DayZ Update 1.29 Release Window, Wipe Plans, and Experimental Notes

DayZ Update 1.29 had a bumpy trip through Experimental, including an earlier 2025 test that was pulled back for more stability work. The update later returned in better shape, with new clothing, audio work, server performance improvements, and a free Xbox Series X|S upgrade planned alongside it.

DayZ Update 1.29 Release Window

There was no exact release date confirmed in the source update. The development team said Update 1.29 was in the final stretch and that it should arrive within the next few weeks as of April 1. Based on that wording, a late April release window was expected.

A full wipe was also planned across Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation. That means bases, stashes, vehicles, and related progress would be erased so all players could begin again on the same footing.

What Is New in DayZ Update 1.29?

The update’s contents were visible through the 2025 Experimental release and the later February 2026 Experimental release. Steam players could install the separate DayZ Experimental app from their library to test 1.29 before the stable launch. That build was still unstable and incomplete, and the current Experimental release for 1.29 was not available on Xbox.

Known additions included new clothing across headwear, footwear, torso wear, and long-haul backpacks. Sakhal received an expanded bunker with an additional entrance, terrain surface blending was improved across all maps, and assault rifle plus pistol sounds received a major overhaul.

The largest goal was server stability. The developers said extensive playtesting had gone into newer versions of the update and claimed server performance had increased by 400%.

Xbox players also had a major platform update to expect. DayZ had been playable on Xbox Series X and Series S through the Xbox One version via backward compatibility. Alongside Update 1.29, a free Xbox Series X|S upgrade was planned. Xbox One support would continue through its own build.

DayZ Update 1.29 Experimental Patch Notes

These are Experimental Branch notes, not final stable patch notes. The stable release may differ.

ADDED

• Bear headdress
• Heavy labor jacket
• Military sweater
• Fox headdress
• Military winter boots
• Fur boots
• Long-haul backpack
• New promo carousel implemented for the main menu

CHANGED

• Nights on the official Chernarus and Livonia first-person perspective servers were switched to the bright ones
• Assault rifles gunshot sound reworked
• Pistol gunshot sounds reworked
• The Server Browser now opens the "Official" tab by default if the player has no favorite servers; otherwise, it opens the "Favorites" tab

FIXED

• Character could glitch and clip through objects when taking vaultable items in hands (T192558, T193315, T193320, T193316)
• Inventory could be accessed in Surrender pose
• Issues with displaying items in Vicinity tab and being able to access them through objects
• Reconnecting removed blinding effect of Burlap sack on head
• Vehicles twitched when driving on concrete panels (T191309)
• AIs could clip through closed door of specific garage building
• Specific boat wreck model became invisible at too short view distance
• Unpacking a headlight had no audio (T192384)
• Plums disappeared at too short view distance
• Aiming with M79 removed night vision (T193230)
• Part of bear attacking audio sample was incorrect (T192086)
• Fixed multiple locations allowing to look through structures (T191053)
• Windows in specific garage building were missing collisions
• Humvee was Missing Getting In/Out Sound (T167764)
• AP Items deployed through activate widget were missing sound
• Illness symptom sounds (e.g., coughing or laughing) continued to play even after the player has fallen unconscious
• Various clipping issues
• Cars could crash without apparent reason due to unexpected collisions with terrain (T191200, T192926)
• Under unstable or low FPS, the selected gear could be skipped over unintentionally
• Players could see moving cars and boats glitch after reconnecting
• Players reconnecting above the ground could be teleported outside the world (T191843, T191945, T191215, T191664, T192504)
• Deployed tripwire was not functional (T193431)
• Start engine sound is played when player leaves started vehicle
• Incorrect sound could be played when loading the crossbow (T191119)
• Incorrect sound could be played when disarming Explosive with a different detonator
• Items dropped near some specific assets could be inaccessible afterwards (T189382)
• Certain assets would have incorrect collisions
• Cars could crash on even roads and launch players into near-death situations (T191200, T192926)
• Exploit where players were able to duplicate items
• Exploit allowing players to enter vehicles while holding heavy items
• RAK now spawns chambered when equipped with a magazine
• Players could spawn random items in their inventory (T192644, T192643)
• Players could see dynamic contaminated zones become invisible over time (T192492)
• Players could launch themselves into the air by going prone on a car roof edge (T192699)
• Players could freeze the client by some cargo operations (T192460)
• Players could hit invisible barriers on some fence and wall objects
• Item swapping functionality wasn't working in some cases

CHERNARUS

• Player could see through a specific wall by squeezing between it and a container (T191053)
• Specific trees were floating in the air (T190606, T191125)
• A fallen tree was clipping through other trees (T190606)

LIVONIA

• Some items and widgets could be inaccessible in swampy locations with reeds
• Incorrect sizing of contaminated zones in Pavlovo and Radunin

SERVER

• Fixed: Scripts would not compile with '-doScriptLogs=1' CLI on Retail

LAUNCHER

• Frostline DLC was not indicated correctly for players not owning the expansion

TERRAIN BUILDER

• Version information is now shown in the Terrain Builder’s Help > About dialog
• Saves objects with a persistent ID into WRP instead of regenerating them every build
• WPR files, exported with TB version higher than X (lets get the exact version number) require 1.29 binarization executable

MODDING

• Fixed: Crash when using SurfaceUnderObjectByBone on some animals
• Changed: Temporarily increased the maximum size of 'ScriptInputUserData' to accommodate for Network IDs being larger

KNOWN ISSUES

• PLAY button in main menu does not show server last played at when hovered over and clicking it does not connect you to the server
• Indoor shots can sound silenced to the shooter