Survivalist: Invisible Strain on Steam Deck – Trust No One (Not Even Yourself)

Written by: Raquel Saggin

Ever wondered how long you'd last in a real zombie apocalypse? If your answer is "probably not long," then congratulations, you’re going to fit right in with Survivalist: Invisible Strain.

Right from the start, this game doesn’t hold your hand. You create your character like you would in a tabletop RPG, pick your stats, choose your starter gear, and then boom, you're thrown into the chaos. No tutorials, no warm welcomes. Just you, a rusty pipe, and the creeping fear that everyone might be infected. Including you.

The Steam Deck handles the game pretty well overall. It automatically sets the graphics to max, which looks great, especially at night. The OLED screen makes the shadows and lighting really pop (though I’d recommend not traveling at night unless you enjoy being torn apart by zombies). That said, performance does dip. While the menus reach 90fps, gameplay usually hovers between 35-45fps, occasionally climbing up to 60. Still playable, but definitely not buttery smooth at max settings.

Controls are natively supported on the Deck, which is a win, but the UI feels more at home with a mouse, so there’s a bit of a learning curve with the menus. The in-game dialogue system is a little clunky, too, move even slightly, and conversations end abruptly, which can be frustrating when you're trying to survive and socialize.

What really stands out, though, is how alive the world feels. Every NPC has their own name, personality, and memory of how you’ve treated them. Lie, act suspicious, or say the wrong thing? They might just decide you're infected and take you out. I’ve already made a few enemies just by existing, and hiding in cars has become my go-to survival strategy. Not proud, but hey, it works.

In short, this isn’t just another zombie game. Survivalist: Invisible Strain is a slow-burn strategy-survival sim for players who like their games difficult, their choices meaningful, and their allies completely untrustworthy. It’s rough around the edges, but if you're into deep systems and nail-biting tension, it's absolutely worth a shot.

Just... maybe don’t get too attached to your crew. Or your own survival.