Project Zomboid history, 2011 to today

The tech demo goes public early

Spring 2011

A private test build of Project Zomboid leaked onto 4chan, so The Indie Stone released its pre-alpha tech demo to buyers straight away rather than try to contain it. The developers warned it was buggy and far smaller than the finished game would be.

The first numbered builds

May to September 2011

Version 0.1.2a (May 29) was the first to show a version number on the main menu, followed by 0.1.3a, the 0.1.4 series in June and 0.1.5 at the end of August, the last of the 2011 builds.

A burglary sets the studio back

Late 2011

Developers’ laptops holding work on the game were stolen in a burglary, and code that had not been backed up was lost. Much of it had to be rebuilt, which is a big part of why 2012 started slowly.

0.2.0 arrives in a rush

March 2012

Seventeen revisions shipped in seventeen days, from 0.2.0a on March 11 to 0.2.0q on March 27, followed by an experimental combat build on March 30.

Release candidates

June to July 2012

0.2.0r RC1 and RC2 came out on June 29, and RC2.5 on July 24.

Greenlit for Steam

October 2012

Project Zomboid was among the first games voted through Steam Greenlight, which opened the door to a Steam release the next year.

RC2.9

April to May 2013

Seven RC2.9 builds landed between April 29 and May 2, with a further build 0008 on May 15.

2.9.8 and 2.9.9

June to August 2013

2.9.8 test builds arrived on June 26, then the 2.9.9 series from July 3 to August 23. 2.9.9.16 added an in-game survival guide, illustrated by Spiffo, for new players.

Project Zomboid launches on Steam

November 8, 2013

The game entered Steam Early Access with version 2.9.9.17 (Build 11). Axes, bats, golf clubs and sledgehammers became two-handed, skill book XP multipliers were set to 3, 5, 8, 12 and 16, and campfires could be lit with books and newspapers. Official post »

Builds 19 to 23

December 2013

Build 19 (December 7) added the fixing system, sand and gravel bags and working fertiliser. Build 20 let you rename bags and added a launcher, Build 21 improved Mac support, and Build 23 (December 23) added buildable light sources and a window layout manager.

First online multiplayer test

February 2014

Build 24 opened online multiplayer on a separate Steam beta branch on February 15, the first time players could survive together over the internet. Official post »

Steam Trading Cards

March 8, 2014

Trading cards, badges and a foil Spiffo badge arrived on Steam. Official post »

Build 26: multiplayer and 3D characters

April to May 2014

Online multiplayer reached the main game, along with 3D character models, a new cooking system, fishing and the hunting knife. Poisoned food gained levels of toxicity, from poison ivy to bleach. Official post »

Build 27: trapping

May to June 2014

Hunting arrived in the form of traps and dead animals, plus a propane BBQ, a theatre and mall in West Point, an in-game public server list and a file check to keep modified clients off servers. Official post »

Build 28: guns reworked

July to September 2014

A firearm overhaul made rifles and shotguns two-handed and added weapon attachments. You could also bake bread, paint signs, write lockable notes and craft mattresses. Official post »

Build 29: sounds and scavenging

October 2014

More than 74 new sounds, from footsteps to distant dogs and screams, plus a Scavenge option in the woods for berries, mushrooms and insects: the first version of foraging. Official post »

Build 30: health and erosion

December 29, 2014

A new health system with infections, burns, fractures, lodged bullets and glass shards, and a First Aid skill to deal with them. Erosion made nature reclaim the map over time, weather followed real Kentucky patterns, and zombies began to clump into groups. Official post »

Build 31: professions and traits

February to April 2015

Character creation was rebuilt around professions and hobby-style traits. Keys, locks and padlocks were added, blood could be cleaned away, the A Really CD DA challenge arrived and bitten players once again rose as zombies. Official post »

Build 32: Steam Workshop

June to September 2015

Mods moved onto the Steam Workshop and multiplayer onto Steam servers. Build 32 also brought a crafting window, generators for after the power cut, fire extinguishing, zombie respawn and migration, and new music by Zach Beever. Official post »

