The Walking Dead Onslaught
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| The Walking Dead Onslaught | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| VR/AR | Virtual Reality |
| Developer | Survios |
| Publisher | Survios |
| Platform | SteamVR, Oculus Rift (Platform), PlayStation VR |
| Device | Oculus Rift, Oculus Rift S, HTC Vive, Valve Index, Windows Mixed Reality, PlayStation VR |
| Operating System | Windows, PlayStation 4 |
| Type | Game |
| Genre | Action, Adventure |
| Input Device | Tracked Motion Controllers, PlayStation Move |
| Play Area | Seated, Standing |
| Game Mode | Single-player |
| Release Date | 29 September 2020 (digital, Steam, Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR) |
| Price | US$29.99 (Standard Edition), US$39.99 (Digital Deluxe Edition) at launch |
| App Store | Steam, Oculus Store, PlayStation Store |
| Website | https://twdonslaught.com/ |
The Walking Dead Onslaught (also styled The Walking Dead: Onslaught) is a virtual reality action game developed and published by Survios and based on AMC's television series The Walking Dead. It was released digitally on 29 September 2020 for SteamVR, Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR.[1][2] The game has a story campaign centered on Daryl Dixon, voiced by Norman Reedus, and a replayable Scavenger Mode in which players make supply runs as Rick, Daryl, Michonne or Carol to rebuild the Alexandria Safe Zone.[3]
Survios announced the game with AMC in May 2019 for a fall 2019 release, with online co-op planned. It was delayed by about a year, and the co-op mode was dropped in favor of a single-player story.[4][5] Critics gave it mixed to negative reviews and often compared it unfavorably with The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners.[6][7]
Gameplay
The Walking Dead Onslaught is played in first person with tracked motion controllers. According to its Steam page, players assume the roles of Rick, Daryl, Michonne and Carol, manage the Alexandria Safe Zone, and use "24 ranged and melee weapons" with a "Progressive Dismemberment" system.[2] On PlayStation VR the game uses PlayStation Move controllers.[8]
Campaign
The campaign is set shortly after the Savior War, in an Alexandria damaged by the fighting, and tells what the launch announcement called "an untold story centered around Daryl Dixon".[3] In it, Daryl recounts "a fateful encounter with a mysterious stranger".[8] Survios lead designer Andrew Abedian told UploadVR that the team wanted the game to "feel like you are literally dropped into an episode of The Walking Dead."[5] Between missions, players return to Alexandria, where they build up the settlement, spend gathered resources and hold campfire conversations with characters that add story context.[5]
Scavenger Mode
Scavenger Mode is a replayable mode of supply runs outside Alexandria's walls, where players collect weapons, food, materials and other resources for the community.[8] UploadVR described a red fog that slowly closes in on each scavenge mission from behind, limiting the time available and forcing players to loot as quickly as possible.[9] According to Road to VR, the supplies collected either upgrade weapons or unlock the next part of Daryl's story, which ties players to repeating these runs to progress through the campaign.[10]
Combat and comfort options
Road to VR's 2019 preview described a dismemberment system that reacts to melee weapons such as katanas, machetes and improvised weapons like long pipes, along with ranged weapons including crossbows, automatic rifles, shotguns and pistols.[4] The game has no stamina or weapon durability system, and UploadVR's review found that a knife kills a walker more efficiently than most firearms.[9] The game has easy, medium and hard difficulty settings, with less loot on the easier ones.[10] Its locomotion options include teleport movement, smooth movement relative to the head or hand, snap turning, smooth turning and an arm-swinging mode, and it supports seated and standing play.[10][9]
Development
Survios, the studio behind Raw Data and Creed: Rise to Glory, announced the game on 14 May 2019 as an official VR game of AMC's The Walking Dead, with "an exclusive original story created in partnership with AMC". At announcement it was planned for fall 2019 on PC VR, with a full campaign and both single-player and online co-op modes.[4] A PlayStation VR version was announced during the Kinda Funny Games showcase at E3 2019 in June 2019.[11]
