# Zombie Race

> A Halloween race your audience runs from their phones — players pick a costume and tap to make their racer run faster.

Source: https://engageslide.com/knowledge-base/quiz-games/zombie-race · EngageSlide Help Center · Quiz & Game Slides

## What is Zombie Race?

**Zombie Race** is a spooky party game for your whole audience. Every player picks one of 20 Halloween costumes — zombies, pumpkin heads, skeletons, a mummy, a vampire, a witch, a ghost, a werewolf and more — and joins the race on the big screen. When you press **GO**, players tap their phones as fast as they can to make their racer run faster, while racers stumble, hop, spin and even lose their heads along the way. Whoever is in front when time runs out wins the crown.

Video tutorial: [Zombie Race — video tutorial](https://youtu.be/eDLNnNUjbTI)

Presenter creates the slide → Click Present → Share code / QR → Audience enters code → Respond & submit → Real-time results

## Create a Zombie Race slide

1. On **Home**, click + Create new presentation (or add a slide to an existing one).
2. In **Choose Slide Type**, pick **Zombie Race**. You can also type it into Search slide types….
3. The slide is created and the right panel opens on the **Content** tab.

## Set up the content

1. Click **New Slide**, open the **Games** tab and choose **Zombie Race**.
2. Set the **Race Duration** in seconds (at least 5; 15–30 seconds works well).
3. Pick a **Theme**: **Graveyard** (moonlit tombstones and lightning), **Ruined City** or **Toxic Swamp**.
4. Leave **Let the audience boost** on so players can tap to run faster — or turn it off for a hands-free race with a random winner.
5. Present the slide, let everyone join and pick a costume, then press **GO** (or Enter).

![The Zombie Race editor — slide list, live screen with join code & QR, and the content panel](https://engageslide.com/images/kb/zombie-race-editor.webp)

## Zombie Race settings

- **Race Duration (seconds)** — How long the race lasts. The finish line arrives exactly when the time runs out.
- **Let the audience boost** — On (default): players tap their phones to run faster and the leader at the buzzer wins. Off: the winner is picked at random and phones just show the race status.
- **Theme** — Graveyard, Ruined City or Toxic Swamp — each with its own scenery, fog and effects.

![Zombie Race settings in the right panel](https://engageslide.com/images/kb/zombie-race-settings.webp)

## Present & share the join code

1. Click **Present** in the top bar to put the slide on the big screen.
2. A **join code** and a **QR code** appear (e.g. `36Y56`).
3. Participants open the **Audience** app at **join.engageslide.com**, type the code and press **Enter** — or simply scan the QR.
4. When everyone has joined, the responses start flowing in live.

## How the audience responds

Players join with your code, pick one of 20 costumes (or tap **Random zombie**) and enter their name — they can switch costume until the race starts and the big screen updates instantly. During a boost race the phone shows a big **TAP TO RUN!** button, their live rank (for example **#2 of 12**) and a flame when they tap at full speed. When the race ends each phone shows **You won!** or the place they finished.

## View results

The big screen shows the racers running along the road with dust, speed lines and flames for the fastest tappers, plus random antics — stumbles, faceplants, hops, spins and spooky shouts like **BRAAAINS!** The finish line with a giant brain arrives when the clock runs out, the leader crosses it, and a **WINNER!** card shows their costume, name and how many boosts they tapped. Spooky music speeds up for the final sprint. Press **AGAIN** to race again.

![On the phone: pick one of 20 Halloween costumes](https://engageslide.com/images/kb/zombie-race-phone-pick.webp)
![During the race: TAP TO RUN! with the live rank](https://engageslide.com/images/kb/zombie-race-phone-tap.webp)
![After the race: You won! — or the place you finished](https://engageslide.com/images/kb/zombie-race-phone-result.webp)

![The big screen during a boost race: fast tappers get speed lines and flames](https://engageslide.com/images/kb/zombie-race-play.webp)

![The finish: the WINNER! card with the costume, name and number of boosts](https://engageslide.com/images/kb/zombie-race-winner.webp)

![Zombie Race settings: race length, audience boost and theme](https://engageslide.com/images/kb/zombie-race-settings.webp)

## Frequently asked questions

### How is the winner decided?

With audience boost on, whoever has run furthest when time runs out wins — tapping faster makes your racer faster. With boost off, the winner is picked at random, like a Duck Race.

### Can players cheat with an auto-clicker?

No. Taps are capped at about 13 per second, so very fast tapping beyond that does not help.

### Can players join in the middle of a race?

Yes. Late joiners start at the back of the pack and can still tap to catch up.

### Does it use quiz scores?

No. Zombie Race is a standalone game — it does not need a quiz before it. Use a Leaderboard or Duck Race if you want to show quiz scores.

### How many players can race?

As many as your plan allows. With bigger groups the racers shrink a little so every lane stays readable.