Project Zomboid Build 42: Here’s what’s in the biggest update yet

The Highlights of Project Zomboid Build 42

The latest Project Zomboid update is so extensive that you could easily spend several hours browsing through the patch notes. To save you the time, here are the most important new features at a glance:

Significantly revamped Knox Country Map

Knox Country has been expanded to include three new cities and numerous smaller towns. The existing map has also been revamped, offering new buildings, new car paints and much more for you to discover.

From Bunkers to Skyscrapers

In some buildings, you can now find basements, bunkers, and panic rooms. If you don’t want to descend into the dark depths, you can also visit the new skyscrapers and fight your way through multiple floors full of zombies.

Hunting and raising Animals

Now things are getting wild: Kentucky is now populated by cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, deer, and other animals. You can hunt, raise animals, and use them to sustain yourself.

Improved building and crafting

You can now further refine and customize your base with new recipes, workbenches, and an improved system. Whether it’s wooden walls or clay and stone walls, you can even change their appearance. With the new workbenches, you can learn new professions and skills such as brewing, pottery, or metalworking.

Let there be (better) light

The lighting in Project Zomboid looks more realistic than ever. Houses, streets, forests, and dark alleys not only look better now but also create a completely different atmosphere, especially at night.

Many QoL Improvements

The developers have also made tweaks to the inventory, the user interface, and numerous interactions. Many small improvements make your day-to-day gameplay experience significantly more enjoyable.

Important for players on Build 41

If you’re still playing on Build 41, please note that savegames from that build are not compatible with Build 42. If you’d like to use your Build 41 save, you can switch to the Legacy 41 branch via Steam.

Build 42 significantly changes Project Zomboid

Early adopters in particular will notice the difference right away. The world feels more alive, more varied, and significantly more natural. New locations invite you to explore, while animals, farming, and the revamped crafting system add noticeably more depth to the long-term survival experience in the game.

The visuals in Project Zomboid have also taken a major leap forward. Improved and more realistic lighting, new landscapes, and hundreds of unique buildings ensure that even familiar locations suddenly give you that thrill all over again.

Survive with your friends now

Project Zomboid Build 42 makes the game bigger, more realistic, and—above all—more expansive than ever before. Work with your friends to build the perfect base, raise and hunt animals for long-term sustenance, and fend off hordes of zombies. On a GPORTAL Project Zomboid server, you can jump right into Build 42 and survive the zombie apocalypse with your friends—provided Kentucky gives you even the slightest chance.