Quarantine Zone The Last Check Opens PC Gates

On January 12, 2026, the digital gates swung open for Quarantine Zone: The Last Check, an indie game whose premise is as topical as it is tense. Developed by Brigada Games and published by Devolver Digital, this apocalyptic admin simulator has already carved out a space for itself in the crowded world of PC gaming, thanks to a potent mix of resource management, moral quandaries, and a grimly comedic take on the zombie genre. The game is available now for $19.99 on Steam—with a 10% launch discount for early adopters—and, in a surprise twist, launched as a day-one title for PC Game Pass subscribers. However, console gamers will have to sit this one out, as the game is strictly a PC exclusive for the time being (according to Insider Gaming).

But what is it about Quarantine Zone: The Last Check that has drawn 1.3 million wishlists and racked up 2 million demo plays before release? At its core, the game puts you in the boots of a government agent stationed at a critical checkpoint during a world-ending zombie outbreak. Your job? Screen desperate survivors, manage dwindling supplies like food and fuel, and make gut-wrenching decisions about who gets to enter the safe zone—and who doesn’t. As PC Gamer described it, the game is “a first-person medical sim you’ve probably been seeing clips of for months: it was a huge hit on TikTok following its first demo.”

From the outset, players are tasked with more than just paperwork. As survivors stagger in—sometimes coughing, sometimes hiding suspiciously large wedges of cheese in their backpacks—you must look for telltale signs of infection. Red eyes? Bruises? A suspicious limp? If things look off, you can send them to quarantine or, if they’re clearly infected, have them marched off for a less-than-pleasant fate. The stakes are high, and the margin for error is razor-thin. “Letting in the wrong person can lead to chaos inside your camp, while turning away the wrong survivor can cost you help or supplies later,” notes a review from a prominent indie gaming site.

The game’s mechanics slowly ramp up in complexity. You start with a flashlight, but soon gain access to a portable X-ray for scanning internal organs (for infection or perhaps contraband), a metiascope for eye inspections, and even a massive medical hammer to test survivor reflexes. The latter, as PC Gamer’s Chris humorously observed, “is so huge it looks like a sledgehammer from Rainbow Six Siege, and after I’ve bonked people’s elbows and knees to test their reactions, it’s impossible not to follow it up with a bonk to the head. They fall down. Every time. Sometimes I bonk them again. It’s kinda funny.” Of course, not everyone in the apocalypse appreciates being whacked with a hammer, and the game’s dark humor is never far from the surface.

Resource management forms the backbone of the gameplay loop. Players must juggle food, power, and the defense systems that keep the zombie horde at bay. There’s even a new base management interface in the full release, offering a bird’s-eye view of your outpost’s operations. Defenses can be upgraded, zombies can be dispatched with armed drones or sidearms, and—if you’re feeling particularly entrepreneurial—you can even cage zombies and feed them corpses, earning a tidy sum from the government for your troubles.

What sets Quarantine Zone: The Last Check apart from other zombie games isn’t just its mechanics, but its focus on moral choice. Every decision feels personal, and the weight of your calls—who to trust, who to turn away, and how to ration supplies—lingers long after each shift ends. The game’s inspiration is clear: it’s been compared to Papers, Please for its blend of bureaucracy and ethical dilemmas, but swaps the Cold War border for a world teetering on the brink of collapse. As one commentary in a leading gaming newsletter put it, the game “has the strong potential to be either a Papers, Please-style moral experiment or a crass and gaudy fantasy about brutalising migrants, and is perhaps worth us writing about in either case.”

This sharp edge hasn’t gone unnoticed. Some critics have raised questions about the game’s depiction of border control and its parallels to real-world issues. The game’s creators, however, seem intent on using the genre’s tropes to explore the human side of survival, not just the spectacle of violence. Community feedback, especially from those who played the demo, has been overwhelmingly positive, with many praising the game’s tense atmosphere, meaningful choices, and the way it keeps players constantly on edge. “The pressure builds quickly as mistakes can put everyone at risk,” wrote one early player, echoing a sentiment shared widely across gaming forums and social media.

It’s no surprise, then, that the game found viral success on TikTok, with clips of players examining survivors, debating over suspicious symptoms, and, yes, gleefully wielding the infamous medical hammer. The game’s mix of dark humor and genuine tension has struck a chord with audiences looking for something fresh in the crowded zombie genre.

For those looking to jump in, Quarantine Zone: The Last Check is available now on Steam and for PC Game Pass subscribers. It’s not available on PlayStation or Xbox consoles, and there’s some uncertainty over which Game Pass subscription tier grants access—though it’s likely that the Ultimate tier is required for day-one releases, as Insider Gaming pointed out. The game’s PC exclusivity may frustrate some, but it’s clear that the developers are targeting a specific audience: PC gamers who appreciate indie innovation, tense decision-making, and a dash of gallows humor.

In a week crowded with other releases—like sandbox RPG Hytale and experimental sim Hank: Drowning on Dry Land—Quarantine Zone: The Last Check stands out for its willingness to blend the absurd with the profound. Whether you’re drawn in by the moral dilemmas, the resource management, or just the chance to bonk would-be survivors with a comically oversized hammer, there’s something here for anyone who likes their apocalypse served with a side of existential dread.

As the gaming world continues to embrace indie projects that prioritize smart design and player agency over blockbuster spectacle, Quarantine Zone: The Last Check is poised to become a cult favorite. The checkpoint is open. Will you let yourself in?