Dead Island is a first person horror action-adventure video game developed by Techland and published by Deep Silver for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. It is centered on the challenge of survival on a zombie-infested open world island with a major emphasis on melee combat. It was originally announced at E3 2006, but was pushed back to 2011. It was released on September 6, 2011 in North America and September 9, 2011 for PAL regions.

Dead Island features open world roaming, played from a first person perspective. The focus is on melee combat, incorporating customizable weaponry, vehicular customization/combat, and RPG elements.
There is an experience system as well as a skill tree system. There is also a stamina bar, meaning that after a set amount of action with a weapon, the character will need to stop to regain their stamina before continuing to attack. It has also been confirmed that there are "special class" zombies, which are more powerful than the standard zombie. Players will need to use flashlights in dark areas and during night time sections, adding suspense. Changing seasons have been confirmed to not take place during the game, although a weather system is in effect. Although there is a child being infected in the original Dead Island trailer, it has been stated that there will be no child zombies in the game.
Specific enemies in the game are "The Suicider", a large enemy with boils upon its body, heavily disfiguring it; "The Butcher", a humanoid-shaped zombie with long hair, and missing both arms from the elbow, with only bones sticking out of the sockets; "The Thug", which knocks players over, stunning them; "The Ram", a large man wrapped in a straitjacket with a mask covering his mouth; and finally "The Floater", another large disfigured enemy covered in slime with large red eyes who will vomit slime at the players.

The game is set in the fictional island of Banoi, located off the coast of Papua New Guinea. The main characters wake up in the Palms Resort hotel to find the island attacked by zombies and mysteriously, they are immune to whatever is making people into zombies. As they try to find and help other survivors, they must also find a way to escape the island as well. The players go through a series of both main and side quests. First they help stabilize the lifeguard center and bring supplies. The characters maintain contact via radio with the mysterious Colonel White who leads the characters into the jungle to find the source of the infection. Eventually, they reach a laboratory where, with help from the local tribe, a vaccine is created. When the characters return to the lab to see the results of the blood test, a zombie breakout occurs and every scientist is killed. The characters rescue a young native woman named Yerema whose blood contains the antivirus and the vaccine that was made. The final act of the game takes place within the prison where, in cooperation with the prisoners, the characters find White and reveal his true purposes to nuke the island and give the vaccine to his infected wife. The tables turn when White's wife bites him and he uses the vaccine on himself. He subsequently undergoes a mutation and turns into a monstrous creature. After he is killed, the characters and Yerema take the chopper and leave the island.

Xian Mei (voiced by Kim Mai Guest), an employee at the Royal Palms Resort. Born and raised in Hong Kong, she chose an occupation that allowed her to leave her country of birth in order to experience different people and cultures. She is a fast learner, intelligent, and quick on her feet. Having just arrived at Banoi Island, Xian Mei was responsible for myriad menial tasks at the hotel, before starting work as a receptionist. This opportunity to meet and greet all the different nationalities that visited the hotel was ideal for Xian Mei, as it provided a perfect source of inspiration for her dreams of travelling the globe.

Sam B (voiced by Phil LaMarr), a one-hit wonder rap star from New Orleans. He was booked by the Royal Palms Resort to perform his well-known song "Who Do You Voodoo, Bitch?" at a high profile hotel party. He gladly took the chance to play this gig. Once strong, self-confident and proud, Sam B has had a troubled past and a history of drug and alcohol abuse, as his private life became caught in a haze of fake friends and bad advisers. He believed his gig at Banoi was his last chance to get back on top.

Logan (voiced by David Kaye), a former NFL star, spoiled by life and successful in every possible way. Logan's ego finally put an end to his bright future. Taking part in a reckless street race with tragic consequences, Logan not only killed a young woman - his unfortunate passenger - he also fractured his knee, putting an end to his sports career. His fall from stardom inevitably followed and he plunged swiftly into a life of bitterness and despair. He ended up letting a blood drive use his name, and in return received an all expenses paid trip to Banoi.

