is a 2012 mobile fitness game co-developed and published by British studio Six to Start and Naomi Alderman for iOS and Android platforms.

Set around Abel Township, a small outpost trying to survive the zombie apocalypse, players act as the character "Runner 5" through a series of missions during which they run, collect items to help the town survive and listen to various audio narrations to uncover mysteries.

[3] The storyline of the game is written primarily by Naomi Alderman and a team of writers, with guest contributions by notable science fiction authors such as Margaret Atwood, Elizabeth Bear,[4] Joanne Harris[5] and Andrea Phillips.

The game was funded by a Kickstarter campaign which raised more than five times what was expected, a total of $72,627 from 3,464 backers.

[9] The app can record the distance, time, pace, and calories burned on each mission through the use of the phone's GPS or accelerometer.

When using the GPS feature, the user can also opt to participate in a zombie chase which requires the player to run faster (at least 10% faster[11][12]—a form of interval training[13]) for a short period of time or be caught by zombies and lose their supplies.

The format usually includes two "training" missions, whose stories gives background and context to the actual race mission, and emails giving further background, often containing links to specially created augmented reality game in-universe websites or phone lines.

One of the training missions centred around creating a biometrically coded T-shirt in order to bypass the corporation's security systems.

An 'airdrop' feature was released where the player sets a real-world location to run to, and the app creates a mission that will last the distance needed.

In 2020, a series of 35 workout missions designed to be done at home was released as a reaction to the lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The workout missions combine classic bodyweight exercises such as Squats, Lunges, Sit-Ups, Jumping Jacks, High Knees, and Chair Dips.

The supplies collected while running can be used between missions to enhance a small version of Abel Township,[10] with detailed buildings similar to SimCity.

[14] Players start with three level one buildings: Janine's farmhouse, an armory, and a defense tower, which are all surrounded by a fence.

"[31] The game was funded by a Kickstarter campaign which raised more than five times what was expected, a total of $72,627 from 3,464 backers in October 2011.

[34] Although the game uses GPS and the accelerometer, these are to estimate distance, not track location, and Zombies, Run!

does not have as much quantification of data as other exercise apps do, and Alderman regards their decision not to consult professional help in design as a strength, arguing that much of Zombies, Run!

[36] The team were trained in Objective C for iOS and the player character, Runner 5, was designed to be genderless.

[40] Staff writers include Rebecca Levene, Andrea Klassen, Kayt Lackie, Grant Howitt, Mathilda Gregory and Gavin Inglis.

[40] Several guest authors who are notable in speculative fiction and video games, such as Margaret Atwood,[41] Joanne Harris,[41] Elizabeth Bear,[41] and Andrea Phillips, have contributed missions.

[43] For the release of season 2, the team rewrote the apps, added in a lot of new features and changed their behavior, which led to backlash from some players.

[45] Existing players were given access to all content up until the end of Season 3 and the Interval Training and Race Missions features.

Existing players can also unlock one episode of Season 4 for free per week, and have a discounted rate on "Pro Membership" subscription.

"[55] Caelainn Hogan writing for the Washington Post noted that she was interested in using the app weeks after beginning.

[9] Rick Broida, writing for CNET, was not engaged by Zombies, Run!, finding the dissonance between the urgent radio clips and his upbeat track list distracting.

[60] Maureen Halushak, an experienced runner who writes for The Globe and Mail, "struggled to suspend [her] disbelief" when running.

It noted that the aim of the app was to increase aerobic exercise, that it included audio cues, exercise monitoring, the option to share on Facebook or Twitter, integration with the user's music playlist, a narrative, progression, the ability to sync with other apps, and tailored feedback.

or The Walk, activity decline due to returning to an academic schedule after summer holidays was not as great as in the control group.

to be an important contribution to urban exergaming due to its commercial success and the "innovative" way that the app makes the player exercise harder.

[77] Six to Start and Alderman also created The Walk, a similar game to encourage increased physical activity throughout the day.

[82] Dustland Runner was released in March 2022 and is a move-to-earn fitness app built on the same game engine and play mechanics as Zombies, Run that rewards players by combining crypto and blockchain elements.