Project Zomboid — patch notes and updates
Stored observation / content update:
Dated developer announcements recorded from Steam. Open the source for the complete update.
| Update | Date | Excerpt / source |
|---|---|---|
| Build 42.17.0 Unstable Released | 2026-04-20 | As always it is recommended that you create a new save with no mods after updates. Updates fix bugs and introduce new changes that may not be compatible with any older saves, especially ones older than the last patch. How do I subscribe to the Unstable beta branch? Right-click PZ in your Steam library. Select "Properties". Under "Game Version & Betas" select "Unstable". NEW The Survival Guide has been updated with new content Added additional static spawn points to Sandbox Mode Brandenburg Echo Creek Ekron Fallas Lake Irvington March Ridge Valley Station Added new Skill VHS tapes Aiming Animal Care Blacksmithing Electrical First Aid Knapping |
| Location, Location | 2026-04-17 | Hello Survivors, we hope your shelter is keeping you dry and warm! Shortly we plan on releasing Build 42.17 Unstable, which contains some new sandbox options, balancing changes, and (as usual), tons of bug fixes and Multiplayer stability improvements. A lot of this content was based on your feedback, so please keep it coming! While 42.16 saves should convert to 42.17, there are always potential issues with converting saves between Unstable builds, so as always we recommend starting a fresh save with each update, and backing up any existing ones before updating. So turn off Life and Living and let’s jump right in: NEW SANDBOX LOCATION OPTIONS |
| Charity Merch Update | 2026-04-14 | Hey all! This is just a quick and happy update for those who had been following our recent "Brawler Spiffo" merch drop in support of Médecins Sans Frontières. Thanks to the amazing support of the Project Zomboid community, we were able to raise more than $180,000 (USD) to support the amazing and important work of MSF! In addition to this, our merch partner Makeship contributed a further 5% of all proceeds! A big thank you to everyone who contributed or shared, and we hope you're enjoying your PZ merch, whether it be a badass plush Spiffo or a cozy hoodie. More merch will be coming later in the year! As always, discussions regarding this updat |
| Patching a Zero Day Exploit | 2026-04-08 | On April 7th, we received reports from multiple users regarding a mod that was allegedly generating malicious code when run. We immediately investigated the mod in question, which contained heavily obfuscated code, and confirmed that it was creating malicious files outside of the Project Zomboid directory. Further investigation revealed that the same user had uploaded a total of 14 mods, all containing the same exploit. These mods had been installed on between 500 and 2200 devices. The user has since been banned, and all affected mods have been removed from the Steam Workshop. At this time, the full scope and behavior of the malicious files h |
| Stable(41.78.19) + UNSTABLE(42.16.3) Hotfixes Released | 2026-04-08 | STABLE (41.78.19) - Security Vulnerability Update UNSTABLE (42.16.3) - Fixed an exception in Server Browser - Security Vulnerability Update As always, discussions regarding this update can be found pinned to the Project Zomboid Discussions Forums here. |
| 42.16.2 UNSTABLE Hotfix Released | 2026-04-08 | GAMEPADS AND CONTROLS - Right-click no longer toggles forceAim conflicting with RMC menu. Now waits slightly longer before engaging, so that RMC menu doesn't pop up. - Gamepad interactions with UI and Vehicles. -- Controller users can now move or perform actions while the inventory is open -- Vehicle radial menu isn't being interrupted by the player aim anymore -- Switching seats no longer makes the player exit the vehicle -- Squeezing right-trigger for gas pedal no longer activates aim while driving (requires both right-stick and trigger to aim in vehicles) - ToggleToAim no longer breaks for melee/unarmed. - Fixed characters getting stuck at |
| 42.16.1 UNSTABLE Hotfix Released | 2026-04-02 | Just a heads-up: thanks for reporting the controller issues and bugs in the latest patch! We’ve logged them all and while we couldn't squeeze every fix in before the Easter holidays, they are already cooking and will be released as soon as possible! FIXES - (Server Browser) IP Addresses now hidden by default. Toggle check-box to reveal - Fixed GameClientConcurrentModification Exception when remote players time out - Fixed Park Ranger's herbalist trait being a trait point exploit - (MP Exploit) Creating a new character causes errors and the dead character reappears after reconnecting |