Purna (voiced by Peta Johnson), a former officer of the New South Wales Police Force, referred to by the game as the 'Sydney Police department'. After losing her career when she shot a child molester who could not be prosecuted because of his wealth and connections, Purna then turned to working as a bodyguard for VIPs in dangerous places all over the world. She is hired not just for her skills but for her looks, as wealthy men do not mind showing up with Purna on their arm.

A trailer featuring the transformation of a young girl into a zombie, played in a nonlinear sequence, was commented upon by Ben Parfitt of MCV. Parfitt praised the trailer itself, but criticized the online reaction to it, writing "It's a video that uses an image of a dead girl and images of her dying to create an emotional bond with a product." Wired exclaimed, "It may be the best video game trailer Ive ever seen; gorgeous, well-edited and emotionally engaging." However Wired urged caution, stating that Techland did not make the trailer and that "everyone is hyped up about a short film, not the game itself." Dead Island was originally stated to be released in 2008, developed by Techland and produced by Adrian Ciszewski, but was delayed. An official teaser trailer, titled "Part 1: Tragedy Hits Paradise", was released on May 17, 2009 featuring various gameplay aspects. A follow-up trailer, titled "Part 2: Dead Island Begins", was released on June 6, 2011 along with the announcement of the game's release being set for September 6, 2011 for the US, and September 9, 2011 for the worldwide release. The game's zombies were rendered to have fully modelled layers of meat and muscle, meaning they have a multi-layered damage system with real-time injuries. On August 9, 2011, Deep Silver announced that Dead Island's development had finished and that production had begun.

Successfully complete the game. Select "Next Play" to start a second playthrough with all previously earned money and inventory items (blueprints, weapons, etc.).

When you reach a checkpoint during any campaign quest in Solo mode, drop the item(s) on the ground you want to duplicate (you can drop all the items in your inventory). Then, kill yourself by using Deo-Bombs or Molotov's. When the respawn timer begins to countdown, pause the game, and reload your checkpoint. When you respawn, all the weapons you dropped will be back in your inventory and will also still be laying on the ground where you dropped them. Note: You also will not suffer the cash penalty from dying since you reloaded the checkpoint. Note: This glitch was done on an unpatched version of the game. You can delete all patches for the game by using the "Clear hard drive cache" code for the Xbox 360.
Equip an item that can be thrown, then press [Throw Weapon] + [Drop Weapon]. Your character should throw the item, and then quickly drop a copy of the same item. Repeat this as many times as desired.
Look at your feet, hold [Throw Weapon], then hold [Swing] + Y. If done correctly, the item will fall out of your hands, and you will throw another one down at your feet. Note: This can be done with both the analog and digital fighting style.
While playing as Logan, hold [Aim], then hold [Fury] while aiming at multiple zombies, then press RT. Instead of Logan using his knives, he will throw the equipped weapon, causing the game to duplicate your equipped item.
Equip a stackable item, such as cocktails, grenades, medkits, etc. Make sure you are one item under your item capacity 9/10, 13/14, etc. Make sure the item is equipped and in your hand. Then, craft the Deo-Bomb, Cocktail, or Meat Bait. You will now have two stacks of that item instead of one. Repeat this as many times as desired. Just make sure you have enough materials. Note: Make sure to use a recipe that is different from the item you are duplicating, as this glitch sometimes does not work if it is done that way. For example, do not use the Deo-Bomb recipe if you are duplicating the Deo-Bomb. This glitch was done on an unpatched version of the game. You can delete all patches for the game by using the "Clear hard drive cache" code for the Xbox 360.
Quick travel between areas until a merchant sells the necessary materials to craft a Deo-Bomb. Then, go to a crafting table, and craft up to the max of 30 Deo-Bombs. Once you have 30 Deo-Bombs in your inventory, each new bomb crafted will create an additional 30 Deo-Bombs. Repeat this as many times as desired.

