7 Days to Die to finally leave Early Access 11 years after initial release

7 Days to Die, the online zombie survival game which has been in Early Access since December 2013, is finally leaving that state and entering a full release. Those who own the Early Access version will receive the 1.0 release version as a free update, at least on PC.

The details of the full release are described on an FAQs page posted on the game’s website. “We have been developing 7 Days for nearly 12 years and have had over twenty large scale early access releases that have brought the game to a significantly different place and quality than where it began,” the developer writes. “Our team feels satisfied with our efforts, especially with the significant overall progress, art quality and optimizations that have gone into the current release slated for all PC and Consoles and are ready for launch.”

There will be a rise in price for the game when it leaves Early Access. However, a “last chance” discounted price will be implemented until the 29th of April to give people the opportunity to get it before the price jump.

Console players who already own the game are unfortunately out of luck, as the developer has confirmed that they will need to rebuy 7 Days to Die even if they already own the current version. “Due to the significant technical differences between old and current console hardware, we will not be upgrading the legacy version,” the developer has confirmed. That said, The Fun Pimps is “working closely with Sony and Microsoft” to work out a way to provide a discount to digital legacy owners purchasing the new console version. PC players will get the new version of the game at no extra cost, however existing saves will “not [be] compatible with the numerous new changes“.

It is pretty remarkable that 7 Days to Die has continued to receive support in Early Access since 2013. The 1.0 version of 7 Days to Die is set to release in June 2024 on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Support for 7 Days to Die will continue post-release, with a planned roadmap of features and improvements to be implemented into the following year.