DayZ 1.29 Status Report – Update, Delays, Badlands & What’s Next

After an extended period without communication regarding DayZ Update 1.29, the developers have issued an official DayZ 1.29 Status Report explaining the reasons for the delay and outlining the near-term plan. The studio apologised for the silence and explained that additional time was required to gather accurate information about the update’s development and schedule.

Stream reference

DayZ’s Brand Manager, Scotty, discussed the update during a live stream. The community can view a short recap or the full stream for further details:

Update 1.29 – A necessary delay

According to the developers, the delay to Update 1.29 was intentional and required to improve the game’s overall stability and performance. The team prioritised server optimisation and the resolution of technical issues that have previously impacted gameplay performance. The objective is to ship a more stable and polished experience when the update arrives.

The developers plan to publish an Experimental Build this Friday, with additional testing builds to follow in the coming weeks. To make the testing phase more enjoyable, the popular “Many Cars” servers will return on both the PC and Xbox experimental branches.

DayZ Badlands — development progress

Bohemia Interactive confirmed that DayZ Badlands remains targeted for release in 2026. No specific release date has been provided yet, but the studio stated that development continues to advance steadily. More substantial updates about Badlands are likely to be shared after the 1.29 rollout and seasonal content have been addressed.

Seasonal events & near-term plans

Seasonal events will continue to be supported:

• Halloween Event — launched October 21st and is currently active.
• Christmas Event — prepared and planned to go live later this year.

The developers also noted they are postponing in-depth developer blogs for now to focus on Update 1.29 and seasonal activities. However, the community can expect additional announcements soon — notably during the IGN show on October 28th.

Community message

The developers expressed gratitude for the community’s patience and continued support. They reiterated that player feedback remains a vital part of DayZ’s ongoing improvement and that the team is committed to delivering a better, more stable game experience.