Zombies Ate My Neighbors was developed by LucasArts and published by Konami for the SNES and Genesis in 1993. One or two players rescue their neighbors from movie monsters across 48 stages, seven of which are optional bonus levels. Mike Ebert designed the game; the team wanted a battery save but could not afford one, so progress is kept with passwords.
The game was developed on the SNES and moved to the Genesis midway through, which is why the Genesis version lacks the flamethrower. Censorship shaped the regional releases: Nintendo of America had blood recolored as purple ooze, and in 12 European countries the game became Zombies, with the chainsaw maniacs turned into axe-wielding lumberjacks. A secret level nods to Day of the Tentacle, another LucasArts game, and the engine was reused for Ghoul Patrol, Metal Warriors and Big Sky Trooper.
On 29 June 2021 Dotemu re-released it with Ghoul Patrol for Switch, PS4, Xbox One and Windows, adding saves, a museum and achievements.1
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Zombies Ate My Neighbors | SNES | September 1993 | Konami | 1 |
| NA | Zombies Ate My Neighbors | Genesis | November 1993 | Konami | 1 |
| EU | ZombiesMega Drive; titled Zombies in censored territories | Genesis | 1993 | Konami | 1 |
| EU | Zombiestitled Zombies in censored territories | SNES | 1993 | Konami | 1 |
| WW | Lucasfilm Classic Games: Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrolport by Dotemu, bundled with Ghoul Patrol | Windows | Jun 29, 2021 | Disney / Lucasfilm Games | 2 |
| WW | Lucasfilm Classic Games: Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrolport by Dotemu | PlayStation 4 | Jun 29, 2021 | Disney / Lucasfilm Games | 1 |
| WW | Lucasfilm Classic Games: Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrolport by Dotemu | Switch | Jun 29, 2021 | Disney / Lucasfilm Games | 1 |
| WW | Lucasfilm Classic Games: Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrolport by Dotemu | Xbox One | Jun 29, 2021 | Disney / Lucasfilm Games | 1 |
Also known as: Zombies EU1
Box art by region
NA Zombies Ate My Neighbors 
EU Zombies
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.
Version differences
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CensorshipSNES (NA)Genesis (NA)
Before the ESRB existed, Nintendo of America had blood and gore removed or recolored as purple ooze.1
-
CensorshipSNES (EU)Mega Drive (EU)
In 12 European countries the game was renamed Zombies, and the chainsaw-wielding maniacs became axe-wielding lumberjacks.1
-
GameplayGenesis
The Genesis version has no flamethrower, unlike the SNES version; the game was developed on the SNES and ported to the Genesis midway through development.1
Translations
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Spanish Official
Dotemu2021Windows · 2021 collectionReleased
The 2021 Lucasfilm Classic Games release lists Latin American Spanish, French, Italian and German among its supported languages.2
Where to play legally today
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Steam Purchase
Lucasfilm Classic Games: Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol
2021 Dotemu emulation bundle with Ghoul Patrol
Checked: 2026-10-132store.steampowered.com
Reception
Reviewers praised the humor, two-player co-op, graphics and music (GameRankings 84.5%). IGN ranked it 48th among SNES games and gave the Wii Virtual Console release an Editor's Choice award.1
In lists
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
Spotted a mistake? Write to atlas@old-games.net.