Dead Island - PCGamingWiki PCGW - bugs, fixes, crashes, mods, guides and improvements for every PC game

This page is for the original release. For the Definitive Edition, see Dead Island: Definitive Edition.

Dead Island
Developers

	Techland
macOS (OS X)	Virtual Programming
Publishers
	Deep Silver
Russia	Akella
Engines
	Chrome Engine 5
Release dates
Windows	September 6, 2011
macOS (OS X)	April 2, 2014
Linux	October 24, 2014
Reception
Metacritic	80
IGDB	70
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase
Modes	Multiplayer
Genres	Survival horror
Series	Dead Island

Dead Island
Dead Island	2011
Dead Island: Riptide	2013
Escape Dead Island	2014
Dead Island: Epidemic	2016
Dead Island: Definitive Edition	2016
Dead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition	2016
Dead Island: Retro Revenge	2016
Dead Island 2	2023

Contents 1 Availability 1.1 Version differences 2 Monetization 2.1 DLC and expansion packs 3 Essential improvements 3.1 Analog Mod 3.2 Dead Island Helper 3.3 Dead Island Save Editor 3.4 Skip intro videos 4 Game data 4.1 Configuration file(s) location 4.2 Save game data location 4.3 Save game cloud syncing 5 Video 5.1 Field of view (FOV) 6 Input 7 Audio 7.1 Localizations 8 Network 8.1 Multiplayer types 8.2 Connection types 9 VR support 10 Issues fixed 10.1 Game won't launch on older open source Mesa radeonsi AMD drivers on Linux 10.2 High frame rate issues 10.3 Long loading times 10.4 Co-op error message: "The game you have tried to join is no longer available" 10.5 Poor performance 10.6 Loud distorted audio 10.7 Game crashes with message: "Problem Event: BEX" 10.8 Run the game at screen refresh rate 10.9 Black screen on startup or freezes on intro logo (Windows 8) 10.10 Vsync setting not applied 11 Issues unresolved 11.1 Aim Assist 12 Other information 12.1 API 12.2 Middleware 13 System requirements 14 References

Warnings

The macOS (OS X) version of this game does not work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later due to the removal of support for 32-bit-only apps.

Dead Island is a multiplayer survival horror game in the Dead Island series.

Key points

The Dead Island Helper utility can be used to fix many bugs and tweak advanced graphics settings.

General information

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail
Mac App Store		OS X only. Cannot play with Steam players.^[1]
Origin (unavailable)		Game of the Year Edition only.
Steam (unavailable)

All Windows and Linux versions require Steam DRM.

Following the release of Dead Island: Definitive Edition, the game has been pulled from most digital distribution platforms.

Version differences

Steam and Mac App Store players cannot play together.^[1]

The Game of the Year edition contains all DLC.

Monetization

DLC and expansion packs

Name	Notes
Dead Island Upgrade Pack	Contains all DLC. Available on Amazon.com.
Bloodbath Arena
Ryder White
Blueprint "The Ripper" Weapon

Essential improvements

In-game general settings.

Analog Mod

Allows to enable analog fighting mode using keyboard and mouse.

Dead Island Helper

Utility to apply fixes and tweaks to the game, including increased FOV and shadow map size.

Dead Island Save Editor

Allows you to reset your skill points.

PS3/Xbox 360 save files can be converted to PC.

Skip intro videos

Use the `-nologos` command line argument^[2]

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\DeadIsland\out\Settings\
macOS (OS X)
Linux	<path-to-game>/DI/out/Settings/

This game does not follow the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux.

Save game data location

System	Location
Steam	<Steam-folder>\userdata\<user-id>\91310\remote\out\

The game uses different paths for Windows (remote\out\save\) and Linux (remote/out/save/out/save/).^[3]

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
Steam Cloud		Syncs save games and settings.

Video

In-game video settings.

