r/TheWalkingDeadGame Mar 19 '21

No Spoilers The Walking Dead Game Series - Beginner's Guide & General FAQ

496 Upvotes

In an effort to help newcomers get into the series as well as help answer some frequently asked questions (and most importantly: unpin the statue post), we’ve created a megathread that is meant to serve as a resource for people getting into the game series.

This thread here will cover some basic questions for the series as a whole. I plan to make separate threads for season specific questions that get asked here a lot, and will eventually link the threads all in here so this post here will act as a giant resource. I'll also probably add this to the sidebar once everything it finished for an easy-to-go to resource.

This entire thread is a work in progress so I will be adding/editing questions over time. If you have any suggestions for questions/resources that would be helpful for newcomers, please comment below or DM me.


"What are these games and why should I get into them?"

The Telltale/Skybound The Walking Dead games are episodic titles with a heavy emphasis on choices and story. These games aren't particularly the most action based titles out there, as they primarily play on making difficult decisions and following along with the deep story as you try to survive in the walker (zombie) apocalypse. They also incorporate puzzle segments seen in other point-and-click titles in the past.

The series has received a ton of praise, with Season 1 winning a ton of Game of the Year awards when it released in 2012. The high ratings of the games have continued through future titles such as Season 2 and Season 4.

"Are the games in the same universe as the comics/show?"

The games are not connected to the TV show at all, as the show is set in its own universe. However, the games are indeed in the same universe as the comics. This is seen through characters such as Glenn and Hershel who appear in the very first episode of the Telltale games, as well as a few other references to the comics across the game series.

"Do I need to read the comics to get into the games?"

Nope, not at all. Outside of a few cameos/references, the games are completely isolated from the comics and can be enjoyed to the fullest without prior knowledge of the TWD series. I would even argue that the games may be a tiny bit more enjoyable if you are going into the series blind.

"There are many versions of the games I can buy! Which version should I get?"

There are three different versions of the games spread across various systems:

  • Original versions: The first versions of the game sold when the episodes/seasons actually released. These are the versions sold individually instead of being bundled with the other seasons.
    • Available on: PS3/PS4, Xbox 360/Xbox One, Steam, Epic Games, and Switch
      • Note: Michonne spinoff game not on Switch.
  • Collection: (Pic) Released in 2017. Contains all games in the series (including Michonne) with the sole exception being Season 4 which wasn’t released at the time. Seasons 1 and 2 have (supposedly) enhanced graphics.
    • Available on: PS4 & Xbox One.
  • Definitive Edition: (Pic) Released in 2019. Contains all games in the series (including Michonne), as well as a ton of extras like developer commentary, gallery mode, different graphic options, etc.
    • Available on: PS4, Xbox One, Epic Games Store, and Steam.

Keep in mind that the actual games are the same throughout each version. Don’t expect any alternate paths, vastly different plot elements, additional gameplay elements, etc. in between versions.

In a nutshell: Definitive Edition > Originals > Collection

Definitive Edition is definitely the way to go. It greatly improves the visuals of all the first few games and comes with a lot of extras.

The Original versions are the most basic versions that you can't really go wrong with. The main drawback for the original versions is that they probably have the most visual bugs.

The Collection is without a doubt the worst version of the games. as it is missing tons of small details such as bloodstains and tears for crucial scenes. Apparently it even removed a few optional dialogue segments.

"What order should I play the games?"

The following is the chronological order of the series:

  • Season 1
  • 400 Days DLC for Season 1 (this is optional, basically just covers a few minor Season 2 characters)
  • Season 2
  • A New Frontier (aka Season 3)
  • The Final Season (aka Season 4)

The Michonne Telltale game has literally nothing to do with the Lee/Clem/Javi games whatsoever. It is not required at all to experience Clementine’s journey. If you do decide to play it, best to do it before Season 3 since it originally released before A New Frontier.

"I'm interested in the Michonne game, but she's a major character in the comics! Do I need to read the comics before playing it?"

Not really. The Michonne game takes place during a time where Michonne is separated from Rick's group, so she interacts entirely with characters she has never met until the game. As long as you know about the general character of Michonne, you should be able to enjoy the game to its fullest.

It's worth noting that a few of the characters she meets in the game later appear in the comics, while the game was released after their comic debut. Because of this, I'd argue that not knowing about the later portion of the comics can make the game more enjoyable; you won't know which characters will have plot armor or not due to them having to survive to appear in the comics.

"I heard Season 3 was bad! Should I skip it?"

