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| Terminus:Day Zero |
Terminus: Day Zero strips away the guns and gives players something far more terrifying: vulnerability.
Most zombie survival games hand players a shotgun, a baseball bat, or at least a frying pan and wish them luck. Longplay Studios is taking a different approach entirely. The South Korean developer has announced Terminus: Day Zero, a free standalone adventure that puts players in control of a little girl who can't fight back—only hide, run, and hope.
Set to launch on Steam on November 18, 2026, the short narrative experience takes place in the same universe as Terminus: Zombie Survivors, the studio's turn-based survival roguelike that has reportedly sold over 150,000 copies. But don't expect the same tactical toolbox this time around.
A Different Kind of Zombie Game
In Terminus: Day Zero, players follow Daisy, a young girl who wakes up alone in her family home on the very first day of the outbreak. Her parents are missing. The undead are already finding their way inside. And Daisy has no weapons, no combat training, and no way to fight back.
Instead, survival hinges on player knowledge of the house itself. You'll hide beneath beds, quietly close doors to delay pursuing zombies, and carefully navigate your surroundings while searching for an escape route. Eventually, Daisy ventures outside to look for her parents—and discovers just how much the world has changed in a matter of hours.
Terminus:Day Zero gameplay
It's a premise that flips the power fantasy of the zombie genre on its head. There's no loot grind, no weapon crafting, no satisfying headshots. Just a child, a locked door, and the sound of something dragging its feet down the hallway.
Short but Intense
According to Longplay Studios, Terminus: Day Zero should take roughly one hour to complete. It's designed as a standalone story, meaning players can jump in without any prior experience with the original game. The title will launch free on Steam with support for multiple languages.
The studio announced the project via an official Steam post, where they also confirmed the game's store page is now live. Players can wishlist it ahead of the November release to receive a notification when it goes live.
Why It Stands Out
The zombie survival genre is crowded, and free-to-play entries are a dime a dozen. What makes Terminus: Day Zero worth watching is its commitment to helplessness. Games like Outlast and Amnesia have proven that vulnerability can be far more terrifying than firepower, and applying that philosophy to a zombie outbreak—with a child protagonist, no less—is a bold choice for a studio best known for a turn-based roguelike.
It may only last an hour, but facing the apocalypse without so much as a frying pan could make those sixty minutes feel considerably longer.
Terminus: Day Zero launches free on Steam on November 18, 2026. You can check out the official announcement here.