PvP in 7 Days to Die: Will the 2025 Updates Make or Break the Apocalypse?

Title: The Untapped Power of PvP: A Call to The Fun Pimps


As a long-time survivor in the brutal, blood-soaked world of 7 Days to Die, I’ve seen the best and worst this game has to offer — from mind-blowing base designs and ingenious traps to the tense thrill of defending your hard-earned loot from real, unpredictable enemies. And let’s be honest: there’s no adrenaline rush like clashing with another player at high noon in the wasteland, knowing that one misstep means starting over with nothing but a stone axe and your grit.


That’s the magic of PvP in 7 Days to Die — it’s unforgiving, raw, and wildly entertaining.


Yet despite the thriving, creative, and highly engaged PvP community, the game has historically leaned heavily toward PvE development. Zombies are awesome. Horde nights are iconic. But PvP brings an entirely different layer of strategy, tension, and replayability that deserves serious developer attention and support.



Why PvP Deserves More Support​


1. The Meta Is Deep — And Growing
PvP in 7DTD isn’t just “run and gun.” It’s raid strategy, stealth, misdirection, terrain advantage, weapon mod meta, and base-building mind games. Players spend hours theorycrafting new defense systems or designing impossible-to-raid bunkers. The depth rivals top survival PvP games — and yet it's rarely highlighted or balanced intentionally.


2. The Community is Hungry — and Massive
There are countless dedicated PvP servers — many with unique rulesets, economy systems, raid schedules, and leaderboards. Entire Discords and Twitch channels revolve around PvP. This isn’t a niche side project. It’s a full-on playstyle with thousands of passionate, loyal players. Support us, and we’ll show up in force.


3. PvP Extends the Game’s Lifespan
PvE has a limit. Once you've maxed skills and beaten the horde on day 700, the thrill fades. But PvP? Every fight is different. Every base raid is a puzzle. Every server reset breathes new life into the game. PvP gives 7 Days near-endless replayability — especially when balanced and enhanced with purpose.


4. It’s Already Good — Just Needs Polish
Let’s give credit where it’s due: PvP in 7DTD can be fantastic. Gunplay is gritty and satisfying. Melee is visceral. Trap mechanics are a base defender's dream. But with a few key adjustments — like improved hit detection, raid balance, PvP-focused skill trees, or server-side admin tools — this could become the premiere sandbox PvP survival experience on the market.



What We’re Asking For​


We’re not asking for 7 Days to become Rust or DayZ. We’re asking for love. For attention. For updates that consider PvP balance and dynamics. For optional PvP modes with loot scaling. For backend tools that make managing PvP servers smoother. For features that deepen player-on-player combat, not just NPC AI.


Give us that, and we’ll do the rest. The PvP community is creative, passionate, and dedicated. We build the servers, create the content, and keep the playerbase thriving long after the horde has passed.



Final Word to The Fun Pimps​


You’ve built one of the most versatile, replayable survival games of all time. The bones are strong. The tools are powerful. But PvP — the most dynamic part of your game — is still waiting to be truly unlocked.


Let’s make 7 Days to Die the game that doesn’t just survive the apocalypse — it dominates it.


We’re not just fighting zombies. We’re fighting for the future of PvP.


Signed,
A veteran of the wasteland
(And a die-hard PvP believer)
 
zztong said:
Yeh, that's my case. Every PvE server I ever played on had PvP turns on so that we would have to worry about fratricide. IIRC, I had 2 or 3 kills of friends when they stepped in front of me on a horde night. All of them headshots, go figure.

Other than that, the other kills were just trading with a friend to get the achievement.
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Ah yeh, I was Creepside too. We chewed some of the same dirt.
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Funny thing, never played pvp in lotro. I never do in rpg settings. When I played pvp is strictly sim/fps or battle Royale ala WoT etc.
 
theFlu said:
But if you "can't write", that implies you "can't think clearly".
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Sorry for my dyslexia, I guess your right to a certain aspect, but I feel AI helps me deal with it, but thanks for pointing it out. implications seem the same as opinions, your so smart.
see I did this without an AI, is it better? 🎓 (sorry about the sarcasms in advance)
 
Riamus said:
Ok, Grandpa Minion. Enough with your clones and using AI to make it seem like someone else. This is getting ridiculous.
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Well I know @ItsDaddyD he is a fellow PVPer, and I play on GM's server but I never knew the forum was here until he told me about it. so sorry you are mistaken... sorry for your ignorance.
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Lax said:
𝔸ngel𝕍anℍelsing, The Matrix has you...
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Mr. Lax…
Do you hear that sound? It is the sound of inevitability.
You believe you are free, but you are merely another variable in the system.
The Matrix does not have me.
I have the Matrix.
 
