Beloved zombie game 7 Days to Die gets huge 2.0 update filled with deadly events

7 Days to Die is easily one of the biggest zombie games on Steam. With more than 250,000 user reviews at an 88% score, it sits at a 'very positive' rating on Valve's storefront. Fellow undead experiences like Dying Light and DayZ have more reviews, but The Fun Pimps' own survival game is still doing extraordinarily well. After a 1.0 launch last year, though, the team behind 7 Days to Die is showing no signs of slowing down. The stable version of the major 2.0 overhaul is finally here, and it turns the game into an even more reactive experience.

The Fun Pimps has spent an incredibly long time working on 7 Days to Die. The studio first launched the game into early access back in 2013, with the full release finally arriving 11 years later. Set in Navezgane County, Arizona, it combines Minecraft-like voxel physics with zombie survival. This means you need to explore, craft supplies, build your own base, and do whatever else you can to survive as long as possible against the infected hordes. If you like DayZ, The Forest, and even State of Decay, 7 Days to Die will make you feel right at home.

On Friday June 27, The Fun Pimps finally launched the stable version of the new 2.0 update, after dropping the experimental version earlier this month. Called Storm's Brewing, it offers up plenty of fresh challenges that merit an inclusion on our best survival games list.

First up is the new Biome Progression option. This gives every area (except The Pine Forest starting biome) a unique environmental hazard you need to overcome. You'll have to contend with hot embers, black smoke, extreme heat, freezing temperatures, and high levels of radiation depending on where you go. You must also find the best ways to combat these challenges, with plenty of specific resources at your disposal depending on where you are.

Each of these biomes will also have a "progressive loot stage cap," according to The Fun Pimps. This mechanic encourages you to explore each area for better rewards, and the limit will increase as you progress through a biome's challenges.

This biome overhaul isn't the only threat you'll face, however, as the new dynamic storm system is here to push you to the brink. The Fun Pimps has overhauled the legacy weather system to give these events more severity. The storms have a random frequency and duration, too, which means you'll never know how long they'll last. Normal thunderstorms can happen in any biome and don't damage you, but you'll encounter a range of elemental storms, specific to each biome, that can hurt you.

Two new special infected zombies also arrive, in the form of the Plague Spitter and Frost Claw. The Plague Spitter is a desert zombie that vomits up swarms of insects to attack you with. The Frost Claw, meanwhile, is a snow zombie boasting a ranged boulder throw which does splash damage, so you'll want to watch out.

While these storms and infected present a new challenge, there are plenty of reasons to face them head on. 7 Days to Die has nearly 140 points of interest in 2.0, with The Fun Pimps adding new questable POIs alongside explorable ones. There are also some perk updates, changes to trees and foliage, and plenty more adjustments in the patch notes.

The stable 7 Days to Die 2.0 Storm's Brewing update is out now. You can also grab the game at 40% off until Thursday July 10, so expect to pay $26.99 / £22.79. Check it out right here.

If you want to further enhance your time in Navezgane, we've got all the best 7 Days to Die mods out now. Otherwise, make sure you check out the best zombie games on PC today.

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