Greetings, Survivors!
We are happy to announce that game update 1.28 has been released on all platforms. We are grateful for all the feedback we received and for your active participation in the experimental phase.

We’ve known since the launch of DayZ Frostline that Sakhal needed more dynamic elements. This time we were able to add a few. Once you spawn at the coast, for example, you may be able to spot some grounded fishing and military patrol boats, which will make you wonder what may have spawned there. Through your travels down the major roads of Sakhal, you may also find the wrecks of ambulances offering basic medical supplies - if you can fight the infected who are hanging around, that is. Survivors exploring Shantar Island and the Burukan peninsula may hear (or even see) the familiar signs of helicopter crash sites. They offer different kinds of loot compared to the surroundings, and also disrupt the usual routes, making new areas temporarily more dangerous. We definitely recommend giving Sakhal another try. Just think twice before taking a bath in one of the hot spring areas. Something is certainly brewing in there now!


We know how close the subject of firearms is to many of you. Since it’s been a while, we decided to pick related topics from our backlog and implement them in this update. First of all, we are introducing two new firearms. The first is the new king of shotguns - the semi-automatic R12, complete with a wide range of attachments. Secondly, there’s the return (for legacy players) of the RAK 37: a submachine gun that’s fed by 15 or 25 round magazines of .380.


We also have three new scopes to spice up the ranged meta. The new king of scopes is certainly the Marksman scope, followed closely by a new variant of the PSO scope, the PSO-6. Hunting scopes got a lot rarer because we’re introducing lower magnification Sportpoint sights. We’ve also introduced damage states to the scope overlays, the ability to have illuminated reticles in those overlays, and also improved the visuals of the rangefinder overlay. Additionally, our audio department has introduced another large batch of firearm audio changes, this time for all non-automatic rifles. We also finally completed an iteration of the firearm lifting mechanic. It now has a new state of pullback, meaning the firearm doesn’t instantly go up the moment it touches an obstacle.


A third important piece of this game update is tied to cars. We made a fundamental change to the way the cars are synchronized between the client and server. The goal was to make the driving experience more pleasant, allowing you to keep things under control, even during high latency conditions. Vehicle bouncing and a floaty feel should no longer be present during your driving. The experimental car servers were invaluable in verifying these changes in a live environment, and we certainly enjoyed watching all of the content that was created from these. The reception to this change was positive overall, and we hope you’re going to like it.

Speaking of cars, our audio department looked at engine audibility from inside, around, and from a distance. The goal was for players to be able to communicate easier when sitting inside the vehicles, while also making sure the vehicles are more audible from a distance.


This article can’t cover every new addition, change, and fix in update 1.28. If you’d like to learn more about everything that’s new, head to our official forums and read the change notes.

We hope you enjoy this update and look forward to seeing all of the new adventures you have! We’re definitely not slowing down this year, so see you soon with more news on what’s in store!
On behalf of the DayZ team,
Adam

Survivors,
We’re participating in the Zombies vs. Vampires Fest on Steam. To the DayZ OGs about to say, “Actually, they’re infected ☝️🤓”—just know the fest includes DayZ and its bundles at up to 50% off! So don’t tattle on us to Steam. Grab it at a great price for yourself or for your gaming buddies. The sale runs until June 2nd, so get it now before Update 1.28 drops on June 3rd!

This update is packed with new content, including two new firearms, three new scopes (including the 10x long-range Marksman Scope), and major improvements to car synchronization. After all this time, you can finally show off your drifting skills. And that’s just the beginning—check out [[url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/221100/view/589516382182311217?l=english]the full details here[/url]].

https://store.steampowered.com/app/221100/DayZ/

What is DayZ?
The post-soviet countries of Chernarus and Livonia are struck by an unknown virus, turning the majority population into frenzied infected. Fighting over resources has bred a hostile mentality among survivors, driving what’s left of humanity to collapse. You are one of the few immune to the virus - how far will you go to survive?

