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Yet Another Zombie Survivors News

Yet Another Development Update — July 2025

ㅤ[h3]Welcome, Survivors![/h3]

Got your tickets ready?

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  • [h3]All aboard the hype train![/h3]
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ㅤㅤ

The fourth map, which we'll add soon with the 0.9 Update, will make you question your love for trains.

The Train Station (working name, we're not sure if it'll stick, suggestions plz!) will provide a new twist to the formula. It is shaped like a horizontal rectangle that expands to the left and right from the central default spawn location. The map will offer a new moody environment, heavy metal tunes, brand new enemies, and train tracks intersecting all throughout the playable area.

Thankfully, it's not all doom and gloom. Trains can hurt Survivors and zombies alike. These ironclad killer machines appear when indicated, so you'll be able to refer to warnings at crossings, both to keep your Survivors far from danger, and to use trains to deal some serious damage to your opponents!

Speaking of dangerous situations, the new enemies are a pretty fun and diverse bunch of Horde offshoots. Get ready to be punched by a two-ton mutant, stomped by a chainsaw man, exploded by larva-mines, and blocked by hammer-wielding railway workers. If you're up for the challenge, the rewards will be worth it. Remember, each following area grants more Specialization Points and Cash drops, not to mention the satisfaction of overcoming the greater challenge!

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  • [h3]The ride never ends![/h3]
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Item slots limit your build? Want to disable it and have fun breaking the game?



We want the game to be stable and balanced in its default state, but we're also looking into ways to offer a more "for fun" game mode, since we're making ongoing improvements to the game's optimization. We're thinking of naming this game mode "Infinite Mode." It'd let you break through the ceilings with features like a much higher item limit or maybe even the possibility of equipping all of them at once (we'll have to see)!

A game mode like this would be optional, and it wouldn't be included in the leaderboards system. It would also have a nerfed meta-progression/achievement-related rewards tied to it. At the end of the day, we still want you to enjoy the game itself and everything it has to offer. This would let us keep improving Endless Mode to make it more of a "survival" experience (Endure Mode, anyone?), which gets much harder over time. Players would no longer be invincible for hours on end, and the leaderboards would cease to be all about who can keep their PC running the longest.

On a side note, you'll eventually be able to equip more items in all game modes, as we'll be expanding the maximum amount limit with the general skill tree expansion, which will be featured in version 1.0 at the latest. We'd love to hear your thoughts on our "Infinite" (optional) game mode idea!

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  • [h3]Achievements, progression & challenges[/h3]
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Remember how we've promised the addition of optional challenges for hardcore players?



We're going to be reworking the achievements interfaces to make these possible, since we're planning to create different tabs for each type of in-game achievement. The plan is to keep most achievements as they are, but improve them with progress bars when they make sense (e.g. achievements with completion accumulated with multiple runs).

Any meta-progression achievements related to important unlocks, like game modes, levels, Survivor specialization ranks, and so on, are going to be moved over to a separate tab. This should make it easier to keep track of your main in-game progress and quickly check out what could be the next on your journey.

The third tab will be brand new and will feature special challenges you can complete for bragging rights. They range from hard to diabolically unfair, so be sure to remember, that these will be 100% optional and not for the faint of heart. These challenges won't unlock any Steam achievements, but they'll give you in-game points, a total of which could be displayed in your in-game profile for bragging rights.

Also, there's a slight chance that these points might be a way to unlock some cosmetic additions, but we'll have to wait and see!

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  • [h3]Translations coming soon? 👀[/h3]
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As we get closer to the full release, we're working on adding support for all the languages you've requested (and that we can provide)!



As you know, while we're working on developing the game, we're constantly changing and updating the in-game text. Still, we're working on getting the translation systems ready (e.g. proper font implementation and character codes), and we're teaming up with our partners to make the translation process as painless as possible. Naturally, we can't promise to support 100% of the languages - we're a small indie team after all, and this would be a colossal task even for the AAA companies - but we'll try to support most of the ones you've requested!

Stay tuned for more! We predict that the support for new languages won't be ready for the release of version 0.9.0, but we'll try to release it as part of a standard update shortly after, either as the 0.9.1 or 0.9.2 game updates.

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  • [h3]Diana joins the Awesome Team![/h3]
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On the topic of small indie teams, we're growing yet again!

Diana, who helped us out during the Fury Unleashed development days, is coming back to join us full time. She's ready to face the Horde head on, but more importantly, she'll help us with the important marketing stuff, since she's awesome at that, and we're… sometimes not!