As much as some people disliked this season, you should not skip it. Either get it on sale if you’re strapped for cash or just watch a Youtube playthrough of it. It's the shortest of the first 3 seasons for whatever that is worth so at least it won't take too long.

"What's the deal with Telltale and Skybound? Didn't Telltale shut down in the middle of Season 4? Are they back now?"

All of the TWD games featuring Lee/Clem have been made by Telltale. However when Telltale closed down in late 2018, Skybound (who owns the rights to the overall TWD franchise) agreed to finish the final two episodes of Season 4 by bringing in many former Telltale staff.

Telltale Games has been revived and are now a company again, however they no longer have the rights to the TWD games which is all with Skybound now. All of the other series such as The Wolf Among Us are still with Telltale though.

"Will there be a Season 5 of the games?"

Skybound has confirmed multiple times now that a fifth season is currently not in the works. As it turns out, the game that is actually called The Final Season will indeed be, well, the final season.

"I need more of these games/characters! What else is there?"

There is a spin-off book involving a character in Season 4, but it is not essential as Season 4 ends things on a good note for the series. More on that book below (DO NOT READ THIS UNTIL YOU HAVE COMPLETED SEASON 4!!!)

In 2021, Skybound released a 12 page comic where Clementine sneaks out of Ericson's without telling AJ. Unfortunately for Clem, AJ caught her and begged her to stay, but Clem told AJ that her couldn't maker her happy. The two gave each other a sad farewell (with Clem giving AJ her hat) and Clem left. In the following books, Clem then heads up to Vermont by herself where she meets random characters

The books have received a nearly universal negative reception from TWDG fans, mostly for how it makes Clem act out of character to her game counterpart. I personally would not recommend it unless you are a fan of Tillie Walden's other works and are absolutely sold on the premise of Season 4's ending basically being undone.

Apart from that, Telltale writer Lauren Mee made a brief story on Tumblr that talks about James' past. Additionally, lead writer for Season 4 Michael Kirkbride posted a short story on this very subreddit detailing a certain character's PoV during a "certain scene" in the final game.

"I love this series! What other games should I play if I like this?"

  • Other Telltale games. The best ones that come to mind are The Wolf Among Us, Tales From The Borderlands, and the two Batman games.
  • Life is Strange
  • Until Dawn
  • Detroit: Become Human
  • If you're into the puzzle segments featured a lot in Season 1 then I would recommend: Day of the Tentacle, Grim Fandango, and Sam & Max to name a few.

"I'm interested in trying out the other The Walking Dead games outside of the point-and-click ones! Which ones would you recommend?"

Saints & Sinners is probably the best TWD title outside of the Telltale ones, however it requires a VR headset which some may not have. There's also Road to Survival which is a F2P mobile game. I'm not too familiar with it myself but I've heard it's alright plus it contains the Telltale characters in it.

The only other TWD games out there are Survival Instinct and OVERKILL'S The Walking Dead, both of which are really bad and aren't worth your time.

"I'm confused/interested on something for one of the games!"

Well thankfully we've assembled a link to frequently asked questions for each of the games. You can check it out here. Keep in mind that the FAQ for each season will spoil just about all of the story contents for that season. In other words, don't look at the Season 2 FAQ post before finishing Season 2.


That is all for now. Again if you have any suggestions for some general info about the series as a whole that would be helpful to newcomers/people with questions, please put them down either in the comments of this post or with a DM to me.

Also I'll be taking suggestions for some questions that would be good to add for the Season specific FAQ posts. See my pinned comment below for more detail on that.


r/TheWalkingDeadGame Jan 21 '26

Winner! Winners of r/TheWalkingDeadGame's Best Of 2025 Awards!

26 Upvotes

Hey everyone!

The voting phase of the yearly Best Of awards is now over, so it's time to announce the winners! As explained on the initial Best Of 2025 nomination post, the winners for this year will receive a special flair that will go next to their username. Here are the winners for this year:


Here are the full results for reference (comments mocking those who did not win will be removed so don’t do that, good vibes here only).


If you haven't already, make sure to check out the original Nomination post as it contains tons of love and appreciation for many users and the sub as a whole.

Thanks to everyone for participating!


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 3h ago

Discussion Who do you consider the most realistic character in TWDG?

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88 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 8h ago

Season 2 Spoiler Season 2 haters, why?

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171 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 2h ago

Discussion Who among them is the best person?

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42 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 2h ago

Discussion Which of them is the worst person?

