The best things always come in threes. Dambuster Studios’ have just confirmed that Dead Island 3 will be next-gen and is set to launch on the PlayStation 6. Eager fans may have to keep their patience in check though, as it’s unlikely to release until early 2028. The developers are aiming for a Quarter1/Quarter 2 launch and all teams at Dambuster Studios’ are hard at work to make that deadline a reality.

Of course, Dambuster Studios’ shared this information with the public in the least exciting way possible. Taking from the yearly earnings reports and then reposted on X, the mention of the game’s expected release date was uncovered.

With it being more common to learn about delays and cancellations lately — looking squarely at you Rockstar! — it’s great to hear that a new installment of a franchise has been confirmed for next-gen consoles. Earlier this year, we got the saddening news that an unannounced Bladerunner game had been canceled for both XBox and PlayStation’s upcoming next-gen consoles, which is never great to hear.

Thankfully, Dead Island 3 is all systems go. The expected release date puts Dead Island 3 firmly in that next-gen timeframe, as reliable leaks have all but confirmed that Sony is set to launch the PlayStation 6 in either late 2027 or early 2028. With that in mind, it is a safe assumption that Dead Island 3 will be cross-gen for PS5/PS6 bringing crystal clear zombie chaos to our screens like never before.

Why the Dead Island Series Grabs Attention

Dead Island released back in September 2011 and offered players an RPG survival horror zombie game. With its emphasis on varied enemy types, creative weapon crafting combinations, limb dismemberment and chaotic zombie crowd control, it appealed to many. The difficulty was challenging and tips and tricks for new players were a must for survival. Strategy and planning took priority over button mashing.

Dead Island 2 was released in April 2023 and delivered mindless zombie-crunching gore wrapped in a fun, action-packed world. As covered in our Dead Island 2 review, it’s slick performance, tightly designed play areas, satisfying and strategic F.L.E.S.H combat system, and even its attention to gruesome gory fun made it a standout of 2023. Deeper NPC character arcs, slicker gameplay and strong visuals made it a worthy successor to the original.

As confirmed by Deep Silver publishing, the only question that remains for the 20+ million Dead Island 2 players out there is, where will you be playing Dead Island 3? Is there still life in your PlayStation 5, or will you be shelling out for a PS6 at launch? Who knows, we might even be finished with all the GTA6 delays at that stage, fingers crossed!

Systems

Released

April 21, 2023

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs

Developer(s)

Dambuster Studios

Publisher(s)

Deep Silver

Engine

Unreal Engine 4

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op

Franchise

Dead Island

Number of Players

1-3