepad Hotfix
Improved gamepad compatibility and responsiveness.Added new icons for controller.Read full article on Community Announcements (Sphynixy)AnnouncementsOfficial
Gamepad Support and Upgrade Balance
Hello Survivors!We've been away for a while, sorry about that. We've been busy, but we're finally back with some good news: GAMEPAD SUPPORT IS HERE!Based on your feedback, we've made several balance changes:The amount of scrap gained has been increased from 6 to 10.Prices of permanent upgrade options have been reduced, and their values have been increased.The health gained from health drops has been increased by 5, and their despawn time has been reduced.Values from XP Gain and Scrap Gain cards have been increased.Negative effects from various items, such as helmets, have been reduced.Thank you for your patience.Read full article on Community Announcements (Sphynixy)
