Over a decade after its standalone release, DayZ has set a new record for its highest player count this weekend. It is a remarkable feat for a ten-year-old game in the survival shooter genre highlighting the lasting popularity of the title.
DayZ started life out as a survival mode for the military simulator Arma 2 running on the Take On Helicopters engine. Game designer Dean Hall announced in November 2012 that the game would come out as a standalone title “in order to achieve what we have to do.”
According to SteamDB, DayZ posted its best concurrent player count last Thursday, November 9th, with a total of 69,449 gamers logging on to the game. The zombie survival shooter averages around 50,000 players at peak times.
Developer Bohemia Interactive released a new update a week ago which may have triggered the influx of new players. Update 1.23 added an enhanced sky palette, changes to several points of interest, and added some new features to the game. The new patch also adds the iconic DMR that gives players a new powerful mid-range weapon option.
It is interesting to see that a game posting its best play count ten years after its initial release. What is even more impressive, DayZ is currently in 12th place in the Steam charts, beating top-tier AAA’s like Cyberpunk 2077, Red Dead Redemption, and Elden Ring. In comparison, Starfield only has 20,000 players.
I almost can’t believe it’s been more than a decade since the mod took the world by storm,” user Firefox72 said on the PC gaming subreddit. “Dayz even with the inherent jank of the engine is still one of the best survival games out there. The atmosphere especially is unmatched.”
Other users have praised Bohemia Interactive for the level design in DayZ. Users have pointed out that the title provides an immersive experience as the maps are based on real-world locations. Players are also hoping that big-budget studios would take on the survival horror genre.
There has been a significant increase in survival shooters in recent years, with the likes of Escape from Tarkov and more recently the Zombies mode in Modern Warfare 3, leading the game. A controversial title in the genre, The Day Before, has failed to materialize although the hope is for the game to come out out soon. Billed as a spiritual successor to DayZ, Fntastic’s debut title has been delayed several times and players are now doubting if it will ever be released.
