42.22.2|Nov 9, 2026
View on Steam↗Project Zomboid 42.22.2: Ladders and Crowbars
3/5 Moderate
Ladder support and crowbar forcing for locked doors and windows arrive alongside walking-action improvements and multiplayer fixes.
Key Changes
- 1Ladder support has been added.
- 2Crowbars can now force locked doors and windows.
- 3A multiplayer character-duplication issue that could potentially kill the affected character has been fixed.
- 4Damage calculations have moved server-side, addressing damage not being applied correctly.
- 5Players can now perform several actions while walking, including opening umbrellas and ripping clothing.
- 6Animals no longer disappear from full hutches on server restart or chunk reload.
- 7Moving vehicles no longer permanently disappear after reconnecting or restarting a server.
All Changes
🪜Movement and Interaction(5)
- newAdded ladder support.
- newcrowbar: Added a crowbar mechanic for forcing locked doors and windows.
- nerfBad Smell: The sleep option is disabled with an explanatory tooltip while the Bad Smell moodle is active.
- changeDuring hand-to-hand combat, the primary item is dropped when holding two heavy items, a flashlight and a heavy item, or two flashlights.
- buffPlayers can now perform several actions while walking, including opening umbrellas and ammunition boxes, ripping clothing and sheets, changing batteries, extinguishing lights, handling propane bottles and moving cigarettes into or out of packs.
🔧Crafting and Items(6)
- changePlayer-crafted Makeshift Radios and Makeshift Walkie Talkies use their corresponding tile encumbrance values instead of randomized values; the makeshift walkie talkie inventory value is now 5.
- buffRaccoon skulls: Raccoon skulls can now be used in appropriate animal skull necklace recipes.
- newlighters: Added a recipe to refill lighters using gasoline, a funnel and a surface.
- changeConsolidated multiple metal-sawing recipes, allowing more inputs and ingredients.
- newFlashlights: Handheld lightsources support texture swapping, with flashlight lenses displaying On/Off textures to indicate their powered state.
- fixFixed incorrect encumbrance values for some moveable tiles.
🗺️Mapping and Modding(4)
- fixFixed tile definitions, transparent commercial windows, map inconsistencies and typos, and dirt placement on townhouse.lua.
- changeBinary map files were moved into .source text files and are generated and cached during development.
- changeUpdated the biome map and depthmap textures.
- newCustom maps can now include Town Preview videos.
🌐Multiplayer Fixes(24)
- fixAdded protections against more cheats.
- fixFixed a doppelganger issue that could duplicate and potentially kill a character at a chunk edge.
- fixMoved damage calculations server-side, addressing damage not being applied correctly.
- fixImproved server backup creation speed.
- fixAll Known On Start: Fixed the All Known On Start map sandbox option not working in multiplayer.
- fixFixed multiple trailer physics and towing desynchronization issues.
- fixFixed client errors involving NetworkZombieMind, the stash debugger, Loading Map and LootZed container refills.
- fixFixed server errors and hangs involving ItemContainer.getCharacter(), registered entities and IsoGridSquare.BurnWalls with multi-tile objects.
- fixFixed moving vehicles permanently disappearing after reconnecting or restarting the server.
- fixButcher Hook: Fixed animals on a Butcher Hook glitching onto the floor when shot.
- fixFixed maps being unreadable in containers and their notes or markings vanishing after being stored and retrieved.
- fixTimed action instant cheat: Fixed the Timed action instant cheat not working for server admins transferring items to or from containers.
- fixFixed Recently Used sorting in Crafting and Building windows.
- fixFixed removed fish bait being impossible to re-add to a fishing rod.
- fixFixed server descriptions disappearing when special characters were used.
- fixFixed whisper chats closing server-wide when a player disconnected or respawned.
- fixFixed Show connection info and Show server info settings not saving after the client was relaunched.
- fixFixed removed bandages remaining visible on remote players.
- fixSmash Window: Fixed unarmed characters taking damage after interrupting Smash Window.
- fixZombie Count Before Deletion: Fixed Zombie Count Before Deletion incorrectly marking zombies within a player's protected range as safe to delete.
- fixFixed character clothing stopping its updates for other players and generating excessive server errors.
- fixFixed player-built structures and their contents vanishing with a Forward Direction error.