The game was delayed out of its 2019 release window. At the UploadVR Showcase in June 2020, Norman Reedus, who voices Daryl Dixon in the game, appeared in a video showing new voice work he had recorded in his basement, and the game was confirmed as still coming to PC VR and PlayStation VR.[12] In July 2020 Survios confirmed that co-op had been removed from the final scope so that the team could concentrate on a narrative campaign told from Daryl's perspective, alongside randomized, replayable Scavenger Runs.[5]
The launch press release named Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride and Josh McDermitt as the game's voice cast.[3] UploadVR's review noted that Carol and Eugene are voiced by their actors from the series, while Rick and Michonne are not.[9]
Release
Survios announced the 29 September 2020 release date on 13 August 2020.[13][8] Pre-orders included Sheriff Rick and Hunter Daryl character skins and Gold Katana and Gold Knuckle Knife weapon skins.[13] The launch press release listed compatibility with Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Oculus Rift S and first-generation Windows Mixed Reality headsets on PC.[3] Survios stated that the PlayStation 4 version is compatible with PlayStation 5.[13]
| Platform | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Steam (SteamVR) | 29 September 2020 | Digital[1][2] |
| Oculus Rift (Oculus PC store) | 29 September 2020 | Digital[1] |
| PlayStation VR | 29 September 2020 | Digital, PlayStation Store[8][1] |
| PlayStation VR physical edition (Europe) | 2 October 2020 | Retail[13] |
| PlayStation VR physical edition (North America) | 13 October 2020 | Retail[13] |
Editions
| Edition | Launch price | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Edition | US$29.99 | Base game[1][3] |
| Digital Deluxe Edition | US$39.99 | Base game, Iconic Show Weapons skins pack (Lucille, Rick's Mace, The Red Machete and Tyreese's Hammer), Alexandria Crafting Starter Kit, digital mini-soundtrack and art book[3][2] |
| Retail Deluxe Edition | Physical PlayStation VR edition[13] | |
| Survivor Edition | Physical PlayStation VR edition with all Deluxe Edition content, an exclusive SteelBook and 2 of 5 collectable postcards[13] |
Survios partnered with Perp Games to publish the physical PlayStation VR editions.[13][1][3]
Updates
On 19 October 2020, Survios released a combat rebalance patch on Steam, Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR.[14] According to the patch notes, all ranged weapons were tuned to allow one-hit kills to the brain at close range, with damage fall-off over distance and less ammunition per pickup. Sharp melee weapons now stick in a walker's skull on a kill, heavier and longer melee weapons gained simulated weight that two-handing reduces, and the Knuckle Knife was retuned for blunt damage. Walker perception, aggression and bite damage were increased, armored and spiked walkers were made more dangerous, and the early game received more food. The patch also added an alternative controller scheme for Valve Index Controllers that uses the grip sensor for interaction, pickups and choking walkers.[14][15]
As of 7 October 2026, the game remains listed on Steam, where it requires a SteamVR or Oculus PC headset and lists Windows 10, an Intel Core i5-4590 or AMD FX 8350 processor, 12 GB of RAM and an NVIDIA GTX 970 or AMD Radeon R9 290 graphics card as minimum requirements.[2]
Reception
On Metacritic, the PlayStation 4 version has a score of 61 from 12 critic reviews and the PC version a score of 56 from 10 critic reviews.[7] OpenCritic lists a Top Critic Average of 60 from 22 reviews, with 14% of critics recommending the game, and gives it a "Weak" rating.[6] Steam user reviews were rated "Mixed" as of October 2026.[2]
| Publication | Score | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Road to VR | 4/10[10] | PC VR |
| IGN | 6/10[16] | |
| TheSixthAxis | 5/10[17] | PlayStation VR |
| Push Square | 6/10[16] | |
| PlayStation Universe | 9/10[16] |
In its review, Road to VR wrote that the game "suffers from a bad case of being overstuffed with filler, making you grind through inconsequential missions to move forward", while crediting its character design, weapon variety and physics-based zombie combat; it scored the game's comfort 9 out of 10.[10] UploadVR's David Jagneaux wrote that it "is not a very good game, but it could have been", and criticized combat that rarely gives players a reason to use anything beyond the basic combat knife.[9] TheSixthAxis recommended it only to dedicated fans of the series, citing grinding, repetitive play and a disposable story despite its melee combat.[17] IGN called it "just fine for a zombie-themed arcade shooter", and PlayStation Universe was the most positive outlet listed on OpenCritic, calling it a "fantastic companion piece".[16] Several reviewers, including TheSixthAxis, PlayStation LifeStyle and COGconnected, compared it unfavorably with The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners.[16][17]