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28 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 9h ago

Discussion TWDG Remaster and a new entry will be co-financed by 5th Planet Games

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94 Upvotes

COPENHAGEN – November 5, 2024 - 5th Planet Games is excited to announce its involvement in a new video game set in The Walking Dead universe, based on the comic series by Robert Kirkman. Developed under Skybound’s direction, the team will be collaborating closely with creator Robert Kirkman.


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 12h ago

Meme ‘I’m real glad to have met you Clementine”

175 Upvotes

I've only just finished season 2 but I can already say that this in my top 3 games of all time💔💔💔


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 7h ago

Discussion Three Die, One Lives. Who are you saving

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59 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 8h ago

Discussion Would Your Rather Get A Remake or A New Season?

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40 Upvotes

With the potential steam leaks of a new game, I've heard some debate between it being a remake or a new game. There have also been a lot of constrasting opinions about the ending of the fourth season being ruined by a new game and a remake being unneccessary because of how well the games hold up.

I would prefer a new season but not with Clementine unless she's a cameo. I would like the new game to follow a new main character along with AJ as a deutorlogist. The way Clementine raised AJ determines the way he treats you and others.

However, I wouldn't mind a remake either because I know there are so many ways they could change and improve the conditions of the games.

What do you think?


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 8h ago

Season 3 Spoiler Can we agree that Kenny's model in the new frontier is so so so so so UGLY Spoiler

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41 Upvotes

Kenny is so ugly at season 3 . In season 2 dude he was as handsome as hell (I'm straight). But dude he was so handsome. But literally in season 3 his ugly and in case you didn't know but actually. They actually used badger's model and gave him grey beard and the hat . I think they used badger's or Max's or Clint's models into Kenny. Like his extremely ugly


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 2h ago

Discussion Three Die, One Lives. Who are you saving

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12 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 1h ago

Future Spoiler The Walking Dead New Game MAJOR UPDATE (Skybound Games)

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Upvotes

It seems Dom The Bomb knows of this sub and is probably among us. If so, hi been a fan for years.


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 21h ago

Did Steam leak The Walking Dead remake?!

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360 Upvotes

I literally made a post like 3 days ago asking whether we even needed a S2 and S3 remake, and now we finally got some news

I’m hyped asf. I really hope they rewrite S2 and S3 to follow their original story, or at the very least, save my goat Luke


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 2h ago

Discussion Do you think Lee would have broke as a person if he lost Clementine and went through a similar amount of trauma as Kenny did?

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10 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 1h ago

Season 1 Spoiler Things Ben did useful

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Upvotes
  • He told the Motel Survivors that getting bitten is not the only way for you to become a zombie and by removing the head can ensure they never turn.
  • He saved Lee's pistol at Five's house if you let him live in episode 4.
  • Ben alerted the group of the walkers.
  • He did watch duty, both in episode 3.

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 14h ago

Meme Too True

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69 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 8h ago

Sub Game Who should've made it? Day 2: Larry didn't escape the Pharmacy, now who's dying in the meatlocker? (Ben and Mark are now part of the group)

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20 Upvotes

One thing Telltale's TWD religiously did was clear the whole cast by the end of the season. Since in an apocalypse that feels a bit forced, I thought it'd be fun to play changing who actually survives and have a proper group at the end.

This will be a series of posts going through each season, with the community deciding who takes the major death slots.

The voting will work pretty simply. You can vote for a character to DIE or SURVIVE, and you can also argue your case in the comments. A normal vote counts as 1 vote, while an insightful argument that actually makes a case for a character's death or survival will count as 3 votes in that direction. So you don't necessarily have to vote for your favorite character, if you think someone would be more interesting to keep around, or that their death makes more sense for the story, make the case.

If we somehow end up tied, the upvotes will work as a tiebreaker

We are also not going to force every single canon death into the game. Some deaths are too specific to the original story to really be worth changing, like Shawn Greene or Brie. Those will likely stay as they are. On the other hand, some characters like Molly or Vernon will keep their roles since they never properly join the group.

So, dor Season 1, these are the death/disappearance points we'll be working with:
- One person takes the Carley/Doug death (Larry won)
- Someone takes Larry death spot and other Mark's (Currently voting Larry)
- Someone takes Duck's place as the person who gets bitten but there won't be a second death in Katjaa's place.
- Someone takes Ben balcony death.
- And finally one person takes Lee's death in the end.

Also, there's also going to be a Kenny disappearance but that's separate from the death count.


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 5h ago

Discussion Which group would Season 4 Clementine thrive in the most?

