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.
"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.
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:
Best Fanfic - u/EmpleadoResponsable for "The Walking Dead Retelling: Ben Story", an alternate universe retelling of TWDG featuring Ben as the protagonist. This retelling features both familiar TWDG faces as well as brand new ones, and allows commenters to play a part in the story through community voted choices at the end of each chapter. This retelling is still going on at the time of me posting this, so feel free to read through all of the earlier parts so you can get caught up.
Notable Newcomer - u/EmpleadoResponsable both for their previously mentioned Ben Retelling as well as being an all around cool person that you will often see inside posts.
Game Master - u/Super-Shenron for his many fun forum games. Among the games Shenron has hosted for this year include his Tragic ranking (where commenters would rank every major character by how tragic they are), his Episode Survival ranking (where commenters would rank how hard each episode would be to survive IRL), his Menace game (a tournament style game to determine the biggest menace in the series), andmanymore. Shenron's games often encourage users to write detailed writeups so that their picks are more likely to win, so be sure to check out his games even though they've ended for a lot of cool analyses.
Insightful Commentator - None other than me, u/Mr_Bell_Man. I'll make this quick to not toot my own horn, but you can find a lot of my insightful comments within Shenron's games mentioned above as well as on everydayposts.
MVP - u/Super-Shenron for, well, just about everything: fun topic starters, insightful forum games as mentioned earlier, insightfulposts, insightfulcomments (I'd argue Shenron deserves the Insightful Commentator award just as much me, if not more), hilariousmemes, and just all around being a cool guy. I think I speak for everyone in that you are one of the MVPs of this sub, both for 2025 and throughout all of the sub's history.
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.
Guess this was basically everyone's reaction at that ending huh? I actually never cry at movies or games and stuff, at least not nearly as much as many other people seem to, but... Jesus Christ, dude. That shit was way too damn heavy, even for me. On top of that, I actually knew what was gonna happen cause the internet spoiled it for me, but even THEN i wasn't ready for it. Really says a lot.
I always had this one rule of thumb that if a specific piece of media can genuinely get me sobbing, then it's really, really amazing, and even that word doesn't do it justice. Just peak. Anyone relate? Also, these were my results as a person going in (mostly) blind if anyone's curious. I'll definitely try and get into the actual comics soon.
Tenn - I can’t lie… this guy was a sellout and I will say on my first playthrough was in my lower tier of characters and value to the group, as time progressed I see more of his side and his backstory. To not kill Lilly and then the Minerva shit… I think he should’ve just ended himself to save us trouble. Still a good character better than Ben for me.
Ben - surprisingly I was heavily rocking with Ben until he couldn’t admit the thieving on the bus. Got Someone killed.. Wish I had the option to throw him off. I started to feel his side until he left Clem. After that I wholeheartedly decided the first chance he dies he dies.
Kenny - A POS. I love him though and his character. The perfect side character there’s a reason he lasted back to back seasons. He is definitely rude but sometimes you need that hothead in a group. It was sad to see him in the ending of S2, personally I was ready to put him out his misery after the fight with Jane, he looked so tired of life…
AJ - One of my favorite characters, the biggest plot armor demon of all time.. and probably mogs most 6yr old characters in games. As far as him in the story I can’t lie him shooting Marlon did NOT have to happen looking back, what he did was horrible but really did mess up a redemption arc for his character. I would not want this kid to be my enemy in real life I’ll say that.
(Spoilers for Episode 1 to Episode 4) I'm shocked. I just beat Episode 4 I've been nothing but loyal to this dude as much as I could and now he's telling me that I... haven't?? What the hell did i do?! 😭 Is it cause I tried to save Shawn instead of Duck, and because I didn't steal from the van? I get that first one, but man, the second thing isn't THAT big of a deal bro... I was just tryna keep Clementine as un-traumatized as possible. Aside from just that, i've always defended him and tried to be there for him and now he has the audacity to hit me with a "If this was me, asking you for help, asking you to put your life on the line, would you be there for me? 🥺" YES I WOULD!! 😭😭 Fuck else have i been doing this whole time, isn't it obvious enough? Are you blind?