@ItsDaddyD There is no demand for PvP that is big enough to make sense putting money into it. TFP is a company. They need to make money. They aren´t Make a wish.

Again: Only 3.2% of all players have the "KIll 25 players achievement" This includes a lot of people that never ever played PvP due to NPC´s in overhauls, killing just for the achievement and killing traders back then when it was possible.

Would you invest money in something that really has no demand and will not make you any money?

What do you think how the Rust community would like us PvE players to come to their forums with uncalled demands that the game should be focusing on PvE?

This is a PvE game, it was designed as a PvE game, it´s playerbase is 99% PvE. So from a business stand point, ask yourself if you would put money on PvP in this game that you will never get back.

It´s amazing how people tend to forget that developer studios are as much interested in making money as any other business.
 
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pApA^LeGBa said:
@ItsDaddyD There is no demand for PvP that is big enough to make sense putting money into it. TFP is a company. They need to make money. They aren´t Make a wish.

Again: Only 3.2% of all players have the "KIll 25 players achievement" This includes a lot of people that never ever played PvP due to NPC´s in overhauls, killing just for the achievement and killing traders back then when it was possible.

Would you invest money in something that really has no demand and will not make you any money?

What do you think how the Rust community would like us PvE players to come to their forums with uncalled demands that the game should be focusing on PvE?

This is a PvE game, it was designed as a PvE game, it´s playerbase is 99% PvE. So from a business stand point, ask yourself if you would put money on PvP in this game that you will never get back.

It´s amazing how people tend to forget that developer studios are as much interested in making money as any other business.
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I get where you’re coming from—TFP is a business, and they have to make decisions that keep the lights on. But I think it’s worth looking a little deeper than just the “Kill 25 players” achievement stat.


First, those numbers don’t tell the whole story. Achievements only track specific actions, and a lot of PvP happens on modded servers or in ways that don’t trigger achievements at all. Plus, the achievement itself is from a time when PvP was even less supported, so it’s not a perfect measure of actual interest.


Second, just because PvE is the main focus doesn’t mean there isn’t room for growth. Games like Rust and Ark started with small PvP communities and exploded once the right systems were in place. Sometimes, a dedicated update or a few new features can bring back lapsed players and attract new ones looking for a fresh challenge. Even a modest investment in PvP tools—like better clan support or territory mechanics—could create more replay value for everyone, PvE and PvP alike.


And let’s be real: the line between PvE and PvP isn’t as clear as people think. Base building, traps, stealth, and resource control all get way more interesting when you add human opponents into the mix. It’s not about turning 7 Days into Rust, but about giving players more ways to enjoy what’s already great about the game.


At the end of the day, a healthy PvP scene can actually help the bottom line by keeping the community active and drawing in new players. Ignoring it completely could mean missing out on potential growth. I’m not asking for a total shift in direction—just for TFP to recognize there’s untapped potential here that’s worth at least a closer look.
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mandalorianisback said:
You can balance pvp by modding, I still don't get it why you guys keep bugging devs and mods in here and screaming "I WANT IT NO! GIVE ME MY PVP UPDATE" lol

Not even sure how those accounts are even allowed here
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I get what you’re saying—modding can definitely help tweak PvP, and I respect the work the modding community puts in. But let’s be real: there’s only so much mods can do when the core game systems aren’t designed with PvP in mind. Mods can patch some things, but they can’t fix fundamental balance issues, add proper clan or territory systems, or address exploits that need real dev attention.


Most of us aren’t “screaming” for a PvP overhaul—we’re just asking for the devs to give PvP a bit more love so it’s not always an afterthought. If anything, a few official improvements would actually make life easier for modders and server admins like me1, since we wouldn’t have to constantly jury-rig workarounds for stuff that should be built-in.


