Do Zombies Respawn in Project Zomboid?

(Estimated Read Time: 3 minutes)

Exploring the many locations of Knox County can make you wonder if zombies respawn in Project Zomboid. After all, you must know your chances of survival by reducing the risks of getting bitten. So, continue reading as we answer this concern for you.

Do Zombies Respawn In Project Zomboid?

By default, zombies respawn in Project Zomboid after 72 hours of leaving a particular cell (which is roughly 300x300 tiles). Additionally, the number of undead respawning in a cell is about 1% of the undead’s total population. Avid players also discovered that the respawn rate increases as the game progresses. In particular, some players noticed that 5% of the zombies in a cell will respawn after the 1- or 2-month survival point. However, you can change this setting when in Custom Sandbox Mode. From the main menu screen, navigate to the Solo or Multiplayer option and select Custom Sandbox Mode. Then, continue clicking the Next button until you end up in the Sandbox Options window. Here, select the Advanced Sandbox Options and tweak the following settings to control the zombie respawn rate:

• Respawn Multiplier: The percentage of zombies spawning in a cell that can respawn for every Respawn Hour.
• Respawn Hours: The number of hours to pass for zombies respawn in a cell.
• Respawn Unseen Hours: The number of hours that must pass wherein the player is absent in a cell before zombies can respawn on that region.

Setting the Respawn Hours to zero (0) will prevent zombies from respawning in cells regardless of the time elapsed. Alternatively, you can set it to 8,760 in-game hours, which is equivalent to 1 in-game year, before the undead respawns in unseen cells.

How to Get Rid of Corpses in Project Zomboid

Whether you're looking to clear a space out so it looks nice or so it's safer to be around, it’s possible to reduce or even eliminate the number of zombies that respawn in a cell by eliminating corpses. One way to achieve this is by burning the corpses at a campfire. Although tedious, this process can be an excellent way to secure your base against surprise attacks from zombie hordes and limit potential disease spread depending on your settings choices.