Dead Island 2

 PlayStation 5
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 341 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 236 out of 341
  2. Mixed: 53 out of 341
  3. Negative: 52 out of 341
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  1. jrallison75
    May 1, 2023
    7
    This is a fun zombie adventure that will keep you entertained. It has some replay value. I would consider this game as filler in between better and more important releases.
  2. KolesAdlerov
    Apr 22, 2023
    6
    A typical triple-sjw product. Still a good sequel to the "6/10" game, still better than DL2 and still doesn't hold a candle to DL1.
    And, devs... eh, vehicles..? A swimming... nah?
    Gameplay: combat mechanics [nice gore, bad scripts in animations] 8/10 combat logic: deep-silver absurd atmosphere [stupid consolish UI & checkpoints/loadings] 6/10 Gameplay as immersive horror    A typical triple-sjw product. Still a good sequel to the "6/10" game, still better than DL2 and still doesn't hold a candle to DL1.
    And, devs... eh, vehicles..? A swimming... nah?

    Gameplay:
    combat mechanics [nice gore, bad scripts in animations] 8/10
    combat logic: deep-silver absurd
    atmosphere [stupid consolish UI & checkpoints/loadings] 6/10
    Gameplay as immersive horror ["bye-bye", really?] 4/10
    Gameplay as RPG: 4/10

    Story 5/10

    Graphics [nice details and lighting system, bad UI] 9/10

    Sounds & music 7/10

    .
    Thank Gоd it's 2023 now, not 2022, otherwise DI2 would've become the GOTY'22. But d*mn it, I wanna Postal2 here!    … Expand
  3. Tekaino
    Apr 23, 2023
    5
    The game have not most an interesting gameplay and history. The dl2 is still better than di 2
  4. Niko007
    Apr 24, 2023
    7
    Dead island 2 is exactly what you expected it to be nothing more nothing less. Mindless zombie killing fun sadly it doesn't elevate itself beyond that but i guess it's a good thing
  5. RELOAD_PIXEL
    Apr 26, 2023
    6
    BON DEAD ISLAND 2

    Et bah franchement, on revient de loin, mais ce n'est clairement pas un jeu inoubliable… cela vaut 40€ pas plus, c'est un jeu qui a du potentiel et qui a pleins de belle mécanique de combat, mais c'est clairement un jeu sorti trop tard... Les combats avec le gore système sont vraiment cool et plutôt impactant, mais cela reste plutôt répétitif à la longue et    BON DEAD ISLAND 2

    Et bah franchement, on revient de loin, mais ce n'est clairement pas un jeu inoubliable…

    cela vaut 40€ pas plus, c'est un jeu qui a du potentiel et qui a pleins de belle mécanique de combat, mais c'est clairement un jeu sorti trop tard...

    Les combats avec le gore système sont vraiment cool et plutôt impactant, mais cela reste plutôt répétitif à la longue et ennuyant, j'ai clairement pref les dying light sur cet aspect… cependant cela reste un jeu sympa avec des GRAPHISME, mais MON DIEU C'EST BEAU À EN CREVER…
    Cependant, le scénario, l'ambiance, les dialogues CATASTROPHIQUE pour moi ça tue l'immersion ,mais bof bof ...

    Conclusion faite dead island 1, c'était vraiment bien et l'ambiance prime surtout le reste, vous vous laisserez porté…

    C'est un jeu cool sortie trop tard et trop cher…    … Expand
  6. WhiffLash
    Apr 23, 2023
    6
    Game has pretty big open areas for a linear game but that is not a bad thing as the world is packed with detail. However exploration is discouraged by the developers because as soon as you clear an area and want to explore the zombies respawn immediately, and the weapons you just repaired will be damaged for doing the same area all over again.You get 60 Fps with this game but graphics areGame has pretty big open areas for a linear game but that is not a bad thing as the world is packed with detail. However exploration is discouraged by the developers because as soon as you clear an area and want to explore the zombies respawn immediately, and the weapons you just repaired will be damaged for doing the same area all over again.You get 60 Fps with this game but graphics are ps4 pro xbox one Era. That would be fine if the combat was fun, but it's just a button smasher with very little mechanics. All weapons feel the same even though vastly different. Better game at discount and too short.… Expand
  7. RenaudLemieux
    Apr 29, 2023
    5
    The amount of flaws completely absurd that has this game amazes me to the highest point.

