Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2026, at 05:00 UTC. In the U.S. that is 9 p.m. PT on Monday, Nov. 23, or midnight ET as Tuesday begins. At that moment NHN switches off Darkest Days, its free-to-play zombie survival MMO, and stops offering it for download on Steam. After that, nobody can log in.
The shop goes first. Purchases end during scheduled maintenance on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 05:00 UTC (10 p.m. PT on Oct. 20). NHN posted the schedule in a Steam service closure notice on Oct. 13: "It is with a heavy heart that we announce the upcoming termination of the DARKEST DAYS services."
The timeline
- Apr. 23, 2025: Darkest Days launches on Steam, free to play.
- May 7, 2026: NHN stops new content updates. Existing content and seasonal events stay.
- Oct. 13, 2026: Shutdown announced.
- Oct. 14, 2026: Farewell gifts and +200% XP and drop-rate bonuses go live.
- Oct. 21, 2026, 05:00 UTC: In-game shop closes.
- Nov. 24, 2026, 05:00 UTC: Servers off; downloads end.
- After Dec. 24, 2026: Official community channels close gradually.
Reader questions
Can I still play? Yes, until Nov. 24. NHN says seasonal content and ongoing events "will remain accessible as normal" until then. You can still download it from Steam today.
What about my membership? Time-limited benefits you already bought, memberships included, stay active until the shutdown date.
Is there anything to claim? Yes. A Gifts of Appreciation post lists 5,000 free Red Diamonds, 10,000 Trinity Coins, 1,000,000 Milla, 1,000 ER and two unreleased weapon skins (CS-23 and Judge 922), all claimable in-game until the end. Player XP, party member XP and zombie gear drop rates are tripled through the same date. Generous, in the way a going-out-of-business sale is generous.
Will there be refunds? The English Steam notice does not mention refunds. Korea's Digital Times reports that NHN's Korean notice promises refund details later. If you spent money recently, watch the official news page.
Will it work offline or on private servers? Nothing in NHN's notice suggests it. This is an always-online MMO, and the notice says players "will no longer be able to access the game." Your account data is kept for a legally required period and then deleted.
How we got here
Darkest Days put players in a post-apocalyptic open world to scavenge, shoot zombies and build a shared sanctuary with other survivors. It launched in April 2025, which Digital Times describes as an open beta, and never found much of a crowd. Steam reviews sit at 49% positive across 1,480 English reviews. SteamCharts puts the all-time peak at 1,970 concurrent players and the last 30 days at about 246 on average.
The writing was on the wall in May, when NHN halted updates and apologized "for the disappointment caused by this sudden announcement." An NHN representative told Digital Times the company kept essential operations running since then but judged the service could not continue. NHN says its games business will now lean on web board games, casual games and Japan.
Bottom line
Darkest Days closes its shop Oct. 21 and shuts down Nov. 24, 2026 at 05:00 UTC. Play it, claim the free loot and don't buy anything you can't spend in five weeks. For more of the year's server closures, see our 2026 shutdowns list.
Sources
- Steam News — [Notice] DARKEST DAYS Service Closure Announcement (Oct. 13, 2026)
- Steam News — [Event] Gifts of Appreciation (Oct. 14, 2026)
- Steam News — Suspension of Content Updates (May 7, 2026)
- Steam — DARKEST DAYS store page
- Digital Times — NHN, 'Darkest Days' service ending (Korean)
- Delisted Games — Darkest Days shutting down on November 24th
- SteamCharts — DARKEST DAYS
Published Oct 15, 2026. Based on NHN's Oct. 13 Steam service closure notice and Oct. 14 Gifts of Appreciation post, with Digital Times, Delisted Games and SteamCharts reporting. Game artwork © NHN; Steam store assets for app 1548520 used editorially only.