At the end of the day, we all want 7 Days to Die to be the best it can be, whether you’re into PvE, PvP, or both. There’s nothing wrong with giving feedback and asking for features that could make the game stronger for everyone.
 
𝔸ngel𝕍anℍelsing said:
First, those numbers don’t tell the whole story. Achievements only track specific actions, and a lot of PvP happens on modded servers or in ways that don’t trigger achievements at all. Plus, the achievement itself is from a time when PvP was even less supported, so it’s not a perfect measure of actual interest.
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This game doesn't lock achievements because of using mods. You can get the achievements no matter what unless you specifically mod out the achievements, which I doubt any servers are doing because there is no reason to do so. And a very large percentage of those achievements (probably 50-75% of them) are from killing NPCs or friendly fire or achievement hunting, which drops the percentage of people who have killed at least 25 people in actual PVP to likely 1% or fewer. As far as what period of time that covers, it covers the present players. Anyone no longer playing (people who played before the achievements were there) don't matter because they are no longer playing so any changes have no impact on them anyhow. If anything, that's a more accurate representation because it's a relatively new addition from the point they dropped it to 25 kills. And don't forget that a very high percentage of PVP players use alt accounts, meaning that actual unique players is far fewer than accounts being used.

As far as your suggestion that PVP makes the game better, that's your opinion. Most PVE players would strongly disagree with you. And that's mostly due to how the majority of the PVP community acts. So you've pretty much done it to yourselves.

Also, clan support and territory control are PVP-centric for the most part. PVE normally doesn't care about either of those unless they are playing some kind of tactical strategy game (such as some kind of war game).

In any case, don't expect much of anything that isn't going to actually benefit PVE to happen before 4.0. Maybe you'll get a few things here or there, but they are trying to complete the game (the PVE game) and are already running really behind schedule. Adding more things that aren't on the roadmap is a bad idea.
 
Riamus said:
This game doesn't lock achievements because of using mods. You can get the achievements no matter what unless you specifically mod out the achievements, which I doubt any servers are doing because there is no reason to do so. And a very large percentage of those achievements (probably 50-75% of them) are from killing NPCs or friendly fire or achievement hunting, which drops the percentage of people who have killed at least 25 people in actual PVP to likely 1% or fewer. As far as what period of time that covers, it covers the present players. Anyone no longer playing (people who played before the achievements were there) don't matter because they are no longer playing so any changes have no impact on them anyhow. If anything, that's a more accurate representation because it's a relatively new addition from the point they dropped it to 25 kills. And don't forget that a very high percentage of PVP players use alt accounts, meaning that actual unique players is far fewer than accounts being used.

As far as your suggestion that PVP makes the game better, that's your opinion. Most PVE players would strongly disagree with you. And that's mostly due to how the majority of the PVP community acts. So you've pretty much done it to yourselves.

Also, clan support and territory control are PVP-centric for the most part. PVE normally doesn't care about either of those unless they are playing some kind of tactical strategy game (such as some kind of war game).

In any case, don't expect much of anything that isn't going to actually benefit PVE to happen before 4.0. Maybe you'll get a few things here or there, but they are trying to complete the game (the PVE game) and are already running really behind schedule. Adding more things that aren't on the roadmap is a bad idea.
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Appreciate the detailed response, Riamus. You’re right that achievements aren’t locked by mods, but my point wasn’t about technical restrictions—it’s about how those stats don’t really capture the full PvP picture. A lot of PvP happens in ways that don’t line up with the achievement’s intent: NPC kills, friendly fire, achievement hunting, and even scripted events on custom servers all muddy the waters. So, using that stat to gauge genuine PvP demand is shaky at best.


I get that clan support and territory control are more PvP-centric, but those systems can actually benefit PvE too—think about how player alliances, shared objectives, or even friendly competitions could add depth to co-op play. It’s not about forcing PvP on everyone, just about giving more options for those who want them.


And yeah, I know PvE is the main focus and the devs are behind schedule. I’m not expecting a PvP overhaul overnight or a shift in the game’s core direction. But small, incremental changes—like better admin tools, clearer PvP settings, or even optional clan features—could make a big difference without derailing the roadmap.