Graphics feature	State	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)		Use Widescreen Fixer or see Field of view (FOV).
Windowed
Borderless fullscreen windowed		Enable windowed mode with desktop's resolution.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anti-aliasing (AA)		Nvidia users can force SGSSAA using Nvidia Profile Inspector with the flag `0x000010C1` and the AA fix.^[4]
Vertical sync (Vsync)
60 FPS		Loading Screens are capped 30fps
120+ FPS		Disabling in-game Vsync caps the frame rate at 60 FPS. See Run the game at screen refresh rate.High Frame rates will cause broken animations scripts.^[5]
High dynamic range display (HDR)		See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Field of view (FOV)

Changing your Field of View may cause issues when hip firing guns.

Edit default_levels.xml^{[citation needed]}
Go to `%USERPROFILE%\Documents\DeadIsland\out\Data\Skills\` Open `default_levels.xml` Find `CameraDefaultFOV` and change it accordingly. Notes 90-100 works well for 16:9, 85-95 works well for 16:10, 65-75 works well for 4:3 or 5:4 resolutions (lower values may induce motion sickness).

Edit default_levels.xml^{[citation needed]}

Go to %USERPROFILE%\Documents\DeadIsland\out\Data\Skills\
Open default_levels.xml
Find CameraDefaultFOV and change it accordingly.

Notes

90-100 works well for 16:9, 85-95 works well for 16:10, 65-75 works well for 4:3 or 5:4 resolutions (lower values may induce motion sickness).

Input

In-game keyboard/mouse settings.

In-game key map settings.

In-game general gamepad settings.

In-game gamepad layout settings.

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus		Completely broken
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support		XInput and DirectInput, designed for XInput controllers. OS X controller support requires the Tattiebogle OS X driver.^[1]
Full controller support
Controller remapping		Renders most DirectInput controllers unuseable, use XInput wrapper to bypass.
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion

Controller types

XInput-compatible controllers
Xbox button prompts		Not available in some menus.
Impulse Trigger vibration

DualShock 4 controllers

Tracked motion controllers		Native Razer Hydra support.^[6]
Button/gesture prompts

Generic/other controllers

Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Haptic feedback
Simultaneous controller+KB/M

Audio

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Music, SFX, Speech
Surround sound		Possibly up to 7.1.^[7] See below if problems
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
Czech
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Polish
Russian
Spanish

Network

In-game network settings.

If you have installed mods or edited the .xml for characters, all clients need the same mods in order to play.
It should also be noted that challenges are global, so if you are close to killing for instance 1 million zombies with one characters, and you play co-op with another and hit one million total kills, this character will gain all the XP from completing the challenge

Steam and Mac App Store players cannot play together.^[1]

Multiplayer types

Type	Players	Notes
Local play	4	Co-op Use Nucleus Co-op.
LAN play	4	Co-op
Online play	4	Co-op

Connection types

Type	Native	Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting
Direct IP

VR support

3D modes	State	GG3D	Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision			See Helix Mod: Dead Island for better support.
vorpX		G3D Officially supported game, see official vorpx game list.

Issues fixed

You can find various fixes in the FAQ on the Steam Community Discussions page for Dead Island.

If you don't want to manually apply some of these tweaks check out tools section at end of the page.

Game won't launch on older open source Mesa radeonsi AMD drivers on Linux

This fix should no longer be needed with newer drivers.

Use a specific library for Mesa and override the OpenGL Mesa version at launch
Download and unpack the library file into the main game folder In Set Launch Options... on Steam add this code at the beginning MESA_GL_VERSION_OVERRIDE=4.5 MESA_GLSL_VERSION_OVERRIDE=450 %command% Launch the game.

Use a specific library for Mesa and override the OpenGL Mesa version at launch

Download and unpack the library file into the main game folder
In Set Launch Options... on Steam add this code at the beginning

MESA_GL_VERSION_OVERRIDE=4.5 MESA_GLSL_VERSION_OVERRIDE=450 %command%

Launch the game.

High frame rate issues

High Frame rates will cause broken animations scripts.

Limit frame rate to 60FPS.^[8]

Enable Vsync and set refresh rate on 60hz

Long loading times

Some users are experiencing ridiculously long load times when doing things like loading the menu, game, etc. It can literally take over 5–10 minutes for some people. Oddly enough, this may relate to error logging that is done by the game.