    The camera does not tremble when we run which gives us a disgusting feeling like a ps3 era game. Light attacks as well as dodges do not consume endurance making the game too easy. Especially since there is no choice of difficulty which is completely unacceptable for players wanting a good challenge.    The amount of flaws completely absurd that has this game amazes me to the highest point.

    The camera does not tremble when we run which gives us a disgusting feeling like a ps3 era game. Light attacks as well as dodges do not consume endurance making the game too easy. Especially since there is no choice of difficulty which is completely unacceptable for players wanting a good challenge. There is no adaptive trigger for melee attacks. The impacts of blows are very low and the weapons pass through the enemies as in wind. There is no animation when we collect objects they come on us as if by magic. In the end the game has completely outdated mecanics apart for the graphics and the gore which are very very impressive.

    Dying light 2 compared to this is a real masterpiece. I never thought I would say something like this. I hope the company will do something to patch those absolutely unforgivable flaws. If not I'll just sell my game. God thanks I bought it physical.

    My only wish was to love this game but I just can't.    … Expand
  8. Syl20
    Apr 26, 2023
    5
    I have to admit that I might be a bit early on giving my toughts and impressions on this game since I've only played it for a couple of hours (maybe 3~4) but to be honest... nothing made me want to keep playing it any longer and I doubt I'll ever get back to it...
    Absolutely nothing thrilled me and got me excited within the first 3~4hours.
    The game has been an on and off project for    I have to admit that I might be a bit early on giving my toughts and impressions on this game since I've only played it for a couple of hours (maybe 3~4) but to be honest... nothing made me want to keep playing it any longer and I doubt I'll ever get back to it...
    Absolutely nothing thrilled me and got me excited within the first 3~4hours.

    The game has been an on and off project for more than 10 years now and it shows in every possible ways!
    It feels like games used to feel 10 years ago...
    Problem is we've seen a lot in the last 10 years of gaming and it really makes Dead Island 2 feel like it's 2013 again, for the worst of it...

    For me, the "spongy" and "wobbly" gameplay/combat melee animations totally killed it right from the get go!
    Swinging a sledgehammer or a wrench just doesn't feel right in this game.
    We can't feel any kind of impacts/physics besides the damage that pops through ennemies in a bizzare way.
    Even my 17 years old son who was watching my 1st couple of hours said : "It feels VERY average..." and that pretty much sums it all!
    Melee combat should feel gruesome and brutal, but gameplay mechanics and animations makes it feel clumsy and awkward.
    It feels like GTA which for melee combat wasn't much of a reference...
    Problem is, in Dead Island 2, Melee combat is pretty much everything!

    Dead Island 2 doesn't even manage to beat, nor equal first Dying Light game which became my "First person Zombie game" reference.
    From what I saw of it so far, I think I'd rather just give Dying Light Definitive Edition another go!
    At least that game felt damn right about pretty much everything!

    I bought a physical Dead Island 2 copy as I feared it might deceive me despite good reviews and I'm glad I did, I'll just sell back my copy so I didn't just wasted 100$ on a very VERY average experience...    … Expand
  9. darklyluna
    Apr 27, 2023
    5
    Middling in every possible way. The story is just ridiculously stupid. The respawning zombies are pretty annoying. Even with upgraded gear to your level, zombies take too much punishment to die. Some of the fights are satisfying, most of them are just grindy.

    My biggest complaint comes from the levels. Most zombies seem to scale. Then there are just highly powered zombies peppered    Middling in every possible way. The story is just ridiculously stupid. The respawning zombies are pretty annoying. Even with upgraded gear to your level, zombies take too much punishment to die. Some of the fights are satisfying, most of them are just grindy.

    My biggest complaint comes from the levels. Most zombies seem to scale. Then there are just highly powered zombies peppered around for no reason that one shot you. Or random missions where you aren't quite high enough for them I guess and they just tack on an extra level (I'm level 8 the zombies are 9). While this latter issue isn't a big deal, it's still frustrating.