Go to the warehouse, and get the Hammer and Baseball Bat. Then, fast travel to the Church, and sell them to get approximately $400. Go back to the Warehouse, and the Hammer and Baseball Bat will have respawned. Repeat this as many times as desired. Note: You must be in the City and have discovered both the Church and the Warehouse to do this trick.
Find an area with a lot of value items (champagne, etc.), such as kitchens and fridges. Collect the items, then leave the area or fast travel to another location and back for the items to respawn. Collect as many items as possible, then sell them for easy money.
Use the "Duplicating items" trick to duplicate as many items as desired. Then, sell the items for easy money.

After you complete Act 3, enter the hotel, and go down the hallways until you reach the lounge with tables and chairs. There will be approximately 10 bottles of alcohol on the bar that you can pick up. These bottles of alcohol will respawn once you exit the hotel and re-enter the hotel, traveling the same way you went. Collect as many bottles of alcohol as desired, then go to Harland, and trade the bottles of alcohol for Molotov cocktails. You will get one Molotov cocktail for every three bottles of alcohol. Repeat this as many times as desired. A Molotov cocktail can kill most zombies in a single area instantly.

When you encounter large groups of zombies or a lot of them are chasing you, run to the closest vehicle. Jump on top of it, and crouch on the hood. You can hit the zombies, but they should not be able to attack you. Note: Do not do this on the roof of the vehicle, as you will not be able to hit them, and they can still sometimes hit you. Use the analog style of fighting to get more decapitations and swing your weapon faster.

When zombies are chasing you, simply run into the water, then kick them so they drown to get easy XP instead of trying to melee them.

Killing zombies will dull your weapon. However, when the weapon is close to breaking, it is not completely useless. Throwing your weapons can damage zombies without dulling the weapon. If you have a weapon worth keeping, but it is almost used up, keep throwing it at zombies until you can repair it again.

1. When you first wake up after being attacked, it is by the foot of your bed.
2. During the "Exodus" main quest, you will come to a large group of zombies by a car and Harris. To the left is a building (Surf Shop, south of the Lifeguard Tower), and it is on the desk with the computer.
3. During the "Exodus" main quest, when you get to the Lifeguard Tower, it is on the first floor in the back room on the desk.
4. In the Red Bungalow (north-west of the Lifeguard Tower), in the bedroom desk.
5. In the Golden Bungalow District (dark bungalow), living room corner shelves, near Anne Snider.
6. In the Silver Bungalow District, power station, in a toolbox.
7. In the Diamond Bungalow District, Gazebo bar, on the desk inside.
8. In the Diamond Bungalow District, north most bungalow, living room shelf.
9. In the Lookout Tower, enter the bunker from the "Black Hawk Down" main quest, travel to the northern bunker. When inside, climb up the ladder.
10. In the Marine Workshop, on the workbench in the warehouse.
11. In the bunker west of the Marine Workshop, on a workbench in the locked bunker (it unlocks at the start of Act 3).
12. In the hut along the Western Road, east of the hotel. Harlan Johnson is in front of this hut, and gives the "Make Yourself At Home" side quest. It is on the dresser near the bed.

13. During the "Born To Be Wild" main quest in the hotel, it is in the room with the morphine on a desk, after #15 and #16.
14. During the "Born To Be Wild" main quest in the hotel, after you give Ken the morphine, continue through the doors that were locked, and straight ahead is a door with a couple of zombies behind it. It is on the desk in that room.
15. During the "Born To Be Wild" main quest in the hotel, you will come to a kitchen with ovens. Stay to the left in this room, and follow the map. After you go through a dish washing room, you will be in a small room. It is on a luggage cart (after #16).
16. During the "Born To Be Wild" main quest in the hotel, as you are going through the hotel, you will walk down a hall with windows with blinds. On the left side of this hall is a door, which is before the gift shop. It is in the room on a table.

