[h2]Hey Researchers![/h2]
The public beta is now available! Players who have the game can opt in to access the 1.0 update early, and help us in this last stretch before the official launch!
Side note for content creators: I’ll drop you an email about this with more details by the end of this week! To clarify - this is pretty close to the build I’ll be sharing with the you, but I’d like to take a few more days to check that everything is as smooth as possible, with the help of this beta~
[h3]Important Notes ❗️[/h3]
- Backups are highly recommended before you start on the beta version! The game will automatically create a backup of all saves when you launch it, but to be extra safe, please have a backup copy of your Research Story folder in case of any unforeseen circumstances. You don't need to do this if it's the first time you're launching the game:
- Open Run app (Windows + R key) and copy %LOCALAPPDATA%\ to the field. Press Ok.
- Find and copy+paste the ResearchStory folder to a safe location, such as your Desktop.
- Any saves that are started or saved in the public beta build will be incompatible with any earlier versions of the game (i.e. if you go back to the Early Access version, the save will become unstable).
- The saves will be compatible with future versions of the game (i.e. You’ll get to continue these saves in the official 1.0 launch and beyond).
- This build has gone through some internal testing, but since it’s the first time we’re sharing it with a wider audience, you may experience some new bugs / instability. Any and all reports would be very helpful and I’ll fix any major bugs as soon as possible!
[h3]Some things to expect in the public beta 🔍[/h3]
- The public beta includes the full 1.0 content.
- There will be bugs, and things I've missed - I plan to use the remaining two weeks before official launch to polish and fix as much as possible!
- Patches will be made often (likely daily to every few days, all the way up to release day).
- As of beta v1, localisation for Simplified Chinese (简体中文) has not been updated. We're still working on finalising the localisation, and will add it to the beta as soon as possible.
[h3]Update Notes 📝[/h3]
There’s the 1.0 content, but also tons of smaller QOL and balancing changes as part of this update. Find the latest update notes/changelog (Spoiler warning!)
here.
[h3]How to join the public beta[/h3]
1) Click "Library" in Steam.
2) Find Research Story. Right click -> Properties
3) Under Betas -> Beta Participation -> click the dropdown box and select public-beta. No access code is required.
4) In the same menu, go to Installed Files -> Verify integrity of game files to get the update immediately.

[h3]How to report Bugs/Issues with the public beta[/h3]
You can report them using the "Report a bug" button in the game's Main Menu, or you can reach me on Discord! I'll be creating a channel for the public beta specifically so we can have a consolidated place for feedback and reports where I'll check regularly.

Thank you! If you have any questions, let me know!
Miki