Do you need to play Disco Elysium before Zero Parades

You do not need to play Disco Elysium before Zero Parades. The former is ZA/UM’s debut 2019 title that received critical acclaim and is widely considered one of the greatest video games of all time. The latter is ZA/UM’s next offering, which releases on May 21, 2026. Although it contains certain similar elements, Zero Parades is considered neither a spiritual successor nor a direct sequel to the previous game.

When asked, Allen Murray, the Studio Head of ZA/UM, told me the following in an exclusive interview:

“For us, Zero Parades and Disco Elysium are two completely different games set in different universes telling different stories. One is about an amnesiac cop who has to find out who he is. The other is about a spy pretending to be someone else, who is painfully aware of her past and has to find ways to move on.”

Zero Parades does not take place in Disco Elysium’s world

As Murray mentions, Zero Parades does not take place in the world of Disco Elysium. Meaning, you do not need to play DE or learn about the gameworld lore/history before you check out Zero Parades. Described as an espionage RPG, the Steam page describes it as follows:

“You’re a brilliant but tormented operant on one final desperate assignment. Gather your broken network, untangle a web of lies, and prove yourself on the world stage – or blow it all up again.”

ZA/UM’s turbulent behind-the-scenes developments over the past several years, especially regarding the departure of lead devs like Robert Kurvitz and Kaur Kender, have made such connections a contentious issue. There are a few similarities evident, nevertheless, like the internal dialogues between voices, skill checks, and political nuances in the narrative.

Yet, Zero Parades is not merely a cynical copy of the 2019 title. In my time with the demo, the game showed glimpses of its own uniqueness, be it in the gameplay or the narrative. Whether it will scale the lofty heights reached by Disco Elysium remains to be seen once the game launches. But it would be wrong to dismiss it entirely because of its similarities or controversies without trying it out.