Co-op zombie shooter World War Z’s Aftermath expansion arrives in September • Eurogamer.net

World War Z, the smash-hit co-operative zombie shooter from Saber Interactive, will be embarking on adventures in exotic (and undead-infested) new locales starting 21st September, with the arrival of its major Aftermath expansion for Xbox, PlayStation, and PC.

Aftermath, which will be available as a paid update for existing World War Z owners and as an all-in standalone release for newcomers, is intended to give the two-year-old zombie shooter a significant shot in the arm.

It contains everything previously released as part of World War Z’s Game of the Year edition, including all seven of its PvE story episodes, split across 23 maps in New York, Moscow, Jerusalem, Marseilles, and Tokyo. It also brings gameplay enhancements and brand-new content, including new locations, survivors, and more.

There’s a new story episode set in Rome, for instance, taking up to four survivors across its cobbled streets, catacombs, and even the colosseum, as they attempt to reclaim Vatican City from the undead. Players can also journey to the blizzard-battered Russian peninsula of Kamchatka, navigating an abandoned cruise ship as they search for a nuclear submarine.

Additionally, Aftermath introduces the new electric-shield-wielding Vanguard class, bringing World War Z’s total number of classes up to eight, and a new enemy type in the form of swarming hordes of hungry rats. There’s also cross-platform multiplayer support, a new first-person option to supplement the existing third-person perspective, and a “visceral” new combat system, featuring unique moves, perks, and all-new duel-wielding and two-handed melee weapons, including sickles, cleavers, sledgehammers, fire axes, and more.

New daily challenges will introduce special modifiers for bonus rewards, and if you’re lucky enough to be playing on either Xbox Series X/S or PlayStation 5, the game supports 4K resolution at 60fps. More elaborate “next-gen enhancements” will arrive in a free update for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S early next year, along with the new Horde Mode XL.

The standalone release of World War Z: Aftermath will cost $39.99 USD when it launches for PC, Xbox, and PlayStation on 21st September, and existing players will be able to get the update expansion for half price. And as for Switch owners, they’ll be able to play World War Z’s Game of the Year edition some time this “autumn”.