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The DayZ timeline
Fourteen years from a mod to a sequel teaser. Every release, map and turning point in one place, with the dates, so you can see how we got here and where the DayZ 2 story fits.
2012
The mod
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Spring 2012 | Dean Hall releases DayZ as a free mod for Arma 2, set on Chernarus. It spreads by word of mouth and sells hundreds of thousands of copies of a three-year-old military sim. |
| August 2012 | Bohemia Interactive announces a standalone DayZ with Hall as project lead. |
2013 to 2018
Early Access
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 16 December 2013 | DayZ Standalone launches in Steam Early Access and sells a million copies in its first month. |
| 2014 | Dean Hall announces he will leave Bohemia; he departs at the end of the year. Development continues under Bohemia. |
| 2015 to 2017 | The long engine years: the game moves piece by piece from the Arma engine to Bohemia’s new Enfusion technology, with the new renderer, animation and player controller. |
| 2018 | Update 0.63, the BETA, puts the new engine in players’ hands. Xbox One Game Preview opens in August. |
2018 to 2019
1.0 and consoles
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 13 December 2018 | DayZ 1.0 releases on PC, five years to the week after Early Access began. |
| 2019 | Full release on Xbox One, and the PlayStation 4 launch in May 2019. |
| 3 December 2019 | Update 1.06 and the Livonia DLC: the second official map, bears, fishing and new weapons. Consoles follow a week later. |
2020 to 2025
Zones, maps and a free map
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2020 to 2021 | Updates 1.07 to 1.13 rebuild the basics: vehicles, base building, hunting, the infected, and a new look for Chernarus. Update 1.12 brings the big combat and damage rework. |
| October 2021 | Update 1.14 adds contaminated zones, the NBC suit, gas masks and the PO-X antidote, and the dynamic gas events that still define high-tier loot. |
| 2022 to 2023 | Updates 1.16 to 1.23: the Livonia underground bunker, new weapons, the M79 and LAW, crossbow, and the first big weather and temperature changes. |
| 2023 | DayZ 2 appears on Bohemia’s project list in documents from the FTC v. Microsoft case. See what we know. |
| May 2024 | Update 1.25. Livonia becomes free for every DayZ owner. |
| 15 October 2024 | Update 1.26 and Frostline: Sakhal, the frozen volcanic archipelago, heavy metal poisoning, reindeer, sea fishing and winter clothing. See the Sakhal guide. |
| 2025 | Updates 1.27 to 1.29 add the Sakhal bunker and Frozen Scientist event, new vehicles and weapons, and the groundwork for 1.30. |
2026
The busiest year since 1.0
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1 April 2026 | A “DayZ 2” trademark entry by Bohemia at the EU Intellectual Property Office (reported). |
| 24 June 2026 | A “2” teaser is shown to creators at DayZ Unite; attendees report being told a sequel is in development. Bohemia declines to comment. |
| 20 August 2026 | DayZ Cool Edition launches on Nintendo Switch 2, with the base game and Frostline. |
| 15 October 2026 | Update 1.30 and Badlands: Nasdara, the 267 km² desert map, motorbikes, rain barrels, the code lock, rebuildable ruins and a full wipe. See Badlands and 1.30. |
| 21 October 2026 | 1.30 Patch 1 (PC 1.30.164200, console 1.87): motorbikes stop launching off bridges, the irrigation-tunnel cholera is fixed, and a server crash is closed. See updates. |
| 26 October to 6 November 2026 | The Halloween 2026 event on Chernarus, Livonia and Sakhal. |
DayZ 2 so far
Three hints and no announcement
Everything known about the sequel fits in three lines: the 2023 court documents, the April 2026 trademark entry and the June 2026 teaser. Bohemia has not announced DayZ 2, given it a date, a platform or an engine. We keep the full evidence board, sorted into confirmed, reported and unknown, on what we know, and the moment that changes it will be on news.
Quick answers
Questions people ask
When did DayZ come out?
The mod in spring 2012, Steam Early Access on 16 December 2013, and the 1.0 release on PC on 13 December 2018. PlayStation 4 followed in May 2019.
When did Livonia come out?
3 December 2019 with update 1.06 on PC, a week later on consoles. It became free for every DayZ owner with update 1.25 in May 2024.
When did Frostline come out?
15 October 2024 with update 1.26, adding the Sakhal map.
When did Badlands come out?
15 October 2026 with update 1.30, adding the Nasdara map. A first patch followed on 21 October 2026.
Has DayZ 2 been announced?
No. It has appeared in 2023 court documents, a reported April 2026 trademark entry and a June 2026 teaser shown to creators. Bohemia has not announced it.
Keep going
More guides and tools
Checked 1 November 2026. Release dates from Bohemia Interactive announcements and store listings; update contents summarised from the official changelogs; DayZ 2 items labelled reported where Bohemia has not spoken publicly. Years given without a day are approximate to the update cycle.