Hey Awesomes, I'm Diana!

I'm a gamer with a wide taste in genres, but I spend most of my time playing narrative-rich titles like Baldur’s Gate 3 or the latest Clair Obscure: Expedition 33. I also love weird, artsy stuff, niche or B-class horror, action games, or anything that makes me think, whether it's puzzles or existential dread. Cute cozy games? Also a YES.

I started my career a decade ago running a Facebook page for an MMORPG - very professional first entry on my resume. Now, I'm a seasoned marketer, making sure Awesome Games Studio's titles reach as many players as possible, while keeping the community entertained and nurtured.

Most of the time, you'll find me on our Discord, running quirky activities or plotting the next meme.



Oh, and she's got a cat, so that brings the Awesome Pets Squad up to 11. Thinking about it, Awesome Games Studio is currently made up of more animals than humans!

Anyway, be sure to swing by our Awesome Discord Server and give @dianix a warm welcome!

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  • [h3]We've launched a dev blog![/h3]
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As you know, not every player uses the Steam News section as their main source of info, especially when they play our games other platforms. Thinking about all of you, we're launching our own DEV BLOG website to help spread the word about the development and updates on our games and other Awesome-related stuff.

We'll be adding new info and moving some of the older Steam News posts there, so that players on all platforms have an easy way of catching up if they'd like to.

To keep things consistent, we'll be keeping the blog content in English only. We'd love to hear your feedback, especially if you have any ideas for new features.

Be sure to bookmark our blog and check back front time to time: https://awesomegamesstudio.com/blog/

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  • [h3]Price increase incoming![/h3]
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As stated in our FAQ at the beginning of Early Access, this moment was bound to happen sooner or later.

[h3]On July 24, the price of YAZS will rise from $10 to $15. Be sure to grab the game now at the old price and with a -30% discount running up until then![/h3]
This change will happen only once. There will be no price increases at full release or afterward. In fact, the game will at times be cheaper than ever before, as we plan to continue offering sale discounts as we always do with our games. After all, we want everyone to be able to enjoy them!

As we draw ever closer to the game's full release, we would like to thank you for all your support so far. You are all awesome!

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  • [h3]Drink plenty of water![/h3]
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Thanks for sticking with us, both through the time and space, and this development post as well.

Please maintain proper hydration levels, as summers have been getting hotter lately. Also, don't hype up the upcoming update too much, as it could lead to a risk of losing too much water.



I'll see you soon!

ㅤStay awesome,
ㅤㅤKalafiorek @ Awesome Games Studio

Yet Another Update 0.8.1a (HOTFIX)

[h3]Welcome, Survivor![/h3]

We're pushing a small hotfix update with fixes to reported issues from version 0.8.1.

Here are the changes in this version, as well as some of the others that were pushed as silent hotfixes:
  • Improvements were made to the game's stability to hopefully prevent in-game crashes*.
  • Fixes for some errors with the Reroll function related to Survivor Level-up interfaces.
  • Gunner Badge fixed to have the correct, higher bonus to Kinetic damage.
  • Extermination: Fixed the issue where the wave information box would show enemy quantity as "0".
  • "Scented Candle" item now properly increases the chance of status infliction by 50% (instead of adding a flat +50%).
  • Fixed a few audio-related issues.
  • Fixed issues with fonts sometimes not rendering properly.
  • Language & translation improvements.
  • Other minor fixes & tweaks.

* - In the event, that you're still experiencing crashes, please try the troubleshooting instructions provided in the Troubleshooting Guide, and if they don't help, provide us with the files and the information listed at the bottom of this post. Thank you!

Thank you for your reports and feedback. Please let us know if you encounter any other errors while playing, and have fun!

ㅤStay awesome,
ㅤㅤAwesome Games Studio


  Discord  Bluesky  X  Facebook  Instagram

Yet Another Update 0.8.1

[h3]Welcome, Survivor![/h3]

We're introducing another update to the game in the form of version 0.8.1.

This update focuses on delivering a few of the new things we've promised to add, as well as adding a new gameplay event to the game to shake things up a bit before the main course arrives (in terms of a major version update).

[h2]New Gameplay Event: Research Pod[/h2]

To enable this event, you will need to spend points on the new General Skill Tree node, available at rank 3.

At certain intervals, depending on the game mode, you'll receive an SOS-like signal telling you that the Research Pod has appeared somewhere in the current area. By following the new purple virus notification icon, you'll find the pod, which you can interact with by standing near it to start the event.