1. During the "Passport To Life" main quest, in a blue suitcase in front of Bungalow #4.
2. In the Coastal Pier, bar at the end of the pier, east of the Lifeguard Tower, above the weapon chest.
3. At the coast, directly north of #2, on the windows edge of the Lifeguard Stand.
4. At the coast, on a beach blanket on the shore, east and slightly north of the bungalow used in the "A Ray Of Hope" side quest.
5. In the Diamond Bungalow District, north of #4, in a bungalow, on the table in the living room.
6. In the Diamond Bungalow District, north of #5, on the center table on the stage.
7. In the bunker (unlocked during the "Black Hawk Down" main quest), on some crates.
8. In the Diamond Bungalow District, bar on the beach of the small island east of #6
9. In the Diamond Bungalow District, in the eastern most bungalow, south and slightly to the east of #8, near the bathtub.
10. In the Diamond Bungalow District, second bungalow to the right, to the west of #9, on the bed.
11. During the "Too Much Sugar" side quest (Silver Bungalow District), as you are coming to Bungalow #14, it is in the building to the right on a desk.
12. In the Golden Bungalow District, bungalow with Kim and Anne, nightstand near the bed.
13. In the Golden Bungalow District, in the bungalow with Luke Craig, on the nightstand, near the bed.
14. During the "Seek And Loot" main quest, when you get to the gas station, it is in the back room on a table by the juice boxes and cash register.
15. In the warehouse north-west of North Gas Station, on the desk.
16. In the warehouse beside the mechanic's shop, on the roof.
17. In the warehouse west of the mechanic's shop, under the lamp on the right counter.
18. In the hotel exterior, near the front entrance, by the buses, in an open suitcase.
19. In the hotel exterior, inside the bar with the "Dead Zone" graffiti (it is unlocked during the "Born To Be Wild" main quest).
20. In the hotel exterior, in the south-eastern women's underground washroom, on the sink.
21. In the hotel exterior, in the bungalow where you find Anne's bear from the "Toy Story" side quest.
22. In the hotel exterior, in the bungalow from the "Gold Digger" quest, in some open luggage.
23. In the hotel exterior, in the survivor Steve Summers' bungalow, in the living room.
24. On the roof of of the South Gas Station.
25. At the far west road on the map, about 180 meters north of the gas station is a truck that has crashed into a light post, near two crash police cars. It is on the dashboard.

26. During the "Born To Be Wild" main quest in the hotel, it is next to one of the servers that you have to reset (after #29 and #30).
27. In the Meat Locker in the hotel, in the middle of the room, on the floor near a corpse.
28. In the hallway after the elevator, after jumping down the shaft and exiting the elevator, it is near a corpse on the floor.
29. During the "Born To Be Wild" main quest in the hotel, after you walk through the shower room, it is on a shelf to the right (after #30).
30. During the "Born To Be Wild" main quest, it is straight ahead on a couch after entering the hotel.

1. Chapter 1: Welcome To Banoi (Starting The Investigation) - In John Sinamoi's Bungalow (#11), the building to the right of Ted kneeling in a pool of blood, under the bookshelf in the living room.
2. Chapter 2: Busy Surviving (Meeting The Informant) - During the "On The Air" side quest, at the top of the lighthouse, on a table beside James Stein.

3. Chapter 2: Busy Surviving (Chaos In The Streets) - During the "Born To Be Wild" main quest, in the hotel, on a table on the right at the end of a hall overlooking the pool.

Location: In the room across from where you deposit the Purple Skull, on a glass covered shelf in the corner.
Deposit: Go south from your original starting point in the game, near the beach on the resort. There is a bunker that will remain locked until Act 2/Act 3. If you arrive and the survivor Jose Garcia does not require rescuing, go back at a later point in the game; he will be yelling from behind a fence. Enter the bunker, and use the portal to teleport to another bunker with graffiti all over the floors. Go up the ladder, and grab a propane tank, and use it to blow open the door to the right of the ladder (beside the boxes and crates). On the opposite side of the fence/barrier is a skull on the wall, and beside it is where you deposit the Blue Skull.
Reward: Developer's No. 3 Craft recipe. It creates the Plaguebearer Military Knife, and requires 5 diamonds, 1 oleander, and $10,000.

