Why Dead Island 2 Isn’t on Steam, Explained

Eleven years after the release of Dead Island, the popular horror action franchise returns with its latest installment Dead Island 2. Published by Deep Silver, Dead Island 2 is on the recent PlayStation and Xbox consoles but its PC release is a little more complex.

Though Dead Island 2 is indeed available to purchase and play on PC, it is conspicuously absent from the popular PC gaming marketplace Steam. Instead, the only way to play Dead Island 2 on PC is currently through Steam’s direct competitor Epic Games. Here’s why Dead Island 2 was not available on Steam at launch and if fans can expect to see the zombie-hunting game eventually make its way to Steam in the future.

Why Isn’t Dead Island 2 on Steam?

Deep Silver has a history of launching its major titles as timed exclusives on the Epic Games Store when it comes to their PC releases. This partnership began in January 2019, with the timed exclusive release of Metro Exodus, which was a controversial move as Deep Silver had been taking preorders through Steam the year before the Epic Games deal. Metro Exodus was delisted from Steam during this exclusivity period, with the deal announced three weeks before Metro Exodus’ launch, infuriating PC gamers.

Shenmue III, released in November 2019, similarly was part of this timed exclusivity deal between Deep Silver and Epic Games and also had to have Steam preorders purchased before the deal refunded. With this history in mind, Dead Island 2 is likely under a similar timed exclusive agreement as part of Deep Silver and Epic Games’ ongoing PC publishing partnership, resulting in its absence from Steam at launch.

Will Dead Island 2 Come to Steam?

Both Metro Exodus and Shenmue III were released on Steam one year after their respective wide launches under the timed exclusivity agreement. This likely means that it’s more a question of when than if gamers can expect Dead Island 2 to be available on Steam. Given Deep Silver and Epic Games’ past PC distribution deals, this means Dead Island 2 is probably slated for a Steam release one year and its initial launch, though this is currently unconfirmed.

Dead Island 2 received its wide release on April 21, 2023, including on the Epic Games Store. If this trend holds, that means Steam users can expect the game to appear on their platform for sale around the same date in 2024.

To be clear, there has been no official announcement from Epic Games or Deep Silver if Dead Island 2 is permanently or timed exclusive to the Epic Games Store, or how long the exclusivity window will last.