| Build 42.16.0 Unstable Released | 2026-03-31 | As always it is recommended that you create a new save with no mods after updates. Updates fix bugs and introduce new changes that may not be compatible with any older saves, especially ones older than the last patch. How do I subscribe to the Unstable beta branch? Right-click PZ in your Steam library. Select "Properties". Under "Game Version & Betas" select "Unstable". IMPORTANT: B42.15 and earlier saves will not be compatible with B42.16+ builds. If you wish to continue a 42.15 savegame, please select the "outdatedunstable" Steam beta and make a local backup of your game. UI UPDATES - Added new Game Mode UI menu - Updated loading screen tip |
| Balancing Time | 2026-03-30 | Greetings Survivors, we hope this update finds you bite-free! This week, we plan on releasing Build 42.16 Unstable, and we wanted to let you know ahead of time some of the changes coming with it. Along with continuing stabilization in Multiplayer and general bug-stomping, this update has a strong focus on balancing! Full update notes will be included in the release, of course, but here is a preview and some important information. So pop some beta-blockers and let’s dive right in: OCCUPATIONS & TRAITS The biggest balance changes you are going to see in this update primarily focus on Occupations and Traits. All existing Occupations are still av |
| [Updated 2026-03-20] Important Security Updates | 2026-03-18 | - We have pushed additional hotfixes to fix rare crash bugs for both the stable and unstable branches. The version numbers below have been updated to reflect the current versions. On the 3rd of March we were made aware of a significant security vulnerability in the game thanks to a member of our modding community, copiumsawsed, who responsibly reported the issue to us. We immediately investigated the vulnerability, and were fortunately able to patch it on the main stable branch, and on the unstable branch that same day. We were however unable to patch every legacy version in that time frame, and rather than leave the vulnerability in place un |
| 42.15.2 UNSTABLE HOTFIX Released | 2026-03-11 | As always it is recommended that you create a new save with no mods after updates. Updates fix bugs and introduce new changes that may not be compatible with any older saves, especially ones older than the last patch. How do I subscribe to the Unstable beta branch? Right-click PZ in your Steam library. Select "Properties". Under "Game Version & Betas" select "Unstable". FIXES - Fixed additional cases of the game not loading where the username has non-ascii characters - Fixed animals not moving when rope is attached - Fixed GlobalModDataPacket |
| 42.15.1 UNSTABLE HOTFIX Released | 2026-03-10 | As always it is recommended that you create a new save with no mods after updates. Updates fix bugs and introduce new changes that may not be compatible with any older saves, especially ones older than the last patch. How do I subscribe to the Unstable beta branch? Right-click PZ in your Steam library. Select "Properties". Under "Game Version & Betas" select "Unstable". FIXES - Fixed game not loading when the username has non-ascii characters |
| SOME NEW THINGS | 2026-03-09 | Hello Survivors, we hope your barricades are holding strong! Today we’re releasing Build 42.15 Unstable, and along with a big list of fixes, balancing, multiplayer stability improvements, and new items, we have two big content updates for you to wade into, with your baseball bats swinging (or axes - axes work too): Game Mode Refresh While players are still able to hyper-customize the settings in Project Zomboid to their liking via Custom Sandbox mode, and this is certainly still a supported and valid way to play, we know that many players want “Out of The Box” defaults that cater to their playstyles without needing to adjust settings. To that |
| Build 42.15.0 Unstable Released | 2026-03-09 | As always it is recommended that you create a new save with no mods after updates. Updates fix bugs and introduce new changes that may not be compatible with any older saves, especially ones older than the last patch. How do I subscribe to the Unstable beta branch? Right-click PZ in your Steam library. Select "Properties". Under "Game Version & Betas" select "Unstable". NEW - New Game Mode Defaults: Game Modes have been rebalanced and updated, with all but Apocalypse and Custom Sandbox replaced with new versions. Each includes a pre-set in Custom Sandbox to view/modify all specific mode settings. Expect future adjustments based on playtesting |
