Horde Breaker Guide: Keep Moving, Pick Good Power Cards, Beat the Bosses
Horde Breaker is a top-down survival shooter with cartoon zombies and no gore. Your gun aims and fires by itself, so your job is to move, dodge and choose good upgrades between waves. We cleared our first wave without losing a single point of health, mostly by never standing still.
By Zaib · Updated 20 October 2026 · Free to play, no download
Horde Breaker is set on dark streets lit by street lamps, with cars parked along the kerb and zebra crossings to run across. Seen from above, your survivor is a small figure with a torch beam, and the zombies are drawn in a cartoon style. The game was made deliberately gore-free, so hits are shown with flashes and sparks. It is still a fast action game about fighting off zombies, so it suits older children better than very young ones.
Our first night in Suburbia
The campaign begins in Suburbia, "White fences, green lawns and a very bad night." Level 1 is called First Night and the goal is to clear 3 waves. The briefing shows three star goals: clear the level, finish with 50% or more health, and finish in under 1:50.
We pressed LOCK & LOAD and just walked in big loops around the block with the keyboard. The pistol locked on and fired on its own. A hint reminded us: "Auto-fire is on: just move!" By the end of wave 1 we still had 100 health, a 5-kill streak (x1.5) and our first coins.
Then the game paused and asked us to choose a power. Our three cards were Extended Mags (+30% magazine size), AP Rounds (bullets pierce one more zombie) and Quick Hands (+12% fire rate and +20% reload speed).
Controls
| Action | Phone | Computer |
|---|---|---|
| Move | Left joystick | WASD or arrows |
| Aim and fire | Automatic (touch the right side to aim yourself) | Automatic, or hold the left mouse button |
| Dash | Dash button | Space or Shift |
| Grenade | Grenade button | G or right-click |
| Turret | Turret button | E or F |
| Special | Big corner button | C |
| Reload | Button beside the weapon panel | R |
| Switch weapon | Tap the weapon panel | Q, Tab, 1–3 or mouse wheel |
There are three aim modes in Settings: Auto, Assist and Manual. There is also a left-handed layout.
Survival tips
- Never stop moving. Auto-fire does the shooting. Walking in wide circles keeps the zombies behind you.
- Watch for warnings. A red warning sign appears at the edge of the screen when something is coming from off-screen.
- Know the zombie types. Brutes show a charge before they rush, spitters fire acid, bloaters explode and crawlers lunge.
- Dash through trouble. The dash makes you briefly invulnerable.
- Drop the turret in a corner you keep circling back to.
- Use your special when the ring is full. Kills charge it faster.
- Reload between groups, not in the middle of one.
Power cards
After each cleared wave you pick 1 of 3 power cards, and they stack for the rest of the run. There are 19 of them, including Vampire, Drone Buddy and Cryo Rounds. Some are common, some rare, and each has a level limit (Extended Mags goes to 3, AP Rounds to 2).
A simple rule for beginners: take fire rate and piercing early. Extra damage helps on every wave; survival cards like Vampire help once the waves get bigger.
Stars
Every campaign level has three star goals like the ones in First Night: clear it, finish with half your health or more, and beat the time. There are 60 stars across the 20 campaign levels. Missing a star is fine; you can replay any level.
Five maps and five bosses
| Map | Boss |
|---|---|
| Suburbia | Big Barney |
| Dead Mall | The Mall Cop |
| St. Mercy Hospital | Dr. Rot |
| Fort Ashfall | General Grim |
| Night City | The Abomination |
Each map has four levels, ending with the boss. Beat the boss to unlock the next map. Levels mix normal waves, timed survival and boss fights. Endless Survival lets you play on any map for as long as you last, with a boss every 5 waves.
The Armory
Coins buy and upgrade weapons, specials and survivor stats.
| Weapon | Price |
|---|---|
| Pistol | Free |
| Shotgun | 350 |
| SMG | 650 |
| Assault Rifle | 1,100 |
| Sniper Rifle | 1,700 |
| Flamethrower | 2,400 |
| Grenade Launcher | 3,400 |
| Minigun | 5,200 |
The four specials are Air Strike, Rage Mode, Black Hole and Tesla Storm. The Shotgun is a great first buy for close crowds.
What changed after testing
The game got two graphics passes, then a kid-friendly update that removed all gore. Later updates added a share button and fixed where it sits on the title screen.
FAQ
Is Horde Breaker gory?
No. It uses cartoon zombies and has no gore. It is still an action game about fighting zombies, so parents may prefer it for older children.
Do I need to aim?
No. Auto-fire aims at the most dangerous zombie for you. You can switch to Assist or Manual aim in Settings.
How do I unlock new maps?
Beat the boss at the end of each map.
Is progress saved?
Yes, on your device.
