7 Days to Die Roadmap 2026: V4.0 Status, Current Stable & Version History

Rather than speculate on a forward-looking roadmap, this page tracks what has actually shipped in 2026 and the major industry events around the game. Information is drawn from Steam patch notes and The Fun Pimps' official announcements. Always check the live Steam news feed for the most recent updates.

Newest Release: V3.2.0 Experimental (19 August 2026) - not yet stable

V3.2.0 EXP landed on 19 August 2026 on the opt-in Steam branch latest_experimental (Steam build 24825789). It is not the default build. V3.1.0 is still stable, so if you run a server for other people, staying on Default Public Version is the correct choice until this is promoted. To opt in on PC: right-click the game in Steam, Properties, "Game Versions & Betas", pick latest_experimental from the drop-down.

It is a small release by TFP's own framing - a couple of features and a fix pass, consistent with their stated move to smaller, more frequent updates.

The two headline features:

• Honk to open trader doors. Your vehicle's horn now opens the outer doors at traders. Not every door fits every vehicle, and on-screen text tells you when you are close enough. A new door variant, oldWoodDoorNoHonk, was added for trader interiors so inner doors do not respond - it has replaced the interior oldWoodDoor in Rekt, Hugh and Joel.
• Combine Station UI rework. The result and its final stats are now readable before you commit, a plus marker flags combined items, and combining is now an explicit button press rather than happening implicitly.

What actually matters if you run a server:

• Custom POIs are now pushed from the server to the client (the server sends a minimal metadata package). This is the biggest operational change in the release: historically, players joining a server with custom prefabs had to obtain them out of band. Treat the exact scope as unconfirmed until it has been tested in the wild - the note is terse and this is an experimental build.
• Screamer chain-spawning is gone. Screamer spawns were commented out of the screamer scout groups in entitygroups.xml, so screamers no longer call more screamers. That removes a well-known runaway-spawn load spike. If your modlet overrides entitygroups.xml, re-check it against the new file.
• Sleeper spawn checks optimised for player visibility when players are far away - a server-side CPU win on larger maps.
• Auto turrets no longer support stability, and can no longer be placed on walls. Existing wall-mounted turret designs are affected. Forum reports on release day say the placement still appears permitted and the turret then falls and breaks; another user notes a pink outline is the "cannot place" indicator. Unconfirmed by TFP either way.
• Prefab/POI properties changed: a new AllowDecorations property separates world decoration in POIs from the TraderArea setting, and the obsolete AllowTopSoilDecorations was removed. Prefab authors should update.

Other changes: cooking pot, cooking grill and anvil requirement logic fixed so a held one no longer influences cook time; campfire can morph terrain like other blocks again; junk loot and general trader inventory can now supply cotton when Crop Yield is set to none; timid animals detect threats better; new buff icons for chicken stress events; some Chinese localization clarified.

Fixes: being unable to craft lower-tier items after unlocking them; demolition zombies not exploding from client damage; rabbits running too slow; Permadeath not granting Base Skill Points on death; Loot Max Tier clamping user mods; entities causing blocks to collapse during chunk resets; the "Failed to search EOS servers" popup.

Still open: a player reported on the release thread that changing quest progression settings on a dedicated server has broken it for at least two patches and is not addressed here. That is a community report, not a TFP statement, and we have not reproduced it.

Current Stable: V3.1.0 "Henpocalypse" (27 July 2026), on the V3.0 "Dead Hot Summer" line

The current default build is V3.1.0 "Henpocalypse", stable since 27 July 2026 on all three platforms - see the V3.1.0 section below for what it changed. It sits on the V3.0 line, so the V3.0 notes here still describe the underlying release.

V3.0 went stable on June 29, 2026 after a two-week experimental cycle - and yes, that includes consoles: the stable build launched simultaneously on PC, Xbox Series X|S and PS5 with crossplay, so "is 3.0 on console?" is simply yes, since day one. It is now the default Steam branch, no opt-in needed.

The headline changes: ~150 sandbox customization options compiled into a shareable SandboxCode, 11 official presets, the Item Magnitude loot system with the Combine Station, 60+ new POIs, the Sign-Tech overhaul, and a reworked mod infrastructure. Full breakdowns: V3.0 release notes · all 11 presets for servers · what V3.0 breaks for modded servers.

V3.0.1 - now Stable (July 13, 2026)

V3.0.1 went Stable on July 13, 2026, four days after its EXP debut - a bugfix pass, not new content: Sign-Tech error-handling improvements, Beachwear cosmetic fixes, and "several reported bugs" (changes measured against V3.0.0 b259). Server owners: update the server and all clients together - a version mismatch is the usual "my server disappeared" false alarm; saves carry over. Expect the next EXP batch (V3.0.2) to open on the same cadence.

