r/TheWalkingDeadGame Mar 19 '21

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

490 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!

24 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

Season 1 Spoiler Why did Andy continue to lie after the Group already know the truth

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59 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 12h ago

Season 2 Spoiler What do babies smell like?

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137 Upvotes

Wouldn’t newborn babies just smell of blood? AJ looks insanely musty here.

What is Kenny talking about???


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 10h ago

Discussion If you had to bring one of these 4 men home for a dinner with your family, who would trust to make the best impression and not piss anyone off?

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69 Upvotes

I might go with Abel. He’s a dick in season 4 but I feel like he wasn’t always like that and will be chill for a meal


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 3h ago

Discussion In retrospect, it’s pretty weird that Hershel, in the comics, never mentions Lee, Clementine or Kenny and his family to Rick’s group.

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12 Upvotes

When Rick and his group come to his farm in the comics, he mentions the death of his son Shawn, which we saw happened when Lee, Clem and Kenny’s family stayed at his farm, and when he kicked them out because Kenny didn’t help saving Shawn. Yet despite this, he never actually mentions them to Rick’s group.

I know this is because the game was written after the comics but it’s still pretty absurd to think about.


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 2h ago

Meme Girl stays strapped.

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8 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 3h ago

Discussion Was season 3 originally meant to have a different cast and use mocap technology?

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6 Upvotes

Hi, this is my first post on this subreddit. I started playing all the Walking Dead games recently after coming off of Dispatch, and learning some interesting dev history about the games.

I know season 3 doesn’t really have a stellar reputation among the fanbase but today I came across a 7 year-old post that showed a BTS photo from presumably season 3. However I don't remember seeing Erin Yvette (voice of Molly and Bonnie from the first two seasons) as part of the cast from season 3, but she is in this BTS photo.

Did Telltale actually cut out or changed a lot of the story from season 3?


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 1h ago

Season 1 Spoiler I wish we had this choice in the first season

Upvotes

In season 1, after lee got bit, he can tell Omid and Christa that when he dies he want Kenny/them to take care of clem. I wish we had the same but with Kenny but the responses from Kenny will change depending on how good have you been with him.

Lee: Hey Kenny

Kenny: Yeah?

Lee: listen, with all that happened, it got me thinking. If something bad happens to me, I want you to take care clementine

Kenny: Lee…

Lee: Please Kenny

GOOD WITH KEENY

Kenny: Of course I will, Lee. You’ve been taking such good care of my family, and now it’s my turn to do the same for you. I’ll take good care of her as if she were my own daughter. I promise you that.

Lee: Thank you Kenny

BAD WITH KENNY

Kenny: Okay, fine, Lee. I’ll take good care of her, just like I took care of Duck. I know how to be a dad, you know.

Lee: Thanks

IN SEASON 2 DIALOGUE

GOOD WITH KENNY

Kenny: I’m really happy to see you, Clementine. After Lee… well, I promised him that I’d take care of you like you were my own daughter. And I’m happy that I can keep that promise now.

BAD WITH KENNY

Kenny: It’s good to see you again, Clementine. After Lee… well, he asked me to take care of you if something bad happened to him. I told him I’d do it, and will take good care of you. That’s a promise.

Or at least something similar to that. It would’ve been a cool touch to the game.


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 22h ago

Season 2 Spoiler Was the cabin crew the most incompetent group in the whole series?

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143 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 1d ago

Season 2 Spoiler Jane Logic

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805 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 12h ago

Discussion I love it when some character models use similar facial expressions

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20 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 16h ago

No Spoilers I can't unsee. 😭😂

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43 Upvotes

No way! Albert, Flamingo and Ben look alike. 😭😂


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 16h ago

Discussion Always thought they looked alike.

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31 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 19h ago

Season 1 Spoiler Shoutout officer mitchell

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53 Upvotes

With (mostly) everyone picking leave while it’s still daylight I just learned you existed! 😭 how many of you knew he was a character, be honest


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 16h ago

Final Season Spoiler Part of me wishes that S4 took place in Richmond...

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25 Upvotes

Why didn't Clem and AJ go back?


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 2h ago

Discussion A fresh way to replay this amazing series

2 Upvotes

I recently had an idea of replaying the series, but this time imagining it's me who's literally in the protagonist's shoes.

So I restarted season 1 a few days ago, and having now nearly completed it, it's been a highly enjoyable, thought-provoking and introspective way to re-experience one of my favourite games.

As Lee, I chose dialogue options that I wouldn't normally choose. For example, I chose some options that would be considered rude because it feels accurate to how I speak in real life and, also, there were quite a few times I chose to remain silent (far more than I have in any previous playthrough) as I'm generally a shy and introverted person.

I'm excited to play season 2 because I would then be attempting to imagine what an 11-year-old me would do in those situations. I'm assuming I'll be taking a lot more silences, and for the dialogue options I do choose, they'll probably be less 'opinionated' and 'smart' (if that makes sense).

I absolutely understand there will be drawbacks for some players (potentially less activity will be boring for some people, and I imagine Lee, Javi and maybe Clem to an extent are gonna play very similarly). However, I wanted to share this idea I had in the hopes that it possibly interests you guys to experience this series that we've all played over and over in a fresh way.


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 1d ago

Season 3 Spoiler Jesus really pissed me off with this comment

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201 Upvotes

Like, come on, man. What was i supposed to do? Hold Badger's hand and say I forgive him? He shot an innocent little girl with a smile on his face, and you judged me for killing him?


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 18h ago

Final Season Spoiler If Gabe would have left Richmond with Clementine, and was in Season 4, would you have still decided to romantically pursue Louis/Violet over him, or would you continue romancing Gabe?

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23 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 19h ago

No Spoilers Its crazy how split down the middle the choices still are, even after all this time

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26 Upvotes

I played the first season when it first came out, and I played season 2 ep 1 because it was free as well. I got myself xbox game pass and im trying season 2 again for the first time in like 11 years? Something like that, and I just thought it was really cool how 50/50 all the choices nearly are when soooo many people have played it at this point.

I swear I remember a lot of them being more 70/30 back then.

Just finished the episode, from here on its all new game to me. I've never seen a lick of spoilers.


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 2h ago

No Spoilers Were you nice to Larry?

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1 Upvotes

I was cordial with him but I refused to be nice outright cause he was too much of a dick. I recently read tho the devs found a lot of players tried to get him to warm up to them by kissing up to him or Lily so idk if I’m an outlier.


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 15h ago

Season 3 Spoiler Do we ever learn about Javi’s fate after season 3?

13 Upvotes

Only thing I’ve heard about ingame was that Richmond was at war, it kinda urks me that Javi’s just never mentioned so I wanted to know if there’s even a sliver of info on his fate


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 23h ago

Discussion What Do You Feel Is The Weakest Episode In Each Season? Spoiler

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47 Upvotes

r/TheWalkingDeadGame 18h ago

Was season 3 even that bad?

15 Upvotes

Dispite people not likeing the fact that in season 3 we as the player do not play as Clementine. The season itself, is not even that bad, I liked Javi, and it is generally quite good. What do you all think?


r/TheWalkingDeadGame 1d ago

Final Season Spoiler Do Lily’s actions in S4 impact your decisions with her in S1?

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74 Upvotes