Hello, commanders!
Thank you for playing the Quarantine Zone Demo, which we released on May 22nd! Your feedback has been incredible. We’re excited to share how we’re expanding the game for its full release. Here’s a look at what the team will be working on over the summer, including new features, improvements, and challenges we’ll tackle along the way.
You can continue reading down below or watch the dev diary on YouTube:
Overall improvements
The demo introduced you to the harsh realities of managing the checkpoint—managing supplies, screening survivors for signs of infection, and defending the base from the waves of undead. Now, we’re taking everything you’ve experienced and making it more detailed and immersive.
Survivors and their reactions: New appearances, expanded dialogues, small events with consequences, and periodic changes to the inspection rules will make each character feel more alive. Watch for subtle changes in behavior as infection takes hold.
New symptoms & expanded screening: Advanced tools like the neurological hammer and X-ray scanner will change how you detect and treat infection in your checkpoint.
Base Management & Caring For Survivors: We’ll be working on a complete overhaul in July, including managing drone expeditions to explore dangerous areas to acquire more resources for your base and rescue more survivors.
Studying the virus: The Virus constantly mutates, so commanders will now have to study it in the brand-new laboratory! Research unknown new symptoms and develop new tools and tactics to fight the Virus.
Roadmap Highlights
June: New Tools & Combat
This month, we’re wrapping up work on a suite of new tools to help future players, including:
New tools to diagnose the arriving survivors to detect hidden symptoms
Expanded weapon mechanics: limited ammo & ammo procurement, recoil & more
UI improvements
July: Story & Progression
Survivor Stories: Uncover the pasts of arriving survivors through additional interactions.
Player Character Arc: Your decisions will shape your own story
Rewards & Collectibles: A new progression system will let you earn ranks. You’ll also be able to unlock collectible items while exploring the checkpoint.
Tutorial Rework: A smoother introduction for new players, based on your feedback after playing the demo.
Improvements in zombie AI during defence and adding new types of infected
August: Community & Accessibility
Twitch Integration: Options to let viewers influence your playthrough in real-time
Full Controller & Steam Deck Support: Play comfortably on any setup.
Mod support via ModIO
Challenges & Progress
Balancing infection mechanics to be both tense and fair has been a major focus—too punishing, so players get frustrated; too lenient, and the stakes disappear. We’ll also spend a lot of time reworking the base management gameplay loop, ensuring it adds depth over increased game hours.
Coming Soon: June Tools Showcase
Soon we’ll reveal more details about the new tools we’ve been working on, including their gameplay impact and how they’ll change the screening process. Keep an eye out for a dedicated preview!
Stay tuned for our July Dev Diaries, where we’ll dive deeper into the revamped base management and survivor stories.
The quarantine zone is evolving. Will you survive it?
About Quarantine Zone:
Papers, Please meets zombie apocalypse. Command the last checkpoint, inspect survivors, and decide their fate: trust, quarantine, or liquidate.
Play demo here:
Make sure you’ve joined our official subreddit and Discord server:
Quarantine Zone on Discord
Quarantine Zone on Reddit
You can also find us on other social media:
Quarantine Zone on X
Quarantine Zone on TikTok