The impressive-looking Dead Island 2 is now on track for a Friday, April 21 2023 release - a week earlier than the previously announced April 28, 2023 launch. Deep Silver and developer Dambuster Studios note that the game has gone gold, which sounds like those extra few months of polish are ahead of schedule.

When you consider just how long it's been since Dead Island 2 was announced, this is pretty surprising. We previewed the game last year, where we wrote, "Dead Island 2’s melee-driven combat is built on a procedural system that results in weapon contact feeling weighty, chunky, and impactful in all the right ways. And for that, we can’t wait to play more."

A deadly virus is spreading across Los Angeles, turning its inhabitants into ravenous zombies. The city is in quarantine and the military have retreated. Bitten, infected, but more than just immune, you learn to harness the tainted powers running through your veins. Only you, and the handful of other swaggering assholes who happen to be resistant to the pathogen, hold the future of Los Angeles (and humanity), in the balance. You were born to this.

As you uncover the truth behind the outbreak you’ll uncover the truth of who – or what – you are. Survive, evolve, save the world – just another day in LA!

Explore HELL-A – Dead Island 2 takes players across the most iconic locations of the City of Angels, now stained with horror, in an exciting pulp journey from the verdant suburbia of Beverly Hills to the quirky promenade of Venice Beach.

Brutal Melee Sandbox – Combat delivers the most intense, visceral and gory first person experience possible, with plenty of weapons and brutally tactical options to chew your way through the zombie horde. Whether you’re slicing, smashing, burning or ripping, we want you to truly feel it.

Be the Ultimate Zombie Slayer – There are six characters to choose from, each with their own unique personality and dialogues. You can fully customize the abilities of each Slayer, with our brand-new skill system allowing you to re-spec instantly and try out the craziest builds.

Zombie Infestation – Ready to experience the most advanced dismemberment system in games? Our LA is crawling with zombies that look and react realistically. These mutated wretches are the reanimated, rotten heart of Dead Island 2 with dozens of distinct zombie types, each with their own mutations, attacks and hundreds of visual LA-themed variants. Our monsters are relentless, challenging, and true Los Angelinos. Will you be able to survive?

A Cinematic Co-op Adventure – As a proper RPG experience, Dead Island 2 offers plenty of exciting quests, a crazy cast of characters, and a thrilling pulp story, to truly immerse you in its twisted universe. Re-playability is guaranteed. Add an over-the-top co-op mode for up to three players, and you’ll stay in LA for a very long (and gory) trip.

Dead Island 2 is coming to PC (via the Epic Games Store), PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One.