    They channeled the most insanely ridiculous parts of Far Cry games (the side quests are totally mad).

    If you can stomach how stupid everything is, then it's kind of fun. But I seriously regret wasting money on it.    … Expand
  10. Anar-9999
    Apr 30, 2023
    6
    short game and graphics old pity everything could be much bette игра не плохая но увы графика и некторые аспекты плохие
  11. MaccMosley
    May 24, 2023
    6
    This game looks amazing and that's about all it really has going for it. They should've made it free to play cause it's not worth $70. I should've listened to the reviews and my gut before I wasted my money on this game,its the same thing over and over and over,even the voice acting is horrible. All you do is clear zombies and walk around,the gore is pretty Cool but other than that thisThis game looks amazing and that's about all it really has going for it. They should've made it free to play cause it's not worth $70. I should've listened to the reviews and my gut before I wasted my money on this game,its the same thing over and over and over,even the voice acting is horrible. All you do is clear zombies and walk around,the gore is pretty Cool but other than that this games an absolute mess,I can't tell you how many times you'll see the exact same Zombies and do the exact same type missions,theu could've at least made it open world and made the "CO-OP" worth a crap. What a waste of money,don't buy this game new,wait 6 months and if you still wanna play it buy it used,trust me,you'll be sorry if u spend $78 on this game,I know Iam.… Expand
  12. Zumbie101
    Apr 28, 2023
    7
    Dumb fun zombie game. Much more fun with friends or even randoms than solo. Probably worth waiting til a sale but great to just chill out and have fun with

    Gore mechanics are actually pretty impressive.

    Nothing special at all regarding story or characters but thats not really the draw
  13. Dolan58
    May 4, 2023
    5
    This game is fun, but only up to a point. Quests and combat become boring and repetitive. The absence of analog attacks is really disappointing too because it was a feature that really made Dead Island 1 stand out.
    Quests are usually "fetch this" or "go find this person who hasn't been seen in a while." You go to a location, a horde shows up and you leave.
    Despite a decent number of    This game is fun, but only up to a point. Quests and combat become boring and repetitive. The absence of analog attacks is really disappointing too because it was a feature that really made Dead Island 1 stand out.
    Quests are usually "fetch this" or "go find this person who hasn't been seen in a while." You go to a location, a horde shows up and you leave.
    Despite a decent number of ability cards collected as you progress, I figured out my play style early on in the game and didn't see any advantage to changing it later on.
    Visually its a very nice looking game but I would recommend waiting for it to go on sale, especially if you don't have any interest to play it co-op.    … Expand
  14. BlueDoomz
    Apr 23, 2023
    7
    Positive:
    The game has revolutionary gore system, satisfying combat and beautiful and detailed environments with great graphics. Memorable characters. Lots of detailed weapon variations and zombie looks. Negative:
    The game suffers from repetitive main quests(like finding a circuit breaker, adjusting the pressure for the water pumps or killing zombies to lock them out of an area. A short    Positive:
    The game has revolutionary gore system, satisfying combat and beautiful and detailed environments with great graphics. Memorable characters. Lots of detailed weapon variations and zombie looks. Negative:
    The game suffers from repetitive main quests(like finding a circuit breaker, adjusting the pressure for the water pumps or killing zombies to lock them out of an area. A short and underwhelming story.    … Expand
  15. llSBuNNYll
    Apr 24, 2023
    6
    I finished Dead Island 2 today and I'm giving it a 6. Would have been slightly higher if the price was lower.

    Let's start with the best thing with this game, the gore/flesh system. It's really amazing, I never played anything Even remotely close to this! Slash a zombie with a knife and it gets a cut exactly where you hit! Stab wounds, gun shot wounds, everything looks so good and real!    I finished Dead Island 2 today and I'm giving it a 6. Would have been slightly higher if the price was lower.

