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How to Burn Corpses in Project Zomboid (Easy Guide)

How to Burn Corpses in Project Zomboid (Easy Guide)

As the name suggests, Zombies are a constant threat in Project Zomboid where you will be running into them either while you are out exploring the world or getting swarmed at your house/base. Soon the corpses of these undead beings will begin to pile up and will lead to other problems. So the question is how can you dispose of these bodies or better yet how can you burn corpses in Project Zomboid?

You can burn corpses in Project Zomboid by placing them on an unlit Campfire and then burning them or you can use a Jerrycan/Gas Can to pour gas on the bodies and light them with a lighter/match. You can use Molotov Cocktail too but that can be dangerous as the fire can become uncontrollable.

Why Burn Corpses In Project Zomboid?

grave

Zombie corpses are a big deal when the area around your house/base will start to accumulate heaps of such rotting flesh. This sea of bodies will ruin the beauty of your home’s yard thus it will become necessary to dispose of. The bodies do soon decompose and wither away automatically but that will take a long time and there is a chance that rotting bodies might lead to some health issues. There is also a slight chance that a dead zombie corpse can come back to life so save yourself from this nasty surprise.

You can dump the bodies in a Grave by digging it using a Shovel. A single grave can hold 5 bodies at a time. With the number of bodies that you will eventually have to deal with, digging so many graves will not only become a chore but your yard will start to look like a graveyard. You can also dump the bodies in big Dumpsters, but finding one that is near is hard and again it will take some time to load the body and throw it in.

The best solution to your corpse cleanup is by Burning the bodies.

Related: Can You Survive a Bite in Project Zomboid?

How to Burn Corpses in Project Zomboid?

There are multiple ways to burn the corpses in Project Zomboid. You can use:

  • Campfire
  • Jerrycan/Gas Can
  • Molotov Cocktail

Burning Corpses Using A Campfire

Build a fire

Before you burn bodies you need to have the right material to Build a Campfire. Two Logs are the minimum requirement to craft Campfire Materials. When you have the Campfire Materials, you right-click on the ground and select the Build a Fire option. With the unlit campfire now on the ground, you can begin piling up the bodies on top of this (be sure to target the exact tile of the campfire otherwise bodies on the side might not catch the fire).

add fuel

Once all the corpses are placed on the fire, you can go ahead and Add Fuel by right-clicking on the campfire. As you can see above, there are loads of items in your inventory that you can use as fuel. Each type of item has a different burning duration although burning corpses do not take that long so no need to put your valuable items in.

ash clean up

With the fuel added, the campfire can be lit and the bodies will soon begin to burn and turn to ash. It can take around 5 minutes to burn the pile. Once all the bodies become ash, turn off the fire and begin shoveling the ash to completely clean up the mess. Voila! All those corpses are a thing of the past.

Be sure to place the campfire away from any grassy or flammable location. This method is the most controlled way of burning bodies as you can place the fire in the safest way possible without the threat of the fire getting out of control.

Related: Project Zomboid Steam Deck: Controls, Performance, Settings

Burning Corpses Using A Jerrycan/Gas Can

gas can

To burn bodies using this method you need to have a Gas Can and Matches/Lighter in your inventory. Equip these items and then right-click on the bodies and select the Burn Corpse option. This will burn the bodies leaving behind a pile of ash that you can clear using a Shovel.

This method of burning is more dangerous than using the campfire as the fire is open to spread to nearby flammable material like grass or your house and even a line of bodies. If you pile the bodies neatly in a non-flammable area then the fire can be easily controlled.

Burning Corpses Using A Molotov Cocktail

Molotov cocktail

You can craft a Molotov Cocktail using a bottle of any alcoholic drink, for example, Bourbon then use a piece of ripped/strip clothing i.e. Dirty Rag. Combine the two to create this throwable weapon. Equip the Molotov Cocktail to your hand and yeet it at the bodies. Watch and laugh as the bodies burn and turn to ash.

fire spreads

Do keep in mind, the Molotov Cocktail is more of an offensive weapon that you can use to clear a horde of zombies and can be considered a waste for clearing corpses. It’s great for throwing at “living” zombies so that they eventually burn to death and ultimately turn to ash.

Molotov Cocktails do have splash damage meaning once you throw it the fire will spill onto nearby areas and begin to spread. This is the most dangerous method of burning especially when you are indoors as there is a great chance of the fire spreading uncontrollably which can burn you as well. Be extra careful using this method.


Burning corpses is the best method of getting rid of those mountains of dead zombies in Project Zomboid. The campfire is surely the right way of doing it without potentially harming yourself or the environment. While the other two methods are effective but there is a risk of getting hurt. A tip is to first place your bag on the ground away from where you will be burning the corpses just in the off case your bag catches fire and all your inventory is ruined.