Project Zomboid – What to Do When Bitten

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In Project Zomboid, one of the biggest fears you may have is being bitten by those deadly zombies. A single bite can quickly cause an infection and eventually kill you.

In this article, we’ll cover steps to prevent the infection and what to do when bitten in Project Zomboid.

Recommended Read: What to Do When the Power Shuts Off in Project Zomboid

To live as long as possible after being bitten in Project Zomboid, you must keep the open wound clean and then sterilize it with bandages. However, you will become a zombie no matter what treatment you apply, so finding a secure location to die is best – then you can loot all of your belongings with a new character.


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What to Do When Bitten in Project Zomboid

You may suffer some injuries after having a bloody battle with a group of zombies. So, to check if you’re bitten or not, open the Health tab.

If you see the word “bitten” on your body, that’s the first indicator. Unfortunately, you will become a zombie after being bitten anyway.

However, here are some helpful solutions to extend your life.

1. Keep The Open Wound Clean

The first step to save yourself is to keep the open wound clean using a Bottle of Disinfectant.

You can find the bottle in medical cabinets, specifically inside a pharmacy.

The Bottle of Disinfectant can sterilize the bandages and disinfect the wound directly, although its effectiveness is less than bandages.

You can use the Bottle of Disinfectant by right-clicking on the infected body part, then choosing the “Disinfect” => “Bottle of Disinfectant” option.

If you don’t have any, we’d recommend using Alcohol Wipes or Bourbon.

Alcohol Wipes effectively remove infections, but you should combine them with Painkillers to reduce the pain.

Last, Bourbon can be used to clean wounds, though it is the least effective and causes pain.

2. Cover The Wound With Bandages

The bandage’s primary function is to prevent you from bleeding, as well as to treat the infected wound.

If you don’t clean your wound with a disinfectant first, using the bandage will quickly turn it dirty.

To use the bandage, right-click on it in the inventory, or select it in the health menu.

There are three types of bandages in Project Zomboid:

  • Dirty bandage: can be found in trash bins or zombie corpses. However, using dirty bandages increases the chance of being infected.
  • Regular bandage: is a dirty bandage cleaned with water. Regular bandages can be found in medical buildings and first-aid kits.
  • Sterilized bandage: is soaked in a Bottle of Disinfectant or Whiskey or boiled in hot water. Sterilized bandages can’t be found in the world.

The bandage will become dirty over time, but you can sterilize it by pouring water into the cooking pot, waiting for it to get hot, right-clicking on the cooking pot, and selecting “Disinfected Bandage“.

3. Setting Up For The Next Life

As mentioned above, you’ll be 100% dead after being bitten.

Depending on your character traits, and how well your character is hydrated and well-fed, the zombification process can be slightly slowed down.

However, you can disable zombification in the Sandbox Option. Open Sanbox Option, select “Zombie Lore“, locate “Infection Morality” and choose “Never“. Note that turning this option off will remove the tension and intensity from the game, which causes a negative experience.

When your character dies, you can return to the same world with a newly created character. All skills and progress are wiped out, but your physical stats will remain the same, including everything you built, looted, or destroyed.

Note that your dead character will turn into a zombie, so before getting zombified, find a house and stay inside until death, then have your new character come and take everything back.


That’s all you need to do when bitten in Project Zomboid!

Have any suggestions for this guide? Let us know in the comment section below.

Binh Tran

As a game writer, my goal is to craft engaging, informative, and concise articles. Whether it's diving into the latest gaming trends or writing game guides, I'm always excited to share my insights with others.

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