Idle · MergeOn Google Play

Horde Lab

Clone one zombie into a whole horde

Horde Lab is an idle game and a merge game sharing one board. Tap the cloning vat to produce a zombie, drag two matching zombies together to fuse them into the next mutant, and buy lab buildings that keep cloning every second, even while the app is closed. When progress slows, a New Outbreak resets the run in exchange for Mutagen, which buys permanent upgrades that make every later run faster.

Get it on Google Play

How to play

1Tap the cloning vat to create a zombie specimen.
2Drag two matching specimens together to merge them into the next tier.
3Buy lab buildings that clone automatically, including while you are offline.
4Trigger a New Outbreak when progress slows, and spend the Mutagen you earn on permanent upgrades.
5Discover species, fill the Codex and spread the infection across the world map.

What makes it special

A clicker, an idle tycoon and a merge game in one
Dozens of zombie species, a collectible Codex and a Gene Splicer for hybrids
Two prestige layers: New Outbreak and the later Extinction layer
Random lab events, a wandering golden zombie and daily rewards
Endless Trials challenge runs and a world map to conquer
Offline earnings, with separate switches for sound and haptics
Free to play with optional purchases and no paywall on progress

Tips and strategy

•Merge as soon as you have a pair; higher tiers boost production far more than extra low tiers.
•Put early coins into buildings, because automatic cloning compounds while you are away.
•Do not fear the first New Outbreak; permanent upgrades usually make the next run faster straight away.
•Tap the golden zombie whenever it appears, since its burst is largest when production is highest.

The Horde Lab strategy guide

How idle and merge games fit together

Horde Lab combines two popular mechanics. The idle half is about production: tapping and buildings create zombies, and production keeps running while you are away. The merge half is about quality: two matching zombies fuse into a single stronger one. Each merge raises production permanently, so the two halves feed each other. More zombies mean more merges, and more merges mean faster production.

The key idea in any idle game is compounding. Early on, every coin spent on something that produces automatically pays for itself many times over, which is why buildings usually beat short-term boosts in the first hours.

Merging efficiently

Keep the board tidy by merging pairs as soon as they appear. A board cluttered with low-tier zombies wastes space and hides the pairs you need. Higher tiers are worth much more than several lower ones, so pushing one line of merges upward tends to beat spreading effort across many.

When to prestige

Prestige is the heart of an incremental game. A New Outbreak resets your run but pays Mutagen, which buys permanent upgrades on the Virus Evolution Tree. The common mistake is waiting too long: once progress has slowed to a crawl, resetting and replaying the early game with better upgrades is usually faster than grinding on. A good rule is to reset when your Mutagen reward would noticeably speed up the next run.

Further in, the Extinction layer adds a second, larger prestige. It follows the same logic on a longer timescale.

Events and extras

Random lab events and the golden zombie give short bursts of extra production, which are worth most when your production is already high. The Codex, the Gene Splicer and Endless Trials give goals beyond raw numbers, which is useful once the main climb settles into a routine. Because progress continues offline, a quick check-in a few times a day is enough to keep the horde growing.

Frequently asked questions

Is Horde Lab free?

Yes, it is free to play, with optional in-app purchases and no paywall on progress.

Does it earn while the app is closed?

Yes. Lab buildings keep producing offline, so there is a pile of zombies waiting when you return.

What is a New Outbreak?

It is the prestige reset. You start the run again but keep Mutagen, which buys permanent upgrades.

Ready to play Horde Lab?

Free to play on Android. No forced login, jump straight in.