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Two Zombies in Project Zomboid
Image via The Indie Stone

Do Zombies Respawn in Project Zomboid? How Spawning Works

Do these zombies ever stop coming??

Project Zomboid is a PC survival game about surviving the zombie apocalypse for as long as possible. This fast-paced RPG will pit you against horrifying zombies that never seem to stop coming, no matter how many you kill! After only a few minutes of gameplay, it’s easy to fall victim to the overwhelming hoards of the undead.

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It always seems like the zombies in Project Zomboid are never-ending, no matter how many you take down. This dilemma raises the question of whether or not the zombies you kill actually stay down, or if they’re coming back to life to get their revenge. Keep reading to find out if zombies respawn in Project Zomboid!

Do Zombies Respawn in Project Zomboid? How Spawning Works

If you’ve ever played Project Zomboid and wondered why the hoards of zombies always seemed never-ending, it’s because they are! The zombies in Project Zomboid don’t stay dead once they’ve been killed; even if you manage to kill one of them, it’ll just come back to bite you later on (literally). Thankfully, they don’t respawn right away, so you’ve got some time to get away before they get back up.

In addition to respawning, the number of naturally-spawning zombies will increase the longer you’re alive. After a few in-game days, the number of zombies should begin to significantly increase, which you’ll probably notice pretty quickly if you’re in a bad location, like a city. For the first few in-game days, it’s best to dedicate your time and effort to gathering resources and finding an isolated area to build a base. You’ll need to be ready once the zombies really start coming in!

Surviving for 4 Hours in Project Zomboid
Image via The Indie Stone

If you’re new to Project Zomboid and are having trouble staying alive amidst the hoards of the undead, you can always try playing around with the game’s settings to make things easier on yourself. For example, if you’re sick of having to kill the same zombies over and over again, you can always just turn off the respawn feature altogether in the settings!

How to Prevent Zombies from Respawning

Turning off the respawn feature in Project Zomboid is easy. All you need to do to prevent zombies from respawning is follow these steps:

  • Open Project Zomboid on your PC, and start a new game.
  • Select the Custom Sandbox option.
  • Locate the Advanced Zombie Options tab and click on it.
  • Locate the Respawn Hours setting from the Advanced Zombie Options screen, and change it to 0.
  • Once the settings have been changed and saved, you’re free to start your new game.

Project Zomboid is one of the hardest zombie survival games on the market, but it doesn’t have to be! From the Advanced Zombie Options tab, you can control almost every aspect of the in-game zombies, from their speed to how quickly they spawn. With only a few simple clicks, you can become a Project Zomboid master!

Related: Does Loot Respawn in Project Zomboid?


Considering how terrifyingly good it is, it’s hard to believe that Project Zomboid is an indie game that was developed by a tiny team of developers. If you love playing horror games like Project Zomboid and supporting indie game developers, you should check out Choo Choo Charles!

Choo Choo Charles was one of the most iconic horror games of 2022; even if you didn’t play it, you likely heard about it. Choo Choo Charles is an open-world horror game that sends shivers up the spines of even the most seasoned horror gamers, and it was made by only one person! If you ever find yourself getting stuck in this train-themed nightmare game, check out Gamer Journalist’s guides on how to beat it!

Author
Image of Allysen Pierce
Allysen Pierce
Allysen Pierce is a freelance writer with a passion for gaming who has been a part of the Gamer Journalist team since May 2022. Her main passions are horror games and dating sims (especially combinations of the two), but she has been known to play literally anything that is put in front of her. Her current favorite games include Skyrim, I Was a Teenage Exocolonist, Cult of the Lamb, Slaughter Horse, and Dragon Age: Inquisition. When she's not playing games (or writing about them), she can be found reading, baking, watching horror movies, or playing with her cat.