Surviving the zombie wasteland on Roblox requires sharp reflexes, resource conservation, and smart map movement. If you are stepping into Peak Development Studios' wave-based zombie shooter for the first time, learning Those Who Remain how to play is essential for outlasting all 15 intense waves. Without a clear plan, hordes can quickly box you into corners and exhaust your ammunition reserve.
In this comprehensive breakdown of Those Who Remain how to play, you will discover core interface elements, essential keybindings, weapon progression tips, and enemy counters. Master these mechanics to keep yourself and your squad alive to the final helicopter extraction.
Lobby System, Wave Flow, and HUD Mechanics
Before jumping into combat, familiarizing yourself with the cabin lobby prevents costly mistakes. Matches support up to eight players per server. The top-center screen displays your current map, the active wave, and a five-minute round countdown. Each standard match consists of 15 waves. When a wave ends, players get a 20-second intermission, followed by a 5-second starting phase and a 10-second transition. If you do not click the "Ready" prompt before the starting phase concludes, you must wait until the next wave ends to spawn.
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Understanding the heads-up display (HUD) in the bottom-right corner is central to Those Who Remain how to play properly. The circular gauge contains several concentric indicators that track your survivability:
| HUD Element | Visual Indicator | In-Game Function |
|---|---|---|
| Body Armor | Outer blue ring (4 bars) | Absorbs 50% incoming damage until depleted; does not block gas or bloater spores |
| Health Pool | Inner green ring (5 bars) | Turns red with a heartbeat sound and screen desaturation when critical |
| Level Progress | Yellow arc bar | Tracks total experience (XP) required for the next rank |
| Ammo Counter | Magazine / Reserve numbers | Tracks current round count and remaining reserve ammunition |
| Equipment Icons | Inner top graphic | Displays equipped weapon, throwables, and total liquid cash |
Controls, Movement, and Defensive Fortifications
Movement mechanics in this shooter differ significantly from standard tactical shooters. Most importantly, pressing the Shift key initiates a continuous sprint without an exhaustion or stamina meter. Community reports consistently emphasize that your sprint key is your strongest survival tool, as players can run continuously across entire five-minute rounds to kite hordes.
Aiming down sights with the right mouse button does more than just zoom your perspective. Community testing confirms that scoping significantly tightens shotgun pellet spread and concentrates bullet spread for automatic weapons like submachine guns or the AK-47, allowing you to hit targets from further away.
| Action | Default Keybind / Input | Mechanical Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Movement | W, A, S, D | Standard directional movement |
| Sprint | Left Shift | Infinite duration; no stamina restriction |
| Jump | Spacebar | Clear low fences, debris, and clutter |
| Attack / Aim | Left Click / Right Click | Fire weapon; scope to tighten pellet spread |
| Interact / Loot | E Key | Pick up world items, bandage packs, and ammo boxes |
| Fortification Menu | F Key | Equips building hammer; use scroll wheel to choose fortification |
| Deploy Fortification | Left Click (with hammer) | Places selected trap or defense in the world |
| Weapon Selection | 1, 2, 3 or Scroll Up | Cycles primary, secondary, and tertiary weapons |
| Throwable Items | Scroll Down | Cycles through carried throwables (grenades, molotovs) |
| Reload | R Key | Reloads equipped firearm magazine |
Mastering fortification deployment is another crucial step in Those Who Remain how to play successfully. Pressing F equips your construction hammer, letting you position barricades. Barbed wire slows down incoming infected while dealing minor chip damage. In addition, players gain an assist bonus whenever a teammate eliminates a zombie tangled in their wire.
Fortifications and tactical items spawn across maps or arrive via the supply helicopter. Med kits instantly restore all five health bars, while bandages recover a single bar. Molotov cocktails (Bloxy Cola) ignite the terrain for roughly 45 to 60 seconds, creating defensive fire lines that melt standard zombies. If you are holding an objective point, placing trip-activated clap bombs or setting a 10-second timed Jack-in-the-box explosive can clear clustered chokepoints instantly.
Map Environments and Objective Rewards
The game features nine distinct maps: Bypass, Cabin, Cargo, District, Expressway, Manor, Mill, Prison, and Ranch. Open maps like Ranch provide wide fields that make kiting zombies straightforward. In contrast, locations like Cabin offer poor nighttime visibility, and Manor features twisting indoor corridors where players risk being cornered.
During any wave, white objective icons may appear. Completing these tasks rewards substantial bonus XP and cash, though every objective remains optional. According to player experiences, finishing objectives quickly accelerates early-game account leveling.
- Repair (Wrench Icon): Scavenge scattered items across the map, such as tires, fuel cans, and spark plugs, to repair an evacuation vehicle.
- Radio (Audio Waves Icon): Stand inside the designated circle to broadcast an SOS. Completing the broadcast summons a supply helicopter that air-drops useful gear and a heavy .50 Cal turret.