Mark crash.log as a Read Only^{[citation needed]}
Go to `%USERPROFILE%\Documents\deadisland\out\logs\` Right click `crash.log` Click on `Properties` Mark the file as `Read Only`

Co-op error message: "The game you have tried to join is no longer available"

Hamachi^[9]
Download and install Hamachi which allows you to simulate a LAN over the internet. Power Hamachi on, start a new network, and invite your friends to it. Start a Dead Island game after setting the game to co-operative and LAN in the options menu. Your server will now show up for anyone on your Hamachi network.

Poor performance

Change your CPU affinity^[10]
Open Task Manager, and right-click the game's process. Click "Go to details". Right-click at the Dead Island process under details and click Set Affinity. Untick all CPUs except CPU 0. Notes You have to repeat this whenever you start the game.

Change your CPU affinity^[10]

Open Task Manager, and right-click the game's process. Click "Go to details".
Right-click at the Dead Island process under details and click Set Affinity.
Untick all CPUs except CPU 0.

Notes

You have to repeat this whenever you start the game.

Loud distorted audio

Dead Island has a compatibility problem with 7.1 output devices, this includes Logitech USB headsets (G35, G930) and 7.1 sound devices that use 3.5 mm analog connections. This issue is typically immediately recognizable when reaching the title screen and hearing a loud, frightening, distorted noise; this issue also carries over into the gameplay. This issue was present in Dead Island: Riptide, but was corrected by Techland. Techland has yet to correct the issue with the first Dead Island game. The definitive solution is to set your device to anything below 7.1 but other options exist that may help.

Change Windows Speaker Configuration^{[citation needed]}
Open the Start Screen/Start Menu, type `mmsys.cpl` and press `↵ Enter`. In the Playback tab, right-click on the Default Device (marked with a tick ) and choose "Configure Speakers" from the menu. Select 5.1 surround or lower. Click through the remaining steps and click the Finish button in the last screen. This option may not be available for some USB headsets. Remember to reconfigure your 7.1 device to 7.1 output after you are done playing Dead Island.

Change Windows Speaker Configuration^{[citation needed]}

Open the Start Screen/Start Menu, type mmsys.cpl and press ↵ Enter.
In the Playback tab, right-click on the Default Device (marked with a tick ) and choose "Configure Speakers" from the menu.
Select 5.1 surround or lower.
Click through the remaining steps and click the Finish button in the last screen.

This option may not be available for some USB headsets.

Remember to reconfigure your 7.1 device to 7.1 output after you are done playing Dead Island.

Edit Audio.scr^{[citation needed]}
Go to the configuration file(s) location. Look for the `Audio.scr` file and open it with a text editor. Look for the line: `API("XAudio2")` and change it to `API("aOpenAL")` Notes This will fix the game's sound partly, because static might still occur however most of the problem is over. If this fix does not work, there is an alternative solution to static and crackling problems below.

Edit Audio.scr^{[citation needed]}

Go to the configuration file(s) location.
Look for the Audio.scr file and open it with a text editor.
Look for the line: API("XAudio2") and change it to API("aOpenAL")

Notes

This will fix the game's sound partly, because static might still occur however most of the problem is over. If this fix does not work, there is an alternative solution to static and crackling problems below.

Empty Audio.scr^{[citation needed]}
Go to the configuration file(s) location. It is recommended that you backup the `Audio.scr` file before doing this, though if you don't you can always just delete the file and the game will create a new one. Look for the `Audio.scr` file and open it with a text editor. Select all of the file's contents and delete them, making the file empty, and then save the file. Right-click the file, select `Properties`, check the `Read-only` box, click `Apply`, and then click `OK`.

Empty Audio.scr^{[citation needed]}

Go to the configuration file(s) location.
It is recommended that you backup the Audio.scr file before doing this, though if you don't you can always just delete the file and the game will create a new one.
Look for the Audio.scr file and open it with a text editor.
Select all of the file's contents and delete them, making the file empty, and then save the file.
Right-click the file, select Properties, check the Read-only box, click Apply, and then click OK.

