V3.3.0 has been the stable build of 7 Days to Die since 5 October 2026, and V3.4.0 has been on the latest_experimental branch since 23 October. Keep your live server on the default public branch, which is V3.3.0, and try V3.4 on a separate install with a copy of your save: The Fun Pimps have not said when V3.4 goes stable.
Below is what each version changes for a dedicated server, taken from the official notes on Steam and from Steam's own branch list for the dedicated server, plus a test routine that keeps your real world out of it.
Where each version stands on 25 October 2026
| Version | Steam branch | Date | Headline change |
|---|---|---|---|
| V3.4.0 | latest_experimental | Experimental since 23 October 2026 | Search bar and filters for the backpack and containers |
| V3.3.0 | public (the default) and v3.3.0 | Stable since 5 October 2026 | Bigger Backpack system, 8x6 inventory grid |
| V3.2.0 | v3.2.0 | Stable since 26 August 2026 | Trader doors open to your vehicle horn |
| V3.1.0 | v3.1.0 | Stable since 27 July 2026 | Henpocalypse: chickens, split day and night sandbox options |
Sources: the V3.4.0 EXP and V3.3.0 Stable announcements, and the branch list of the 7 Days to Die Dedicated Server (Steam app 294420), which you can print yourself with app_info_print 294420 in SteamCMD. On 25 October 2026 that list showed public and v3.3.0 on the same build, latest_experimental last updated on 23 October at 20:59 UTC, and none of these branches behind a password. The game itself (app 251570) has the same branch names.
What V3.3 changed for your server
V3.3.0 is the build on the default branch, so it is what a server that updates normally runs today. Its big change is the inventory.
- New inventory grid. The base inventory went from a 9x5 grid of 45 slots to an 8x6 grid of 48: four rows you can use freely and two rows that encumber you.
- Backpacks. Backpacks come in Small, Medium and Large, with 6 quality levels each, and go into a new Backpack equipment slot. A backpack adds encumbrance slots up to 96 in total, in an 8x12 grid. The Pack Mule perk and Armor Pocket Mods remove the encumbrance.
- Vehicle pickup on dedicated servers. "Vehicles now again properly check for inventory contents before allowing pickup on dedicated servers." During the V3.3 experimental, picking up a vehicle on a dedicated server deleted whatever was stored in it, which the b18 notes listed as a known issue before it was fixed.
- Saves and chunk resets. V3.3.0 fixed "a possible rare deadlock between threads" when a chunk-straddling multiblock changed while the save system processed culled (reset) chunks, and an exception edge case in RegionFileManager.
- For mod authors.
ItemActionRanged.TryExecuteActionbecame virtual "to keep mod compatibility", and a new toolbelt XML defines slots, rows and pages for the Prefab Editor.
The V3.3.0 notes list known issues that still apply to the stable build, among them a possible NRE when generating chunk decorations (new games only), items that cannot be consumed straight from a campfire, the tenth hotbar item that cannot be sold and Mac clients set to French that cannot join a server.
Two things the notes do not mention: a wipe and serverconfig.xml. Neither the V3.3.0 nor the V3.4.0 changelog asks for a new world or names a new server setting.
Backpack and UI mods
Bigger backpack mods and UI overhauls made before V3.3 were built around the old 9x5 grid and a game without a Backpack slot. Before you move to V3.3 or later, check each mod's page for a release made for V3.3, and leave out any that has none. This matters most for mods that players must also install, because a mismatch there keeps them off the server. Our 7 Days to Die mods guide covers which mods have to be on the client as well.
What V3.4 adds
From the V3.4.0 changelog:
- Search and filters. A search bar in your backpack and in containers, where you type an item's name or filter by category.
- Drone recovery. A trader can now recover a drone that got stuck or went missing.
- Backpack balance. Night Stalker Vol. 4, Steroids, Chicken Nuggets and the completed Fireman's Almanac set were updated for the new backpack capacity.
- Fixes that matter in multiplayer. The "boosted" icon no longer shows on items that are not boosted, players can sell the tenth hotbar item again, Shift + Left Click moves items into dropped zombie bags and airdrops without errors, and the White River quest no longer throws an NRE.
- Mac players. "The game launches again on macOS with Easy Anti-Cheat enabled."
