Bohemia Interactive reveals plans for DayZ in 2024, building toward 'a colossal milestone and an exhilarating moment you won't want to miss'

GamesSurvival & CraftingDayZBohemia Interactive reveals plans for DayZ in 2024, building toward ‘a colossal milestone and an exhilarating moment you won’t want to miss’When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Bohemia Interactive)

DayZ

Bohemia Interactive released its first stable update of the year for its long-running zombie survival game DayZ yesterday.Update 1.24brings several new features to the game, including a new weapon, the Vikhr rifle, more camouflage skins for the ballistic helmet, and an array of new sounds and animations to further liven up the game’s fictional country of Chernarus.

Alongside this update, Bohemia also unveiled its broader plans for DayZ in 2024, which start with “a significant departure from our typical update delivery model.” Bohemia doesn’t specify what this departure is, but I assume it means there will be fewer updates that provide more features. Certainly, Bohemia is keen to reassure players that the game will continue to receive “robust” support throughout 2024.

One reason for this change is that Bohemia is concentrating its efforts on “expanding the scope of the DayZ brand”, with “significant resources” being allocated to this. While this sounds like tedious corpspeak, it’s worth noting Bohemia has been very successful in growing DayZ’s popularity in recent years. Far from being a survivalist relic of the mid 2010s, DayZ’s community is thriving. At the time of writing, the game has 49,592 players doing horrible things to each other in Chernarusaccording to SteamDB, and its all-time peak of 73,418 players occurred just two months ago.

Bohemia says it is “poised to show the initial outcomes” of this brand push “later on this year,” adding that it’s “a colossal milestone and an exhilarating moment you won’t want to miss.” It isn’t wholly clear what this means, but the trajectory of most other popular shared-world shooters has been toincorporate other brandsand media into their experience. But I’m not sure how exactly DayZ would do this. Adding Peter Griffin into DayZ would likely incite revolution. The alternative is another major expansion like 2019’s Livonia, which introduced a whole new map to the game, and was one of the catalysts for its resurgence in popularity.

Certainly though, Bohemia is keen to add more weapons and cosmetics into the game, which it says are a “core aspect of the DayZ experience”. Other areas the studio is focussed on include reworking firearm sounds, introducing ambient music (though I always thought DayZ’s natural ambience worked just fine) and the introduction of “a richer variety of wildlife”. Bohemia closes out its outline for 2024 with a note on events, explaining its bidding a “fond farewell” to its Valentine’s Day event, but adds that it is “looking into the possibility of hosting new events in collaboration with other games”, so perhaps brand crossovers aren’t outside of DayZ’s purview after all.

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

More about survival craftingSorry everyone, Minecraft 2 is cancelled, and it might be our faultAfter 15 years, Minecraft has finally added two new pig variations: The warm pig and the cold pig, meaning I can delete one mod off my listLatestCivilization 7 has been Steam Deck Verified ahead of its launch next monthSee more latest►

More about survival crafting

Sorry everyone, Minecraft 2 is cancelled, and it might be our faultAfter 15 years, Minecraft has finally added two new pig variations: The warm pig and the cold pig, meaning I can delete one mod off my list

Herobrine standing in front of a foggy forest

Sorry everyone, Minecraft 2 is cancelled, and it might be our fault

New warm and cold pigs

After 15 years, Minecraft has finally added two new pig variations: The warm pig and the cold pig, meaning I can delete one mod off my list

LatestCivilization 7 has been Steam Deck Verified ahead of its launch next monthSee more latest►

Latest

Civilization 7 has been Steam Deck Verified ahead of its launch next month

Digital Ben Franklin looking very perturbed on dark background

Civilization 7 has been Steam Deck Verified ahead of its launch next month

See more latest►

Most PopularIf you’re trying to convince me your ‘companionship’ robot is ‘lifelike’, maybe don’t rip her face off in the demo videoSquare Enix launches new anti-harassment policy to protect its employees and partners from abusive fansThe Sims begins its 25th anniversary celebration next week with a Behind The Sims episode of news and announcementsPath of Exile 2 numberlord spends 16 straight days killing rare monsters to prove that a stat that makes loot better makes better lootPalestinian developer raises more than $200,000 to make Dreams on a Pillow, a game about the horrors of the 1948 NakbaPiranha Games will lay off employees after Mechwarrior 5: Clans ‘performed below projections’Marvel Rivals’ latest update quietly killed the game’s burgeoning mod sceneSorry everyone, Minecraft 2 is cancelled, and it might be our faultTeam Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40KIs the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.Elden Ring: Nightreign is getting a closed network test, and I’m totally not fuming because PC players aren’t invited to the party, or anything

Most Popular

If you’re trying to convince me your ‘companionship’ robot is ‘lifelike’, maybe don’t rip her face off in the demo video

Square Enix launches new anti-harassment policy to protect its employees and partners from abusive fans

The Sims begins its 25th anniversary celebration next week with a Behind The Sims episode of news and announcements

Path of Exile 2 numberlord spends 16 straight days killing rare monsters to prove that a stat that makes loot better makes better loot

Palestinian developer raises more than $200,000 to make Dreams on a Pillow, a game about the horrors of the 1948 Nakba

Piranha Games will lay off employees after Mechwarrior 5: Clans ‘performed below projections’

Marvel Rivals’ latest update quietly killed the game’s burgeoning mod scene

Sorry everyone, Minecraft 2 is cancelled, and it might be our fault

Team Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40K

Is the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.

Elden Ring: Nightreign is getting a closed network test, and I’m totally not fuming because PC players aren’t invited to the party, or anything

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals