Well, it’s finally happened. After over a decade in early access (yes, really), 7 Days to Die has officially hit Version 1.0. If you’re anything like me, you probably never thought you’d see the day. But here we are, and against all odds, the game has emerged from the primordial soup of alpha builds into something that resembles a polished, stable survival experience. Mostly.

For the last few months, me and my mates have been diving into 7 Days to Die on a weekly basis, braving hordes of zombies, barely surviving blood moons, and questioning our life choices every time one of us accidentally collapses a structurally unsound base. And let me tell you, Version 1.0 is the most refined, well-balanced version of this game yet. It’s actually… stable. I know. I’m as shocked as you are. 🧟‍♀️

We’ve played quite a bit and recently did our favourite horde night so far. I thought I’d share a little video of how the night went:

A Decade of ‘Alpha’ – Was It Worth the Wait?

If you’ve followed 7 Days to Die for a while, you’ll know it’s been in alpha since 2013. That’s over ten years of “work in progress,” an ever-shifting landscape of mechanics, graphics, and bugs that ranged from mildly amusing to absolutely game-breaking. But now, with Version 1.0, we finally have a game that feels properly finished—or at least as finished as a zombie apocalypse can get.

So, what’s new? Well, for starters, the whole thing runs better. Performance is significantly improved, which means fewer lag-induced deaths and less screaming when a horde suddenly materialises in your base. The world has had a bit of a facelift, with better lighting, improved textures, and environments that actually make you feel like you’re trudging through a post-apocalyptic wasteland rather than a PS2-era tech demo. Plus, combat is snappier, AI is sharper (which is both great and terrifying), and crafting has been tweaked to be more intuitive.

But let’s be honest: the biggest improvement is that the game no longer crashes when you so much as look at a complex structure. A small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

Navezgane: A World with Just Enough Lore to Make You Wonder

At first glance, 7 Days to Die doesn’t seem like a game that leans too heavily into lore. You’re dropped into a ravaged world filled with zombies and left to fend for yourself. Standard survival game stuff. But dig a little deeper (sometimes literally), and you’ll find tantalising hints about what went wrong.

According to the scraps of information scattered across the game, the world fell apart after a nuclear war in 2013 (conveniently the same year the game went into early access—coincidence?). If that wasn’t bad enough, some mysterious virus started turning the survivors into zombies. Classic apocalypse move. What caused it? Biochemical weapons? Radiation? Divine punishment for an entire generation of gamers mocking early-access development cycles? No one knows for sure, but what we do know is that Navezgane—an isolated county in Arizona—has somehow become one of the last refuges of humanity.

Ironically, ‘Navezgane’ means “Killer of Monsters” in Apache, which feels a little on the nose, but hey, points for thematic consistency. As you explore, you’ll stumble across remnants of civilisation: abandoned houses, half-destroyed hospitals, and underground bunkers that suggest there were efforts to stop the outbreak. Spoiler: they didn’t work.

Meet the Horde: Zombies That Do More Than Just Moan and Shamble

You might think all zombies are the same, but 7 Days to Die begs to differ. There’s an entire ecosystem of undead horrors waiting to ruin your day, and here are some of the worst offenders:

• Standard Shamblers – The ones you’re used to. Think ex-office workers, random civilians, and the occasional suspiciously well-dressed corpse. Easy to take down unless they mob you, in which case good luck.
• Zombie Bikers & Lumberjacks – Why are the biggest, burliest guys always the hardest to kill? These lads take more damage and hit like a freight train. Avoid unless heavily armed or feeling particularly brave (or stupid).
• Screamers – These banshee-like nightmares are basically the 7 Days to Die version of a witch from Left 4 Dead. They scream, and suddenly you’ve got half the town descending on you. Kill on sight.
• Exploding Cops – Because apparently zombies weren’t bad enough, we needed ones that projectile vomit acid and explode like a flesh grenade when they get too close. Delightful.
• Zombie Dogs & Bears – Just in case you were feeling too safe, there are also undead animals. The dogs are quick and vicious, and the bears are… well, let’s just say if you see one, it’s already too late.

And if that wasn’t enough, the infamous Blood Moon Horde (where zombies go full-on World War Z mode and sprint at you like Olympic athletes) ensures that even the most fortified bases get tested on a regular basis.

Choose Your Survivor: Play However You Like

Unlike some survival games, 7 Days to Die doesn’t force you into a rigid class system, but there are plenty of ways to specialise your character. Whether you’re a lone-wolf scavenger, a melee-focused brawler, or an engineer building elaborate zombie traps (or, more likely, collapsing your own base by accident), there’s a skill tree for you.

Mods like Darkness Falls even introduce proper classes, letting you be anything from a hardened Security expert to a scientist cooking up explosives and medical supplies like some post-apocalyptic Walter White. Whatever your playstyle, there’s a way to carve out your niche—assuming you don’t get eaten first.

Final Thoughts: So, Is 7 Days to Die 1.0 Actually ‘Finished’?

Honestly? Kind of.

Version 1.0 is the most stable and polished iteration of the game so far. The performance is better, the AI is smarter (again, terrifying), and the world actually feels more immersive. It’s finally at a point where I’d confidently recommend it to people who don’t have the patience for decades of early-access jank.

That said, let’s be real—this is 7 Days to Die. The devs have already confirmed they’ll keep updating it, which means bugs, tweaks, and balance changes will continue to roll in. Is it perfect? No. Will it still provide hours of zombie-smashing, base-building, horde-surviving fun? Absolutely.

And if it all goes wrong? Well, at least now, when your base inevitably collapses, you can’t blame it on an alpha bug.

Going Forward

Fun Pimps recently announced a Winter Patch which, though slightly delayed, is adding a load of great features and updates to the game, including… CROSSPLAY!

Crossplay is incredibly exciting, especially if like me you have friends who play on other platforms.

Now Get Out There and Survive (Or Die Trying)

If you’ve been waiting for 7 Days to Die to “officially release” before jumping in, now’s the time. Just remember: the zombies are faster than you think, the structural integrity system is not your friend, and the first Blood Moon always comes sooner than you’re prepared for.

Good luck, survivors. You’ll need it.