Infestation: The New Beginning stands out as a multiplayer survival game set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies. This free-to-play title combines elements of action, RPG, and massively multiplayer gameplay, where players fight to stay alive in a harsh environment filled with threats from both the undead and other survivors. With its focus on exploration, scavenging, and combat, the game challenges you to navigate desolate landscapes while managing resources and forming alliances.
Gameplay
In Infestation: The New Beginning, the core experience revolves around surviving in an open-world environment where every decision carries weight. You start as one of the few remaining humans after a viral outbreak, tasked with exploring cities and rural areas to gather supplies like weapons, food, and gear. Combat involves taking down various zombie types, including super zombies, slicer zombies, and zombie dogs, which add layers of danger to encounters.
Resource management plays a key role, with an ATM system that lets you bank in-game currency to avoid losing it upon death. Scavenging high-risk areas such as airdrops, radiation zones, and helicopter crash sites offers valuable loot but increases the chance of confrontations. The game runs on an upgraded 64-bit engine, supporting a large persistent world the size of Colorado, now featuring a new map called Oregon.
Player interactions enhance the survival aspect; grouping up boosts your odds against threats, and a friend system integrated with Steam makes it straightforward to team up. A flea market allows trading looted items, fostering an economy driven by player finds. The custom Fredaikis Anti-Cheat aims to maintain a fair environment by reducing cheating.
Game Modes
The primary mode in Infestation: The New Beginning is its open-world survival setup, which emphasizes nonlinear exploration and persistent progression. There are no strict scripted missions; instead, you roam freely, deciding whether to focus on solo scavenging or cooperative play with others.
PvP elements emerge naturally as survivors compete for resources, leading to tense encounters where trust is scarce. PvE focuses on battling zombie hordes and environmental hazards, with mechanics like radiation zones adding strategic depth. Recent updates have introduced reputation player ranks, allowing you to rise through tiers based on your actions and survival skills.
Updates and Features
Ongoing patches keep the game evolving, with additions like new zombie variants and expanded maps maintaining freshness for returning players. The emphasis on a cheater-free space through dedicated anti-cheat measures helps preserve the integrity of multiplayer sessions.
- Huge open world for exploration
- Risk-reward systems like banking currency
- Trading via flea market
- Varied zombie threats and loot spots
Is It Worth Playing?
If you enjoy hardcore survival games with high stakes and multiplayer tension, Infestation: The New Beginning could appeal, especially since it's free to play. However, player reception has been mixed, with 31% of 11,037 user reviews positive overall, and recent feedback at 26% positive from 15 reviews. The game suits those who like grouping for survival challenges but may frustrate players seeking polished experiences due to its rough edges. For fans of zombie survival in a massive online setting, it offers a unique risk of permanent loss that heightens every moment, though it's best for those tolerant of older mechanics in need of updates.