    Let's start with the best thing with this game, the gore/flesh system. It's really amazing, I never played anything Even remotely close to this! Slash a zombie with a knife and it gets a cut exactly where you hit! Stab wounds, gun shot wounds, everything looks so good and real! You can literally Chopin off pieces of flesh until theres only a bloody skeleton left.
    Second best thing is the city itself, "Hell-A" look stunning.
    This is not an open world game, it,s actually around 10 different "stages"" you have to go through, and it's not the best solution, but not the worst either. I would have preferred an open world. This solution work best if you ha e an amazing story, like for example God of War 2018.
    The combat is also OK,both the actual combat and the weapons+weapon mods are pretty much identical to Dying Light.
    The story in Dead Island 2 is horrible, and the characters are cringe at best.
    This is what it is, a brain dead zombie slasher, and that's it. It's a very expensive game, here in Norway aswell, it's 25% more expensive than other AAA games like God of War Ragnarok and Elden Ring.

    I regret buying this at full price and wish I would have waited till I could get it cheaper.
    But I've had a good time playing Dead Island 2    … Expand
  16. Macintosh1001
    Apr 25, 2023
    7
    While the story/characters is lacking, and to be honest, a little cringy, it makes up for its gameplay and brutal, yet stratifying combat. The quests and story aren't really ground breaking or memorable, but what it lacks in narrative, it makes up for in pure dumb fun. It's a type of game that you just turn your brain off and enjoy.
  17. Gamm0n
    May 2, 2023
    5
    Return to the old formula of bash heads and run. Don't get me wrong it's a great game, looks and plays great but 10 hours in I just stopped playing and am finding it hard to load back up.
  18. Ryang23
    Apr 25, 2023
    5
    Honestly it's a lot lower quality then I expected. It definitely looks and feels like a decent PS4/Xb1 era game that is made by a mid tier developer.
  19. JrDouble
    May 23, 2023
    5
    A bad zombie game overall. Graphics, story, and combat are all weak. Not as good as Dying Light, but A LOT better than Dying Light 2. Worth playing if you just want to smash zombies and waste your time.
  20. KarlFos93
    Apr 26, 2023
    7
    Overall if you liked the first game, you’ll like this. It doesn’t really expand or create anything new and the areas are single areas shut off by loading screens instead of a bigger map.

    Story feels a bit… meh. Like it should have been another riptide style dlc and it introduces and then drops plot points at multiple times. (I don’t think the campaign length justifies the full price tag)    Overall if you liked the first game, you’ll like this. It doesn’t really expand or create anything new and the areas are single areas shut off by loading screens instead of a bigger map.

    Story feels a bit… meh. Like it should have been another riptide style dlc and it introduces and then drops plot points at multiple times. (I don’t think the campaign length justifies the full price tag) An enjoyable game to play when the price comes down but not something likely to be near a Game of The Year nomination.    … Expand
  21. Ghost1311
    Apr 30, 2023
    7
    Dead Island 2 no geral é um jogo legal.
    Gráficos incríveis e uma jogabilidade bem divertida.
    O ponto negativo é que o jogo traz um "humor" exagerado e desnecessário, quebrando a imersão de terror que o jogo poderia passar, diferente do seu antecessor, que era mais focado no terror. Pra quem gosta de platina, o jogo possui 2 troféis online que são um atraso pra quem não quer jogar coop. Pra    Dead Island 2 no geral é um jogo legal.
    Gráficos incríveis e uma jogabilidade bem divertida.
    O ponto negativo é que o jogo traz um "humor" exagerado e desnecessário, quebrando a imersão de terror que o jogo poderia passar, diferente do seu antecessor, que era mais focado no terror.
    Pra quem gosta de platina, o jogo possui 2 troféis online que são um atraso pra quem não quer jogar coop.
    Pra mim 7,5    … Expand
  22. theprouler69
    Apr 24, 2023
    6
    I live for games that are just about having dumb fun, but the fact that it doesn't reset your inventory when you die in an encounter made me out of ammo and medkits, and in those times it was actually a struggle, other than that I have no complaints
  23. DrLoomis
    Apr 26, 2023
    7
    The game looks fantastic (especially the gore) but the mechanics and gameplay loop feel about a decade old. It's basically a prettier and more linear version of the first game. If you liked that game you probably like this. I'd definitely wait for a sale though.
  24. adrianuzumaki
    May 2, 2023
    7
    Fun game too bad story is bad and characters dumb. It's fun for a while and thats it.
  25. Brenod
    May 3, 2023
    6
    Fun zombie game which does not live up to its predecessors. Story is uneventful, it feels like the writers knew the bad story they were writing and doubled down on making it cringeworthy. The combat is amazing, the gore system is fun to play around with. Hacking and slashing at zombies until they have been reduced to beef mince is awesome.

