This survival zombie crafting game is finally launching after 11 years in early access

Took a while.

7 days to die artwork, with character surrounded by zombies.
Image via The Fun Pimps

Many games have early access periods across, and they usually stay in early access for a year or two before fully launching. No Rest for the Wicked definitely breaks the mold—it’s been in early access for a whopping 11 years, but finally, the developer has announced its full launch.

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7 Days to Die is a survival horror game developed by The Fun Pimps that first came to Steam in December 2013. On April 20, the developer released a video talking about its plans for a full release. The full version of 7 Days to Die is expected to launch in June, according to the 2024 to 2025 roadmap.

The game will launch into alpha version 1.0, with overhauls to a bunch of systems, including vehicle assets and zombie variance. The update also adds animals, a gore system, props, and more. It will be followed by a console launch in July.

Zombies rushing at a player at 7 days to die.
There’s a lot of zombies to fight, and more are coming soon. Image via Iron Galaxy Studios

The Fun Pimps also shared details about future updates. Three major patches are scheduled, one each for the fourth quarter of 2024, second quarter of 2025, and fourth quarter of 2025.

The first patch will overhaul the weather system and add crossplay, and the second patch will add bandits, new quests, and an event system. If you enjoy single-player stories, the last update of 2025 will be a treat for you, as it’s also adding a Story Mode.

Over the last 11 years, 7 Days to Die has gained a massive following. Upon release, the game will cost $45 (instead of $25 during early access), but many players are criticizing the developer for this decision.

“The general consensus I’ve been seeing is that there’s still a lot left to desire and this is really just their way to justify a price increase, otherwise this is just a different name for Alpha 22 and 23. Seems they should’ve titled this as Beta and hit 1.0 with the story update in 2025,” a fan on Reddit wrote.

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Image of Mateusz Miter
Mateusz Miter
Freelance Writer at Dot Esports. Mateusz previously worked for numerous outlets and gaming-adjacent companies, including ESL. League of Legends or CS:GO? He loves them both. In fact, he wonders which game he loves more every day. He wanted to go pro years ago, but somewhere along the way decided journalism was the more sensible option—and he was right.