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They Are Coming is a gritty zombie game where you fight to survive as waves of the undead close in. You play a lone protector, defending a rundown orphanage, once your childhood home, from a relentless horde. It's a blend of action and strategy, where each day survived brings tougher challenges and bigger rewards.
This hardcore zombie game mixes tower defense, roguelike elements, and shooter gameplay in a tight side-scrolling experience. The pixel graphics give it an old-school charm while keeping the focus on fast-paced action.
You can play They Are Coming Zombie on both mobile and desktop. The developer released it first on Android and iOS, where it earned high ratings. Now, you can also play on PC. Whether you're diving into zombie defense on your PC or grabbing it on your phone, it's easy to play.
A gritty, emotionally charged survival game awaits.
Mobile:
Pause: Tap the top-left button.
Move: Hold the bottom-left joystick, move the finger for direction (no sprinting).
Shoot: Tap screen (except buttons); shoots in tap direction; behind character shoots up/down.
Weapon Switch: Tap the lower-left button (e.g., revolver/shotgun initially).
Melee: Tap the upper-left button (e.g., fruit knife initially).
Reload: Tap the bottom-right button.
Equip/Use Items: Tap bottom buttons (e.g., grenades, barricades, traps); place/throw with preview.
Kick: Tap the button left of reload; knocks zombies back or kills if timed right.
Skip Interval: Tap the top-right button during 15-20 second intervals between waves.
PC:
WASD for movement
Mouse for aiming and shooting
Number keys or mouse wheel for weapon switching
Spacebar or specific keys for melee, reload, and item use
They Are Coming is a side-scrolling defense game where every day survived pushes the tension higher. At its core, it’s a roguelike survival loop, once you die, you start over. That mechanic alone changes how you play. There’s no room for error, which makes every choice meaningful.
You start each run defending a fixed location, usually the orphanage, against daily waves of zombies. These waves get harder fast. Your goal isn’t just to shoot and survive; it’s to build smarter, last longer, and adapt.
The gameplay is tight and responsive. You move across a 2D space, react to fast-approaching threats, and place defenses. Each playthrough feels slightly different thanks to randomly generated zombie patterns and item unlocks.
Visually, the pixel art keeps things minimal but expressive. Zombies collapse in piles, bullets feel punchy, and the sound cues are sharp. This isn’t a flashy game, it’s focused, lean, and built around repeatable challenge.
Advanced players often prioritize zoning tactics, forcing zombies into chokepoints using barricades and terrain. Since the field is flat and 2D, understanding enemy pathing and spawn behavior becomes part of the meta. Efficient players time their reloads and control zombie flow rather than brute-forcing every wave.
Weapons in They Are Coming don’t just add firepower, they define your playstyle. The arsenal is huge, ranging from basic melee weapons like fruit knives to powerful firearms like the .50 cal sniper rifle.
Early on, players often rely on a shotgun for crowd control. Its wide spread can clear multiple zombies at once. In close quarters, the melee kick mechanic and fast-swinging swords give you crucial ammo-free options.
To grow stronger, you’ll need money to buy upgrades after each day. This in-game currency lets you buy new weapons, armor, and deployable tools. Everything, from a basic pistol to tactical gear, is earned this way. There are no shortcuts.
Traps are another key layer. Spike strips, landmines, and grenades slow or destroy zombies automatically. Smart placement is vital. Advanced players often combine traps with chokepoints to control flow. For instance, placing a spike trap behind a barricade allows for passive damage while keeping your firing line clear.
The real depth comes from synergy. Some setups pair fast reload weaponry with stun traps for quick, repeated bursts. Others lean on high-damage tactical tools like claymores and splash damage grenades.
Unlocking new weapons is tied to your survival streak. The longer you last, the more you can unlock, but losing resets progress. That’s why understanding your weapon matchups, what works best against runners, tanks, or vomit zombies, is essential.
Top players tend to experiment in Playground Mode. They test every combination before committing to a new run. That’s how meta strategies evolve: not just through power, but through tactical control.
