Food

Food is required for players to survive. There are many types of food available in The Dead Linger, ranging from meat hunted in the wild and canned and packaged food scavenged from buildings. Food also includes humorous items such as Femme's Cookies—a a nod to the game's producer, Dana "Femm" Churchill. Food's primary effect is to increase the sustenance statistic (more "sustenance" means being less hungry).

Most food items have two to three variants: cooked, raw, and rotten. Raw items can be cooked by players using a campfire. Cooked food reduces hunger by a larger amount than uncooked food. Rotten food currently has no side effects but will eventually cause food sickness.