| Press Q to Say Hi! | 2026-02-26 | Hello Survivors! Christian “Serellan” Allen here, your new Design Director on Project Zomboid. As we mentioned in the December blog, 2025 was a time of big changes in the organization on Project Zomboid, bringing new leadership roles in the realms of Art, Production, and Code; and I joined the team last fall to focus on Design elements. Alongside the steady stream of updates to B42, we have been building new design pipelines, code repositories, task management systems, and all those fun “behind the curtain” game dev pipelines. I myself have had my head down, focusing on leveling up my skill level on the inner workings of PZ’s many game system |
| 42.14.1 BETA HOTFIX Released | 2026-02-18 | Note: Players who want to remain on 42.13.2 can select the "outdatedunstable" Steam Beta to continue their game. We will be removing the "42.13.1" Beta soon. Players who wish to remain on that version of the game are recommended to make manual backups. As always it is recommended that you create a new save with no mods after updates. Updates fix bugs and introduce new changes that may not be compatible with any older saves, especially ones older than the last patch. How do I subscribe to the Unstable beta branch? Right-click PZ in your Steam library. Select "Properties". Under "Game Version & Betas" select "Unstable". SP FIXES - Fixed player |
| Build 42.14.0 Unstable Released | 2026-02-16 | Note: Players who want to remain on 42.13.2 can select the "outdatedunstable" Steam Beta to continue their game. We will be removing the "42.13.1" Beta soon. Players who wish to remain on that version of the game are recommended to make manual backups. As always it is recommended that you create a new save with no mods after updates. Updates fix bugs and introduce new changes that may not be compatible with any older saves, especially ones older than the last patch. How do I subscribe to the Unstable beta branch? Right-click PZ in your Steam library. Select "Properties". Under "Game Version & Betas" select "Unstable". NEW - Players can sit on |
| 42.13.2 UNSTABLE HOTFIX Released | 2026-01-19 | NEW - New improved whitelist - Drying racks are functional in MP now - Updated "Announce Animal Death" message - Added a limit on the number of animals sent in a single AnimalUpdatePacket - Added Plastering in MP FIXED - Fixed ongoing issue with erroneous zombie migration. Please let us know if you spot any more cases - Fixed not being able to remove and replace battery in different devices - Fixed being able to put more items in the container than capacity allows - Fixed Favoriting recipes (Craft and Build menu) being reset after relogging - Fixed weight pointers - Fixed some performance issues with animal zones - Fixed animal pathfinding in |
| 42.13.1 BETA HOTFIX Released | 2025-12-18 | This patch is currently available on the "42.13.1" Steam Beta and will likely land on the Unstable beta branch before the holiday break. Instructions: Right-Click game in Steam library -> Properties -> Click “Betas” tab -> Select “42.13.1” from the Beta Participation Dropdown Menu. MP save games from 42.13.0 will not be compatible. FIXES - Fixed loot not respawning in MP - Fixed severe stutters in MP sessions - Fixed server crashes caused by colliding with an animal while inside a safehouse - Fixed IsoChunk.soundList not clearing when chunks are reused, leading to zombies following players to other towns. - Fixed Nimble skill not progressing |
| Unstable 42 MP Released | 2025-12-11 | Unstable Build 42.13, which contains multiplayer support, has been released. Merry Christmas. Ho ho ho. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYKS02PYF7E IMPORTANT NOTES Multiplayer is WIP and has been released for stress testing. For the best experience you are STRONGLY advised to play on whitelisted servers or in Steam co-op. It is currently inadvisable to have more than 20 players on a server. This will be further improved. Please do not use debug during MP games. This will impact negatively on server performance. Please disable all mods. Even client ones. Ragdoll functionality has been disabled in MP. This will be added in later patches. Please |