The Day Before

The Day Before (2023) is a survival game set in a post-pandemic America where infected humans prowl the streets. With hundreds of other online players, you form teams and vie for equipment as you fight off the infected and eke out a living in the harsh, ever-changing open world. It offers a similar narrative setting to The Last of Us but here the sprawling map and multiplayer aspect make communication, strategy and quick-thinking just as important as shooting.

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In America, after a deadly virus has caused most of the population to become mindless, flesh-eating zombies, you ally with other survivors, exploring desolate cities and scavenging for scraps, being sure not to draw attention to your movements. Teams of other players also prowl the streets, and you must either try to come to a diplomatic solution or kill them and loot their bodies. As a new government slowly emerges, you can make your way to their headquarters to trade goods with other players, in peace without fear of attack or betrayal.

While you can go it alone, the many dangers of the world and its inhabitants mean that there is often safety in numbers. Shooting creates noise which may draw more infected toward you, so stealth is often the best way to explore new terrain. While the map is full of beautiful locales and areas of untarnished nature, reminding you of the world that once was, it can also be a place of danger, as sudden snowstorms and rain rapidly decrease your temperature, forcing you to seek shelter.

The result is a game that encourages teamwork and collaboration and often presents violence as a last resort that often escalates situations. Trying to survive in the harsh but beautiful country is punctuated with moments of beauty and collaboration as you create your own stories and interact with other players.

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Our examiner, Ben Kendall, first checked The Day Before 21 months ago. It was re-examined by Ellen Robertson and updated 6 weeks ago.