New FPS Zombie Game on Steam with Positive Reviews Is 100% Free
A new first-person zombie game called Operation: Outbreak has earned positive reviews from Steam users, and the best part is that it’s completely free to play. Zombie games are extremely popular on Steam, with titles like Sons of the Forest, Project Zomboid, and 7 Days to Die, which all revolve around fighting zombies, consistently ranking among the most-played charts. While Operation: Outbreak isn’t as expansive as these AA and AAA games, it still delivers a zombie-filled survival-horror experience that many will find exciting.
Several upcoming zombie games have already landed on fans’ Steam wish lists, including the long-awaited Resident Evil Requiem, the medieval-themed Blight: Survival, and the newest entry in the popular State of Decay franchise. With their strong potential to be hits at launch and sell thousands of copies, these titles are generating a lot of excitement. In the meantime, fans looking for something fresh to play right away, without waiting or spending money, can already grab Operation: Outbreak on Steam.
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Operation: Outbreak Is a Zombie Survival Horror Experience
Launched on December 20, Operation: Outbreak is a free-to-play game on Steam centered around a zombie outbreak. Developer Dreadmith Games notes that it was created by a solo developer in Unreal Engine 5 as a student exam project for a game development course. The full campaign can be completed in just 10 to 20 minutes, making it one of Steam’s shortest games for a quick survival-horror session. Still, Operation: Outbreak offers some replay value for those interested in speedrunning and seeing how quickly they can eliminate all the zombies.
Operation: Outbreak Gameplay Features
- First-person point of view
- Realistic weapons
- Iron-sight shooting
- Linear campaign
- Survival-horror elements and jumpscares
- Short gameplay (10–20 minutes)
Operation: Outbreak features a straightforward storyline in which the player is the lone survivor of a car crash, stranded in the middle of a zombie outbreak. Although a rescue team is waiting, their helicopter has landed on the opposite side of the city. This setup drives the core gameplay, forcing the player to push through waves of infected enemies and take down hostile zombies using one of the two available weapons: a pistol or an assault rifle.
One of the aspects that makes Operation: Outbreak‘s gameplay intriguing is its use of iron sights instead of scopes. This choice, combined with fast-moving and aggressive zombies, creates a realistic and intense gunplay, rivaling some of the best survival-horror indie games. Players are also encouraged to complete the game at least once using night vision goggles, which add an extra layer of fear, particularly toward the end when facing a large horde of zombies.
Although Operation: Outbreak has only a few reviews on Steam, the average user rating is positive, with 80% of players recommending it at the time of writing. Many reviewers express admiration that the game was created as a solo developer’s school project in just a few weeks. Fans of the game have also noted the desire for additional content, as the current campaign is quite short. Developer Dreadmith Games has promised a patch in the coming days to fix reported bugs and glitches and add some quality-of-life improvements, though there are no announced plans to expand the story or introduce new missions.
For those interested in student projects like Operation: Outbreak, Valve’s storefront offers plenty of similar games. For instance, Steam users can try Not My War, a top-down stealth game with strong reviews, created as a student project. If that isn’t enough, there’s also Dillo’s Dilemma and Not Raised by Wolves. While these games aren’t as gory or horror-focused as Operation: Outbreak, they provide a fun, short experience that may be worth checking out.