Project Zomboid Meets Stardew Valley In New Zombie Survival Game

Published Aug 23, 2026, 6:30 AM EDT Bruno Yonezawa is a Gaming Senior Writer for Screen Rant. He's been practicing professional journalism for over 10 years, and is also a communications specialist. He's played games all his life and turned that passionate hobby into a passionate career, in an industry where he's worked as a writer, editor, analyst, and more. Sign in to your ScreenRant account The popular Stardew Valley and Project Zomboid are colliding in a brand-new zombie survival game set to arrive soon, and you should consider keeping it on your radar if you like both or either of the indie games. Titles that are inspired by the two aforementioned games aren’t too uncommon. For example, a new mashup between Stardew Valley and Studio Ghibli is taking form with a city builder that you can already play, and its reviews leave it at an 8/10 score. However, there are also a few dark takes on the Stardew Valley formula. This is the case with an upcoming game, which is showcased in a new trailer posted on YouTube. The new title features life sim mechanics, such as establishing and building a base, as seen in Stardew Valley, mixed with the survival horror elements of Project Zomboid. This is because you’ll be doing all this while trying to survive hordes of zombies and the harsh post-apocalyptic world around you. This will soon be available in a new game called In The Van. Developed and published by Cosmic Tofu, In The Van is a new sandbox survival game that will have you play the role of a survivor in a world overrun by zombies. Your motorhome is your house and your main means of survival. Much like in both Stardew Valley and Project Zomboid, you’ll need to explore the world to scavenge for resources and, with them, craft new items and gear to ensure your survival. You’ll also be looking for ways of improving your home whenever possible. The big thing is that zombies are lurking around and may surprise you, both in and out of expeditions. When you go out scavenging, you’ll need to make calculated decisions to see if certain missions are worth the risk, since specific areas can have huge hordes that are impossible to outrun. In addition to all that, you’ll also be on the lookout for lost digital devices that may contain secrets about the apocalypse itself, and perhaps a cure in this open-world survival game like Project Zomboid. In terms of mechanics, the indie game has cooking, crafting, fishing, and combat, all of which go hand-in-hand with the survival genre as a whole. In The Van features a top-down perspective with pixel art graphics, which will be familiar to fans of Stardew Valley. In fact, the game is described as a project “for everyone who plays Project Zomboid like it’s Stardew Valley: a cozy apocalypse where your van is home.” For now, In The Van does not yet have a release date or release window scheduled. The game is still in development, but you can already add it to your wishlist on Steam. Be sure to keep an eye out for more details if you enjoy Stardew Valley and Project Zomboid. Brand Valve Original Release Date September 12, 2003