How to Make a Horde Mode Game in Unity

8/11/2025

The Down-Low on Building a Killer Horde Mode Game in Unity

Hey there, fellow game devs! So, you’ve got that itch. That burning desire to create a game where players are frantically fighting off waves of relentless enemies. A classic horde mode. Honestly, it’s one of the most satisfying game loops to both create & play. The adrenaline, the strategy, the pure chaos – it’s a recipe for a good time. But where do you even start?

If you’re diving into the world of Unity, you're in luck. The engine is an absolute beast for this kind of project. But let's be real, staring at a blank Unity project can be pretty intimidating. That's why I've put together this guide. We're going to break down everything you need to know to build your very own FPS horde mode game, from the ground up. We'll look at the best tutorials out there, the core mechanics you need to nail, & some pro-tips to make your game stand out.

First Things First: The Basic FPS Controller

Before you can have a horde, you need a hero. And that hero needs to be able to move, look around, & shoot. This is your foundation, so it’s worth spending the time to get it right. A clunky controller can ruin an otherwise great game.

There are a ton of tutorials on this, but a really solid one to get you started is the FPS Full Game Tutorial series. It's a bit more fast-paced, so if you're a complete beginner, you might want to check out some "Unity basics" videos first. But this series will get you up & running with a professional-feeling controller. You’ll learn how to handle mouse look, player movement (including sprinting & crouching), & even things like footstep sounds. These little details make a HUGE difference in how immersive your game feels.

Here’s the thing about player controllers: they're a deep rabbit hole. You can spend weeks tweaking values to get the perfect feel. My advice? Get a basic, functional controller working first. You can always come back & refine it later. The goal here is to get to the fun stuff – the horde!

The Brains of the Outfit: Crafting Your Enemy AI

Okay, so you’ve got a player who can run & gun. Now, you need something for them to shoot at. This is where the magic really happens. Your enemy AI will make or break your horde mode. You don't want a line of zombies slowly shuffling towards the player. You want a dynamic, swarming, & terrifying horde.

This is where things can get a little complex, but don't worry, there are some great resources to help you out. A fantastic starting point is learning about State Machines. This is a programming pattern that lets you define different states for your AI, like "patrolling," "chasing," & "attacking." There’s a great YouTube tutorial on creating EASY Unity Enemy AI using a State Machine that I highly recommend. It breaks down the concept in a really clear & concise way.

Once you’ve got the basics of state machines down, you can start to add some more advanced behaviors. For example, you could have enemies that flank the player, or enemies that run away when they're low on health. The key is to create variety in your enemy behaviors. This will keep the player on their toes & make the game more engaging.

Now, let's talk about movement. You don't want your enemies getting stuck on walls or other obstacles. This is where NavMesh comes in. NavMesh is a powerful tool in Unity that allows you to create a "walkable" area for your AI. You can then use a NavMesh Agent component to make your enemies navigate the level intelligently. There are some great tutorials on how to set this up, & honestly, it's a lot easier than it sounds. One Reddit thread even pointed to a great video on how to make your AI avoid moving in lines & act more like a horde.

Let the Bodies Hit the Floor: Implementing a Wave Spawner

So, you’ve got a player & you’ve got some smart enemies. Now it's time to bring on the horde! A wave spawner is a script that, you guessed it, spawns waves of enemies. This is a core component of any horde mode game.

There are a few different ways you can approach this. A simple approach is to have a set number of enemies per wave, & when the player has killed them all, the next wave starts. There’s a great tutorial series by Jimmy Vegas called HOW TO MAKE AN FPS BATTLE HORDE GAME that covers this exact topic. He shows you how to set up a basic wave spawner & even how to add things like random ammo drops between waves.

If you want to get a little more advanced, you can create a point-based wave spawner. This is a system where you have a "budget" of points for each wave, & you "buy" enemies with those points. This allows you to create more dynamic & unpredictable waves. There's a fantastic tutorial on YouTube called A Better Wave Spawner (Point-Based-System) that goes into detail on how to set this up. It’s a really clever system that can add a ton of replayability to your game.

The Nitty-Gritty: Player & Enemy Stats

A good horde mode is all about progression. The player should feel like they're getting stronger with each wave they survive. This is where player & enemy stats come in. Things like health, ammo, damage, & speed are all important variables that you can tweak to create a sense of progression.

For the player, you’ll want to have a way to display their health & ammo on the screen. This is where you’ll need to get familiar with Unity’s UI system. It can be a little tricky at first, but there are plenty of tutorials out there to help you out. The FPS Full Game Tutorial series I mentioned earlier has a great section on creating a player stats UI.

For the enemies, you’ll want to have a way to track their health & deal damage to them. This is usually done with a simple health script that you attach to your enemy prefabs. When the enemy’s health reaches zero, you can have them play a death animation & then destroy the game object.

Making it Pretty: Finding & Using Game Assets

Let's be honest, a game with a bunch of gray cubes isn't very exciting. This is where game assets come in. Assets are things like 3D models, textures, sound effects, & music. They're what will bring your game to life.

Now, if you're not an artist, don't worry. There are a ton of places where you can find free & paid assets for your game. The Unity Asset Store is a great place to start. You can find everything from character models to weapon packs to entire environment kits. There are also some great free resources out there, like the Dungeon Mason Tiny Hero Duo pack, which is a great starting point for some stylized enemy characters.

A word of advice: don't go crazy with assets at the beginning. It's easy to get bogged down in finding the "perfect" model or texture. My advice is to use simple placeholder assets at first. This will allow you to focus on the core gameplay loop. Once you have a fun & functional game, you can start to swap in the prettier assets.

Taking it to the Next Level: Advanced Tips & Tricks

Once you’ve got the core of your game built, there are a few things you can do to really make it shine.

Player Progression: Think about how the player will get stronger over time. Will they be able to upgrade their weapons? Will they be able to unlock new abilities? A simple progression system can go a long way in keeping the player engaged.
Enemy Variety: I mentioned this before, but it's worth repeating. The more variety you have in your enemies, the more interesting your game will be. Think about different enemy types with different attacks & behaviors.
Environmental Storytelling: Use your level design to tell a story. Why is the player here? What happened in this place? A little bit of environmental storytelling can go a long way in making your game more immersive.
Player Feedback: Make sure the player knows when they've hit an enemy, when they're low on health, & when they've picked up a new weapon. Good player feedback is crucial for making a game feel satisfying to play.

Here's a thought on player feedback & engagement: what if your players have questions while they're in the game? Or what if you want to provide them with tips or lore without cluttering the UI? This is where a tool like Arsturn could be pretty cool. Arsturn helps businesses create custom AI chatbots. You could train a chatbot on your game's lore, mechanics, & FAQs. Then, players could interact with the chatbot to get instant help or learn more about the world. It’s a neat way to provide support & deepen engagement without breaking the flow of the game. You could even use it on your game's website to answer player questions 24/7. It's a no-code platform, so it's super easy to set up.

Wrapping it Up

Phew, that was a lot of information! But honestly, building a horde mode game in Unity is a blast. It’s a great way to learn the engine & to create a game that’s just plain fun to play.

I hope this guide was helpful. The key is to take it one step at a time. Don't try to build the entire game at once. Start with the basics, get a fun gameplay loop working, & then start adding in the more advanced features. And most importantly, have fun with it!

Let me know what you think. Are there any other tutorials or resources that you’ve found helpful? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below. Now go out there & make something awesome!