Is The Dead We Knew out? Early Access release date

MAY19 STUDIO posted Hotfix 0.1.7 on November 6, 2026. The note warns that the update may cause problems with saves made in earlier versions, which may not work as expected. It gives no recovery or migration route. Before updating a long save, note which version created it; Kingy has not tested save compatibility.

The update adds a warning when you enter enemy territory, a tutorial at the start of the game, more deer across the map and an extra soda can at the start. Sticks are larger and bushes give more sticks when harvested. The keyboard settings gain a new input option, and changes to keyboard settings now apply in game.

Other fixes: crafting quantities shown wrongly in Latin American Spanish, and the crafting guide's Save label sometimes appearing under the wrong item. No numbers are given for deer or sticks. These are developer reports; Kingy has not tested them.

MAY19 STUDIO posted Hotfix 0.1.6 on November 2, 2026. Bird meat restores more hunger, nights are shorter and sunny weather comes more often. The crafting guide now marks tents as single-use and flags the items that let you save, an axe icon shows when an animal needs an axe to harvest, and searching vehicle engines can now turn up engine parts.

Most fixes are things vanishing after you load a save: hides, crafted house doors, logs in the log cart, metals in the metal holder and crafted ladders. It also fixes ladders that were invisible, the tutorial reappearing after a load, a problem using the log cart with a shotgun in hand and an error when joining a session. These are developer reports; Kingy has not tested them.

Like 0.1.5, this note repeats no save warning and withdraws none, so the 0.1.3 and 0.1.4 caution about older saves still stands. It does not say whether items already lost come back.

MAY19 STUDIO posted Hotfix 0.1.5 on October 30, 2026. Eating takes less time, it rains less often across the map, logs lying on the ground get a highlight, and cooking meat over a fire now shows a progress bar. A low-health HUD element and on-screen key prompts for craftable items were added.

Reported fixes: foundations left floating above the ground, the sea disappearing, some chopped trees not falling, sleeping or saving before a craft finished, and campfires that would not light for some players. Some Spanish and Chinese text was corrected. These are developer reports; Kingy has not tested them.

The 0.1.5 note repeats no save warning, but it does not withdraw the one in 0.1.3 and 0.1.4, so treat saves from before October 28 with the same caution.

Hotfix 0.1.4, posted October 28, 2026, fixes coastal rocks that blocked movement, NPC gunshots that could not be heard at range, logs left floating when a log cart was destroyed, meat appearing in or spoiling inside the meat dryer, trader items vanishing and a trader overpaying, and an axe swing being cut short by repeated clicks. Crafted structures now take more damage before breaking, and extra hunger and thirst warnings appear on screen.

Important: the developer says the chest fixes (neighbouring chests interfering, items appearing or vanishing after a load) only apply to games started after the update. The note again warns that older saves may crash or corrupt, and recommends updating when you are ready to start a new game. No migration or backup path is given.

MAY19 STUDIO says Hotfix 0.1.3 is live in its October 26 announcement. It reports a white-screen fix for some AMD graphics cards and asks players to update graphics drivers. It reduces daytime and post-sleep hunger/thirst loss, keeps weapons in slots 1–3 after death, increases chest capacity and allows some inventory items to stack. No new rates or capacity numbers are supplied.

The patch reports fixes for mouse sensitivity, a door left after destroying its wall, chest items disappearing when dying with the chest open, and building on foundations after loading a save. These are developer reports; Kingy has not tested them.

Important: the same announcement warns that saves created in earlier versions may crash or suffer corruption after updating. It does not provide a verified migration, backup path or recovery procedure. A claimed foundation or chest fix does not establish that an older save is safe to continue.

The Steam listing changed from upcoming to available on October 22, 2026, and MAY19 STUDIO posted its launch announcement at 17:04 UTC that day. Steam lists Windows only; there is no Mac, Linux or console version on the listing.

Kingy listed September 17 in its September 13 edition; that date was superseded by the October 22 Early Access date, which held. Earlier on launch day the developers apologised for slow replies before release and said they will now follow the Steam discussions and post progress updates.

The developers' Early Access notes say the launch build already has exploration, fights with zombies and hostile survivors, gathering, crafting, shelter building and defence, hunger, thirst and energy, and swimming and boats.

Planned for Early Access: new weapon types, more sea activities including fishing, vehicles, new settlements and locations, and optimisation. The plan is about one year in Early Access, which the developers say is not a fixed deadline. Kingy has not played the launch build.

Four-player co-op is announced. The source does not establish dedicated-server setup, crossplay, host migration, shared quest progress or how a departing host affects a session. Do not buy a server or follow commands intended for a different survival game on the strength of the player-count listing.

MAY19 STUDIO posted Hotfix 0.1.2 on October 25, 2026 (official notes; Kingy has not tested it). Looting a vehicle and drinking now take a shorter animation, health mushrooms also restore health, deer drop 3 pieces of meat instead of 1, some locations hold more cloth for crafting, and the health bar turns red when you are low.

Balance: wolves and zombies deal less damage, and iron sheets are more durable against zombie attacks. Fixes: a co-op partner's dropped backpack icon sometimes not appearing after they died, looting car engines by climbing on top of vehicles, vehicles turning see-through while you loot them, brightness settings not working, and Chinese text problems. The notes list no known issues.

MAY19 STUDIO posted the first patch, Hotfix 0.1.1, on October 24, 2026 (official notes; Kingy has not tested it). It lengthens the day, shortens and brightens the night, smooths several coast areas so you can climb out of the water, and lets you climb onto ships straight from the water.

After death, your dropped backpack now shows an on-screen icon. Energy drains more slowly, ESC closes menus including the inventory, and building shows how many pieces you have placed and how many remain. New characters start with a shotgun plus 10 extra pistol rounds and 5 shotgun shells on top of the loaded ammunition.

Fixes: a bug when dying while driving the wood cart, a problem when dying while swimming, and the overly loud opening cinematic. The notes give no build number beyond 0.1.1 and list no known issues.

Check the Windows requirements, record the installed hotfix and agree who will host before inviting friends. Hotfixes 0.1.3 and 0.1.4 both warn about crashes or corruption with saves from previous versions, and 0.1.4's chest fixes only apply to new games. If something breaks, keep the build, graphics settings, save origin and solo/co-op context in the report; no tested save-recovery procedure is supplied here.