DayZ Frostline is also getting a whole lot of love with dynamic events like classic heli crashes, dynamic boat wrecks, and medical events to surely keep Sakhal fresh and exciting. Plus, it’s 26% off during the sale!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2968040/DayZ_Frostline/

What is DayZ Frostline?
Sakhal harbors both beauty and danger, offering an experience DayZ fans have never seen before. As you explore, hunt, survive, and unfurl the mysteries hidden beneath the frost line. Unite with fellow survivors or forge your path alone; the choice is yours in this perilous winter wonderland.
Preparation is the key to survival, and as the frost sets in, only those with Ice in their veins and Fire in their hearts will endure.

Deluxe Edition & Cool Edition
More comprehensive versions of DayZ in Deluxe and Cool Editions are also on sale with up to 50% and 35% off, respectively.



We're thrilled about the upcoming 1.28 Update - this milestone perfectly launches us into summer! If you've been wanting to introduce a friend to DayZ, now is absolutely the best time. Between the new update and current sales, there's never been a better moment to jump in.

Exciting things are happening right now, and even more exciting things are coming soon!

Survivors,
DayZ's first seasonal event of the year - Walpurgis Night - has arrived. To celebrate, we're kicking off a spring sale: from April 15, get DayZ and select bundles at up to 50% off.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/221100/DayZ/

What is DayZ?
The post-soviet countries of Chernarus and Livonia are struck by an unknown virus, turning the majority population into frenzied infected. Fighting over resources has bred a hostile mentality among survivors, driving what’s left of humanity to collapse. You are one of the few immune to the virus - how far will you go to survive?

The 1.28 update has just gone live on our Experimental branch today. This release brings new scopes into the game, improves vehicle synchronization, introduces weapon lifting changes, and adds exciting new dynamic events specifically for DayZ Frostline.
And speaking of Frostline - we've got good news for those who haven't experienced the expansion yet. For a limited time, DayZ Frostline is available at 26% off!
Now's the perfect time to jump into Experimental and test these new features while enjoying the frozen challenges of DayZ Frostline at a discount.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2968040/DayZ_Frostline/

What is DayZ Frostline?
Sakhal harbors both beauty and danger, offering an experience DayZ fans have never seen before. As you explore, hunt, survive, and unfurl the mysteries hidden beneath the frost line. Unite with fellow survivors or forge your path alone; the choice is yours in this perilous winter wonderland.
Preparation is the key to survival, and as the frost sets in, only those with Ice in their veins and Fire in their hearts will endure.

Deluxe Edition & Cool Edition
More comprehensive versions of DayZ in Deluxe and Cool Editions are also on sale with up to 50% and 35% off, respectively.



To all survivors, both veterans and newcomers alike, we extend our best wishes for your adventures ahead of summer and 1.28 Update. May fortune favor you, and see you at the bonfires.

Survivors,
Spring has arrived, and so is Walpurgis Night, our first seasonal event of 2025! As promised in our DayZ in 2025 article, we're kicking off a year of in-game celebrations inspired by real-world traditions and events!
The Lore Behind the Event
Walpurgis Night (Čarodejnice in Czech) blends ancient pagan spring rites with later folklore honoring Saint Walpurga, a protector against witchcraft. Today, many parts of Europe mark it with bonfires, Maypole dances, and revelry. It is a perfect theme for Chernarus and Livonia. However, for Sakhal, being in a different part of the world, we modified the bonfire events with the new dynamic tire fire! It should still keep the spirit of spring while being thematically suitable for the new winter terrain in the east.


Event Highlights (April 15 – May 6)

• Bonfires (or tire fires on Sakhal, to fend off the cold)
  
• Seasonal Gear: Witch hats, much beloved Witch hoods, birch brooms, cauldrons, crooked noses, and the return of the Infected Witch
  
• High-Risk Comfort: Will you risk a firefight for a moment's respite by the flames?

The event will be on all official stable servers across all platforms.
Lock in, grab a pitchfork (or flaming broom!), and hunt those bonfires. Just remember, stay warm but stay sharper.

