Updated: Saber has released a Hot Fix to address many of World War Z's launch issues.

Original story follows:

The video game adaptation of the World War Z universe is having unfortunate launch day problems which are currently crippling the experience for players. In today's gaming landscape, it's almost a given that a multiplayer-focused video game will have issues once the servers go online and the players get their hands on the game in the wild. However, World War Z is particularly troubled - with multiple bugs stopping the experience before it even started for would-be fans.

Following the game's launch today, April 16, players across PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC have reported numerous issues with the co-op zombie shooter. Perhaps the most upsetting issue can be found on the PC version, for which many players report the game crashing to the desktop before even reaching the main menu screen.

Related: World War Z Launch Trailer Emphasizes Co-Op Fun

The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions aren't faring much better. We're playing on PlayStation 4 for review, and currently cannot connect to the multiplayer servers, effectively blocking off the core gameplay appeal of World War Z: online co-op. The main menu screens are bombarded with "unable to connect" messages, making menus hard to navigate in their current form. Sadly, we were unable to complete the second chapter of the New York episode; upon reaching the end of the level, the game hangs and then returns to the main menu with a "disconnected" message. While Class XP and currency are retained, precious Weapon XP is not.

How To Fix World War Z Crashes

Unfortunately, players eager to jump into World War Z have little choice but to wait and see how developer Saber Interactive addresses these connectivity issues. Hopefully, the issues are entirely related to online servers, which can be fixed without the assistance of a game-altering patch. To that end, World War Z's Twitter feed promised, "the additional servers we’re spinning up will fix this in a couple hours." That was fourteen hours at the time of this writing, so either Saber was premature in their estimates of how long it would take to fix the game, or it will take more work than they previously expected.

The latest updates from the World War Z Twitter feed expressed awareness at the server issues, and promised that the team at Saber are working to fix things and make the game playable online, while asking for patience as they iron out the issues. Time will tell as to whether the game will be fully functional by the end of the day or if day one customers will have to wait days (or longer) before the game is running smoothly.

Fortunately, even in an offline state without the aid of the game's main appeal, online multiplayer, World War Z is still a ton of fun. Firearm combat feels fast and visceral, and emptying clips at the endless horde of zombies, slowly chipping away at the swarm, is deeply satisfying. The structured missions offer a cinematic flair lacking in other co-op shooters, and the character progression appears deep and rewarding. Of course, none of these positive traits will matter in the long run if Saber can't get everything running smoothly behind the scenes. Here's hoping World War Z starts firing on all cylinders sooner, rather than later. If Saber takes too long to fix it, WWZ will be known more for server issues and not working than for frantic and exciting zombie action.

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