Dead Party Arcade Mode Settings, Objectives, and Rules

Dead Party arcade mode is the customizable multiplayer hub where players select maps, tweak resource drop rates, toggle explosion damage, add bots, and pick distinct match objectives across public, private, or local matches.

Unlike story mode, which restricts online sessions to private friend invites, the arcade interface serves as the primary system for hosting or searching public lobbies. According to the official Steam store page and Techmash, the game supports solo players as well as four-player cooperative squads across both online lobbies and local split screen.

What Match Settings Can You Adjust in Arcade Mode?

Arcade match settings are customized rules that hosts configure before launching a round or voting on the next map scoreboard.

When setting up a lobby, hosts choose between public, private, or local matchmaking formats. Public matchmaking is exclusive to arcade sessions, allowing players to use the in-game session browser and filter by difficulty. Hosts can toggle friendly fire from explosives and add automated bots to fill out empty roster slots.

Item pool rules offer three presets:

• Story Items: Limits item drops to the smaller pool found in narrative stages.
• Arcade Items: Offers an expanded pool of combat tools and defense structures.
• Custom Items: Lets hosts manually enable or disable specific item categories, such as restricting weapon drops solely to turrets.

Resource flow can also be heavily modified. Hosts can use percentage sliders to increase the drop rate of general crafting resources, musical notes, and collectibles by up to 40%. The mode supports four difficulty tiers: Easy, Normal, Hard, and Nightmare.

Dead Party is more than a zombie shooter — it’s a chance to laugh, plan, improvise, and save the world together.

— ROCK THE UNDEAD — DEAD PARTY BLASTS ONTO STEAM ...

Which Objectives Are Available in Arcade Mode?

Arcade mode objectives are standalone mission types that determine the win conditions and zombie encounter mechanics for each stage.

In Showtime, players search containers and break furniture to locate four key instruments, such as the drums, amplifier, and microphone, before carrying them back to the band stage. Carrying equipment slows player movement speed, requiring teammates to provide cover.

In Fuel Run, gas attendants drop fuel cans. Players transport these volatile jerry cans across the map to power generators. Striking a gas canister with an attack or explosion ignites it, destroying the resource and damaging nearby players.

In Skull Cannon, the objective shifts toward collecting zombie remains to power anti-air artillery that targets invading UFOs overhead.

In horde mode, objectives are stripped away in favor of base survival. Waves feature up to 14 consecutive rounds with hundreds of enemies, forcing players to manage resource caps, maintain wooden barricades, and place floor traps before supplies dwindle.

Does Character Progression Carry Over to Arcade Mode?

Character levels and gear unlocks are persistent account features that carry seamlessly between the narrative campaign and multiplayer arcade sessions.

Playing matches rewards thousands of character experience points based on survival time, zombie eliminations, and objective completion. As characters level up, players unlock alternate weapon types, such as frying pans, electrified butter knives, nail guns, and katanas.

Leveling also unlocks equippable perks and accessories. Visual cosmetics change outfit colors, while functional gear modifies gameplay traits, granting bonuses such as automatic health regeneration or rage mechanics. Because character stats persist across all game types, XP earned while surviving custom arcade matches directly upgrades your survivor for future runs.

Sources: Dead Party: official Steam data, Official announcement: A preview of the party, Demo out now!

Where does this guide's official Dead Party information come from?

Official details in this guide follow Dead Party on Steam, which describes the game in its own words.

On Halloween, UFO‘s appeared over the peaceful town of Shady Hill. Soon after, the undead neighborhood rises from their graves. Four heroes take on the impossible task: to fight back the evil invaders!

Dead Party on Steam