Project Zomboid 42.22 Pre-Release: Ladders, Crowbars and Servers

Build 42.22 is the first Project Zomboid update to ship through the new Pre-Release branch, and it brings two things players have wanted for years: climbable ladders and crowbars that actually open doors. The Indie Stone put it up for testing on October 27, 2026, followed by hotfixes 42.22.1 (November 4) and 42.22.2 (November 6). Stable is still 42.21, and that matters a lot more for server owners than the ladders do.

The Unstable Branch Is Gone: Meet Pre-Release

The old Unstable branch has been renamed Pre-Release. The Indie Stone says the name caused confusion after Build 42 spent so long in unstable, and the new label also comes with a clearer promise: every update now goes to Pre-Release first, stays there for at least one week, and only then moves to Stable (urgent hotfixes can still skip the line).

For a server owner, this is the part that bites:

Players and server must be on the same branch. A player on Stable 42.21 cannot join a 42.22 Pre-Release server, and the other way around. A public server should stay on Stable.
Old guides that say unstable are out of date. Any SteamCMD command or tutorial that installs the unstable beta no longer gets you 42.22. Use the Pre-Release branch name exactly as Steam lists it in the game's Betas dropdown (reported as pre-release at the time of writing).
Back up before you switch. The devs are blunt about it: they cannot promise a Pre-Release save will carry over to the final release.

If you want to test, the clean way is a second server or a backup you are happy to restore, not your community's 200-day world.

Ladders: Rooftops Are Back in Play

A survivor climbs a wall ladder above a crowd of zombies in Project Zomboid 42.22

This first "rung" of the ladder system lets you climb ladders that are already placed on the map with the E key. Empty swimming pools stop being death traps, and the top floor of the Rosewood Fire Station is finally reachable.

The multiplayer angle is less obvious. Plenty of long-running servers have players living on rooftops and upper floors that were only reachable with sheet ropes or removed stairs. If one of those buildings has a map ladder, it now has a second way in. Worth a heads-up in your Discord before you move to 42.22, so nobody finds out the hard way during a night raid.

Crowbars Now Force Doors, Windows and Gates

Comparison panels showing a survivor forcing doors and climbing ladders in Build 42.22

Right-click with a crowbar and you can now force open locked windows, doors, garage doors and gates. Security doors and jail cell doors are too strong. Burglars are better and quieter at it, Strength helps, weaker characters struggle, and every failed attempt can damage the crowbar.

On a PvE server this is pure quality of life. On a PvP server it is a balance question. The patch notes describe map doors and do not spell out how player-built or player-locked doors behave, so test it on a copy of your world before you promise anyone their base is safe. If it turns out bases are crowbar-able, think about your loot settings too: crowbars just went from a nice weapon to a must-have key.

The Multiplayer Fixes Server Admins Will Notice

Survivors gathered in a wooden building at night in Project Zomboid

The quieter half of 42.22 is the part that makes it worth testing:

PvP damage is calculated server-side. This targets hits that landed on screen but never applied. Expect more consistent PvP, and a server that does a little more work during fights.
Character duplication fixed. The doppelganger / cloned character bug is addressed.
Server backup creation is faster. Good news if you run PZ's own backups on a big map.
Crash fix for players leaving a chunk while chickens sat in a nest box.
"All Known on Start" works again. The sandbox option that reveals the whole map now does its job, and notes written on map items save properly.
Animal fixes. Animals no longer die when their cell unloads, which is exactly what happens on a server when nobody is nearby. Rabbit kits get milk, and chickens stop vanishing from full hutches.
Trailer physics got several fixes, plus updated anti-cheat measures.

42.22.1 Adds Java Runtime Integrity Checks

The first hotfix fixed a vulnerability in eMudhra digital certificate validation and added JRE integrity checks: if the Java runtime has been modified, the version watermark says so. 42.22.2 then fixed Windows clients wrongly showing "attached".

This lines up with The Indie Stone's recent warning about Java mods, which we covered in our post on Project Zomboid Java mods. If your community uses a Java mod loader, expect that watermark, and expect those mods to break on every update. Lua mods from the Workshop are still the supported route.

What This Means for Your Server

Public server: stay on Stable 42.21 until 42.22 lands there. Your players are on Stable by default.
Want to test? Take a full backup, then switch a test server (or a fresh world) to Pre-Release. On DoomHosting, set Steam Beta Branch in the Startup tab to the Pre-Release name and reinstall.
Modded server: check your Workshop list for mods that touch doors, keys or containers. The crowbar change is the most likely thing to clash with them.
When 42.22 hits Stable: back up first, update, and let everyone know ladders and crowbars are live.

Still on an older stable build? Our 42.21 patch notes for servers cover what you are running today.

Worth Testing Now?

For most groups, no. 42.22 is a solid update, but the whole point of Pre-Release is that it can still change, and a split between Stable players and a Pre-Release server is the fastest way to empty a server. Let it bake for its week (or two), then update with everyone at once.

Host Your Project Zomboid Server with DoomHosting

A Project Zomboid server from DoomHosting gives you one-click backups, the Steam Beta Branch setting in the panel, Steam Workshop mods, full FTP access, DDoS protection and 24/7 support. Ready when 42.22 goes Stable.

Climb carefully. Knox County has a lot of ladders now.