Shortly after launch, Road to VR reported that user ratings were 3 out of 5 stars on the Oculus Store, 4 out of 5 on the PlayStation Store and "Mostly Negative" on Steam.[15]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "The Walking Dead Onslaught Is Now Available on Steam, Oculus Rift, and PlayStation VR". Survios. Survios, Inc.. 2020-09-29. https://survios.com/studio/the-walking-dead-onslaught-is-now-available-on-steam-oculus-rift-and-playstation-vr/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "The Walking Dead Onslaught on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1082680/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Jonathan James (2020-09-29). "Watch the Launch Trailer for THE WALKING DEAD ONSLAUGHT VR Video Game". Daily Dead. https://dailydead.com/watch-the-launch-trailer-for-the-walking-dead-onslaught-vr-video-game/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Scott Hayden (2019-05-14). "Survios & AMC Unveil 'The Walking Dead' VR Game, Launching Fall 2019". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/survios-walking-dead-onslaught-vr-game/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 David Jagneaux (2020-07-13). "The Walking Dead Onslaught Doubles Down On Story, Ditches Co-Op". UploadVR. https://uploadvr.com/the-walking-dead-onslaught-story-no-co-op/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "The Walking Dead Onslaught". OpenCritic. https://opencritic.com/game/10264/the-walking-dead-onslaught. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "The Walking Dead Onslaught". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-walking-dead-onslaught/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Amy Pantea (2020-08-13). "The Walking Dead Onslaught launches on PS VR September 29". PlayStation Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://blog.playstation.com/2020/08/13/the-walking-dead-onslaught-launches-on-ps-vr-september-29/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 David Jagneaux (2020-09-29). "The Walking Dead: Onslaught Review - Watered Down Apocalypse". UploadVR. https://uploadvr.com/the-walking-dead-onslaught-review/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Scott Hayden (2020-09-29). "'The Walking Dead Onslaught' Review - Run, Gun, Scrounge & Grind". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/the-walking-dead-onslaught-review/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ Kevin Tucker (2019-06-10). "E3 2019: The Walking Dead Onslaught coming to PSVR". Shacknews. https://shacknews.com/article/112316/e3-2019-the-walking-dead-onslaught-coming-to-psvr. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ Jamie Feltham (2020-06-16). "Norman Reedus Has An Update On The Walking Dead: Onslaught". UploadVR. https://uploadvr.com/norman-reedus-walking-dead-vr/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 "The Walking Dead Onslaught launches on PS VR, Oculus and Steam VR, September 29 2020". Survios. Survios, Inc.. 2020-08-13. https://survios.com/studio/the-walking-dead-onslaught-launches-on-ps-vr-oculus-and-steam-vr-september-29-2020/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "The Walking Dead Onslaught Combat Rebalance Patch Is Now Live on All Platforms". Survios. Survios, Inc.. 2020-10-19. https://survios.com/studio/the-walking-dead-onslaught-combat-rebalance-patch-is-now-live-on-all-platforms/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Scott Hayden (2020-10-20). "'The Walking Dead Onslaught' Update Aims to Rebalance Weapons, Zombies & Combat". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/walking-dead-onslaught-update-aims-rebalance-weapons-zombies-combat/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 "The Walking Dead Onslaught Reviews". OpenCritic. https://opencritic.com/game/10264/the-walking-dead-onslaught/reviews. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Steve C (2020-09-29). "The Walking Dead Onslaught Review". TheSixthAxis. https://www.thesixthaxis.com/2020/09/29/the-walking-dead-onslaught-review/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.