On behalf of the DayZ team,
Lynn

Greetings, Survivors!
We’re about to enter the public testing phase of game update 1.28 on Steam and Xbox! Lets talk about what is coming, and what to keep an eye on during your experimental adventures. As usual, if you’d like to get spoiled with everything, head to our forums to see the change notes.

One of the biggest changes in this update is the introduction of vehicle synchronization. The goal was to make the driving experience more pleasant, allowing you to keep things under control, even during high latency conditions. Vehicle bouncing and a floaty feel should no longer be present during your driving. Since it was quite a fundamental change, there may be a few side-effects beyond what we’ve already found. We encourage you to try it on the experimental servers (we even have a dedicated cars server for you to play on) and tell us about your experience. We’ll be watching the feedback closely. If you are interested in learning more about what was changed and why, check out this detailed blog post from Arma Reforger, as we are using the same approach for DayZ.

It's been a while since we looked at the gunplay in our game, so we decided to give it some attention by updating the weapon lifting mechanic. Ever since it was introduced years ago, we felt that close-quarters combat often ended in a frustrating experience, as your gun could move up at any point. Last year, we made a number of tweaks to improve the experience, but we ultimately had only two states: normal or lifted. With update 1.28, we’re introducing a gradual pullback to all of our firearms. This means your character now tries to pull the firearm back (if there’s enough space) before lifting it up. As you can imagine, this has major implications for indoor combat, as well as in cases of infected overwhelming you at close range.



Another thing we focused on was scopes. We’re introducing 3 new scopes for our firearms:

• With its 2x zoom, the Sportpoint sight will be filling a gap in low-tier civilian scopes, making the hunting scope a lot more rare in the world
  
• PSO-6 is a brand new variant of the well-known PSO scope; it brings a 6x zoom to all eastern firearms, including VSD
  
• The rail-compatible Marksman scope, with its variable 3.5x-10x zoom levels, will be the new top-tier choice for all long-range engagements

Coupled with these new additions, we are also bringing much needed improvements to scope overlays. Damage state is now visualized on the overlays and support for illuminated reticles was added as well. Binoculars, NVG scopes, and the rangefinder have received visual updates and fixes to the overlay. And keep an eye on your Night Vision goggles - they may become more difficult to use when damaged!



Our audio team brought in a huge batch of sounds for the firearm overhaul, updating the shots and tails for all non-automatic rifles. They also looked at vehicles and balanced their audibility from inside, around, and from a distance. The goal was for players to be able to communicate easier when sitting inside the vehicles, while also making sure the vehicles are more audible from a distance. Feedback on the footsteps tweaks from update 1.27 was also taken into account. We separated the configuration of player character and infected steps, and slightly lowered the audibility of both. Lastly, the Sakhal caves received a brand new soundscape to get immersed in.

Speaking of Sakhal, a major focus of this update is on introducing new dynamic events to the environment. So make sure you go out there and explore!

On behalf of the DayZ team,
Adam

The DayZ Contact Bundle is live – get up to 42% off! Bundle Includes: DayZ, Arma 3, and the Arma 3 Contact until April 8th!

Hey Survivors (and Operatives),
April may be full of surprises, but this bundle deal is absolutely real. We're kicking off the DayZ Contact Bundle Sale on Steam: A unique crossover bundle that brings together gritty survival gameplay and tactical military action. Grab DayZ, Arma 3, and the Arma 3 Contact DLC at up to 42% off until April 8th!



As part of a little April Fools’ mischief, we've cooked up something unexpected: a teaser for “DayZ Contact”. A surreal, unexpected glimpse at a totally 100% maybe-not-so-official future. Whether it's a dream, a vision, or a spark of inspiration... we’ll leave that up to you. While 'DayZ Contact' was part of the April fools Fun: the bundle is far from fake and available to take advantage of.

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/51817/DayZ_Contact/

What is DayZ?
https://store.steampowered.com/app/221100/DayZ/

What is Arma 3?
https://store.steampowered.com/app/107410/Arma_3/

What is Arma 3 Contact?
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021790/Arma_3_Contact/

Whether you're a DayZ survivor, a military sim veteran, or just along for the extraterrestrial ride, there’s never been a better time to explore the edges of both realism and absurdity.