Location: In the pile of corpses in the second bunker, on the first floor behind the curtain/barrier, across from where you enter. This is accessible through the warp in the bunker unlocked during the "Black Hawk Down" main quest in Act 1: Chapter 3.
Deposit: Top of the hill accessible by wood planks. It is located on the coast near ID 004. Look for the brown arrows as you jump, then walk up the hill.
Reward: Developer's 666 recipe. It creates Left Hand of Glova, and requires 5 diamonds and $10,000

Location: Directly east of the South (tunnel) Gas Station on the resort and directly south of the bungalows near your starting location is a hill surrounded by what looks like a sand path on the map. It is on the edge of the coast; you want to approach it from the north-east side, where it meets the coast near the overturned sail boat. There will be a jumpable path that will lead you to an open box with the Green Skull, as well as a grey chest to the right of it.
Deposit: In the Supermarket, to the right of the "Surf Shop" section, is an aisle against the wall with toy bears. One of the bears on the bottom shelf is the drop off location for the Green Skull.
Reward: Developer's No. 2 Craft recipe. It creates a "Cr33zz Revenge For Endless Crunch" Baseball Bat, and requires 5 diamonds, 1 battery, and $10,000.

Location: Enter the Supermarket through the sewers (you go here during the "Market Journey" main quest in Act 2: Chapter 6). Go straight through the next area and past where you turn off the steam. Go to the right, and you should reach a dead end with a workbench in a room to your left. Go right, and keep heading right until you reach a set of stairs. Beneath those stairs in a shopping cart is the Orange Skull.
Deposit: Enter the sewers through City Hall. Once inside, go straight forward and through the door. Inside the large open area, make your way to the ladder in the middle of the room to your left, near the makeshift grate bridge. Go up the ladder, and enter the door to your right. Place the Orange Skull in a pile to your left.
Reward: Developer's No. 1 Craft recipe. It creates the Electro Body Military Knife, and requires 5 diamonds, 1 battery, and $10,000.

Location: In the "It's Our Own Fault" shrine, in the sewers of Moresby, accessible after the "Let The Waters Flow" main quest in Act 2: Chapter 5. From the entrance near the church, go straight until you see two green barrels near a dead end, and turn left. Go through the fogged rooms, keeping left. Go through the gated entrance to the dark section of tunnels, then take your first right. In the room with graffiti and an upper catwalk, go to the ladder ahead of you on your right. Follow along the catwalk to the chest and candle lit shrine with the Purple Skull.
Deposit: In the abandoned house that is made accessible during the "Uninvited Guests" side quest in Moresby. Enter the room to the left of where you find Alicia Jacobs (or to the right if you are leaving her room), and use the stove.
Reward: Developer's No. 4 Craft recipe. It creates the Mindblowing Military Knife, and requires 5 diamonds, 1 battery, and $10,000.

Successfully complete the "Last Chance On The Wall" quest in the City of Moresby to get the Impact Mod, which allows you to use the Blueprints to create customized weapons by combining the described items and parts.

Do the quest to clear out the Lifeguard Tower at the start of the game. Kill the zombies in the garage. Then, go inside to hear a radio broadcast of an Oceanic Flight in an emergency descent to an island due to engine failure.

Do the quest near the end of the Resort level, where you take the big truck to the mechanic to turn it into a homemade tank. While talking to him, just before you have to defend the shop while he does his work, he will say that he is going to "Pimp your ride".

Have the assault rifle, which is acquired during the second part of the game. Then, jump on a car, wait until the zombies are next to the car, and simply shoot their heads. Even if you get killed while doing this, your head count does not reset as long as you do not kill a zombie by any other method except a headshot.