Build 33: radio, TV and stories

November 2015 to February 2016

A full radio and TV system with 11 channels and over 7,000 lines of broadcast, walkie-talkies and HAM radios, randomised houses with survivor stories, start scenarios such as Six Months Later, movable furniture, medicinal herbs and the Herbalist trait. Official post »

Build 34: easy co-op

May 2016

Hosting a co-op game became a few clicks, sleeping worked in multiplayer, every sprite gained a double-resolution texture, and food was revamped with freezers and a first test of nutrition. Official post »

Build 35: Rosewood and March Ridge

December 15, 2016

Two new towns, Rosewood and March Ridge, and the Rosewood prison complex joined the map, along with metalworking, the Metalworker profession, nutrition, voice chat and multiplayer factions. Official post »

Build 36: trading

January 2017

A survivor trading window for multiplayer, changelogs shown at start-up, two-tile furniture you could move and admin tools for servers. Official post »

Build 37: maps you can loot

May 2017

Paper maps of each town spawned in the world, with notes and symbols you could add yourself and annotated stash maps left by dead survivors. Ovens and microwaves got timers. On May 8 a separate Vehicle Tech Test branch opened. Official post »

Build 38: Riverside

September to November 2017

The town of Riverside opened west of West Point, roofs became visible from outside, you peeked through windows by walking up to them, and multiplayer zombie syncing was heavily optimised. Official post »

Build 39: vehicles

April to June 2018

Cars arrived after a year of testing, with real physics, dashboards, headlights, radios, horns, trunks and breakdowns. Official post »

Build 40: weather

August to December 2018

Storms that cross the map, fog and mist, simulated wind in the trees and rain, and new shaders for the time of day and the seasons. Official post »

Build 41 opens for testing

October 16, 2019

The animation overhaul arrived on the IWBUMS beta branch: new animations and player models, reworked combat, clothing, skills and weapons with their own models. Most development news moved to The Indie Stone’s own blog for the next two years. Official post »

Build 41 multiplayer released

December 2021

A multiplayer beta opened on December 16 and Build 41 became the main version of the game on December 20, 2021, with multiplayer rebuilt from scratch, the city of Louisville and everything from the animation overhaul. It brought the busiest days the game had ever seen on Steam. Official post »

Fixing Build 41

2022

A year of updates followed: 41.66 in February, 41.68 in March, 41.71 in May, 41.73 in August, 41.77 in October and 41.78 in November, with hotfixes up to 41.78.16 on December 8, 2022. Official post »

Build 42 takes shape

2023

Weekly Thursdoid posts previewed the next update: woods and fires, animals (“CritterZ”, March), hunting, a crafting rework, basements (“Cellar Door-doid”, October) and the 30th anniversary of the Knox Event in July. Official post »

Lights, grappling and the countdown

2024

Previews of new lighting (“Glowing Onez”, May) and grappling (“D’ya Like Them GrappleZ”, April) led up to “WhatZ Next” on November 28. Official post »

Build 42 Unstable

December 17, 2024

Build 42 opened on the Unstable branch with crafting, animals, basements, new lighting and the Map Glowup, followed by hotfixes 42.0.1 and 42.0.2 before Christmas. Official post »

42.1 to 42.7

January to April 2025

Unstable updates arrived every few weeks: 42.1 on January 21, 42.2, 42.3 in February, 42.4 and 42.5 in March, 42.6 on March 24 and 42.7 on April 7. Official post »

42.8 to 42.12

May to October 2025

42.8.1 (May 20), 42.9 (June 10), 42.10 (June 30), 42.11 (August 4) and 42.12 (September 25), with hotfixes into October. Official post »

Multiplayer comes to Build 42

December 11, 2025

Build 42.13 brought multiplayer to the Unstable branch for the first time, with a hotfix a week later. Official post »

Build 42 goes Stable

2026

42.15 to 42.19 Unstable through the spring, Build 42 Stable on July 29, 42.21 Stable on September 28 and the first Pre-Release, 42.22, on October 27. Every 2026 story is on the news page.