Stay safe out there... or don’t. ːsteammockingː

Happy April,
– The DayZ & Arma Teams

Hey Survivors,
Spring has sprung, and with it, we’re running the Spring Sale on Steam to celebrate the loosening of winter’s icy grip. With up to 50% off, you can grab all things DayZ on Steam until March 20th.

As we "march" well into 2025, you might be wondering what’s in store for DayZ. Well, you’re in luck! We’ve published a DayZ in 2025 article alongside the 1.27 Update release. Check it out for exciting glimpses into our secret plans.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/221100/DayZ/

What is DayZ?
The post-soviet countries of Chernarus and Livonia are struck by an unknown virus, turning the majority population into frenzied infected. Fighting over resources has bred a hostile mentality among survivors, driving what’s left of humanity to collapse. You are one of the few immune to the virus - how far will you go to survive?

The 1.27 Update has also brought new things to DayZ Frostline and Sahkal. From the addition of new points of interest to quality-of-life changes, these are sure to spice up the weather-beaten icy wasteland. And the good news? The DayZ Frostline Expansion is also on sale with 26% off!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2968040/DayZ_Frostline/

What is DayZ Frostline?
Sakhal harbors both beauty and danger, offering an experience DayZ fans have never seen before. As you explore, hunt, survive, and unfurl the mysteries hidden beneath the frost line. Unite with fellow survivors or forge your path alone; the choice is yours in this perilous winter wonderland.
Preparation is the key to survival, and as the frost sets in, only those with Ice in their veins and Fire in their hearts will endure.

Deluxe Edition & Cool Edition
More comprehensive versions of DayZ in Deluxe and Cool Editions are also on sale with up to 50% and 35% off, respectively.



Whether you’re a survival game aficionado curious about what DayZ has to offer or a DayZ veteran looking to return and try out the new Frostline Expansion, now is the perfect time to jump in.
2025 is shaping up to be an exciting year for DayZ, and we cordially invite you to join us on this journey.

Hello, Survivors!

We’re thrilled to announce the release of update 1.27!

This is our first stable update of 2025. It marks an important milestone for the year ahead. As with similar updates in the past, this one focuses heavily on stability improvements, bug fixes, and other necessary refinements based on player feedback. But that’s not all. Following the scale of our last update, we couldn’t resist adding a few exciting changes as well!

Those of you who participated in the update’s experimental phase may already be familiar with the improvements we made to DayZ Frostline’s general environment and gameplay mechanics. We revamped navigation across the eastern and southern coastlines, introduced new snowy variants of broken-down houses, and tweaked several important survival mechanics to ensure a fresh and dynamic experience on Sakhal.



Here are some of the most notable additions and improvements in update 1.27:

• New Locations on Sakhal and Improved Map Navigation: The eastern coast is now better populated with expanded cities, villages, and smaller landmarks, while a major new point of interest on Shantar Island introduces exploration opportunities and a simple new gameplay mechanic.
  
• Fishing & Survival Adjustments: Fishing has been rebalanced; it now takes longer with incomplete tools. We also reworked the bloody hands and food poisoning mechanics, with different infections now linked to specific types of animals.
  
• Customizable Boat Decay System: To prevent boats from accumulating in inaccessible places, we’ve introduced a boat decay mechanic which is fully configurable by server owners.
  
• Expanded Backpack Storage: New tool slots have been added to most backpacks; we've generalized the glowstick and radio slots, allowing for more diverse item usage.
  
• Sound & Immersion Upgrades:
  
  • Balanced footstep audibility - especially in forests, where stepping on clutter adds an extra layer of environmental depth.
    
  • New character sound effects, including chattering teeth when cold.
    
  • Gunfire sound tweaks for submachine guns, along with reworked bullet cracks.
• New Particle Effects: From snow falling off trees when shaken to vomiting, breath vapor, and bleeding effects, many visual elements have been reworked for added realism and polish.
  