You'll have one minute to find and collect the research samples scattered throughout the playable area, which contain valuable data about the zombie virus mutations. The more you collect within the time limit, the greater your reward, but don't stress yourself too much as you'll be rewarded anyway.

When you return to the original location of the capsule, you'll be able to choose from a random pool of damage type tags, which will give you bonus points based on the number of samples you've collected. We hope you'll enjoy this side quest, and we look forward to adding or improving other events in future updates.

[h2]Save Slots (Player Profiles) & Per-Device Settings[/h2]

You'll now be able to have several different save profiles, which you can switch through at will from the main menu screen. You can now try a fun challenge on a separate slot, or share one or two with your siblings!



You can have up to 5 profiles, either by creating new ones or by copying your current ones to new slots. Speaking of copies and backups, each save slot creates up to 10 backup files in case you want or need to revert to an older save (file recovery still requires manual intervention).

Gone are the days of having to constantly toggle graphics options when swapping your desktop for a laptop or Steam Deck. These settings are now stored locally, so each device you play on will have its own configuration without overwriting each other.

[h2]Other Quality of Life & Balance Improvements[/h2]

We've also added other tweaks and fixes along the way. For example, the new accessibility setting - Daylight Mode - switches the game's night setting to a cloudy afternoon, improving the experience for those of you who found the game a little too dark.



We're also replacing the "Quit to Main Menu" option with the "Conclude Run" option, so you can always "gracefully" end your current run and reap your rewards. Quitting (and dying) will now collect all cash pickups that are currently on the level, so you don't have to worry about missing any of them when you take a break from the game!

We've also taken another look at the most overused and underused options in terms of the game balance. While we're happy to report that the overall situation is now much better after the changes introduced in recent updates, we're continuing our work to improve the underdogs and reduce the overpowered "only right choices" with a few quick tweaks.

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Patch notes / Changelog
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[h3]GAMEPLAY & QUALITY OF LIFE CHANGES[/h3]
  • New gameplay event: Field Research:
    • Unlocked by a rank 3 node in the general skill-tree.
    • Activate the event by standing near the Research Pod area when it spawns at random location in approximate time intervals.
    • Find and collect Research Samples before the time runs out, the more you get, the higher the reward!
    • After the collection phase ends, deposit the Samples into the Pod to receive bonus tag points from randomized pool (rerollable).
  • New accessibility option: Daylight Mode:
    • Forces the game to take place during the day instead of at night.
    • Can improve the experience for players who find the game too dark.
  • All runs now conclude with Cash pickups being collected from the level, instead of only when the run ended on victory state.
  • Explosive damage type Tag: Gains a new effect - Implosion: Has 1% chance per Tag to refresh and reapply all other active status effects.
  • “Conclude Run” now substitutes the deprecated “Quit to Main Menu” function. When concluding, Survivors no longer play their defeat animations.
  • Reduced the chance of same options appearing again when using the Reroll function on power-up select screen.
  • Damage type colors revised and unified in gameplay, interface and tooltips (Slashing is red, Explosive is yellow, Kinetic is ecru, etc.).

[h3]BALANCE CHANGES[/h3]
  • Burn: Base damage is now 30 per damage tick (from 25).
  • Pyro: Molotov Cocktail: Ice: The Ice portion of this ability now guarantees Freeze status.
  • Mechanic: Chainsaw: Now has wider range and better character rotation.
  • Mechanic: Remote Control Car: RC cars have longer pause between uses & targetting AI improved.
  • Items: Devil’s Deal: Now deals 10% damage every 5s, and activates most on-hit effects.
  • Items: Scented Candle: Status effect duration debuff reduced to -20% (from -25%).
  • Items: Zugzwang Hypergaster XD: Now adds +4 points to tags (from +3).
  • Items: Pills: Damage boost duration increased to 30s (from 20s).
  • Military Training: Luck bonuses increased to 2/5/10/20 (from 2/5/10/15).
  • Military Training: Ability Area bonuses increased to 2,5/10/20/30 (from 2,5/5/10/20).
  • Badges: All damage type badges had their damage and tag amount increased to max +6 & 40% (from +5 & 25%).
  • Badges: Tough Badge: Stat bonuses decreased to max 400 & 25 (from 500 & 50).
  • Badges: Speed Badge: Stat bonuses decreased to max 25% & 40% (from 30% & 50%).
  • Damage Against Elites & Bosses skill tree nodes and badge nerfed (25% → 20%).
  • Achievements: “Explosion!” range requirements lowered.

