Hey gamers, how are you all doing? I hope you're all doing great! I'm still deep in Dead Island 2 and this is going to be the pre-finale post, because honestly I don't have much of the main story left at this point. I think I've got about 5 missions to go, I'm sitting at mission 19 out of 24, and I haven't touched a single side quest yet, which is something I might or might not get around to. The main campaign is going to be wrapped up very soon, so it feels like the right moment to stop and ask the question that's probably on your mind if you've been following these posts: is Dead Island 2 actually worth playing in 2026?
Now, you might be thinking, well obviously you're going to say yes because you've been playing it and writing about it. And look, I get that, I've definitely been in situations before where I kept playing a game that honestly wasn't that good just to push through and finish it. That feeling of being stuck with something mediocre and continuing out of pure stubbornness, I know it well. But Dead Island 2 is genuinely not that situation. That said, I'm also not going to sit here and pretend it's a flawless game, because it isn't, and being honest with you about what it is and what it isn't is way more useful than just hyping it up.
What The Game Does Really, Really Well
The biggest thing Dead Island 2 has going for it, and this is something I've touched on in my previous posts but it deserves to be said again here in this context, is the first-person perspective and what it does for the combat. Look, the zombie genre is absolutely packed at this point. Left 4 Dead 2, Resident Evil, Dying Light, World War Z, the list goes on and on, and the overwhelming majority of those games are third-person. Dead Island 2 planting its flag firmly in first-person is not a small stylistic choice, it completely transforms the experience of slaughtering zombies. Watching a limb detach in third-person is one thing. Watching it happen right in front of your face, your hands mid-swing, the impact right there in your field of vision, it's a completely different level of visceral satisfaction. The FLESH system, the way the game handles real-time body damage on every single zombie, is still one of the most impressive things I've seen in this type of game, and in first-person it hits on a completely different level.
The sound design also deserves a proper shoutout because it doesn't get talked about enough. A lot of games nowadays treat their audio like an afterthought, endless looping background music that blends into nothing, basic sound effects that don't respond to the environment. Dead Island 2 actually paid attention to this. The mix is solid, the zombies sound genuinely threatening, the impact of weapons feels right, and the music is well designed and actually synchronized with what's happening on screen. It knows when to be loud and chaotic and when to pull back and let the atmosphere breathe. These are details that a lot of games skip, and Dead Island 2 didn't, and you feel it.
And then there's the co-op, which in my case has been the mode I've been playing the entire time with a friend, and that makes a considerable difference. Playing alongside someone in this apocalyptic world adds a dynamic that the solo experience simply doesn't have. There's something specific about navigating Hell-A together that amplifies everything the game does well and makes the tougher moments feel like actual team challenges instead of frustrating walls.
Things That Are Missing or Could Be Better
Okay so here's where I put on my honest hat. There are things about Dead Island 2 that genuinely bother me and that I think a potential third entry in the series should absolutely address.
First one and this is going to sound funny but it's actually a real observation: there are zero zombie dogs in this entire game. I'm on mission 19, I've been through mansions, beaches, studios, hotels, sewers, all of it, and not a single dog zombie anywhere. In a city like Los Angeles where practically everyone has a pet, especially in those wealthy Bel-Air neighborhoods, the complete absence of any zombie animals beyond basic mutants is a glaring gap. Animal mutations and variety have been a staple of zombie games for a reason, they change the dynamic of encounters completely, and Dead Island 2 just doesn't have them. It's a missed opportunity that noticeably limits the variety of what you face.
The firearms situation I've already covered in my previous post and my opinion hasn't changed. The guns feel plastic compared to the melee, the shooting dynamic lacks the same depth and polish, and while they serve their purpose they never feel as satisfying or as well-constructed as swinging a modified weapon. Again, this is a melee game first and the guns are secondary, but the gap between the two feels bigger than it probably should.
And the last thing I'd mention is character agility. The slayer moves fine, gets around well enough, but there's a level of parkour-style mobility that this game is just missing. Something in the direction of Mirror's Edge, a bit more fluid movement, more verticality, more creativity in how you navigate the environment, would add a massive layer to what's already a fun combat system.
The Story: Good but Not Its Strongest Suit
I'll be real, the story in Dead Island 2 is decent but it's probably the weakest element of the package. I think the game's own action and energy kind of eat the narrative alive. When you're in the middle of a chaotic combat encounter with zombies flying everywhere and the gore system doing its thing, the story feels like a secondary concern, and the game leans into that naturally. The characters are fun and well voice-acted, there's humor and personality everywhere, but in terms of a narrative that genuinely grips you and makes you feel like you need to know what happens next, Dead Island 2 doesn't fully get there. At least not until the later missions. I'd say it really starts picking up somewhere around missions 18 and 19, which is where I am now, and that's honestly a bit late to be finding your narrative footing. It's not a bad story, it's just a scattered one that takes a while to start feeling like it has real weight.
So, Is It Worth It?
Short answer: absolutely yes, but with clear expectations. Dead Island 2 is not trying to be a deep narrative experience or a complex survival simulator. It is a first-person zombie action game that wants you to have an absolute blast smashing, slicing, burning, and electrocuting the undead across a beautifully detailed Los Angeles that somehow manages to look vibrant and alive even while being completely destroyed. At that, it genuinely succeeds. It's fun, it's accessible, it's not the kind of game that becomes an oppressive stressful experience like Dead Space. It's lighter in tone despite the gore, and it knows exactly what it is.
If I had to put a number on it I'd say a solid 7 to 8 out of 10. There's still content I haven't touched, some side quests to explore and a Neighborhood Watch mode that I'm curious to try and see whether it adds something different to the experience or the overall world. So there's more to come. Finish line is close, gamers. See you in the next post!