Aloft News

[p]Ahoy, Sky Sailors![/p][p][/p][p]The winds are picking up and our streamers are taking flight — LIVE on our Steam page! Join them as they put their soaring skills to the test in the Gliders & Gales update.

Check out the Steam page streamer schedule below: [/p][p]February 12: Everwynne, Sindradottir, and BlinkBlinkGames![/p][p]February 13: MaeGamerOver, Macdaddyisdumb, and Kodeations![/p][p]February 14: Ambi_Tones, XoChop and CuddlesRUs![/p][p]February 15: SchattenspielTV, Caerlin, and Takouhi![/p]

[p]Ahoy, Sky Sailors!  [/p][p]The Gliders & Gales update gives your gliders the attention they deserve—and it’s available now! This highly-anticipated update not only expands upon glider customisation, but building and decorative pieces too! - Please head over to the complete Changelog to keep up with all the new content. [/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][h2]Mix and Match Your Style [/h2][p]Aloft’s first update of 2026 features 22 new glider patterns, 6 new glider shapes, 2 new glider fabric upgrades, 9 new glider Oculi with unique bonuses, and 6+ glider trails—all customisable through the glider stand! Mix and match to make gliders truly your own. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Complete Trials to Win Rewards [/h2][p]In order to glide in style, you’ll have to earn it with some highly-skilled soaring. Race to victory in the 6 new Glider Trial Wonder Islands to win unique glider shapes, then beat the additional timed trial to earn glider trails. These trials are powered by the game’s Pyrologic system.  [/p][p]Gliders & Gales also features revamped glider controls for better handling and upgradeability—just in time for the new challenges! [/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Piece Together the Past [/h2][p]Crashed gliders and torn fabric fragments can be found scattered across the islands. Explore the isles to gather fabric fragments, repair broken gliders and uncover their long-lost glider patterns!  [/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Building & Decoration Pieces [/h2][p]Not only can you showcase your custom gliders with brand-new displays, we’ve also added over 200 miscellaneous building and decoration pieces ranging from furniture, tool racks, shelving, dinnerware, and much more. Clutter-core lovers, rejoice! [/p][p][/p][h2]More Behind the Clouds [/h2][p]Gliders & Gales was shaped by your passionate and valuable feedback, and for that we’re truly grateful. Going into 2026, your feedback is more important than ever, so please keep it coming!  [/p][p]May the wind guide you on your travels, Sky Sailors ⛅🍃 [/p][p]
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[h3]The new content in this update will appear in existing worlds & brand-new worlds.[/h3][p][/p][h3]NEW CONTENT[/h3][hr][/hr][h3]Glider Customisation[/h3]

• [p]2 Glider Fabrics: Wool & Linen[/p]
  • [p]Crafted at the Glider Stand.[/p]
  • [p]Each tier offers improved manoeuvrability (pitch and rotation acceleration) over the previous one. [/p]
• [p]9 Glider Oculi[/p]
  • [p]Crafted at the Glider Stand using a range of common to rare resources.[/p]
  • [p]Each new oculus holds a unique gliding bonus.[/p]
• [p]22 Glider Patterns[/p]
  • [p]Acquired by gathering fabric fragments and repairing crashed gliders.[/p]
  • [p]Applied at the Glider Stand.[/p]
  • [p]Have no effect on gliding and are purely cosmetic.[/p]
• [p]6 Glider Shapes[/p]
  • [p]Acquired by completing Glider Trials.[/p]
  • [p]Applied at the Glider Stand.[/p]
  • [p]Have no effect on gliding and are purely cosmetic.[/p]
• [p]6+ Glider Trails[/p]
  • [p]Acquired by completing timed version Glider Trials.[/p]
  • [p]Applied at the Glider Stand.[/p]
  • [p]Have no effect on gliding and are purely cosmetic.
    [/p]

[h3]Glider Trials and Crashed Gliders[/h3]