[h3]BUGFIXES:[/h3]
  • Potential fixes for game crashes, especially ones related to the Extermination mode on Green Hell.
  • F8 Feedback Form should no longer allow the game to be unpaused in the background when it’s in use.
  • Items: “Zugzwang Hypergaster XD” should once again work correctly.
  • Items: Improved the synergy between “Ultra Instinct” and “Omnigeode”.
  • SWAT: Ricochet: Slashing variant now counts to total Slashing damage done.
  • TANK: Bombing Strike: Electric variant fixed to deal electric damage when it’s under 10 tags.
  • Medic: Syringer: Description now correctly displays “Magazine Size” stat instead of “Projectiles fired”.
  • Engineer: Energy Shield: Particle effects position corrected.
  • Huntress: Arrow Rain: Visuals now better coincide with its actual range. Indicators removed for clarity.
  • Other minor fixes (e.g. localization).

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What's next?
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We'll be sure to post hotfixes as needed, but we'll be switching gears to work on the remaining content for version 1.0, specifically the new Survivor and two remaining maps. We haven't decided yet if the next version will be 0.9 or if we'll go straight to the full release, but we'll be sure to let you know as soon as we do (be sure to "follow" the game on Steam to see the latest news!)

For the near future, we plan to work on the things listed below:
  • Ninth Survivor & two missing maps (new map is a priority).
  • Team leader's passives and/or perks for even more run customization.
  • At least one main boss encounter (one main boss for each map planned).
  • More synergies between Survivors, possible item upgrades and/or combinations.
  • Additional column (fifth rank) for the general & Survivors' skill trees (more meta-progression).
  • New endless-like game mode (non-ranked) focused on fun, instead of the fight for survival.
  • Full release on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One/Series & PlayStation 4/5.
  • Steam Deck support improvements / verification.
  • Support for more languages (translations).

PS Don't worry about the missing features, as we plan to support the game after its full release, so we can add more fun content and improvements along the way!

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In case you missed it, we've also created an Official Troubleshooting Guide that we hope will help any of you who encounter any kind of problem with the game (we hope you don't, of course), so take a quick look at it if you have a moment.

Thanks again for sticking with us! We hope you have a great time with the game, and we ask for your patience as we work on the final stretch before the full release - it'll be worth it!

Cheers!


ㅤStay awesome,
ㅤㅤAwesome Games Studio



  Discord  Bluesky  X  Facebook  Instagram


https://store.steampowered.com/app/2163330/Yet_Another_Zombie_Survivors/

Public Beta Test - Version 0.8.1

[h2]Welcome, Survivor![/h2]

We are launching the beta test for the 0.8.1 update to the game. Please read the information below to find out what's changing in this build and how you can help us test things. Keep in mind that everything is subject to change based on your feedback, so please let us know what you think.

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IMPORTANT: To reduce any possible confusion and accelerate the implementation of changes, please keep all the discussion related to the test versions to the spaces listed below: You can also send us your feedback at support@awesomegamesstudio.com
adding "0.8.1 Beta" somewhere in the title of your message. Thanks!

[hr][/hr][h2]How to join the Public Beta Test?[/h2][hr][/hr]
Want to help us out & get an early look at the new version of the game? Awesome!

[h3]DISCLAIMER: Before jumping straight in, please understand, that this version of the game might be unstable, create issues when switching between old & new builds of the game, and may generally be less stable, more buggy, and in an overall imperfect state. We will do our best to help you with any issues, but please understand the risks associated with beta testing.[/h3]

If you understand the potential problems and are willing to take the risk, here's how you can get in:

[h2]How to join:[/h2]
  1. Open your Steam client, find Yet Another Zombie Survivors on your games list, right-click its name and select the "Properties..." option.
  2. Enter the "Betas" tab, click the "None" drop-down menu on the right, and select the "public-beta" option. You can always return to the default version of the game by selecting "None" again.
  3. If you want to share your feedback about the beta version (thanks in advance!), click the image below to join our Discord server (you'll need an account for that, but it'll be worth it, believe me!):


  4. When joined, you will be able to comment on the current beta version in the new #yazs-beta forums, which you can join by selecting it from the drop-down list:
  5. And that's all! If the beta/test version of the game is different from the current one, the Steam will update the game with its changes. You will know that the Beta Branch is active from the "[public-beta]" text to the right of the game's title in your game's library.

[hr][/hr][h2]What should I test in this version?[/h2][hr][/hr]
While this update isn't a major one, the big change in terms of save profiles makes it so we'd prefer to make a beta build of it first, before making it public. Please let us know in cases of any progression loss, as we can both fix your save files (by sending us your save game folder), as well as fix any potential issues that have caused it.

