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ZA-Z update, 7 November 2026: bandits in the PvP zones, the new town of Constown, and every gun on the game's own rules

Released | 4 min read

A big ZA-Z update lands with the restart on 7 November 2026, and that restart takes longer than usual. Close Steam completely and open it again before you join, so it fetches the new versions; the first join also downloads about 200 MB of new mods. Armed bandits now hold buildings in Louisville and Valley Station, there is a whole new town west of Rosewood, and every gun runs on the game's own rules.

#Bandits in the PvP zones

Armed gangs hold twelve buildings in Louisville and Valley Station, and gangs on the move come after survivors who linger on foot. They shoot on sight and drop everything they carry. They stay inside the two danger zones, and no bandit comes near a claimed safehouse. See Bandits.

#Constown

A new town on the map, west of Rosewood on the main highway: 271 buildings nobody has looted yet, from the highway strip and the motel to a school, a police station, a trailer park and farms. It runs on Rosewood's substation: lights and mains water while that yard's generators run. See Constown and Power and Water.

#Every gun on the game's own rules

You switch between Single and Full Auto with Shift + X, each gun takes one magazine, and reloading works as in any Project Zomboid game. Nothing you own is lost: old guns and magazines put themselves right the first time you carry them.

  • No more bursts. Every gun that fired three-round bursts (the M93R, MP5, MP5SD, VHS-K2 and the game's M16) now fires single shots instead; the M16 has its Full Auto back. See fire modes.
  • One magazine per gun. Each gun takes its own magazine, named after it (M16 Magazine, MP5 Magazine, UMP-26 Magazine...). Older magazines turn into the right one when you carry them, with spare rounds loose in your pack. See which magazine fits.
  • Tracer magazines. Right-click an empty magazine and load Red Tracers (or any colour you carry): every shot from it draws that colour. See ZA-Z's Tracers.
  • Quieter suppressors. A fitted suppressor now cuts how far zombies hear you to a quarter. The pistol silencer is now the Pistol Suppressor.
  • Same guns, same feel. The Glock 17, M93R, M16A3, M4 Carbine, AK-47, MP5 and MP5SD are each built on the game's own gun of their kind and hit and fire as they did before. See the table.
  • No more loader window. The O-key loader and mixed rounds in one magazine are gone; load rounds the game's way.

#Safehouses

  • Guests. The owner can let a friend from another safehouse in as a guest: they walk in and loot like a member, but cannot run the place, respawn there or keep the claim alive. See guests.
  • Respawn. Belonging to several safehouses no longer stops you respawning in your own. See respawning.
  • Landmarks stay open. Gigamarts, gun stores, malls, hospitals, military camps, prisons and Louisville's big landmarks can no longer be claimed. A landmark someone already holds keeps its claim until it runs out. See Buildings you can't claim.

#Cars and the Huey

  • Vehicle repairs. Any tyre, even a dead one, cuts into rubber strips; modded cars and the Huey repair like the game's own; and a part down to 0 percent can be rebuilt. See Vehicle Repairs.
  • Huey cabin seats. From the bench or any door seat you can switch to any other seat in the cabin without getting out, and reach what is stored on any cabin seat. See Huey cabin seats.
  • The War Plough lasts much longer: about 500 zombies at 60 km/h before it needs welding. See ZA-Z's Road Train.
  • Car keys name the car they fit again, on keys you already carry too. See Car keys.
  • Spike strips now work in every PvP danger zone, not just Louisville. See Spike Strips.

#Everything else

  • PvP deaths in public chat now name only the survivor who died, not who killed them.
  • Louisville and Valley Station count as one zone when you walk between them: no new warning at the line. See PvP Danger Zones.
  • You can no longer talk over ZA-Z FM or the emergency broadcast: walkies on those frequencies listen only. See ZA-Z FM and AEBS Radio.
  • The Cold Pack now works when you put it on another survivor's burn. See Cold Pack.
  • The Survivor ZA memorial stands in front of the Rosewood police station: see Survivor ZA Memorial.
  • Muldraugh's substation now also lights the houses and farms around town. See Power and Water.
  • Pantry names. A few old foods lost a leftover word from their names, and old drinks name their container again. See Pantry.
  • Boss zombies now leave a corpse when they die, and ordinary zombies no longer stretch into a lanky shape when shot.
  • The open kimono now shows your chest instead of a see-through hole, and the semi's shove works without a server error.
  • The "Not from a helicopter" note is gone. Nothing fires from a Huey seat, as before.