• There’s still much more to uncover in update 1.27! For a full list of changes, including more audio updates and performance optimizations, we encourage you to visit our official forums, where you’ll find a detailed breakdown in the patch notes.

Wipe News: To maintain a fresh and balanced experience for all players, we will be performing a full wipe on all platforms with the release of update 1.27. This includes all maps and characters. The reset ensures a clean slate and an equal start for everyone as we move forward in 2025.



DayZ in 2025
As we kick off the new year with update 1.27, we also want to give you a glimpse into what’s ahead for DayZ in 2025.

This year will be an important one for DayZ, as we continue our commitment to regular updates while working on some of our most ambitious plans yet. Our focus remains on expanding and refining the core experience, ensuring longevity and continued engagement for long-time players and new survivors alike.

While we don’t want to go into too much detail just yet, here are some of the key areas we aim to explore through our upcoming updates:

• Gunplay refinements – featuring improvements to scopes, new firearms, and weapon handling
  
• Quality-of-life and performance enhancements – addressing community feedback, bug fixes, and optimizations
  
• Expanded dynamic events for Sakhal – bringing more variety and unpredictability to the world of DayZ
  
• A refreshed experience – updates to the main menu interface to improve navigation, news/announcement delivery and accessibility

We have much more in store, and while we’re not ready to reveal everything just yet, we can say with confidence that 2025 will be a major year for DayZ. We appreciate your continued support and look forward to sharing more details as the year progresses

Stay tuned for future updates. And, as always—thank you for surviving with us!



Events
We didn’t host a Valentine’s Day event this year, as its timing conflicted with the release of update 1.27. Instead, the next seasonal event will be Walpurgis Night.
Looking ahead, you can expect the return of our usual special events, including Walpurgis Night, Halloween, and Christmas —each carefully crafted to enhance your DayZ experience. We’re also exploring the possibility of collaborating on new events with other games.



That concludes DayZ in 2025. We’re enthusiastically anticipating a year filled with remarkable journeys, and we sincerely hope that you will join us in experiencing the continued evolution of DayZ.
On behalf of the DayZ team,
Scotty

Survivors,
With the 1.27 Stable Update launching on February 25th, marking the first milestone of 2025, we’re gearing up for a Fantastic February to kick off another exciting year. To celebrate, we’re hosting the Fantastic February Sales, offering up to 50% off DayZ until February 26th.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/221100/DayZ/

What is DayZ?
The post-soviet countries of Chernarus and Livonia are struck by an unknown virus, turning the majority population into frenzied infected. Fighting over resources has bred a hostile mentality among survivors, driving what’s left of humanity to collapse. You are one of the few immune to the virus - how far will you go to survive?

The 1.27 Update goes beyond just stability improvements, introducing a range of exciting reworks—from sound design and quality-of-life changes to new assets and points of interest (POIs) in Sakhal. Read more about 1.27 Update with our EXP Release Article here.
Speaking of Sakhal, the DayZ Frostline Expansion is also on sale with 20% off!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2968040/DayZ_Frostline/

What is DayZ Frostline?
Sakhal harbors both beauty and danger, offering an experience DayZ fans have never seen before. As you explore, hunt, survive, and unfurl the mysteries hidden beneath the frost line. Unite with fellow survivors or forge your path alone; the choice is yours in this perilous winter wonderland.
Preparation is the key to survival, and as the frost sets in, only those with Ice in their veins and Fire in their hearts will endure.

Deluxe Edition & Cool Edition
More comprehensive versions of DayZ in Deluxe and Cool Editions are also on sale with up to 50% and 35% off, respectively.



Whether you're a seasoned veteran diving into the new expansion or a freshie just stepping into the world of DayZ, the ultimate survival experience awaits.
So, grab your copies, spawn in, and see if you have what it takes to survive!

