The player takes control of a random survivor of the infection who must attempt to survive the zombie apocalypse that has taken hold in London.
ZombiU plays like a normal first-person shooter, however the game is controlled using the Wii U GamePad, which has various context-sensitive uses such as assisting in aiming with certain weapons and unlocking doors by lockpicking. However, the GamePad's most important use is in providing access to the survivor's 'Bug-Out Bag'. The Bug-Out Bag is used to store various items and weapons, but the downside is that the player is vulnerable whilst attempting to access the bag.
If the player is killed by a zombie then their character will permanently die and the player will then take on the role of a new survivor. The previous character then becomes a zombie which the player can defeat to retrieve any items or weapons their bag contained.
Players will have access to a variety of weapons, including guns and various melee weapons, and will also be able to push enemies back. Players can also execute zombies that have fallen to the ground, though floored zombies can still crawl and attack.