• [p]Glider Trial Wonder Islands[/p]
  • [p]There are 6 new trial islands, 2 per biome.[/p]
  • [p]Complete trials to unlock new glider shapes.[/p]
  • [p]Complete trials a second time and beat the timer to unlock new glider trails.[/p]
  • [p]Glider Trials have been implemented with the game’s Pyrologic system.[/p]
• [p]Crashed Gliders[/p]
  • [p]Explore the isles to gather fabric fragments scattered around the environment.[/p]
  • [p]Locate crashed gliders and repair them with your hammer to unlock new glider patterns.[/p]
  • [p]Interacting with a crashed glider before repairing it will show players a hint of where its fragments are located. 
    [/p]

[h3]Miscellaneous Content[/h3]

• [p]200+ Building and Decoration Pieces[/p]
  • [p]All new pieces are unlockable via decoration pages, sketching, or creative mode.[/p]
  • [p]Several new decorations and building pieces have been added to islands in each biome which will only be present on undiscovered islands, as well as in brand new worlds. [/p]
    • [p]Glider, glider trail, and glider oculus displays.[/p]
    • [p]Tool displays.[/p]
    • [p]Pyrologic lights.[/p]
    • [p]Hanging rope/plant/clay pieces.[/p]
    • [p]Clay windchimes.[/p]
    • [p]Dinnerware.[/p]
    • [p]Food props.[/p]
    • [p]Wax hexes.[/p]
    • [p]Wreaths.[/p]
    • [p]Rare props such as books, feathers, opals, gems, and more.[/p]
    • [p]Shelving units.[/p]
    • [p]Wooden crates.[/p]
    • [p]Animal fences.[/p]
    • [p]Animal beds and cushions.[/p]
    • [p]Animal shelters[/p]
    • [p]Pumpkin variants.[/p]
    • [p]Diagonal and corner stairs.[/p]
    • [p]Garden arbors.[/p]
    • [p]Expanded trellis set.[/p]
    • [p]Emerald Isles leaf single bed.[/p]
    • [p]Fallen Heights leaf furniture and rug set.[/p]
    • [p]Fallen Heights yellow grass roof set.[/p]
    • [p]Fully-Beamed Adobe and Clay Wall[/p]
    • [p]Transitional walls from clay to adobe.
      [/p]
• [p]250+ Building & Decoration Pieces - Island Creator[/p]
  • [p]The building and decoration pieces listed above, and the following pieces listed below, are available in the Island Creator.[/p]
    • [p]Glider Race Pyrologics: rings, timed rings, reward displays, and banners[/p]
    • [p]Glider Race structures, reward totems, platforms, and more[/p]
    • [p]New vestige pieces and texture updates
      [/p]
• [p]Quality of Life Improvements - Island Creator[/p]
  • [p]Objects in the Island Creator can now be moved with snapping. [/p]
  • [p]Objects in the Island Creator can now be moved and rotated using world space or local space. [/p]
  • [p]Changed the local/world space key bind from SHIFT to TAB.[/p]
  • [p]Changed the local/world space key bind from a hold to a toggle.[/p]
  • [p]Added the '\[' key bind as a way to decrease your snapping value.[/p]
  • [p]Added the ']' key bind as a way to increase your snapping value.
    [/p]
• [p]Quests[/p]
  • [p]New quests will appear on Glider Trial islands and islands with Crashed Glider POIs. 
    [/p]
• [p]UI Celebrations[/p]
  • [p]New celebrations will appear when completing a glider trial or repairing a crashed glider.
    
