yes yes yes i know zombie media is inherently reactionary because it symbolizes the 3rd world hordes rising up to take back our undeserved products of exploitation
but fuck me if this game hasn't given me some of the most memorable multiplayer experiences ever. There's just something about driving down the highway in a sprinter van with your friends smoking cigs, reloading guns and reading books in the backseat as the rain comes down that's such a fucking vibe. Roadtripping across the map to the new city addition after scouring countryside towns for food and weapons is an adventure and a half every time. Covering each other's backs as you make your way into an infested part of town is somehow the most tense and exciting experience I've had in a multiplayer game in a long time.
Another big draw for me is that after the first few days of a run when you've gotten fully established the game can be as intense or relaxed as you want it to be. Don't feel like killing zeds? Stay inside and read, work out, listen to the radio, go fishing, build a fort, maintain your car, organize your loot, etc. The simulation depth of this game very consistently allows you to follow the "if you can do it in real life you can probably do it in the game" thought process. That's how I discovered that you can poison any prepared food with small amounts of bleach, that getting an open wound while you're covered in blood increases the likelihood of getting an infection, that drinking several bottles of wine and taking sleeping pills is not a good combo, and the list of needlessly detailed aspects of this game goes on.
The game has been in development since like 2011 and as a result the modding scene is starting to rival that of Skyrim or Minecraft. Something you want to do that isn't in the game? Almost certainly a mod for that.
The only games I've really played in the last 3 months have been this and Halo Infinite. It's on sale right now, ten bucks, get it now before the devs increase the price.
Long story. The game has always had multiplayer, but last year the devs released build 41, which was such a huge overhaul (added proper animations among other cool stuff) that it basically broke multiplayer so the devs disabled it. As they went on it became more and more clear that they essentially had to redo the netcode from scratch, so here we are 1 year later. Multiplayer was released in beta on December 6th and on the 19th the devs moved it to the stable release.
It's got a steep ass learning curve, so be prepared for your first 5-10 hours to be filled with a ton of deaths. Remember "this is how you died".