H1Z1 Leaves Early Access With Vehicular Battle Royale Mode

H1Z1 Launches out of Early Access, Updates, Auto Royale Abound

Daybreak Games has announced that the original standalone battle royale game, H1Z1 has left early access and is available on Steam. This official release comes with additional launch features as well as an unexpected Auto Royale game mode.

The Auto Royale game mode which is still in Beta comes as a surprise, featuring up to 30 teams of four in a battle to be the last vehicle left. Players will navigate H1Z1’s massive maps in search of weapons, ammo, fuel, and power-ups as they look to take out the competition. The Auto Royale mode is highlighted as per Daybreak Games as follows:

  • Two New Vehicles: Players can choose from two vehicles in Auto Royale – Sedan or ARV – both new to the game and only available in Auto Royale.
    • Sedan: Nimble car with faster acceleration and higher jump clearance, allowing skilled drivers to quickly evade enemies.
    • Armored Recon Vehicle (ARV): Offers more stability, making it easier to drive for new players, but has less turbo fuel efficiency.
  • New Weapons: The Light Machine Gun (LMG), available only in Auto Royale, deals the most sustained damage of any gun in the game.
  • New Power-Ups: Players pick up evasive, defensive and combat drops to throw opponents off their trail, heal themselves, or deal damage to enemy vehicles.
    • Defensive drops include vehicle repair kits, environmental buffs, fire extinguishers, and vehicle armor.
    • Evasive power-ups include smoke screens, high-octane fuel, turbo boosts, and oil slicks.
    • Combative pick-ups include land mines and corrosive smoke.


Originally set into early access back in 2015, this battle royale game has undergone many updates up to this point. Feedback from the community has continued to lead to updates, including overhauls to the game’s combat and vehicle systems. As the game leaves early access, H1Z1 will launch with new features:

  • Tactical Deployment: Players can choose which area to parachute into at the start of a match using a heat map that shows locations of where other players spawn.
  • Airdrop Revamp: The airdrop system has been refined to add more points of contention, increasing the drop frequency and item value.
  • Season 1: The official first in-game Season for H1Z1 starts with an all-new scoring algorithm designed to reward consistency and aggression, not just a player’s 10 best placements.
  • Mini Map: Players now have the option to turn on a mini-map to help the navigate the world.
  • Founder’s Item: All players who bought H1Z1 during Early Access will receive a special in-game shirt.
  • And More!

What do you think of H1Z1 or the Auto Royale mode? Let us know in the comments below!