Project Zomboid 42.22 Adds Climbable Ladders and Crowbar Break-Ins

Project Zomboid update 42.22 gives ladders and crowbars practical uses while The Indie Stone changes how builds move through testing. The update is available now on the pre-release branch, where players can try the changes and help identify problems before they reach the stable branch.

The ladder work is an early step rather than a finished overhaul: 42.22 adds what the studio calls the “first rung” of implementation. Players can climb up and down, opening a new way to navigate buildings and reach elevated areas. With ladders scattered across Knox Country, The Indie Stone is asking people in the test branch to try as many as they can. That broad coverage matters here; a ladder that works in one location may still fail elsewhere, so the studio wants feedback from players exploring different parts of the map.

Crowbars now serve as tools for forcing entry. Players can use them on a range of locked windows, doors and gates, including garage doors. Some locations, such as jail cells, remain too difficult to break into this way. The time it takes to force a lock depends in part on the character: higher strength helps, and the Burglar trait provides an additional bonus. That gives the tool a more defined role in survival runs, while leaving some barriers beyond its reach.

A shorter route through testing

Update 42.22 also marks a change in the studio’s release process. The former “unstable” branch has been renamed “pre-release” to make its purpose clearer: builds will go through a period of testing there before reaching the stable branch. The Indie Stone says it expects builds to spend at least one week in pre-release, giving players time to find issues and modders a window to prepare for changes.

The studio says it will send future builds through this stage before they move to stable, except when an urgent fix needs to go straight to the live version. The shift is meant to reduce the long wait associated with stable updates. For players, the name change also sets a clearer expectation: pre-release builds are closer to a planned rollout, but they’re still being tested and may have problems.

That testing window has particular value for a game with a large map, a broad set of interactions and an active modding community. A new movement option can touch many places and situations, while changes to objects or character traits can affect existing play styles. A week of testing gives players and modders a chance to see how a build behaves before it becomes the default version. The practical result will depend on what testers find and how the studio responds, but 42.22 is the first build to use this newly named stage.

Small changes across everyday play

The update pairs its headline features with a set of balance adjustments and fixes. Players can now push objects while carrying items in both hands and open ammunition boxes while walking. Sleeping is blocked when a character is close to a bad smell, changing when resting is possible. Large trees should obstruct visibility less often, which may make it easier to see what’s nearby while moving through wooded areas.

The Indie Stone has also fixed several problems connected to animal deaths. In multiplayer, the update addresses duplicate characters and incorrect calculations for player-versus-player damage. These fixes sit alongside the new tools and movement options, rounding out a build that changes both how players interact with the world and how some situations resolve.

For returning players, the most noticeable shift may be how these features reshape familiar routines. Climbable ladders offer another route through a location, while crowbars add a way to tackle certain locked entrances. Neither tool removes every obstacle: ladder access depends on where one is available, and some secured doors remain out of reach. The update therefore adds options without turning every barrier into an easy passage.

Update 42.22 is available through Steam’s “Game Versions and Betas” section in the game’s properties menu. The Indie Stone advises players to back up their saves before moving them to the testing build. Once the studio is satisfied with the results, it plans to move the update to the stable version. Until then, ladder testing and reports from the pre-release branch will help shape what makes it into the wider release.

Read The Indie Stone’s 42.22 patch notes for the full list of changes. Players looking for more games in the genre can browse this guide to zombie games.

Ken Allsop, News Writer