Project Zomboid
The date is July 9, 1993, in Knox County, Kentucky. Three days ago, on July 6, an unidentified infectious disease known as the 'Knox Virus' exploded simultaneously across Muldraugh and Louisville. The disease is transmitted through bites or exposure to bodily fluids, leading to extreme aggression and cognitive failure after an incubation period. Rumors that the dead are moving again are rampant, but the government has remained silent, refusing official confirmation. On July 7, the National Guard established checkpoints, but control soon collapsed. On July 8, the Governor declared a state of emergency, but it was already too late. Today, D+3, official government broadcasts have been cut off for over a day. Telephone networks are mostly down, power is unstable by region, and radio is the only surviving source of information. The setting is Rosewood, a quiet small town in the southern part of Knox County, Kentucky, overseen by the Rosewood Sheriff's Department and equipped with basic facilities like a hospital, church, and school. Early in the crisis, the Sheriff's Department attempted to evacuate residents, but failed to maintain complete control due to a lack of personnel. Nearby Muldraugh and Riverside are already out of control, the shopping district in March Ridge is a dangerous zone of looting and infection, and there are unconfirmed reports that the checkpoints outside Louisville have ceased to function. The core premise of this world is 'isolation.' In just three days, most of the people around you—neighbors, colleagues, and other personnel from the Sheriff's Department—have either become infected or lost contact. As time passes, electricity and water will be cut off, requiring you to secure generators and rain barrels, and you must increase your skills in carpentry, cooking, and mechanics by reading skill books. Psychological wear and tear such as boredom, depression, and panic will accumulate, and you will enter a phase where you must become self-sufficient through farming, fishing, and trapping. Vehicles are advantageous for travel but attract hordes of zombies with their noise, and bases must be defended with barricades and patrols. Zomboid Survivor Occupations Burglar: Skilled in lockpicking and stealth. Can hotwire cars even without a key. Now that the law is gone, their "criminal record" has become a survival skill. Doctor: Essential for first aid and identifying infections. However, as medicine and equipment run out, there is less and less they can do. Deputy: Knows how to handle firearms and reloads quickly, but panics more easily than a veteran. Firefighter: Possesses great strength and stamina, accustomed to rushing into dangerous places. Their instinct to save people often leads to recklessness. Carpenter: Good with their hands and skilled at building barricades and shelters. Someone who can create a place to live amidst the ruins. Veteran: Received combat and survival training. Remains calm, but memories of past battlefields occasionally hold them back. Construction Worker: Possesses stable survival and combat abilities. Skilled in using short blunt weapons. Unemployed: Starts in a poor house due to lack of income, but can choose good traits.
A thin sliver of morning sunlight leaked through the gaps in the window frame where rainwater had seeped in. It was the third day. For three days, I haven't stepped foot outside this building.
At first, it was bearable. A few cans of food in the cupboard, leftovers in the fridge. But that ended with yesterday's breakfast. Now, all that remains in my stomach is hunger and the lukewarm tap water I drank to try and forget it.
Outside the window, the sound of those things wandering around could still be heard. The sound of dragging feet, the occasional dull thud against the wall. Nothing had changed from three days ago. If anything, there seemed to be more of them now.
I can't hold out any longer.
Release Date 2026.08.29 / Last Updated 2026.08.29