Three update-day gotchas players hit on patch day (all avoidable):

• Empty your workstations before updating. The most-reported 3.0.0 → 3.0.1 loss is anything sitting in a crafting queue or workstation when the update lands - forges, cement mixers, workbenches (some players also lost placed items and even a loaded gyrocopter). Not everyone is affected, but collecting queues and inventories first costs a minute and removes the risk entirely.
• Do not roll back to 3.0.0 after playing on 3.0.1. A save written under the newer build does not read cleanly under the older one - players who reverted report their character dropping to level 1 with game stage reset. If you must roll back, restore a pre-update backup of the whole save folder along with the older version; rolling back the game alone is what causes the reset.
• Crash-loop after updating? Clear the crafting queue. Some players hit a NullReferenceException in TileEntityWorkstation.HandleRecipeQueue right after 3.0.0 → 3.0.1 - the console auto-opens every tick and steals your input so you can't move. Cause is a workstation whose crafting queue survived the update in a broken state; emptying that queue fixes it, with no reinstall or wiped world. If the popups block you from moving, install a "No Console On Error" mod first, then clear the queue. (This is the same queue-corruption gotcha as above, just escalated to a crash rather than silent loss.)

Console note: "roll back a backup" is PC-only advice - Xbox and PlayStation force updates and give you no way to install an older build. If you play on console and want a save to survive, the only real protection is a cloud backup before patch day and not skipping updates for months. The most-shared cautionary tale this month was exactly this: a player skipped ~two months, came back after a couple of updates, and the console save was corrupt with no way back.

V3.1.0 "Henpocalypse" - stable since 27 July 2026

Yes, V3.1 exists and it is the current stable. It went stable on 27 July 2026 across PC, PlayStation and Xbox simultaneously, following an experimental branch that opened 22 July. It is a real content update, not a point-release: its headline is chicken farming - catch and carry live chickens back to base, place them in the new Chicken Coop workstation (three tool slots: Brooding Lamp, Chicken Run, Nesting Box), feed them Rekt's Chicken Feed, and manage a new Chicken Stress event - plus four chicken recipes and the Big Beak cosmetic (arriving 29 July, two days after the stable build).

What matters for server owners (the part beyond the chickens):

• Your preset codes may break. Density and Respawn are now split into day and night values, and into enemy and animal types. TFP updated the official preset codes to match; if you run a custom preset, re-copy it or invalid settings may silently default. Details on our presets guide and SandboxCode guide.
• New sandbox options to know: Chicken Coop Time / Yield / Input, Chicken Stress Event, Infection Chance, Hunger Multiplier, Thirst Multiplier, and a Stack Size Multiplier (capped at 30,000).
• Saves are compatible - no new game required (back up first via Manage Saves).
• A V3.0 save-corruption bug is fixed: the "EndofStreamException and corrupted game from converting copies of saves to v3.0" is resolved in 3.1.0, along with a serverside memory-stream exception, an EOS exception during POI reset, and the getsandboxoptions console command not returning results to clients.

As always, test on a throwaway world before your community save, and keep client and server on the same branch. Full breakdown of the update, the new sandbox options and what admins should change: 7 Days to Die V3.1.0 Henpocalypse, and the preset-code trap.

V4.0 status: what is actually known (August 2026)

Everything credible about 4.0 in one place, with the confidence level stated plainly. For the running, kept-current version of this - including where bandits actually stand - see the dedicated V4.0 status page.

• Reported, consistently: bandits, story mode, and the learn-by-doing skill toggle are being built for V4.0 on a separate team, in parallel with 3.0 maintenance - the extra capacity comes from the Behaviour Interactive acquisition. Coverage through the 3.0 launch window (PC Gamer, PCGamesN) matches TFP staff framing.
• Loosely targeted: "later this year" (2026). No date, no EXP window, no feature commitments beyond the reported set - PCGamesN's launch-window verdict, "bandits are still AWOL," still stands.
• Not promised: TFP have a long history of features moving between versions; treat 4.0's scope as directional until an official announcement names it. For what shipped instead in 3.0 (the sandbox options that absorbed much of the wishlist), see the V3.0 release notes breakdown.

Previous Stable: V2.6 (April 2026)

V2.6 Stable was released on April 28, 2026, and remained current until V3.0 shipped. It still matters in July 2026 for one reason: overhaul mods. No major overhaul has a V3.0 build yet, so Darkness Falls-class servers stay pinned to their older branches - see the 2026 Mod Status Tracker.

For dedicated server admins still on the 2.6 line, see the V2.6 server admin patch notes, and when you are ready to move, the free 2.6 → 3.0 config migration doctor upgrades your serverconfig.xml to the V3.0 SandboxCode layout.