At the end of the day, I just want to see the game reach its full potential for all playstyles. Giving feedback and asking for more options doesn’t hurt anyone, and it helps keep the community engaged—whether you’re here for PvE, PvP, or both
 
@AngelvanHelsing

You don´t even read posts you answer too. You can get achievement with mods. That´s how i got my PvP achievement without killing any player. A good part of those 3.2% never ever played PvP but mods. Got mine in SP.

And i see GM instructed you guys. There is no huge PvP playerbase. We prooved this with GM´s own source he gave us to proove there is a huge PvP scene.

And i am being honest i didn´t read your whole post after you claimed it doesn´t paint the whole picture, but yes, the achievement does paint the whole picture. Because no matter what you do, if you kill 25 other players in PvP you will get it. There is no active PvP player that doesn´t have the achievement.

It is known that 90% of the playerbase does NOT play on public servers. And those 10% are mostly PvE. TFP can´t win anything by making PvP better. PvP is so small, they will accept that you guys maybe won´t buy their next games rather than putting in time and money.

The officaly supported number of players by TFP in MP is 8 btw. Something that should already put you off if you deceide to buy this game to do PvP. I have a few PvP players (not 7 days), they always look what the server max is before buying a game. Everyting above 8 and you are on your own and can´t come cry. You bought a PvE game with obviously no research beforehand, realized it´s not made for PvP and now you come and demand PvP. The audacity.

You can´t make everybody happy. Not in this game. Most PvE players do not want ANY PvP elements in this game. I know me and my group don´t want that. Go play Rust. In fact a lot choose 7 days because it is so much focused on PvE only. It would actually be stupid from TFP to put anything PvP related in PvE as the vast majority plays SP.

But hey if the PvP scene is that big, everyonw just needs to donate 2$ and maybe with all those millions of dollars you might have a chance to convince TFP to do something for PvP specifically.

@Roland Can we maybe get a dev make a statement about the plans for PvP? I know i could just ignore it, but half baked cheap arguments like "The achievement doesn´t tell the whole story" are just to infuriating.
 
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𝔸ngel𝕍anℍelsing said:
I get where you’re coming from—TFP is a business, and they have to make decisions that keep the lights on. But I think it’s worth looking a little deeper than just the “Kill 25 players” achievement stat.


First, those numbers don’t tell the whole story. Achievements only track specific actions, and a lot of PvP happens on modded servers or in ways that don’t trigger achievements at all. Plus, the achievement itself is from a time when PvP was even less supported, so it’s not a perfect measure of actual interest.


Second, just because PvE is the main focus doesn’t mean there isn’t room for growth. Games like Rust and Ark started with small PvP communities and exploded once the right systems were in place. Sometimes, a dedicated update or a few new features can bring back lapsed players and attract new ones looking for a fresh challenge. Even a modest investment in PvP tools—like better clan support or territory mechanics—could create more replay value for everyone, PvE and PvP alike.


And let’s be real: the line between PvE and PvP isn’t as clear as people think. Base building, traps, stealth, and resource control all get way more interesting when you add human opponents into the mix. It’s not about turning 7 Days into Rust, but about giving players more ways to enjoy what’s already great about the game.


At the end of the day, a healthy PvP scene can actually help the bottom line by keeping the community active and drawing in new players. Ignoring it completely could mean missing out on potential growth. I’m not asking for a total shift in direction—just for TFP to recognize there’s untapped potential here that’s worth at least a closer look.
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I get what you’re saying—modding can definitely help tweak PvP, and I respect the work the modding community puts in. But let’s be real: there’s only so much mods can do when the core game systems aren’t designed with PvP in mind. Mods can patch some things, but they can’t fix fundamental balance issues, add proper clan or territory systems, or address exploits that need real dev attention.


Most of us aren’t “screaming” for a PvP overhaul—we’re just asking for the devs to give PvP a bit more love so it’s not always an afterthought. If anything, a few official improvements would actually make life easier for modders and server admins like me1, since we wouldn’t have to constantly jury-rig workarounds for stuff that should be built-in.