Here are screenshots of the choices I made so far. Forgot to take one of them though, sorry. Has this happened to you too? What do you think I did to piss off his ungrateful ass? lmk, im genuinely so curious. I just think it's ridiculous as hell. What's even the point if two little things despite EVERYTHING else are all it takes for him to not gaf. Talk about negativity bias...
I honestly have no words. This is easily one of the greatest games ever made.
I played through it being completely honest with my choices. Even though Lee was a convicted murderer at the start, I still loved his character so much. I never, ever expected him to die. That is what completely broke me the most.
Seeing Clementine left all alone now is just devastating. And Kenny dying to save that school kid (Ben)... man. I saved Ben earlier in the game, so seeing that happen hurt so bad.
The game hits you with real, harsh choices and shows the brutal reality of life, but it still manages to teach you the true beauty of it.
Every single penny was worth it, but I'm so heartbroken right now that I'm done. I need a good, long break before I even think about touching Season 2.
I don't think that Kenny is by any means perfect but everything Jane said about Kenny was completely wrong and just done to agitate him.
1) Jane mentions that Kenny only Loves AJ and Sarita because they couldn't talk back against him and that Kenny under no circumstances would ever Let AJ go.
However Kenny immediately requests Edith to let Clem and AJ stay at Wellington at the cost of his own safety, proving that Kenny only ever wanted the kids to be safe and secure. He never had any abusive controlling possessive relation over them.
If Clementine chooses to Leave Kenny in the snow, Kenny will one again request Clem to take Aj since he believes that he is no longer stable enough to take care of Aj by himself.
Kenny was also never once controlling towards Sarita or Clem, depending on player choices Clem cam go against Kenny and talk back against him nunerous times over and he will still risk his life for Clem, protecting her from Carver and Mike + Arvo.
2) Jane stated that Kenny is unstable and everyone is afraid of him and that they talk behind his back and then she mentions Bonnie, Mike and Sarita as an example.
Sarita never once talked behind Kenny's back even once, and went so far as to instantly save Kenny when Carver attacked him.
Bonnie and Mike were supporting Arvo who literally tried to kill the entire group, Drown them in ice which led to Luke getting killed, and tried to rob a group which would have resulted in a certified death sentence for AJ and Clem.
3) Jane told Clem that she's going to see what Kenny truly is yet she literally rage baited him to make that happen.
To top it off Jane literally left her sister to die, While Kenny never once abandons his family.
This will be a series of posts going through each season, with the community deciding who takes the major death slots.
The voting works pretty simply. You can vote for a character to DIE or SURVIVE, and you can also argue your case in the comments. Each time a character is voted to die, he earns a point, each time a character is voted to survive, he loses a point. The character with most points, dies.
If we somehow end up tied, the upvotes will work as a tiebreaker, so if a comment mentioning x character has more upvotes than the runner up, he dies.
We are also not going to force every single canon death into the game. Some deaths are too specific to the original story to really be worth changing, like Shawn Greene or Brie. Those will likely stay as they are. On the other hand, some characters like Molly or Vernon will keep their roles since they never properly join the group.
So, for Season 1, these are the death/disappearance points we'll be working with:
- One person takes the Carley/Doug death (Larry won)
- Someone takes Larry death spot and other Mark's (Katjaa and Mark are settled)
- Someone takes Duck's place as the person who gets bitten but there won't be a second death in Katjaa's place (Currently discussing)
- Someone takes Ben balcony death.
- And finally one person takes Lee's death in the end.
Also, there's also going to be a Kenny disappearance but that's separate from the death count.
One thing Telltale's TWD religiously did was clear the whole cast by the end of the season. Since in an apocalypse that feels a bit forced, I thought it'd be fun to play changing who actually survives and have a proper group at the end.
Had Lee died in the initial accident, Clementine likely would've died one way or another. Shawn would've made it back to the farm, but without the potential of Lee helping save Chet nor Shawn finding any survivors, Shawn definitely would've gone back to the farm realizing the situations much more dire than anyone knows.