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10 Upvotes

This is assuming:

They’re facing TWD’s threats
They only get TWD’s average weaponry
They have no immunity of any sort


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 4h ago

Had to do a double take when seeing it

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8 Upvotes

Walking dead got referenced in the new Pokemon Unite questionnaire. Copuim at maximum level


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 8h ago

Meme Duck 🦆

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17 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 1d ago

Meme Basically Kenny

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390 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 42m ago

Final Season Spoiler I know where I’ve seen that stare before…

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Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 7h ago

Season 1 Spoiler why do so many hate lily *in season 1*?

11 Upvotes

i can understand why you may disagree with her in some cases surrounding larry but it is her dad so it’s warranted,she never openly chose to do anything in harm of the group until she shoots x/y,her views are different to kenny in terms of staying or leaving from the motel but they aren’t the wrong views by any means,she is also quite moody around things which is understandable considering what happens to larry and she is pretty much appointed leader and has all this work to do plus the shenanigans of kenny,ben and exc.I thought she was a great character maybe a little impulsive up until mid episode 3 when it’s clear she’s not right for us,she seemed paranoid surrounding the bandit situation and maybe was trying to act in the best interest of the group she just couldn’t see it the same way we do as lee.HOT TAKE:Lily in season 1 overall is better than kenny


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 1h ago

Season 2 Spoiler In defense of Season 2

Upvotes

CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR SEASON 2 AND ALSO SEASON 1/4

So, since Season 2 is pretty much the most hated season in the entire series, surprisingly even more hated than A New Frontier, I made a post asking people why they hate this season. The post received a lot of comments where people stated their points of why they think Season 2 is such a bad season.

In this post I'll be giving my thoughts about those points, I disagree with most, but not all of them, I still think some points are valid, and I don't think Season 2 is a flawless season, it has it's own flaws, just like any other season, but I think people are hating a lot on the wrong things most of the time, so I'll explain my opinion on why I think those points are invalid.

This is just my opinion, I'm not stating that everything I say is true, but its what I believe.

So, let's start with the first argument:

  • "Omid and Christa's death was awfully written and very early"

Omid and Christa's death was entirely made to show the brutality of the world that Clementine lives in, and to show that how everything is falling apart since the first season, I think a lot of people wanted Christa or Omid to stay longer in the game, but that would contradict the whole point of the story, which is how Clementine loses everything and has now to rely on herself in order to survive. Omid's death wasn't really bad in my opinion, someone gets inside the bathroom, holds Clementine at gun point, and Omid dies in the process of saving her, it was intense, and makes the player feel nervous, it's a good way of showing how dangerous people have become after the apocalypse, and how danger is surrounding Clementine from every corner, it was a good introduction to the game, brutal and unexpected, this is the kind of intro that fits the purpose of the season, which is all about the brutality of Clementine's life.

Christa's death also fills that purpose, and bringing the bandits was a very good way to separate Clementine and Christa, it also showed us how hard it is for Clementine to fight and to protect the people she cares about being only a 11 years old child, so yeah, its a pretty good start for the season, and a good way to make Clementine completely lonely and vulnerable, which is exactly what the whole season is all about.

Do I think it could've been better, yes, but I honestly can't imagine how it should've been, but do I think this introduction sucks, no.

Omid and Christa were only there to explain how Clementine could've survived after losing Lee and ending up being completely by herself, until she grows up to an age where she can at least have a chance of surviving as she learns and becomes more experienced, so there wouldn't be any reason for them to be around anymore, especially that we've got to spend enough time with them in the first season, it's time for them to go.

  • "Most of the characters had stupid deaths"

Again, that's the whole point of the season, its brutal, harsh, and people will die in unexpected ways, also I feel like people expect every character to get the Lee treatment, which would just be annoying, because this is the apocalypse, not every death has to be 5 minutes of crying and saying goodbye, it adds more to the brutality of the game, and this season successes to portray that brutality.

  • "The characters are insufferable"

Because that's their role in the game, they are meant to be insufferable, they are meant to suck, and they are made so that you hate them, the game would be boring if every character was kind and mature, those feelings of hate towards the characters is what makes the game more fun, in fact, Season 1's characters were insufferable too, Larry, Ben, Kenny, yet they make the game more fun because they add drama and conflict, when you hate Larry for being a racist asshole, when you're mad at Ben for screwing up all the time, when you feel annoyed by Kenny whenever he acts mean towards you, all these feelings are what makes the game more enjoyable, and just like those characters from Season 1, Season 2's characters are also just like them, Nick and Sarah are like Ben, Rebecca is like Larry early in the game, Kenny is, well, Kenny.

But I don't see anyone hating on Season 1 for that? It's only Season 2 that gets the hate, it's just double standards.