- Packing (Arrow Into Box Icon): Haul nearby supply crates directly onto a transport bus before time expires.
- Unpacking (Clustered Crates Icon): Stand inside the capture radius next to map crates to pry open supplies.
- Escort (Walking Figure Icon): Locate an AI survivor and defend them while guiding them along their path across the map.
- Fire (Explosion Icon): Shoot or ignite a fuel tanker to trigger an explosion, spilling burning fuel across the street to wipe out trailing hordes.
For official updates and server status, check the official Those Who Remain Roblox page to stay informed on game developments.
Infected Variants and Counter-Tactics
Standard infected are harmless in small groups, but special variants introduce deadly threats in later rounds. When studying Those Who Remain how to play at higher difficulties, learning each infected mutation's behavior is vital for staying alive.
- Civilian Infected: Standard walking zombies with moderate health. They present little challenge early on but quickly swarm players in waves 8 through 15.
- Sprinter Infected: Identical in appearance to civilians but moving at alarming speeds. Keep your distance, as they can catch you if you stop sprinting.
- Military Infected: Clad in protective army uniforms and helmets. They possess high bullet resistance and move fast enough in later waves that outrunning them requires an Energy Drink speed boost or the Speed Demon perk.
- Riot Infected: Armored officers that absorb heavy firepower. They move at a slower walk, but their close-range melee hits inflict devastating damage.
- Bloater Infected: Large zombies covered in pulsating spore clusters. They toss explosive spore projectiles from mid-range that bypass body armor completely. Keep at least 20 to 30 studs away.
- Bolter Infected: Creepy, crawling infected reminiscent of horror figures. They move rapidly along the floor, leap at survivors, and land multiple rapid claw swipes.
- Burst Infected: Volatile zombies that must always be eliminated with direct headshots or fire. If they die by any other means, they will explode, releasing gas that can harm you and the team while passing through it.
- Juggernauts: Massive threats encountered in Classic and Hardcore sessions. Community dodging tactics recommend backing up continuously while baiting spore throws. Once the creature tosses its attack, step forward or sidestep to clear the blast before unloading headshots.
Loadout Progression, Weapon Discounts, and Perks
A central rule of Those Who Remain how to play effectively is avoiding early weapon pre-purchases. Weapons are locked behind experience levels, but the game allows you to purchase them early for an inflated cash markup—often costing up to double the standard price. As your level approaches the weapon's unlock requirement, the price drops. Veteran players strongly advise against spending hundreds of thousands of credits to bypass level locks.
Instead, follow a proven weapon progression path:
- Mossberg 500: An affordable early-game pump shotgun. Aiming down sights clusters the pellet spread, allowing single-shot headshot kills on most standard infected.
- AK-47: A dependable mid-tier assault rifle that provides higher magazine capacity and consistent damage against armored military infected.
- RPK: A heavy automatic platform offering strong horde penetration and solid sustained fire.
- M60: High-capacity machine gun suited for clearing dense waves 10 through 15 without constant reloading downtime.
- MG42: The top-tier end-game light machine gun, delivering devastating fire rates against late-wave swarms.
Skip buying expensive melee weapons during early ranks. Melee weapons force you within striking distance of infected claws, putting you at severe risk of taking fatal damage.
Perk System Overview
The perks garage contains 21 distinct perks split across three specific categories:
- Survivalist: Direct buffs to your character, including health increases, sprint speed adjustments, and damage mitigation.
- Craftsman: Enhancements that increase the durability, speed, or utility of deployed fortifications and traps.
- Marksman: Firearm-focused upgrades improving weapon swap speed, reload duration, aiming stability, and headshot damage.
Players unlock up to three active perk slots through leveling (a fourth slot can be obtained via the shop pass). You can mix and match perks across categories to fit your playstyle.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most important survival tip in Those Who Remain how to play?
Never stop moving. Camping inside small buildings or dead-end rooms during waves 8 through 15 is the most common cause of team wipes. Because sprinting does not consume a stamina bar, staying in wide-open areas and running in wide loops lets you line up zombie trains safely.
How does the weapon level requirement discount work?
Every firearm has a required player level and a base credit price. If you try to purchase a firearm before reaching its required rank, the shop imposes an early-purchase surcharge that can double the cost. As you level up and draw nearer to the required rank, that extra fee gradually decreases until reaching base price.
How long does a standard match last?
A full 15-wave survival match lasts roughly an hour and fifteen minutes. Each wave operates on a fixed five-minute timer, followed by an intermission and transition phase between rounds.
Do bloaters deal damage through body armor?
Yes. Body armor absorbs 50% of direct physical melee damage from common, sprinter, and riot infected. However, toxic hazards—such as bloater spore projectiles and clouds from improperly killed burst infected—bypass your armor bars entirely and deplete your green health pool directly.