Note: You can only get the "Oh, No You Don't" achievement with Sam B, and after unlocking his Tackle ability. In Chapter 16: "Locked Up", once you reach the checkpoint where you have to "Find another way to the cell block control room", you must go around to get to the control room. When you open the door to the cell blocks, there is a stairway going down, which is where you will see the Ram. Let him follow you upstairs, and go back in the hallway. Leave the door open. The Ram will try to ram you down, but he will not be able to get past the door. This is where you can weaken him until his life is close to dead. Then, deliver the final hits with the Tackle ability.

Rootin' Tootin' Lootin' (30 points): Loot 5 Exceptional Weapons.
Tis but a flesh wound! (10 points): Sever 100 limbs.
There and back again (30 points): Explore the entire island.
Catch! (10 points): Kill an Infected with a grenade blast.
Road Trip (10 points): Drive a total distance of 10 kilometers.
Cardio (10 points): Travel a distance of 20 kilometers on foot.
Swing them sticks (25 points): Kill 150 enemies using Analog Fighting controls.
Gesundheit! (10 points): Heal yourself with a medkit 100 times.
Light my fire (20 points): Set 10 zombies on fire simultaneously.
10 heads are better than 1 (15 points): Kill 10 zombies in a row with headshots.
A taste of everything (25 points): Kill a zombie with 10 different melee weapons.
One is all I need (20 points): Kill 5 Infected in a row with a single blow.
Can't touch this (20 points): Use a hammer to kill a series of 15 zombies without taking damage.
Humanitarian (15 points): Kill 50 human enemies.
Tae Kwon Leap (25 points): Kill 25 zombies with your bare fists.
I want one of those (30 points): Customize 25 weapons.
Karma-geddon (15 points): Kill 50 zombies using a vehicle.
To put it bluntly (25 points): Kill 250 zombies using blunt melee weapons.
Hack & slash (25 points): Kill 250 zombies using edged melee weapons.
Guns don't kill but they help (25 points): Kill 250 zombies using firearms.
Need a hand? (10 points): Join another player's game.
Warranty Void if Used (10 points): Create a customized weapon.
Gotta find'em all (20 points): Find 60 collectibles.
Nearly there (25 points): Find 120 collectibles.
Steam Punk (30 points): Create weapons to rival the gods of fire or thunder.
Originality (10 points): Play in a co-op team of 4 different playable characters.
Together in the light (10 points): Complete 5 quests in a single co-op game with the same partners.
Going steady (25 points): Complete 25 quests while playing with at least one co-op partner.
Rageman (25 points): Kill 100 enemies with Fury attacks.
People Person (10 points): Play with 10 different co-op partners for at least 15 minutes each.
Mnage trois (25 points): Complete 5 quests with 3 co-op partners.
Right 4 Life (30 points): Complete act I with 4 different characters.
A very special day (30 points): Kill 250 zombies with modified weapons.
School of hard knocks (30 points): Reach level 50.
Knock, knock (15 points): Breach a locked door with the first blow.
Busy, busy, busy (60 points): Finish 75 quests cumulatively.
Learning the ropes (10 points): Reach level 10.
Dedicated student (25 points): Reach level 25.

Everybody lies (20 points): Use a large medkit to heal an injury of 5% or less.
Hell in paradise (30 points): Complete act I.
Ah! Spoiled meat! (10 points): Kill a Butcher using an axe.
Oh, no you don't (10 points): Kill a Ram using tackle skill.
Savior (20 points): Save 5 people besieged by zombies.
How many days exactly? (10 points): Play Dead Island at least 28 days after starting it for the first time.
No raccoons in here (30 points): Complete act II.
King of the jungle (30 points): Complete act III.
Banoi Redemption (30 points): Complete act IV.
First! (15 points): Kill a Suicider with a grenade.