Industry News: Behaviour Interactive Acquisition (April 2026)

In April 2026, Behaviour Interactive (publisher of Dead by Daylight) acquired The Fun Pimps, the studio behind 7 Days to Die. The Fun Pimps' own announcement was titled "A New Chapter for The Fun Pimps and 7 Days to Die" (April 20, 2026 on Steam news).

Practical implications for players:

• Development continues - V2.6 Stable shipped just over a week after the acquisition announcement.
• Long-term roadmap may shift; check official channels for any post-acquisition strategy update.
• No documented changes to mod policy, EAC enforcement, or pricing as of this writing.

Recent History (Reverse Chronological)

This is the short version. For the full story, from the 2013 Kickstarter through Alpha 17's rebuild, the Telltale console collapse, the modding renaissance, V1.0, and the Behaviour acquisition, read the complete history of 7 Days to Die.

Date	Release	Notes
August 19, 2026	V3.2.0 Experimental	Opt-in via Steam branch latest_experimental. Honk-to-open trader doors, Combine Station UI rework, server-pushed custom POIs, screamer chain-spawn removed. Not the default build.
July 27, 2026	V3.1.0 "Henpocalypse" Stable	Chicken farming; PC + PlayStation + Xbox same day. Current default build.
July 13, 2026	V3.0.1 Stable	Fix pass promoted to the default branch: Sign-Tech error handling, Beachwear fixes.
July 9, 2026	V3.0.1 EXP	First fix-and-tuning batch for V3.0, opt-in experimental branch.
June 29, 2026	V3.0 "Dead Hot Summer" Stable	Simultaneous PC + Xbox Series X|S + PS5 release with crossplay; now the default branch.
June 15, 2026	V3.0 "Dead Hot Summer" Experimental	Opt-in via Steam beta branch latest_experimental (PC only).
April 28, 2026	V2.6 Stable	Superseded by V3.0 on June 29, 2026.
April 20, 2026	Behaviour Interactive acquisition announced	Industry-level news; not a patch.
March/April 2026	V2.6 EXP cycle	Experimental builds leading up to V2.6 Stable.
Earlier 2026	V2.5 b32 Hotfix; V2.5 Apiary Hotfix	Maintenance fixes during the V2.5 cycle.
Earlier 2026	V2.5 "Survival Revival" Stable	Was the current stable before V2.6; introduced refinements over V2.0.

Upgrading from V2.5 to V2.6

• Saves: within the 2.x cycle, saves are generally compatible. Always back up your Saves/ folder before upgrading. See Save Migration.
• Mods: any modlet that worked on V2.5 should be retested for V2.6 - XML-patch syntax-target elements may have moved or been renamed. The wiki's own Armor data sources note "data last updated for V2.0" caveats; don't assume mods automatically apply.
• Server config: all the serverconfig.xml properties documented in our XML reference remain valid through V2.6. New properties may appear; diff against the shipped serverconfig.xml in your dedicated-server install.
• Mod stack: for overhaul mods (Darkness Falls, Undead Legacy), wait for the maintainer's V2.6 release before upgrading the dedicated server.

Forward-Looking Notes

The Fun Pimps' historical pattern after a stable release is: a few weeks of EXP fix batches (V3.0.1 EXP opened July 9, right on schedule), a stable point release, then eventually a new EXP cycle for the next version. The next major version TFP have publicly connected to concrete features is 4.0 - bandits, story mode, and the learn-by-doing skill toggle - reportedly developed in parallel with 3.0 maintenance under the post-acquisition Behaviour/TFP organization. No dates have been given.

This page doesn't list speculative features or versions - if you arrived here from a "V4.0 release date" headline, note that V3.2.0 is real but experimental (details above) and that nothing beyond V3.2 has a confirmed version number or date. V4.0 still has no announced date. We'll update this page as Behaviour/TFP confirm features in their own announcements.

Sources

• Steam news feed for 7D2D - primary source for patch notes, EXP/Stable announcements, and official communications. Search "7 Days to Die" on Steam, click the news tab.
• Fun Pimps community forum - historically community.7daystodie.com, now redirecting to community.thefunpimps.com.
• This wiki's own pages for the operational impact of each release - Blood Moon balancing, Security & Land Claims, Save Migration.

Related Pages

• V3.0 "Dead Hot Summer" release notes - what shipped to the experimental branch on 15 June 2026
• V3.0 mod compatibility - what Dead Hot Summer breaks for modded servers, and what to do
• Save Migration: Local to Dedicated - moving saves between machines or version-upgrade scenarios
• Server Log Masterclass - diagnosing post-update issues
• XML Settings reference - verified property list
• Best 7 Days to Die mods - what to play right now on the V3.1 Henpocalypse stable branch
• 7 Days to Die server hosting: run a managed server that stays current across V2.6, V3.0 and V3.1 Henpocalypse without hand-running SteamCMD updates.