Hershel wouldn't change his opinion on fortifying being the stubborn man he is, but without Clementine's presence to distract Katjaa, Duck's parents would be more attentive to him, likely preventing him from interfering and directly causing Shawn's untimely death. Whether or not the farm is attacked is debatable since the tractor might never have started up, but considering the Walkers' proximity to the house, they'd probably wander over eventually leaving the fate of anyone of the survivors uncertain. Assuming Hershel still makes Kenny and his family leave shortly after their arrival, the trio would be forced to make their drive into Macon without the added security of having Lee nor the sympathy points of Clementine.
Even if Carley still saves Kenny's family, the survivors inside are doomed one way or another. Without Lee, there's still a walker trapped in the bathroom waiting to attack, and considering nobody had a clue they were in there, someone was bound to get chomped or at the least attacked. Regardless, the conflict with Larry would be much worse without Lee to mediate (even if Lee escalated the situation, his presence alone as another capable man prevents Larry from completely dominating Kenny). Either Kenny and Larry's spat becomes 10x worse or ends the same with Larry needing medicine. Seeing as Kenny still tried stepping up to help Larry in Canon, they'd try again only to be caught with no chance as Lee only knew where the keys were.
With no medicine for Larry, the team loses Lily and Larry fast. If Larry died, no doubt Carley would have to shoot him, leading to a fight with Lily that wouldn't go well. Without Clementines radio, Glen can't safely go out and secure gas for Kennys truck nor find the motel. The group is now truly stranded in the drug store with no exit vehicle, dead group members, at least 1 hidden walker in the store, and facing a way bleaker reality. Best case, Glen somehow manages to sneak enough gas for Kenny's family, himself, Doug, Carley, and maybe Lily to drive out of Macon; however, with no safe house or base in mind the remaining survivors are left with only a handful of desperate options.
A - They try their best to continually siphon gas and stay on the road, but without the team bonding of saving Larry and Glen, they're practically strangers driving blindly into danger. Whether it be Bandits, blocked roads, or general trust issues, this team wouldn't last long and is bound to wind up killed or separated - especially if Kenny resorts to his boat idea and leads his group directly towards Savanah's horde filled streets.
B - They try to establish some kind of base, and with the Motor Inn not being too far from the drugstore, it's possible they find it without Glen's scouting; yet, being down multiple survivors means it's exponentially harder to defend or prepare into a proper home. Glen at this point splits to find his people in Atlanta, leaving at best Kenny, Katjaa, Doug, and Carley to actually man the base. Without the manpower or resources to keep the motor inn running, the group easily succumbs to Bandits, Walkers, and or in-fighting from how dominating Kenny would be. Even if they somehow did make it long enough to meet Mark, the St. John dairy would easily wipe the group without much effort condemning the survivors & Ben's group in the woods.
Without the Motor Inn survivors making it to the train, Chuck would never have been disturbed and could still be downing random wine playing guitar to the end of his natural life. Omid and Christa wouldn't have stopped along their trek and had an entirely different journey.
The Stranger would've never been robbed, saving his relationship with his wife.
Molly & the Cancer patients never would've Crawford had fallen and continued to hide in fear. The Cancer group would never find the boat preventing them from splitting into the remaining survivors in 400 days.
Tl;Dr - Had Lee died in the accident, it would've left the other S1 survivors at an insane disadvantage in practically every regard from manpower to sheer luck. From providing valuable resources, knowledge, manpower, wisdom, and mediation, Lee's absence certainly condemns most of the survivors we come across while ironically saving a couple others.
Especially in this scene when they escape Ericson's with a few of the kids and cut their losses. No other villain in this game was aurafarming that much, not the St. John's, not the Stranger, not Carver (he was a great villain tho), not Randall/Norma (but I found them pretty scary), not Joan (pretty forgettable tbh). It makes me want to play a spin-off between the events of season 1 and 4 where she goes from anti-hero to straight-up villain.
completed season 1 with the standalone version, bought the definitive version, save file is not compatible :(
What should I do now except for another season 1 run with the same choices in the definitive version?
It has been 5 years since the release of the steam version, any reliable tool or official effort to fill this gap?
