The Fun Pimps have rung in the summer: V3.0 "Dead Hot Summer" has been available as a stable build since 29 June 2026, following an experimental phase with plenty of community feedback. On 13 July, V3.0.1 stable delivered the first round of bug fixes. For you as a server owner, a major version jump like this is always a moment to pause: save games, mods and server configuration deserve a check before your community carries on playing.

What is new in V3.0 and V3.0.1

With the official stable announcement, V3.0 left its experimental phase; the studio links the full patch notes directly in the announcement — for a release this size, the original is worth a read.

The follow-up fixes in V3.0.1 are very concrete, and several of them explicitly concern server operation:

  • On dedicated servers, biome zombie kills with "Celebrate" enabled did not count towards the Kill Challenge — fixed.
  • Airdrops did not spawn when the sandbox setting was set to "night" — fixed.
  • Players could take PVP damage under certain conditions even with no-killing settings active — fixed.
  • User-placed items at a claimed trader could not be picked up — fixed.
  • On top of that: improved error handling in the new Sign Tech system (including an error that could occur when joining a game), fixes for outfits and cosmetics, and various UI corrections.

What the major version means for your server

In 7 Days to Die, a jump to a new major version is more than a patch: game systems, balancing and world generation can change. Before switching your server over, check three things:

  1. Save game compatibility: verify after the update that your existing world loads cleanly. With major versions, a fresh world is typically the cleanest option — especially when world generation changed, it avoids artefacts from the previous version.
  2. Mod compatibility: server mods need V3.0-ready versions. Outdated mods are the most common cause of startup trouble after major jumps — when in doubt, boot without mods first and re-enable them one by one.
  3. Tell your community: announce the switch, especially if a world restart is coming — nobody should lose progress unexpectedly.

How to update your server at game-serverhosting

  1. Take a backup: save world and configuration via the Backups tab in the server panel — mandatory before a major update.
  2. Apply the update: move the server to the new version via the panel — using the version switch or a reinstall for a clean slate.
  3. Restart and check the log: after booting, the server log in the panel console immediately tells you whether world and mods loaded cleanly.
  4. Test join: connect once yourself and check the essentials — then your community can return.

FAQ

Can I keep playing my existing world on V3.0?

Check it after the update, with your backup as a safety net. An existing world will often load technically — but with major versions a world restart is the cleanest route, since world-generation changes otherwise only appear in newly generated areas.

My mods stopped working after the update — what now?

Boot the server without mods as a test. If it runs stable, update your mods to their V3.0-compatible versions and re-enable them step by step.

Is V3.0.1 worth it if I am already on V3.0.0?

Yes. The server-side fixes in particular — Kill Challenge counting on dedicated servers, airdrops with the night setting, PVP damage despite no-killing settings — make V3.0.1 a must-have for operators.

Do I need to change my configuration for the update?

Usually not — your server settings are preserved. Still, briefly review the key values after updating, especially if you use sandbox options such as airdrop timing that the V3.0.1 fixes touch.

How long does the update take?

Including backup, update and a verification join, plan roughly 15 to 30 minutes depending on world size — the actual version change via the panel runs through automatically.