the Walking Dead Games in Order (2026 Guide)

The Walking Dead games in order, for the story that matters, run like this: Season One (2012), the 400 Days mini-anthology (2013), Season Two (2013–2014), Michonne (2016), A New Frontier (2016–2017) and The Final Season (2018–2019). That is Telltale’s Clementine saga, and it is both the release order and the correct chronological order. Everything else — the VR games, the shooters, the mobile titles — sits outside that thread and can be played whenever you like.

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The Walking Dead Games in Order: The Complete List

1. The Walking Dead: Season One (2012)

Telltale’s first season is where everything starts, and it is still the high point. You play Lee Everett, a convicted man being driven to prison when the outbreak hits, who ends up protecting an eight-year-old girl named Clementine. Across five episodes the game builds its entire identity around timed dialogue choices, a save file that remembers everything, and the constant reminder that “Clementine will remember that.”

It won a mountain of Game of the Year awards in 2012 and effectively created the modern choice-driven adventure genre. If you play only one Walking Dead game, play this one. It is short — roughly ten hours — but the finale still lands harder than almost anything else in the medium. A decent headset matters for its quiet, dialogue-heavy scenes; see our roundup of the best gaming headsets for story games.

2. The Walking Dead: 400 Days (2013)

This standalone episode is a bridge, not a season. It tells five short stories about five different survivors at a Georgia truck stop, each set at a different point during the first 400 days of the outbreak. The vignettes can be played in any order, and the choices you make feed forward into Season Two in small but meaningful ways.

It runs around 90 minutes total, which makes it easy to skip — but playing it slots several Season Two characters into place and makes the sequel’s opening far less abrupt. Play it between Season One and Season Two.

3. The Walking Dead: Season Two (2013–2014)

Season Two hands the controller to Clementine herself, now a few years older and travelling alone. It is a harder, meaner game than the first season, and deliberately so: an eleven-year-old negotiating adult survivor politics produces scenes that are genuinely uncomfortable to sit through.

Season Two also has the most branching endings in the series, with several substantially different final states depending on who you trust. It is worth playing on a machine that handles the engine’s occasional stutter smoothly — our guide to the best budget gaming PCs covers builds that run Telltale’s catalogue without hiccups.

4. The Walking Dead: Michonne (2016)

This three-episode miniseries steps away from Clementine entirely and adapts a comic-book gap in Michonne’s history, covering the period when she left Rick’s group. It is self-contained, so it can slot in anywhere after Season Two without spoiling anything.

It is the weakest of Telltale’s Walking Dead output — shorter, more linear, with less consequential choices — but it is also the most action-forward, and Samira Wiley’s performance as Michonne carries it. Notably, it is the one entry left out of the Definitive Series collection, so you have to buy it separately.

5. The Walking Dead: A New Frontier (2016–2017)

Also known as Season Three, this five-episode season stars Javier García, a former baseball player trying to keep his brother’s family alive. Clementine appears as a major supporting character, and the game flashes back to fill in what happened to her between seasons.

Reception was mixed. Shifting the protagonist frustrated players invested in Clementine, and the choice-import system from earlier seasons was noticeably simplified. Judged on its own terms, though, the García family drama is well written and the season looks the best of the three thanks to a graphics engine overhaul. Playing on a large screen shows off that new art direction; check the best 4K TVs for console gaming for options.

6. The Walking Dead: The Final Season (2018–2019)

The last chapter puts Clementine at a boarding school full of orphaned kids, alongside AJ, the boy she has raised. It is the best-playing entry by a distance: free camera control, an over-the-shoulder perspective, real stealth sections and combat with actual weight.

Its production was famously turbulent. Telltale Games shut down in September 2018 after only two of the four episodes had shipped, leaving the story unfinished. Skybound Games stepped in, rehired much of the original team, and released the final two episodes in 2019. The ending they delivered is a proper, deliberate close to a seven-year story.

The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series, released in 2019, bundles Season One, 400 Days, Season Two, A New Frontier and The Final Season together with a graphic-novel rendering filter, remastered lighting and hours of behind-the-scenes material. It is the cleanest way to play the saga in order today. The one omission is Michonne, which remains a separate purchase. Faster storage keeps the episode transitions snappy — see the best SSDs for gaming consoles.

The Non-Telltale Walking Dead Games

Outside the Clementine saga there is a scattered second catalogue. Survival Instinct (2013) was a first-person prequel to the TV show starring Daryl and Merle Dixon, and it is widely regarded as one of the worst licensed games of its generation. Overkill’s The Walking Dead (2018) was a four-player co-op shooter that was delisted within a year and had its console versions cancelled outright.

The VR line is the bright spot. Saints & Sinners (2020) is genuinely excellent, letting you physically stab, shove and shoot through a flooded New Orleans. Chapter 2: Retribution (2022) expanded it with a night cycle, and Onslaught (2020) is a lighter wave-based shooter tied to the TV series. On mobile, No Man’s Land and Road to Survival are long-running free-to-play strategy titles. VR comfort depends on your setup; see the best VR headset accessories.

The Best Order for a First-Time Player

Play Season One, then 400 Days, then Season Two, then A New Frontier, then The Final Season. Fit Michonne in anywhere after Season Two if you want it. Buying the Definitive Series handles the first five automatically and imports your choices between them, which matters more than people expect — several characters live or die based on decisions made two games earlier.

If you only care about the VR games, start with Saints & Sinners; it needs no knowledge of the Telltale story at all. A comfortable seat helps for long narrative sessions, and the best gaming chairs for long sessions covers the ones actually worth the money.

Frequently Asked Questions About The Walking Dead Games in Order

Do I need to play the Walking Dead games in order?

For the Telltale seasons, yes. Each game imports your save data and choices from the previous one, so characters, relationships and even who is still alive depend on decisions you made earlier. The VR games and mobile titles are entirely standalone and can be played in any order without missing context.

Is The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series worth buying?

Yes, if you are starting fresh. It bundles five of the six Telltale entries with remastered visuals, improved lighting, a graphic-novel filter and extensive developer commentary, usually for less than buying the seasons separately. The only missing piece is the Michonne miniseries, which must be purchased on its own.

Did Telltale finish The Walking Dead: The Final Season?

Not entirely. Telltale Games shut down in September 2018 after releasing two of the four planned episodes. Skybound Games acquired the rights, rehired many of the original developers, and completed episodes three and four, releasing the finale in March 2019 as the intended conclusion to Clementine’s story.

Which Walking Dead game should I play first?

Start with Season One. It is the strongest entry, it requires no prior knowledge of the comics or television series, and it establishes Lee and Clementine’s relationship, which every later Telltale game builds upon. At roughly ten hours it is also short enough to finish over a weekend.