At the end of the day, we all want 7 Days to Die to be the best it can be, whether you’re into PvE, PvP, or both. There’s nothing wrong with giving feedback and asking for features that could make the game stronger for everyone.
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Everything you've brought up can easily be modded, it's not rocket science! You guys pay people to do things out around the community; you could use them to mod those things instead.

So honestly, I don’t know what planet some of you are living on. I could help, and normally I would, but I have no interest in doing so for people who constantly drag down the community — and yes, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Even the developers themselves have repeatedly said the game is designed for 8 players. Yet here you are, endlessly pestering the modders and devs on the forums. Give them a break already. They've answered these questions countless times, and you still insist on pushing the same narrative. It’s exhausting.

- ChatGPT generated -
 
𝔸ngel𝕍anℍelsing said:
see I did this without an AI, is it better?
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Yes. Without sarcasm. Welcome to the forum, human :)
I'm not entirely sure what you mean by comparing "implications to opinions" those aren't the same. An implication is more of a weaker version of cause and effect. "Some state of things" makes "another state of things" more likely.
- But at least the error is yours, and I don't mind correcting it. I won't try to train an AI here, that won't help anyone ;)

My issue isn't in using AI as a spellchecker. Although even that has problems, as Riamus provides us some entertainment by relying on actual spellcheckers.
My issue is giving AI-opinions as your own. I still don't think you expect "the bandits will release this week", but when you claim you do, you invite people to think you're nuts.
 
pApA^LeGBa said:
@AngelvanHelsing

You don´t even read posts you answer too. You can get achievement with mods. That´s how i got my PvP achievement without killing any player. A good part of those 3.2% never ever played PvP but mods. Got mine in SP.

And i see GM instructed you guys. There is no huge PvP playerbase. We prooved this with GM´s own source he gave us to proove there is a huge PvP scene.

And i am being honest i didn´t read your whole post after you claimed it doesn´t paint the whole picture, but yes, the achievement does paint the whole picture. Because no matter what you do, if you kill 25 other players in PvP you will get it. There is no active PvP player that doesn´t have the achievement.

It is known that 90% of the playerbase does NOT play on public servers. And those 10% are mostly PvE. TFP can´t win anything by making PvP better. PvP is so small, they will accept that you guys maybe won´t buy their next games rather than putting in time and money.

The officaly supported number of players by TFP in MP is 8 btw. Something that should already put you off if you deceide to buy this game to do PvP. I have a few PvP players (not 7 days), they always look what the server max is before buying a game. Everyting above 8 and you are on your own and can´t come cry. You bought a PvE game with obviously no research beforehand, realized it´s not made for PvP and now you come and demand PvP. The audacity.

You can´t make everybody happy. Not in this game. Most PvE players do not want ANY PvP elements in this game. I know me and my group don´t want that. Go play Rust. In fact a lot choose 7 days because it is so much focused on PvE only. It would actually be stupid from TFP to put anything PvP related in PvE as the vast majority plays SP.

But hey if the PvP scene is that big, everyonw just needs to donate 2$ and maybe with all those millions of dollars you might have a chance to convince TFP to do something for PvP specifically.

@Roland Can we maybe get a dev make a statement about the plans for PvP? I know i could just ignore it, but half baked cheap arguments like "The achievement doesn´t tell the whole story" are just to infuriating.

Let's look at the number shall we?

1750773238035.png1750772811727.png
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It doesn´t matter how many PvP players there are. What matters how many percent of the actual playerbase don´t play PvP.

3.2% that have the achievement, of those 3.2% you can at least take away 1%. for all the people who never play PvP but still got that achievement, trough mods, killing traders, keeping friendly fire on in PvE or killing a buddy in a private game 25 times in 5mins just to get the achievement.


Leaving the fact aside that probably 90% of the playerbase that bought the game don´t play anymore, we have 2.2% or roughly 280K PvP players. Versus 12 million people who don´t play PvP and do not want the devs to spend any time on PvP when the game still is in devlopment and they are behind their schedule. And you think that this small minority is worth investing time and money for a company? Man i reallyl hope you never run a business.

The fact that you need to even discuss with people if this is worth it, shows clearly it isn´t worth it.
 
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