Game crashes with message: "Problem Event: BEX"

Users whose player names have non-English characters experience game crashes with this error message:

Problem event name: BEX App Name: DeadIslandGame.exe App version: 1.0.0.0 App timestamp: 4f100716 Fault module name: MSVCR90.dll Fault module version: 9.0.30729.6161 Fault module timestamp: 4dace5b9 Exception offset: 00036d36 Exception code: c0000417 Exception data 00000000 OS version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.768.3 Locale ID: 1033 Additional info 1: 364e Additional info 2:364ecf2f9e26d8075e002643326a0340 Additional info 3: 1f40 Additional info 4: 1f4001d1190a4d768106236129b38e30c.

Change your player name, such as your Steam name, to exclude non-English characters^{[citation needed]}

Run the game at screen refresh rate

Fullscreen mode only offers the option to use a refresh rate of 100 Hz or less, even if the screen refresh rate is set higher than that.

Set screen refresh rate^[11]
Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open `Video.scr` with a text editor. Set `MaxRefresh` to the screen refresh rate (e.g. `MaxRefresh(120)`).

Black screen on startup or freezes on intro logo (Windows 8)

Run the game in compatibility mode^[12]
Open `DeadIslandGame.exe` compatibility settings. Enable Windows 7 compatibility mode.

Run the game in windowed mode^[12]
Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open `Video.scr` with a text editor. Change `Fullscreen()` to `Fullscreen(0)` (or add it if it doesn't exist).

Vsync setting not applied

The Vsync option doesn't take effect until I exit the game and open it again.

Issues unresolved

Aim Assist

The PC port of Dead Island has aim assist. There is no way to disable this.^[13]

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	9.0c
OpenGL	2	OS X and Linux only.
Shader Model support	3

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)			This 32-bit-only macOS game does not work* on macOS Catalina (10.15) or later.*
Linux

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Multiplayer	Steamworks
Anti-cheat	Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC)

System requirements

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	XP	Vista, 7
Processor (CPU)	Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 2.66 GHz AMD Athlon II X2 245 2.9 GHz
System memory (RAM)	1 GB	4 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	7 GB
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce 8600 GT ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT 512 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0c compatible	Nvidia GeForce 9600 ATI Radeon HD 3850 1 GB of VRAM

macOS (OS X)
	Minimum
Operating system (OS)	10.8
Processor (CPU)	Intel Core i5 2.7 GHz
System memory (RAM)	8 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	7 GB
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce GT 640M 512 MB of VRAM

Linux
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	Ubuntu 12.04	Ubuntu 14.04
Processor (CPU)	2.8 GHz Dual Core	Intel Core i7 3.5 GHz
System memory (RAM)	1 GB	8 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	7 GB
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce GT 430 ATI Radeon HD 5570 1 GB of VRAM	Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 2 GB of VRAM

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Dead Island GOTY on the Mac App Store - last accessed on 2016-06-04
""Please note: Multiplayer between the Mac App Store version and the Steam version is not possible.""
↑ Verified by User:Faalagorn on July 23, 2021
↑ (Linux) How to get my old windows save game file from steam cloud? :: Dead Island General Discussions - last accessed on May 2023
↑ https://www.forum-3dcenter.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=9766133&postcount=4225
↑ [missing title] - last accessed on 2022-13-09
↑ Razer Hydra Control Profile - Dead Island - last accessed on May 2023
↑ PC Gaming Surround Sound Round-up - last accessed on May 2023
↑ [missing title] - last accessed on 2022-13-09
↑ "The game you have tried to join is no longer available" - can't connect to others! - Steam Users' Forums (retrieved)
↑ Dead Island/ Win8.1, and CPU affinity :: Steam General Discussions - last accessed on
↑ Verified by User:Keith on 2017-09-28
↑ ^12.0 ^12.1 Black Screen on startup :: Dead Island General Discussions
↑ Dead Island - Aim Assist on PC - YouTube - last accessed on