Spend just a few hours with They Are Coming, and you’ll understand why it’s earned over 90% “Very Positive” reviews on Steam and a 4.8/5 on both iOS and Android. This isn’t just another action game, it’s a gritty test of patience, reflexes, and will.
You play as a lone survivor. Each new day brings more chaos, as waves of zombies grow faster and meaner. On day one, it’s quiet. By day seven, you’re barricading the orphanage entrance with spikes, holding your breath as the zombies keep coming, some vomiting acid, others sprinting in from the shadows.
One Steam player wrote, “I’ve played 15 hours so far. Still haven’t made it past day 20. But I keep coming back. It’s brutal, but it’s fair.” That sense of fairness is part of what makes it so addictive. The physics are snappy, blasting a zombie with a shotgun sends limbs flying, ragdoll-style. Every hit feels earned.
But what sticks isn’t just the blood, it’s the emotional pull. You’re not just fighting to survive. You’re defending what’s left of home.
Of course, not everything lands. Once you’ve unlocked all upgrades, some players say the loop starts to feel repetitive. A few with over 40 hours logged noted they’d love to see more endgame content or enemy variety.
Performance can also take a hit. “The game lags hard once 30+ zombies are on screen,” one mobile user shared. PC players have reported bugs like weapons locking up mid-fight, breaking the flow in otherwise tight encounters.
There’s also concern about stagnation. The Early Access version on Steam hasn’t seen a major update in over a year, leading some to wonder if development has slowed for good.
Still, for those first 10, 20, or even 50 hours, the game holds strong. You’ll die. Often. But the replayability is there, because each time you feel like this is the run where you finally must survive. And maybe it will be, if you’ve got the skill.
Success in They Are Coming often hinges on what you learn the hard way. While there's no formal tutorial, players have filled that gap, sharing hard-earned knowledge across Reddit, Steam discussions, and App Store reviews
These tips don’t guarantee survival, but they make your odds a whole lot better.
Beneath the simple art and wave-based format, They Are Coming hides real depth. What begins as a test of reflexes slowly evolves into a game of strategy, where only the most prepared players can truly grow stronger.
Progressing beyond day 15 isn’t just about better gear, it’s about advanced tactics. Players learn to build around trap coordination, funneling zombies into kill zones, stacking spike traps behind barricades, and placing turrets to cover reload downtime. These setups don’t just work, they reflect an emergent strategy born from hours of experimentation.
New enemy types, like Firefighter zombies with armor or vomit-spewing Boomers, force players to adapt constantly. Many test builds in Sandbox Mode, tweaking gear and positioning without the pressure of permadeath.
While it doesn’t have a robust perk system (yet), some players compare its difficulty curve and adaptability to Project Zomboid or Deadly Days. That said, the lack of frequent updates, especially on PC, means the meta can grow stale over time.
Still, strong survivors will always find ways to optimize.
They Are Coming was first launched on itch.io and mobile platforms by OnHit Developments (listed as WAI KIN NG on iOS). Its strong mobile success, with high ratings and an active player base, paved the way for the PC version, which entered Early Access on Steam in late 2023.
At launch, the developer promised a short roadmap: “Around half a year” to add perks, polish features, and expand content. But that goal remains unfulfilled. The last major PC update came in July 2024, and since then, the Steam community has noted the ongoing silence.
A top-rated Steam comment reads, “Love the core loop, but I wish the devs would talk to us.” That echoes a broader frustration from players who enjoy the game but feel left out by the lack of communication.
Meanwhile, the iOS version saw new features as recently as October 2023. This gap suggests a clear shift in focus back to mobile, leaving many PC players waiting, and wondering.
If They Are Coming hooked you with its pixelated chaos and roguelike tension, there are plenty of games like it worth checking out. These titles share similar mechanics, whether it's fending off the undead, building defenses, or just trying to keep your brain intact through endless waves.
Whether you’re into solo runs or multiplayer madness, these titles echo They Are Coming’s relentless energy.
They Are Coming is a gritty zombie game for free on mobile and a low-cost title on PC. Its game features, from roguelike permadeath to sandbox testing, make it both challenging and replayable. You’ll play They Are Coming with quick swipes or clicks, placing a barricade, firing off rounds, and trying to survive one more night.