Set in a post-apocalyptic world, H1Z1 is a zombie survival MMO where players must use their wits and skills, as well as strategically align with friends and fight-off enemies to survive the worldwide infection. A game truly about survival, players will have to overcome environmental elements such as starvation, weather and animals, hordes of zombies, and other hostile players if they want to live. To increase their chances of survival, players will need to be creative with materials found in the world and utilize the game's expansive crafting system to construct weapons, buildings and more.

To accommodate a variety of playstyles, players have access to multiple ruleset servers in H1Z1 that can be mixed and matched, including: Player vs Player, Player vs. Environment, Head Shots Only, Hardcore and First-Person Only. Additionally, private servers will be tested throughout Early Access, giving players the power to create their own rulesets and community. Though the program will gradually expand, initially private servers will be invite-only to ensure adequate time for testing and refinements.

SOE has also partnered with the creator of PLAYERUNKNOWN's Battle Royale, Brendan Greene, to license the extreme survival mod for a dedicated Battle Royale server in H1Z1. Offering a unique gameplay experience, Battle Royale plunges players into a bloody last man standing game-mode, where the only goal is to survive to the end.