- fixFixed inventory selections being cleared during combat with zombies.
- fixFixed vegetation not updating with seasonal changes and visibility breaking when entering certain player-made buildings.
🎮Split-Screen Fixes(3)
- fixCat’s Eyes: Fixed Cat’s Eyes lighter-night effects applying to a split-screen player without the trait.
- fixFixed doubled chat-box text in split-screen.
- fixFixed a freeze when a split-screen player rejoined while the other character was fishing.
🐛Bug Fixes(27)
- fixFixed animals dying while a player was away from their animal zone.
- fixFixed a crash when leaving a chunk containing chickens in a nest box with eggs.
- fixFixed animals being deleted from full hutches on server restart or chunk reload.
- fixdoes: Fixed does not producing milk for their kits; characters still cannot milk them.
- fixFixed Alice Belts and Chest Rigs not speeding up magazine-based reloading.
- fixFixed being unable to build window frames on E and S walls from inside a structure without floor support.
- fixFixed controller and Steam Deck errors when reading brochures or fliers and furniture rotation not working.
- fixButcher Hook: Fixed a None message when selecting Bleed on the Butcher Hook.
- fixAnimal Info: Fixed Animal Info being available for dead animals inside trailers.
- fixFixed infinite animal corpses in inventory; animals killed there are now held in both hands until dropped or another animal is picked up.
- fixFixed a screwdriver displaying incorrectly when disassembling items with a blowtorch.
- fixFixed Toasters and Coffee Machines functioning without grid or generator power.
- fixStrength: Fixed Strength XP not being awarded when using the Cut down Tree context-menu action.
- fixUpdated localization and fixed translation errors, including missing spaces, underscores and inconsistent names.
- fixFixed characters failing to move to sow or harvest when their path crossed crops.
- fixFixed placed or dropped items not fading behind walls and certain walls visually overlapping objects.
- fixBuilding Stories: Fixed randomized Building Stories sometimes failing to load depending on approach direction.
- fixFixed an infrequent zombie spawn error while exploring and an occasional error near the end of save loading.
- fixFixed harvesting plants at 10976x6692 producing infinite errors.
- fixfishing rod: Fixed characters becoming locked into fishing mode after using a fishing rod as a weapon near water.
- fixpillows: Fixed pillows on the SE tile of 4-tile double beds not counting toward sleep quality.
- fixFixed Animal Bones and Bone Spears not appearing lodged in zombies.
- fixFixed errors when specific actions were bound to mouse buttons through UI options.
- fixFixed un-barricading allowing planks to exceed inventory capacity.
- fixFixed external doors being impossible to lock from inside without a key; deadbolts work again.
- fixFixed car keys appearing next to untouched cars after leaving and returning.
- fixFixed specific fence corners being impossible to jump over.
🔊SFX(2)
- newAdded sounds for equipping and unequipping melee weapons and throwables, ladder footsteps, climbing Sheet Rope and Burpees.
- fixFixed Disinfect Rag audio synchronization, carpet footsteps, repeated multiplayer vehicle headlight sounds and duplicated multiplayer throwable sounds.
🛠️Debug and Technical(6)
- fixFixed a long pause when saving in the depth-texture editor.
- changeRemoved TimSort and PZArrayList, moved tile definitions to a tile_definitions subfolder and replaced .tiles files with files generated from .txt.
- newHorde Manager: Added a Useless zombie toggle to Horde Manager in debug mode.
- fixFixed a vulnerability related to eMudhra digital certificate validation.
- newAdded JRE integrity checks that indicate detected Java Runtime Environment modifications in the version watermark.
- fixUpdated third-party software licence acknowledgements and fixed integrity checks incorrectly displaying attached on Windows.
Summary
Gameplay and crafting
Players can perform more actions while walking, refill lighters and use raccoon skulls in appropriate necklace recipes. Bad Smell now disables sleeping, and crafted makeshift radios use fixed tile-based encumbrance values.
Fixes
Multiplayer fixes address duplicated characters, damage application, server hangs, disappearing vehicles and structures, and towing desynchronization. Animal, controller, building and split-screen issues have also been fixed.
Audio and technical
New sounds cover equipment, ladders, Sheet Rope and Burpees. The release also adds JRE integrity checks, fixes a certificate-validation vulnerability and lets custom maps include Town Preview videos.