DayZ is a multiplayer sandbox game that pits players against roaming hordes of the undead. While it started as a mod for the military simulation game ARMA 2, DayZ has since found considerable success and acclaim as a standalone title. Bohemia Interactive, who created ARMA 2, developed and published DayZ for PC in 2018, following a five-year early access period. It launched on PS4 and Xbox One the following year.
DayZ Premise
DayZ takes place in the postapocalyptic ruins of the fictional post-Soviet Republic of Chernarus. A plague has swept through the area, turning most of the population into violent, zombie-like monsters. Your goal is to survive this wasteland as long as possible, gathering food, water, and other resources to keep yourself alive. DayZ is a multiplayer-only game in a sandbox setting. During your travels, you will encounter other players, with whom you can forge alliances or battle for supplies and resources. The game features crafting mechanics, which you use to build your own base and grow food, and you can also find vehicles to cut down on travel time. These vehicles do require maintenance, somewhat offsetting their convenience.
DayZ Video Games In The Series
As mentioned before, DayZ is technically a spinoff of ARMA 2, a military sim that launched in 2009. The ARMA series has seen quite a few entries stretching back to 2006. While DayZ is the only game to date with a major focus on zombies, the franchise has had quite a few spinoffs before. In May 2022, Bohemia Interactive announced that ARMA 4 was in development, but as of this writing there has been no information on a release date for the title. Here is a list of every ARMA game currently available.
- ARMA: Armed Assault (2006)
- ARMA 2 (2009)
- ARMA 2: Operation Arrowhead (2010)
- ARMA: Cold War Assault (2011)
- ARMA 2: Firing Range (2011)
- ARMA Tactics (2013)
- ARMA 3 (2013)
- ARMA Mobile Ops (2016)
- DayZ (2018)
- ARMA Reforger (2022)
DayZ Cheat Codes for PC
Unfortunately, DayZ does not support any official cheat codes that you can use to modify your gameplay experience. Since it is exclusively a multiplayer experience, allowing cheats like infinite health or ammo would make the game wildly imbalanced and give certain players an unfair advantage over others. To get these advantages, you would need to seek out third-party hacking software, which is not recommended. As noted by GamesRadar+, altering the code of the game in this way directly violates the game’s EULA. If you get caught cheating like this, you may be permanently banned from the game.
There is one way to enable custom commands that can change your DayZ experience. If you run your own private DayZ server, you can give yourself admin controls and input commands to maintain control over the server. Running a server does cost money, but once it’s up and running, it’s easy enough to make yourself an admin. To do this, take the server offline, locate ConfigFiles in the control panel, and open “DayZ Server Configuration.” Then find the command passwordAdmin = “ “; and set a password for admin mode. Then restart your server, join the game, and type #login followed by the password you just set. Once you’ve become admin of your own server, here are the commands you can input to control the environment.
- #login (password): Log in to admin mode
- #logout: Log out of admin mode
- #restart: Restarts the currently active mission
- #reassign: Restarts the currently active mission and allows players to re-select modes
- #shutdown: Shuts down the server completely
- #init: Reloads the servers configuration files
- #restartserver: Restarts the server
- #kick (User ID): Removes the specified player from the server
- #exec ban (User ID): Permanently bans the specified player from the server
- #monitor seconds: Displays performance info for the server
- #lock: Locks the server, preventing new players from joining
- #unlock: Unlocks the server, allowing new players to join
DayZ Cheat Code FAQ
How much does a private DayZ server cost? The cost of a private server in DayZ will vary based on who is selling it and how many player slots you want. A small server will typically cost about $5 a month, but you should shop around if you’re looking to host a server for your friends.
What is an ESP hack? An ESP hack is a common third-party hack installed by players who want to cheat in the game. An ESP hack displays information that normal players don’t have access to, such as health statistics and the location of players that you shouldn’t be able to see. This gives the hacker an unfair advantage when hunting down opponents or avoiding sneak attacks, and ESP hacks are banned from DayZ and many other multiplayer games.
Does DayZ have anti-cheat software? DayZ runs a proprietary piece of anti-cheat software known as BattlEye. This system is also implemented in several ARMA games, and several other high-profile multiplayer games use it. Destiny 2, PUBG, and Rainbow Six Siege are just a few games that utilize BattlEye to keep hackers to a minimum. In 2015, former lead producer Eugen Harton spoke on how DayZ combats cheaters using the software, which you can watch on YouTube.