Review: Is 7 Days to Die Worth Playing in 2026?

Game Overview.

7 Days to Die Is Better Than Ever

When I originally reviewed 7 Days to Die, it was still officially an Early Access game despite already having more content than many fully released survival games.

A lot has changed since then.

7 Days to Die is mechanically, visually and gameplay-wise improved in every single way.

The difference between some of the old Early Access versions and the eventual full release was enormous, but coming back years later and comparing the full release with where we are now in the Version 3 series almost feels like that level of transformation all over again.

It is polished, it is fun, performance has increased, the UI is better, and the entire game feels easier for new players to understand without losing what made it so much fun in the first place.

As of this update, 7 Days to Die has reached Version 3.2, and I honestly think this is the best the game has ever been.

A Decade of Development Has Paid Off

One of the things I defended in my original review was The Fun Pimps continually rebuilding and changing systems that were already technically functional.

Some players understandably found that frustrating.

There were mechanics that were completely reworked multiple times, systems that disappeared and came back in different forms, and entire parts of the game that could feel almost unrecognisable between major versions.

At the time, I argued that those changes were not evidence of a developer that did not know what it was doing. I felt they were evidence of a developer that cared enough about the game to keep rebuilding things until they were happy with them.

Looking at 7 Days to Die today, I think that approach has paid off.

The game looks dramatically better, runs better, plays better and is far easier to get into than the versions I spent hundreds of hours playing during Early Access.

There were definitely some wobbles along the way.

Changes surrounding water and purification were particularly unpopular and, like a lot of players, I thought some of those decisions were strange.

Overall, though, 7 Days to Die is back on track and better than ever.

Solo Is Great, but Multiplayer Is Where the Memories Are Made

7 Days to Die is still just as much fun as ever as a solo game.

You can build, explore, loot, survive Blood Moons and essentially create your own little post-apocalyptic existence without needing anybody else.

But with a group, it can become something much more.

Some of my favourite gaming memories came from hosting 7 Days to Die servers and deliberately pushing them as far as I possibly could.

On one server, our base was inside a hospital and I spawned a horde that lasted for around four hours.

In the end, they destroyed the base.

Even after I resorted to spawning additional weapons and ammunition for the survivors, we could barely salvage the situation.

It was ridiculous, and it was brilliant.

On another server, with a group that reached around 20 people at its peak, we built a replica of Alexandria from The Walking Dead.

Then, naturally, we attacked it with an admin spawned massive horde.

Zombies were coming through the streets, trying to get underneath the walls and attacking from everywhere. It was complete chaos, but those are exactly the sort of experiences that made 7 Days to Die so memorable to my friends and I, and while we have all moved on now, the memories remain.

The important thing is that those experiences are still possible, now more than ever because the technology is better, the performance is better, the mechanics are better and the visuals are substantially improved.

7 Days to Die has not polished away the freedom that made those older versions so memorable.

PvE Base Defence Is Still One of Its Greatest Strengths

As I mentioned in my original review, one of the things that has always separated 7 Days to Die from many other survival games is its emphasis on PvE base defence.

Plenty of survival games allow you to build enormous bases, but ultimately the biggest threat to those bases is often another player.

7 Days to Die actually gives PvE players a reason to build defences.

Blood Moons put those walls, traps, firing positions and increasingly questionable architectural decisions to the test.

You can spend days preparing what you believe is an impenetrable fortress, only to discover that several hundred zombies have found one structural weakness that you somehow missed and are now enthusiastically dismantling your house from underneath you.

That unpredictability is part of the fun.

The game gives players the tools to create stories, rather than simply handing them scripted ones.

The Fun Pimps Are Catering to the wrong crowd.

There is, however, one area where I think 7 Days to Die has become considerably worse.

Sex sells. I know that. But to see nearly every female skin you can buy being very buxom, showing masses of cleavage and frequently wearing an outfit that does not even line up with the equivalent male character has become ridiculous.

It could be a pirate, but the female character has to be a sexy pirate.

It could be a soldier, but the female character has to be a sexy soldier showing masses of cleavage with very large breasts.

With a few exceptions, such as the chicken suit, nearly every female character skin they have sold since they started pushing additional cosmetic skins seems to be revealing and sexually objectified.

I think that is a slap in the face to female players who have enjoyed 7 Days to Die since its beginning.

To be fair, the default character options look fantastic. They are not sexually objectifying, and there is a wide selection of characters and appearances.

That almost makes the DLC situation worse because it shows that The Fun Pimps are perfectly capable of designing women who simply look like survivors.

Yet when money becomes involved, the pattern repeatedly seems to become cool-looking male character, sexy female character.

Sometimes there is more than one character in a set, and then it becomes two cool-looking or funny male characters accompanied by two sexy female characters.

Ultimately, they have to stop.

Making content deliberately sexy just to encourage sales is wrong.

I am not a prude, and I am not opposed to every instance of revealing clothing existing in a game.

There is an obvious difference between releasing something like a swimwear pack so people can have some summer fun and making virtually every female cosmetic going forward some variation of sex appeal.

That is where I believe 7 Days to Die has crossed the line.

7 Days to Die FAQ

7 Days to Die is a survival game developed and published by The Fun Pimps, it released on 25 July 2024, and is available on PC, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.

Is There Group Finding/Matchmaking Support?

7 Days to Die offers the following matchmaking options:

• ☑ Server Browser

Are There In-Game Microtransactions?

The 7 Days to Die in-game store sells:

• No microtransactions are present.

What Peripherals Are Supported?

7 Days to Die supports the following peripherals:

• ☑ Console - Controller
• ☑ PC - Controller
• ☑ PC - Mouse and Keyboard

Is There Any Mature Content?

7 Days to Die is rated PEGI 18+ and contains:

• ☑ Gore
• ☑ Mature Themes
• ☑ Violence

Final Verdict.

When I originally reviewed 7 Days to Die, I gave it 8/10.

Today, I rate it 10/10.

Mechanically, visually and gameplay-wise, it is improved in virtually every way. Performance is better, the UI is better, the game is easier for new players to understand, and all of the freedom that allowed my friends and me to create some of my favourite multiplayer memories is still there.

If anything, the game now gives players better tools with which to create those memories.

It is still fantastic solo, and with a good group of people it can become something genuinely special.

I do have a major problem with the direction The Fun Pimps have taken with cosmetic DLC.

A business model that increasingly feels like cool-looking guy, sexy-looking girl is not something I am comfortable defending, and deliberately sexualising female characters to encourage people to spend money is wrong.

That does not undo everything the developers have achieved with the game itself, but neither am I going to pretend it does not matter simply because I enjoy playing it.

7 Days to Die is better than it has ever been.

I just wish I could say the same about every decision being made around it.

Is 7 Days to Die Worth Playing?

We found 7 Days to Die to be a masterpiece of a game, meaning it is a must-play for almost every gamer, due to its near-perfect gameplay experience.