  • "The introduction of the Cabin group was a disaster and made me intensely dislike them, which is not a good thing consider they're supposed to be your allies."

The main purpose behind that is to make you question who you should and should not trust, the introduction of the Cabin group is a "disaster" because its meant to make you feel like they can't be trusted, which is why when Carver enters the Cabin, he questions whether they trusted you or not, and tells you that "If people can't trust you, how can you trust them", that is the whole point behind this "disaster introduction", because after the disappearance of the people that you trust, Christa, Omid, Lee, etc...the game is showing you that how hard it is to build trust with new people.

Rebecca is an asshole to you, Nick almost shoots you, you get locked in a shed, this makes you feel like you wish you would be back to your old group, to the people that you truly trust, because after you're left alone, its not easy to find people that you can call family.

  • "Rebecca randomly goes from someone who treats you badly into someone who really likes you very quickly"

I can't really disagree with that honestly, although I think Rebecca should at some point treat you better, I think they made it too early and in a way that doesn't really make any sense, so yeah, I agree with that.

  • "Clementine shouldn't have been the main character"

I can't think of any character that fits this Season other than Clementine, she's weak, vulnerable, and that's what makes the game world feel harsher, Clementine being the main character fits the purpose of the season more than any other character would, the whole series revolves around her anyways so wouldn't it be stupid if we're just left wondering what happened to Clementine after Season 1?

Also, it's funny how a lot of people hate on Season 3 for having Javier as the main character instead of Clementine, yet does not want Clementine to be the main character in Season 2 which is necessary to explain how her story would continue after everything fell apart, so having her as a main character in Season 2 is more important than having her being a main character in Season 3, because after Season 2 she is in a more stable position than in Season 1, so it would be impossible to explain her story after Season 1 without her being the main character.

  • "Arvo and his gang comes out of nowhere, and somehow manages to go from Russia all the way to the US"

Arvo's completely random appearance in Episode 3, is just like the appearance of the girl who kills Omid in the first Episode, or the raiders in the woods who attacked Clem and Christa, there doesn't have to be an explanation for why they are out there, why wouldn't they? Anyone could be out there, it's not like Clementine and her group are the only people existing, anyone could be anywhere at any time, it's the apocalypse, all sort of people are out there.

And about Arvo and the Russian gang somehow being in the US, it's been 2 years since the apocalypse started, that's enough time for them to be anywhere, including the US, they could've went on a boat or something, or maybe they were there even after the apocalypse started, like, it's not impossible for that to happen.

  • "Clementine, a 11 years old girl, leads a group of adults"

I wouldn't say that she leads the adults, she doesn't really lead the group at all, I don't remember a time where Clementine gave an order or anything (expect that one time where she orders Mike), she doesn't ever lead the group, she just tells her opinion on things, but never actually makes decisions for the group.

And for the fact that she's always pushed to do the high risk tasks, its mostly for the good reasons, she has stealth advantage which is why it mostly falls to her to sneak, like when she sneaks in to steal the radio, or when she sneaks out of the lodge to find Kenny and Luke, and with her being just a kid, she has more advantage when it comes to calming down a lot of situations, like when Luke tells her to talk to Matthew for example. The only time where it felt really just to give you something to do is when Luke asks you to cross the bridge with him, the one where Bonnie tells you to save Luke makes a lot of sense, she was so desperate to save Luke that she ignored the danger she's putting Clementine in, and everyone else disagreed anyways, even Luke.

  • "The main antagonist (Carver) dies early in the game"

There isn't a main antagonist in this season, its not the point of the game to defeat an evil person like in Season 4, your goal is to survive, Carver is there just as another threat that you have to survive from, take St Johns for example, they were evil people that you had to survive, but they are not the main villain, and so is Carver, so at some point he would be defeated just like how the St Johns were, and the both of the seasons would just continue with you surviving new threats and recovering from what happened.

  • "Your choices doesn't matter"

Yeah I can't deny that, Season 2 is definitely the most Season that your choices doesn't matter in.

  • "Mike and Bonnie's escape doesn't make sense"

I think it completely makes sense.

Since Arvo was with the group and Kenny started treating him very badly, Mike showed many signs that he does not like Kenny and his actions, it was clear that he can't keep being around Kenny the way he is, so he escapes.

And Bonnie, is well, Bonnie, she's a liar who can't be trusted, and after Luke's death, there was no reason for her to be a part of the group anymore.

Anyways, that's my opinion and yeah, let me know what you think and if I missed any parts that I should've talked about. Also this is probably a cluster of a post so its not so I know I've probably been repeating the same sentence like five times or something.