Greetings, Survivors!
The first milestone of the new year is here - the experimental release of game update 1.27! As with previous first-of-the-year updates, the focus is primarily on the stability of the build, as well as various internal tools and processes that will help us prepare for the rest of the year. Considering the scale of our previous update, however, we couldn't leave things totally untouched. So we made a few changes and additions based on our data and your feedback.
Here are some of the improvements we made to DayZ Frostline:

• We reinforced the eastern coast with more places to loot. Aniva city has been expanded, Baikovo hamlet has been turned into a village, and other smaller locations have been added along the eastern coast.
  
• The main island of Sakhal has been populated with more new snowy variants of broken down houses, which offer loot opportunities in the wilderness.
  
• Navigation between the vast sea ice plains has been simplified thanks to the addition of buoys and small military outposts which can be found on small islands, primarily around the island of Burukan.
  
• A minor deforestation pass was conducted on Burukan island in order to make the area a bit more dangerous to move around in.
  
• New static outdoor thermometers were added to Sakhal; curious players can now understand why their characters are freezing, even when the weather appears sunny and warm.
  
• Lastly, we added a major point of interest on the southern island of Shantar, and coupled it with a simple game mechanic as well.

If you’re a fan of the changes we made to bandaging (i.e. the ability to bandage multiple bleeds with the single hold of a button), then you’ll be happy to hear that we have implemented the continuous factor to more actions, such as repairing. Domestic animals like cows, goats, and sheep are now more likely to run away than before. Speaking of animals, we also looked at your feedback on fishing and decided to make an additional balancing pass. Fishing takes longer and is less effective now with incomplete fishing tools.


We also took a look at the mechanics behind bloody hands and food poisoning while cutting up freshly obtained fish. Bloody hands will now result in different diseases depending on which animal was processed. For example, bloody hands from fish will almost always give food poisoning now, and not salmonella as before. It’s still highly recommended to wash your hands before eating, though some animals aren't as dangerous as before. Meanwhile, food poisoning has been reworked to reflect different types and quantities of food more accurately. It will no longer decay on its own. Rather, it will now disappear slowly as a player battles its symptoms.

One of the things we anticipated when we added boats to the game was that they would be left in places that are hardly accessible without the use of another boat. To make sure new boats continue being spawned, we implemented a boat decay mechanic, which is fully configurable on the server-side as well. Furthermore, as a follow-up to update 1.26’s inventory cargo size reduction pass, we decided to increase your ability to carry a bit more with the addition of new tool slots to most backpacks. We also generalized the glowstick and radio slot, which now accept both, as well as more items!


The audio side of the game received a lot of attention as well:

• We heard your feedback regarding the boat audio and overhauled the audibility from both close-up and far points of view.
  
• We balanced the audibility of character footsteps by boosting the middle range so they would be more audible and not get lost in the mix of the environment’s sounds. Some surfaces (like forests) now have the additional sound effect of stepping on clutter.
  
• Adding to the intensity of your survival struggles, you can now hear your character’s teeth chattering while they’re cold.
  
• Bullet cracks were reworked and all submachine guns had their shot and tail sounds updated.
  
• Sakhal also received a number of tweaks to environment sounds. An example of this would be the fact that when a character walks through an evergreen tree (with branches on the ground), it will make a sound. We believe this is going to be a healthy change to PvP interactions, particularly on Sakhal where these trees are plentiful.

We also focused on various particle effects. There are Sakhal-specific ones, like snow falling off trees when interacting with them, as well as one for explosions on snow. Considering our recent focus on the cold weather, we couldn’t help changing the breath vapor effect, so we completely reworked it. That led us to updating vomit and bleeding effects. Finally, a number of our firearms received brand new particles. We’re certainly not done working on firearms and hope to make more changes in the future.



Last but not least, for anyone who’s ever tried to re-texture a certain vanilla item and found that some just do not work: we updated a large number of our assets to support re-texturing using configs. If you find any more issues with this, or with anything else mentioned in this article (or in our usual forum change notes), please report your findings to our feedback tracker. You can do so easily by using the feedback tracker link implemented in the game menus.
You can find the change logs here!

Thank you and see you on Sakhal!
On behalf of the DayZ team,
Adam