MiniDayZ, a top down browser-based fan version of the game, got noticed by Bohemia Interactive who offered to make it into an official adaptation of the game. MiniDayZ remains free but with Bohemia's support and is available through their website.

There are 3 masks in-game that reference the Payday series: The Dallas mask, the Hoxton mask, and the Wolf mask.

There is a book in-game called the "Russian Cheat Sheet". It exists as a joke about the number of Russian players in the DayZ community.

On the standalone map, there is a large chimney. Looking inside the chimney will reveal an evil looking Santa Claus face.

The brand on the Can of Spaghetti, Chef Corleone, is a reference to the Corleone family from the Godfather movies. The logo for it also uses the same font as the one for the movies.

Dean Hall has stated that the reason for the abundance of Rotten Kiwis throughout the game is because the team's designers "think it's hilarious to pick on [him]". It's likely that Rotten Kiwis refer to Dean's nationality as a New Zealander, colloquially known as Kiwis.

The lawyers of musician Jay-Z requested that the game's name be changed to ZDay. The developers were amused by the request, but were not convinced to comply.