DayZ's standalone update has kept us waiting for a long time, but it may be shambling onto Steam sooner than expected.

Oh, Steam Database. You make this almost too easy. The developers of the runaway Arma II zombie mod DayZ have been quietly working on a standalone version of the game, and although they've been maintaining radio silence for a while, some changes to the Steam Database may have tipped their hand. A new package titled DayZ Early Access popped up today, with a handful of updates in recent hours. It's far from an official confirmation, but the timing would be perfect for an Early Access launch this Halloween.

There's a few crumbs of information to gain in the database registry. The DayZ Early Access package includes an app called DayZ - no surprises there - and also a DayZ Server app, so expect to be able to host private servers in the standalone game. It's also worth noting that DayZ Early Access is listed for the USA territory - not necessarily an indication that it won't be available in other regions, but just something to take note of.

The development team has been silent on the topic of release dates, but this certainly looks like they're getting ready to pull back a curtain in the near future. DayZ creator Dean "Rocket" Hall has said that the standalone game will be available on the PlayStation 4, so maybe the team is shooting for the console launch window. Either way, I think this is more likely to be a treat than a trick.

Source: Steam DB