- Sandbox options. The
getsandboxoptionsconsole command now prints changed values when it prints all options. Since V3.0, some gameplay settings that used to sit inserverconfig.xmllive in aSandboxCodeproperty instead, so this command is the quickest way to see the sandbox options your server runs with.
One known issue is still listed: locked slots reset after closing the inventory. The announcement also lists a b6 update that fixed zombie colour variants not showing, and Steam shows the experimental branch of the dedicated server last updated on 23 October at 20:59 UTC.
When V3.4 goes stable
There is no date. For comparison only, V3.2.0 went stable on 26 August, seven days after its b9 experimental update, and V3.3.0 on 5 October, eleven days after its b18 update. That is a pattern, not an announcement.
Test V3.4 on a copy, step by step
The live server stays on public. A player who switches the game to latest_experimental cannot join a server that runs V3.3, and the other way around: when V3.1 went stable, the V3.1.0 notes told dedicated server players who could not connect to select the Default Public Version. So the test runs on a second install.
-
Make room. Steam lists the Linux dedicated server at about 17.7 GB on disk for V3.3.0 and 17.8 GB on
latest_experimental, and the Windows build is about the same size. Plan for that again, plus your save. -
Install the experimental build into its own folder. With SteamCMD:
steamcmd +force_install_dir /home/steam/7dtd-v34 +login anonymous +app_update 294420 -beta latest_experimental validate +quitOn a Windows PC with Steam you can also use the 7 Days to Die Dedicated Server tool from your library and pick
latest_experimentalunder Properties, Game Versions & Betas. -
Copy, never move, your world. Stop the live server first, so the save on disk is complete. Copy your save folder to the test machine, together with the generated world it uses and your
serverconfig.xml. If you setUserDataFolderinserverconfig.xml, the saves and generated worlds are there;SaveGameFoldermoves only the saves. -
Keep the copy apart. Give the test server its own
ServerPort(the default is 26900) if it runs next to the live one, a differentServerNameso nobody joins it by mistake, and aServerPassword. -
Join with an experimental client. In Steam: right click 7 Days to Die, Properties, Game Versions & Betas,
latest_experimental. -
Test what your server lives on. Open bags and storage with the new search, check that your mods load without errors in the log, pick up a vehicle with items inside, visit a trader, and if you can, play a blood moon on the copy. Blood moon night is the honest load test for any 7 Days to Die server.
When V3.4 reaches the public branch, take a fresh backup of the live server, update it and the clients in one go, and run getsandboxoptions once to check your settings.
Staying on V3.3 for a while
If your mods are not ready on the day V3.4 goes stable, you do not have to follow it straight away. The v3.3.0 branch exists for both the dedicated server and the game: install the server with -beta v3.3.0 instead of the public branch, and tell your players to pick v3.3.0 under Game Versions & Betas. Move back to public once your mods have caught up.
Running it with us
Our 7 Days to Die server hosting runs the current stable release, V3.3 today, from €6.00 a month for 6GB in nine regions, with mod support and full access to serverconfig.xml. For testing V3.4 before it goes stable, the dedicated server tool on your own PC is enough: the steps above work the same there. Questions about moving a world between versions can go to our support team, online from 08:00 to 20:00 UTC every day. If the server struggles after an update, our 7 Days to Die performance guide and the V3.1 Henpocalypse guide with its notes on split sandbox settings are the next places to look.
FAQ
Is 7 Days to Die V3.4 out?
Only on the experimental branch. V3.4.0 has been on latest_experimental since 23 October 2026. The stable build on the default branch is V3.3.0, released on 5 October 2026.
Do I have to wipe my server for V3.3 or V3.4? The official notes do not mention a wipe for either version. Back up your save before every update anyway, and test V3.4 on a copy first.
Can players on V3.4 join a V3.3 server? No. Server and players need to be on the same build. Keep everyone on the same branch, or run a separate test server for players who want to try V3.4.
How do I keep my server on V3.3 after V3.4 goes stable?
Install the dedicated server with -beta v3.3.0 in SteamCMD and have your players select the v3.3.0 branch under Game Versions & Betas. That branch exists for both the dedicated server and the game.
What changed in the V3.3 backpack update? The base inventory became an 8x6 grid of 48 slots, and backpacks in three sizes with six quality levels each go into a new Backpack slot, for up to 96 slots in total.