Player

The player is the character you control in Project zomboid. He has limited health, and needs to eat, drink, sleep, and entertain himself regularly. He can run, sneak, wield items, craft, store items, take items, open/close doors and windows, attack with items, equip items, and consume items. The main difference between the player and NPCs is that the player is not controlled by a AI. Like NPCs, he has 15 different body areas which can all be damaged (zombies only have an overall health). The main difference between the player and an NPC is that the player is able to improve skills, and later, the player will be far superior to the NPC if he is upgraded enough.

Combat

The player, like the NPCs, need various items to fight at all. If the player has smaller weapons that require stabbing, then the player has to get extremely close to the undead, and he has to stab the zombies individually to ensure efficient kills. With longer weapons like frying pans and baseball bats, the player is able to swing the weapon, but will have to shove the undead back if they come too close to the player. If the player has a sledgehammer, the combat is just like the longer weapons, except that the player will become tired more easily and will be unable to attack when the moodle "Out of Breath" is intact. As the player continues using melee weapons, the player can increase damage by adding skill points to "blunt" and "blade" skills. The player can also add skill points to the "swinging" skill to be able to swing longer without being tired.

When using ranged weapons, the player can fire shotguns and pistols with relative ease. Just like NPCs, they need to find the firearms and ammo, and then load the weapons to fight enemies with it. Aiming is done manually for the player.

Movement

The player can walk around with the WASD keys. When holding CTRL or the Z key, the player is actually able to sneak in order to make less sounds. When holding the shift key, the player is able to sprint to a location for a limited amount of time before tiring. As the player continue sprinting regularly, the player is able to run faster and for longer by spending skill points into the "running","sprinting", and "nimble" skills. In addition, the player can increase stealth in general or when sneaking by adding points to "light-footed" and "sneaking" skills.