The Dead Await

Deckbuilding survival RPG about leading a caravan through a zombie apocalypse

Shotx · Published by indie.io · Released May 18, 2026

Reviews: Mixed; 60% of 112
Recent reviews: Not enough recent
Players: 1; daily peak, Oct 28, 2026
Steam Deck: Playable
Last update on Steam: 2 months ago; Jul 30, 2026
Minimum PC: GeForce GTX 760; 4 GB RAM · 0.7 GB disk; Full requirements

What is The Dead Await?

You lead a caravan investigating a zombie outbreak in this open-world survival RPG. You search ruined cities and survivor settlements for supplies, fight with decks of cards, and develop your party's skills and equipment. Between encounters, you manage sanity and injuries, craft supplies, cook meals, and upgrade your caravan as a mobile base.

For you if...

+you enjoy building a party with complementary skills and roles
+you like difficult survival where preparation matters before a fight

Not for you if...

−you want fast action instead of card-based battles
−you prefer a focused genre over several interlocking systems

What players say

60% of 112 reviews are positive

Players praise the equipment-driven deckbuilding and the combination of exploration, trading, and survival. Complaints focus on slow pacing, repeated trips to unload loot, and systems that become cumbersome. Recent reviews remain mixed on polish, with some players reporting bugs.

Screenshots and trailer

The Dead Await system requirements

Minimum: GeForce GTX 760, 4 GB RAM, 0.7 GB of disk space.

As published by the developer.

Can my PC run The Dead Await?

Tell us your graphics card once and every game page will answer this for you.

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Minimum

OS: Windows 7 and above
Processor: 2 GHz
Graphics: GeForce GTX 760 / Radeon 7950 or better.
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Storage: 700 MB available space
DirectX: Version 12
Notes: Mouse, Keyboard

Does The Dead Await have co-op or multiplayer?

No: single-player only, no multiplayer modes declared.

Single-player

Does The Dead Await run on Steam Deck?

Playable Playable: it runs on Steam Deck with some adjustments.

Sometimes shows mouse, keyboard or non-Deck controller icons
Some text entry requires manually opening the on-screen keyboard
Some in-game text is small and may be hard to read
All functionality is accessible with the default controller configuration
Default graphics settings perform well on Steam Deck

PC version details

DRM: None declared on Steam
Controller: Keyboard and mouse
Platforms: Windows
Achievements: 25
Steam features: Cloud saves, Family Sharing
Languages: Full audio: English. Text only: Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese.

Does The Dead Await use AI-generated content?

Yes. The developers disclose AI-generated content on the game's Steam page:

We use AI as a tool to support our art pipeline. All outputs are based on our original direction and are reviewed, edited, and refined by our team before being included in the game.

The statement mentions: Art

Self-reported by the developer under Steam rules: it covers AI content that ships in the game, not tools used to make it. Steam page checked on Oct 27, 2026. How to filter AI games on Steam