I played God Save Birmingham and the zombie apocalypse still beats shopping in the Bullring on a Saturday
A medieval zombie survival game titled God Save Birmingham was playable at Gamescom 2026, offering a unique twist by setting post-apocalyptic survival gameplay in the developer’s home city of Birmingham, UK.
The game drew particular intrigue from the Windows Central journalist—who is themselves from Birmingham—who was curious whether the game would authentically represent landmarks and culture from the city or if it was simply leveraging the location as a marketing angle. Playing a beta build at the show, the author experienced the game with keyboard and mouse controls, a setup that proved challenging for someone accustomed to console gaming.
Despite initial struggles—including fumbling with control schemes and difficulty equipping weapons—and getting defeated by the game’s undead enemies, the author came away from the experience with genuine interest in the project. The janky nature of the early beta build didn’t deter their enthusiasm, suggesting the core concept and execution show promise beneath the rough edges typical of early development.
The game appears to blend historical setting elements with survival horror mechanics, positioning itself as an unconventional take on the zombie genre by grounding it in a recognizable real-world location rather than a fictional setting.