    The general layout of quests was repetitive.    Fun zombie game which does not live up to its predecessors. Story is uneventful, it feels like the writers knew the bad story they were writing and doubled down on making it cringeworthy. The combat is amazing, the gore system is fun to play around with. Hacking and slashing at zombies until they have been reduced to beef mince is awesome.

    The general layout of quests was repetitive. You go to a location and fight through waves of zombies while waiting for a gate to close, or just because the game wants you to fight through a wave. The lost weapons quests all require you to follow a paper trail until you can unlock an object which holds a weapon.

    The characters all play the same, this was sad to see. The previous two entries in the franchise had a unique skill set for each character. This gave the games good replay value and made it worth playing with every character.

    In dead island 2, each character has the same skill cards to build out their play style. There is only minor variances between each character. For example, Dani had a card that only she and Jaycob could equip.    … Expand
  26. Ghoster
    Aug 29, 2023
    5
    What happened with this franchise? I loved Dead Island and Riptide, but this installment is very bad and disappointing after that many years of waiting. Combat is pretty decent, but whole atmosphere and missions are like 5 year old created it. Try it on big sale to smash some zombies, but don't expect much from this. Better play old Dead Islands and have fun!
  27. eric-g
    Jun 26, 2023
    6
    good game, a little bit repetitive, and boring after a while. technicaly very strong and nice but something is missing to make it greater
  28. Nanashi95
    Aug 30, 2023
    7
    The game really is a mixed bag. It has its amazing sides, but also its awful sides.
    The best thing about this game is the gameplay in itself - especially the combat. Due to this new violent gore system, the combat is incredibly satisfying to play.
    But at the same time, the game feels like a step backwards from the first game, because e.g. due to the smaller areas or the lack of driveable    The game really is a mixed bag. It has its amazing sides, but also its awful sides.
    The best thing about this game is the gameplay in itself - especially the combat. Due to this new violent gore system, the combat is incredibly satisfying to play.
    But at the same time, the game feels like a step backwards from the first game, because e.g. due to the smaller areas or the lack of driveable vehicles.
    Also some of the side quests were dreadful.
    But if you want something brainless, violent entertainment for some couple of hourse, you can't go wrong.    … Expand
  29. marick333
    Aug 24, 2023
    7
    Not a good story, great gameplay, but something doesn't end well. I don't like when characters talk; lips are... from the 2003 game. In LA, you can find a maximum of 10 zombies in 10 meters and more. Gameplay and gameplay are fine.
  30. Nyanko1234
    Jul 9, 2023
    7
    Good graphics, interesting storyline but for some reason, I get motion sick everytime playing this game. Changed camera speed but still can`t continue to play more than an hour per day. Other than that, its a great game, fun killing zombies for new loots.

Awards & Rankings

13
#13 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2023

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 87 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 51 out of 87
  2. Mixed: 35 out of 87
  3. Negative: 1 out of 87
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 23, 2024
    80
    Many will argue that there aren't enough enemy types, or that the weapon upgrades that underpin it all seem as if they came out of a decades-old game. And they'd be right. This is a game that follows a simple template. But it does so in a confessed way, and in the end the authors didn't promise anything beyond mindless and fun zombie slaughter. [Issue#327]
  2. PLAY
    Sep 16, 2023
    50
    Neat zombie bashing mechanics are woefully under-served as it loses its way more with each hour, making the shiny hyper-violence yawnworthy by the end. [Issue#27, p.68]
  3. Pocket-lint
    Jun 23, 2023
    80
    We've had a pretty great time messing up some zombies in Hell-A. Dead Island 2 doesn't shoot for the stars, and therefore ends up neither overpromising nor under-delivering, so if you liked the first game you're pretty certain to have a fun time here.
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