DayZ's Badlands expansion is out on PC, PS4, and Xbox, adding the 267 square kilometer Nasdara desert map and a base game update to version 1.30. A Nintendo Switch 2 version is announced for 2026 as a Cool Edition bundle with the Frostline DLC.
DayZ's year has run on two tracks: a desert expansion and a new platform. Bohemia Interactive announced Badlands in July with an October 2026 release window, a 267 km² desert map, a ruin rebuilding system covering over 5,000 structures, and a code lock feature. A free Road to Badlands update shipped on all platforms at that time. By late August, the date was pinned to October 15 with distribution on PC via Steam, PS4, and Xbox, and the setting named as the Nasdara region.
Badlands launched on that date. The expansion adds arid farmland, oil industry remnants, and border checkpoints, plus extreme heat, drought, and sandstorms that make water a resource for cooling as well as hydration. It also adds region-specific weapons and gear, mouflon, monitor lizards, two dog types, and motorcycles, alongside a base game update to version 1.30.
Separately, DayZ is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026. The port was revealed during a Nintendo Direct partner spotlight on June 9 and will ship as a Cool Edition bundle that includes the Frostline DLC. Platform details and specifications were not confirmed at announcement.
Written with AI from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself sourced. See our editorial policy. Every fact links the story it came from.
Structured graph also available as JSON at /public/entities/dayz.
CC BY 4.0.
RocketWerkz and Ahwoo, led by DayZ developer Dean Hall, released the game development framework BRUTAL on October 15, 2026. Built on C# and .NET with C++ libraries and Vulkan, it is meant as a foundation for custom engines rather than a complete engine like Unity or Unreal. It is free for commercial use with no royalties, though the license requires credit and a logo display.
Bohemia Interactive released the Badlands expansion for DayZ, adding Nasdara, a 267 square kilometer map of arid farmland, oil industry remnants, and border checkpoints. Survival now includes extreme heat, drought, and sandstorms, making water a resource for cooling as well as hydration. The update adds region-specific weapons and gear, mouflon, monitor lizards, and two dog types, plus motorcycles and a base game update to version 1.30.
Dean Hall, creator of DayZ, has released the BRUTAL game development framework and its source code through his studio RocketWerkz. BRUTAL is used in RocketWerkz's Kitten Space Agency and was provided as the foundation for Waylith, the engine built for Ludeon Studios' RimWorld. It is open source under the MIT License and free for commercial works, with conditions: credit, copyright and logo on the startup screen, and the NOTICE file.
Bohemia Interactive announced the Badlands expansion DLC for DayZ will launch in October 2026, adding a 267 km² desert map and a new ruin rebuilding system that lets players repair and fortify over 5,000 structures. The DLC also introduces a player-requested code lock feature. The free Road to Badlands update is now available on all platforms.
Bohemia Interactive's zombie survival game DayZ is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026. The port was revealed during a Nintendo Direct partner spotlight on June 9. It will be released as a Cool Edition bundle that includes the Frostline DLC. Platform details and specifications are not yet confirmed.