For the players of DayZ, there is a click-bully moment posing Bohemia Interactive: the next best expansion, DayZ Badlands, guaranteeing an improvement in 2026. Nasdara Province is the big 267 km² wilderness map, yet another fourth-tier survival test for the hardcore. Feedback has been mixed so far.
The tweet announcing the kind of expansion long awaited soon set reactions ablaze-hot; the reactions ranged from sheer excitement to outright air of frustration. Some have been counting the days to Badlands, whilst others like Jason Smith (@Glxmmr) questioned whether the Badlands would be bigger than Chernarus (answer: Yes, it really is). Then, there are those less amused with a 2026 unwrapping like @JDM_scoobdawg20, joking that the game will be “dead asf” on consoles by then.
Then gets the drama. Certain sectors of the community have been raising their voice against Bohemia for “recycling” content, with @dearlydarren accusing them of basically ripping off the Takistan map from Arma 2. Then @jonheus077 took that a step further and blamed the developers for “fucking over” community servers and modders instead of fixing the problems on his behalf. Ouch.
Optimization complaints were pouring in, with console players joining in. @Kazru88 was insisting on a native PS5/Xbox Series X port, claiming that last-gen performance ruins balance. @BornOfMortem seconded this opinion, insisting DayZ “should’ve never released” on older consoles to begin with. And the last one, @SniffinToes, said he needed cigarettes for warmth—priorities.
Base-building enthusiasts weren’t left unscathed. @Merxly began to spam for “doors, windows, codelocks,” while @Matthew60552173 only wanted “new base building upgrades.” Then, lore buffs like @BIBIXHD wanted to know if Badlands had any hidden stories, similar to Namalsk.
Amid the mayhem, there are some who are all in. @Ravplays labeled 2026 as the year of “World Cup, GTA 6, and a new DayZ expansion,” while @CarlosAfraka boldly said he might be a “Bohemia kinda guy.”
So yes, with mixed sentiments. DayZ Badlands is coming through but whether it will be one for the win or another sore tooth for the community is something we will see. However, you can wishlist it on Steam… and maybe pray for a miracle patch before 2026.
