The Walking Dead Officially Switches Genres In Streets Of Survival, To Mixed Reviews

Published Nov 1, 2026, 3:00 AM EST

James is a gaming writer from London who has spent thousands of hours exploring titles from every genre. Though he has a particular affinity for multiplayer titles like World of Warcraft, Destiny 2 and League of Legends, he has also put thousands of hours into single-player experiences, from deep RPGs to epic PC strategies. When he's not playing or writing, he can usually be found supporting his beloved Brentford FC.

The Walking Dead is one of those franchises that has extended so far beyond its original confines that it's actually quite hard to remember where it all started at this point. In fact, there's probably a sizeable portion of its general audience (though not the dedicated fans) who assume that the TV show served as its genesis.

That immense popularity has also seen games tied to The Walking Dead IP crop up with regularity, to varying degrees of success. That said, most of those efforts tend to stick to the same, narrative-focused genres, and few stray from a formula that developers know is already popular with fans everywhere.

Until now, as TWD has broken containment once again into an entirely new genre, but it isn't necessarily going down well with those who have played it.

Over on Steam, you should be able to find the store page for The Walking Dead: Streets of Survival, an arcade brawler set in the world of AMC’s The Walking Dead. It's officially licensed, and you'll be playing as characters like Rick Grimes and Daryl Dixon, as you cleave your way through the zombie hordes.

It features real weapons from the TV show including Rick’s magnum and Michonne’s katana, while you'll also be exploring familiar locations like the Sanctuary and Alexandria. It all sounds like a great time, but the game hasn't been hitting the right notes so far for a lot of those who have taken the time to play it.

The game currently sits on Mixed reviews on Steam at the time of writing, with one saying, "Streets of Survival is a game I pre-purchased and wanted to like; but my god. That which I just played was quite possibly the most disappointing experience I've had in a modern beat-em-up. Every design choice feels misguided. The gameplay is somehow both unintuitive and also mindless."

While another added, "The gameplay is bare-bones, the visuals are unpleasant, and the controls leave much to be desired, but what bothers me most is the complete absence of a cooperative mode. The beat ’em up genre is simply made for brawling through obstacles alongside friends; without that, it’s just you against those same obstacles—and facing them alone is nowhere near as fun."

Others were more positive, with one adding, "I really like this game. The art is beautiful and the gameplay is a lot of fun. Upgrading the characters is very rewarding, and the game is quite challenging, even difficult if you're not very good at beat 'em ups. I played on easy mode until I got used to the mechanics (and made the characters a bit stronger)."

Odaclick Game Studio

As with all of these things, the real proof in the pudding is giving it a try for yourself. The Walking Dead: Streets of Survival is also available at 30% off right now on Steam, coming in at $13.99. That offer is set to run until November 3, so if you do want to get involved, probably best to do it before then.

The Walking Dead is a massive multimedia franchise that began with a comic book series created by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The franchise gained widespread popularity with the launch of the television series The Walking Dead in 2010 on AMC, which chronicles the lives of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies, referred to as "walkers." The success of the original show has led to numerous spin-offs, web series, video games, novels, and other media. The franchise explores themes of survival, human nature, and the breakdown of society in the face of an existential threat, making it one of the most successful and influential horror series of the 21st century.