Here are some of the things that have been added/changed in this release:
  • Save Slots: five separate player profiles are now available from the new main menu function.
  • Graphics/display settings (in the Options menu) are now saved locally per device, instead of the Steam Cloud.
  • Research Pod: New gameplay event available through a new general skill tree node. Completing it grants Tag points bonus.
  • New effect for Explosive damage type - Implosion: Can refresh and reapply all other status effects on targets.
  • New accessibility setting - Daylight mode: Forces the run to take place during the day instead of at night.
  • Reroll function improved to offer less previously rolled options in the current power-up queue.
  • Concluding or being defeated vacuums all Cash pickups. "Conclude Run" now substitutes the "Return to Menu" function.
  • Multiple other bugfixes, balance & quality of life changes.

A more detailed changelog can be found at: https://pastebin.com/sm20BrFe

We'll provide the final changelog at the full release of the 0.8.1 update.

[hr][/hr][h2]What should I do if the game works worse or crashes?[/h2][hr][/hr]
Keep us posted on the stability of the game, as we'll continue to work on improving the game and fixing any issues you may encounter with this beta test. If the game stutters or crashes more than before, please let us know!

If your game is performing worse than before, please press F8 on your keyboard and quickly fill out the survey to let us know what's going on. This will also send us your log files so we can check if there are any errors happening in the background.

If your game is crashing, freezing, lagging, or you've lost your progress, please make sure you've checked the Troubleshooting Guide (link below) first, and contact support@awesomegamesstudio.com with the description of the issue you've encountered.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/2163330/discussions/0/830459290005355070/


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Given the importance of the save file changes introduced in this update, we'll probably keep this beta running for about two weeks. We'll also work to make the necessary changes and improvements based on your feedback, and may make major changes to some systems if such a need arises.

Thank you for all your support and patience ːheart_meː

ㅤStay awesome,
ㅤㅤAwesome Games Studio


  Discord X / Twitter Facebook Instagram TikTok

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2163330/Yet_Another_Zombie_Survivors/

Spells and Guns & YAZS Development Update



[h3]Welcome, Survivor![/h3]

How's the spring cleaning going? Any zombies on your lawn? Well, we hope you're dealing with them quickly, because there's more to come! By the way, we're launching yet another game bundle with the great folks at Bolt Blaster Games, featuring their take on the genre, and this one's aimed at CO-OP play!

[h2]The Spell Brigade[/h2]

Spell Brigade is a Survivors-like with Online CO-OP for 1-4 players. Team up with your wizard friends to slay hordes of dark creatures. Complete team-based objectives, unlock new upgrades and create overpowered spell synergies. Friend nor foe is safe in this friendly fire bullet hell!

Check out the bundle below to get both games at a discounted price:

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/52002

[h2]Progress update on Yet Another Zombie Survivors[/h2]

The work on YAZS is proceeding well! We're currently focusing our work on implementing some new in-between major update stuff that should be coming soon with the 0.8.1 Update. It'll consist of:

  • Save Game Profiles - You've asked for this many times, and we're rebuilding the save system to make it possible. You'll be able to use multiple profiles on a single Steam account, each with their own backup files and the ability to copy your saves to different slots.

  • Separate Graphics Settings - This is something we should have done a long time ago, but the storage change gave us a good opportunity to finally implement it. When moving from one device to another, you will no longer be forced to change your graphics settings and screen resolution.

  • A new gameplay event - You asked for a way to get more tags of a certain type, so this will be one of the ways to allow that. The rest is a bit of a mystery as we're still testing different takes and ideas, but we'll show you what it looks like very soon.

  • More Suggestions & Tweaks - We have all of your feedback in one place, ready to be implemented either now or a little later, but we're still going to add as much quality of life as possible for this update. We're also constantly looking at the balance of different elements to create a good foundation for all the upcoming content (maps, modes, meta progression, and the ninth Survivor).

We've also recently created an Official Troubleshooting Guide. for people looking for help troubleshooting various issues they may encounter. Of course, we'll do our best and hope that your gameplay will always be free of any problems, but if you ever find any, we'll be here to help you out ːghsmileː

In the case that you missed what we changed in the last 30 days and are interested in what's happening with the game, here are the latest update posts (you can also check the News section):

Thank you for sticking with us so far! See you soon!


ㅤStay awesome,
ㅤㅤAwesome Games Studio




ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ🥚 Happy Easter with Chopper & Sanji 🐰