After almost 12 years, 7 Days to Die 1.0 is finally out

Of all the open-world, survival, crafting games that feature zombies that are out there, 7 Days to Die is definitely one of them. Actually, it’s one of the more fun examples of the genre, and after more than a decade, the developer has finally launched version 1.0.

An announcement over on Steam positively beams with joy over the game finally coming out of Early Access. The new version is available for PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5, and comes with a host of changes, though it’s still the same ol’ 7 Days to Die.

To give a quick overview of what the 1.0 update includes, well, you’ll be treated to a new HD character creation system, allowing for a “personalized and engaging gaming experience.” There’s also some new armor, new animal models, and a new challenge system that takes over the beginner tutorial we all know so well. There’s even been improvements to the random world generation, and some new points of interest added. Oh hell, you really need to check out the official patch notes to see exactly what’s changed. The video above also does a good job of breaking it down.

7 Days to Die discounts available

Developer The Fun Pimps (what a name) has also said that, because of the update, the price has now increased to $44.99 for those who are purchasing the game from scratch. However, if you had a digital copy on Xbox One or PS4 – and you can prove it – you can get 25% off for the Xbox Series and PlayStation 5 versions, respectively.

I had a quick go at checking version 1.0 out earlier (I already had the game, so the update was free for me because I’m fancy like that). Honestly, one of the things I was concerned about was having all that “jank” removed. You know, the goofy bits of animation and weirdly diamond-shaped bits of dirt when you dig into the ground. I felt for sure 7 Days to Die would become this magnificently polished AAA experience and lose that janky appeal.

However, that isn’t the case, and I couldn’t be happier. Of course, the new version has plenty of improvements and has been tweaked to make it a much more rounded game. I’ve been getting a kick out it for many years and although I hadn’t booted it up for quite some time until today, it was nice to get back to hitting zombies in the head with a club and then eating a can of soup like it’s a solid object. Good times!