PUBG zombie mode is not a built-in playlist on PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS (PC): it is a community-run format inside Custom Match lobbies. A small group of humans faces a swarm of player-controlled zombies, and the humans win by surviving the circle. If you have been searching for a dedicated zombies button in the main menu, there isn’t one, and this guide explains how to actually get into a game and win it.
What PUBG Zombie Mode Actually Is
PUBG zombie mode is a Custom Match format where most of the lobby plays unarmed “zombies” who rush a tiny group of armed humans. The humans play standard Battle Royale rules, loot buildings, manage the Blue zone, and fight the circle. The zombies drop with nothing, cannot pick up guns in most rulesets, and win by melee-killing the humans before the final phase closes.
It is a throwback to the game’s origins. Brendan “PlayerUnknown” Greene built the Battle Royale template partly by stripping zombies out of a DayZ-style sandbox. Players put them back in using the Custom Match tools, and the format stuck around because the asymmetry is genuinely fun.
Key point: the zombies in this mode are human players, not AI. There is no official zombie bot system on the PC version, so every undead rusher is a real person charging you with fists.
How to Join a Zombie Lobby on PC
You cannot queue for zombies from the main matchmaking screen. The flow is:
- From the PUBG main menu, open Custom Match.
- Switch the filter to Zombie (or “Zombies”) in the mode dropdown.
- Browse the open rooms. Each lobby shows the host’s rules in the title.
- Join one with free human slots, or free zombie slots if humans are full.
- Wait in the lobby until the host launches.
Human slots fill in seconds. Expect to play as a zombie unless you are first in or the host saves spots for friends. Hosts usually publish their rules (weapons allowed, melee only, Red Zone on or off) in the room name, so read before you click join.
The Standard Ruleset
There is no single official ruleset, but community lobbies converge on a familiar shape:
| Rule | Typical setting |
|---|---|
| Humans | 4 to 16 players, often one squad |
| Zombies | Rest of the lobby, up to 80+ |
| Zombie weapons | Melee only, usually pans or fists |
| Human loadout | Full loot allowed, sometimes restricted |
| Vehicles | Humans only |
| Map | Erangel, Miramar or Sanhok most common |
| Red Zone | Often disabled to protect zombies |
| Circle speed | Standard or slightly accelerated |
Some hosts hand humans a fixed loadout (one AR, one shotgun, Level 2 gear) to speed the game up. Others run a pure loot race. If you are new, join an Erangel room: the open fields give humans sightlines and zombies real cover to rotate through. The pubg erangel map layout is also the most predictable for drop planning.
Playing as a Human: Staying Alive
Humans are outnumbered badly, so positioning beats raw aim. The zombies’ only tool is proximity, which means every rule you follow is about denying them cover and closing distance on their terms.
Drop Smart
Hot drops are suicide here. A dense compound surrounded by zombies gives them infinite angles to peek your door. Instead, drop to a loot-rich edge location with one or two clear approach lanes. School on Erangel is a trap. Georgopol containers or a Pochinki edge house are far more defensible.
Loot Priorities
You need firepower that handles waves, not duels. Build your kit in this order:
- Shotgun first: an S12K or S686 in close quarters outperforms any AR against rushing melee. Hitreg forgives you.
- AR with compensator: M416 or Beryl M762 with a compensator and vertical grip for mid-range picks.
- Smokes and frags: smokes cover rotations through open ground. Frags clear doorways.
- Level 3 helmet and vest: a zombie pan swing hurts more than you think.
- Energy drinks: boost gauge equals passive heal while you are shooting.
If you want a deeper dive on attachments, our pubg best weapons and attachments guide covers the full tier list for every ammo type.
Hold High Ground, Not Buildings
Rookies pile into one house and die to a single grenade or a stairwell rush. Buildings only work if you have multiple exits and clear sightlines through the windows. Rooftops, bridges and hill crests are better: zombies have to cross open ground to reach you, and you can see every angle.
Vehicle Discipline
A UAZ or Dacia is the strongest tool humans have. Zombies cannot shoot you off it. But do not idle in one spot: zombies will swarm, flip the car, and farm you when it explodes. Keep moving, use it for rotations, and bail before the health bar hits zero.
Playing as a Zombie: Winning the Rush
Being a zombie is the harder, less glamorous half. You cannot loot, you cannot shoot, and you will die a lot. But a coordinated zombie team ends a human squad in under a minute.
Use Terrain, Not the Direct Line
Running straight at a shotgun is how you feed kills. Approach through cover: tree lines, rocks, wall sides, the back of buildings. Humans have to track every angle, so split the group and come from three sides at once.
Communicate in Voice
The host usually puts all zombies in one voice channel or a shared Discord. Call out which window the humans are watching, when the shotgunner reloads, and who has grenades. One good caller is worth ten silent rushers.
Punish Rotations
Humans die when they move. They have to move because the Blue zone forces them out. Pre-position in the next circle, hide in bushes or inside buildings on the circle edge, and ambush the squad as it crosses open ground. Patience beats aggression once the final phases hit.
Pick Up a Pan
A frying pan is a legal weapon in almost every zombie ruleset, and it blocks bullets when stowed on your back. If a lobby allows pans, grab one from the first kitchen you pass.
Common Zombie Mode Variants
Hosts tweak the formula constantly. The variants you will see most often:
- Melee Only: humans also lose guns and fight with pans and crowbars.
- Sniper vs Zombies: humans get Kar98k or Mini 14 only, forcing long range play.
- Night Zombies: reduced visibility settings, where available in Custom Match.
- Infection: killed humans respawn as zombies, snowballing the horde.
- Pistol Pete: humans restricted to pistols, giving zombies a real chance.
The best lobbies pick one twist and stick to it. Avoid rooms whose titles list five rules: they usually fall apart in the first circle.
FPP or TPP for Zombie Mode
Most zombie lobbies run in TPP because the third-person camera lets zombies peek corners without exposing a head. Humans benefit too, since they can hold angles from inside buildings. FPP zombie rooms exist but fill slower. Our breakdown of tpp vs fpp pubg covers how the two perspectives change engagements, and the differences matter even more when one side has no gun.
Is Zombie Mode Still Worth Playing?
Yes, with one caveat. The format lives or dies on the host. A well-run room with clear rules, a disciplined caller on the zombie side, and a balanced human-to-zombie ratio is one of the most fun experiences in PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS. A badly-run room is twenty minutes of running in a field.
Our advice: find a regular host in your region, join their Discord, and play with the same group across sessions. Pickup lobbies work, but the quality jumps the moment everyone knows the rules going in. If you are brand new to the game, our pubg beginner guide will get your fundamentals solid before you jump into a Custom Match.
The Bottom Line
PUBG zombie mode is a Custom Match format, not a core playlist, and the only reliable way to play is through community-hosted rooms filterable under the Zombie tag. Humans win with shotguns, high ground and vehicle control. Zombies win with coordination, cover and patience through the Blue zone phases.
The one thing most players get wrong: dropping hot. Pick an edge location with sightlines, build a shotgun-and-AR kit, and refuse to fight on the zombies’ terms. Everything else is practice.