Dead Island 3 Sets an Unofficial Launch Date

A recent end-of-year financial report from Dambuster Studios reveals that a new installment in the Dead Island series is in the works. According to the report, Dambuster is fully committed to developing Dead Island 3, which is expected to launch in 2028.

“Following the release of Dead Island 2 Ultimate Edition in October 2024, our main focus is now on Dead Island 3,” the report states. “All developers are dedicated to this project, and once the Luna and Mac versions of Dead Island 2 are finished, the entire QA team will shift their efforts to Dead Island 3.”

Originally, Dead Island 2 was set to be developed by Techland, the studio behind the 2011 title and its 2013 spin-off, Dead Island: Riptide. However, Deep Silver later opted for a sequel pitch from Yager Development. This collaboration ended in 2015 when the visions for the game diverged. By March 2016, Sumo Digital had taken over development, but after a period of silence, it was revealed that the project had transitioned to Deep Silver’s internal team, Dambuster Studios. The game finally launched in April 2023 and quickly gained traction, surpassing 20 million players by September, prompting Deep Silver to greenlight a third mainline entry.

Players will need to be patient, as Dead Island 3 is currently projected for release in the first half of 2028.

“Parts of the game are now in early production, with feature, character, world, and story design progressing rapidly,” Dambuster’s 2025 fiscal report notes. “The anticipated release window for the project is Q1/2 2028.”