    [/p]

[h3]ADJUSTMENTS / BALANCING[/h3][hr][/hr]

• [p]Changed which glider patterns are available by default.[/p]
  • [p]All pre-existing gliders will now have one of the default patterns applied to them.[/p]
• [p]Rebalanced the properties of the leaf glider fabric to accommodate the new higher tier fabrics.[/p]
• [p]Rebalanced glider handling[/p]
  • [p]When bouncing off a ledge, velocity is reset to 0.[/p]
  • [p]Added a new rotation animation when gliding fast.[/p]
  • [p]Slight Turbulence now only affects animation, not the actual trajectory.[/p]
  • [p]Removed the random vertical boosts when going slowly.[/p]
• [p]Rain will no longer cause exhaustion while gliding but will still cause instability. [/p]
• [p]Islands with specific icons will no longer have an icon on the table-map until the player lands on them for the first time.[/p]
• [p]Polished the Insight Basin cutscene. [/p]

[p][/p][h3]OPTIMIZATION[/h3][hr][/hr]

• [p]Islands will now take slightly more time to load from their silhouette form in order to prevent some stuttering during travel. [/p]
• [p]The world will refresh around the player less often to help improve some performance issues. 
  [/p]

[h3]BUG FIXES[/h3][hr][/hr]

• [p]Fixed several islands with spawn points inside their geometry. [/p]
• [p]Fixed several instances of English text appearing when playing in French.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the ‘Clear Corruption’ quest would be marked as completed upon dying.[/p]
  • [p]The Clear Corruption quest is no longer repeatable.[/p]
  • [p]The Clear Corruption quest can now only be completed if the current island was initially corrupted.[/p]
• [p]Fixed several puzzles with incorrect logic in Fallen Heights and Red Cliff biomes. [/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where the game could crash when quitting to desktop or main menu.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where an error would appear repeatedly in the dedicated server console. [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where previously explored sectors were marked as unexplored for clients in the table-map when returning to a peer-to-peer or Dedicated server multiplayer game.[/p]
  • [p]All islands and sectors discovered by any player will now update for all players. [/p]
• [p]Fixed several instances of islands with floating assets and missing platforms. [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where storms would occur more often than intended. [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the camera would slowly pan to the right while the player is interacting with the glider stand in certain locations. [/p]
• [p]Fixed several collision issues for vestige pieces.[/p]
• [p]Fixed collision on all adobe walls to avoid clipping for newly placed wall decorations[/p]
• [p]Adjusted some item descriptions to remove misleading instructions or mention of cut features. [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where players could not use the sample function with the hammer while using a controller. [/p]
• [p]Fixed issues where moving doors in some fresco islands would not function properly for clients in multiplayer. [/p]
• [p]Tweaked the customisation station model.[/p]
• [p]Bird sounds will no longer play while on corrupted islands. [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue that could prevent characters brought directly from the original release of bloom and blight to a new version from spawning home islands in multiplayer.[/p]

[h3]


[/h3]

[h3]BUG FIXES[/h3][hr][/hr]

• [p]Fixed an issue where the in-game bug report tool would not successfully send bug reports.[/p]

[p]Ahoy, Sky Sailors! 

Exactly one year ago, we opened up the skies and officially invited you aboard the Aloft ship. Sailing towards the hurricane with our trusty crewmates beside us, we shaped Aloft together: a windswept world borne out of the fragmented chaos left behind by ancient civilizations, overrun by fungal corruption, and evolving through your hands as much as ours. 

So today, we celebrate a year of Early Access – a year of building, soaring, exploring, and restoring the skies together.
[/p][p]“Only by knowing where we've been, will we know where to go.”[/p][p][/p][p] We have so much in store for the future, but before we glide on ahead, let’s take a look back at the journey behind us. [/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p] After a little over 3 years of development, 7 demo updates, 22 Devlogs, and 4+ community playtests, Aloft finally released into Early Access on January 15th, 2025. Our goal for Early Access was simple: get Aloft into your hands, refine the gameplay experience, and shape its direction – all with the help of your feedback. Since then, we released 3 major content updates adding more depth to the world, improving core systems, and elevating Aloft to a more complete and enjoyable experience.
[/p][carousel][/carousel][p]Our first major update, Critters & Wonders, welcomed ADORABLE lil’ creatures and insects, bringing much-needed life to the open world of Aloft and its ecosystems. It also marked the debut of Wonder Islands – bespoke, exploration-focused and story-driven islands, which quickly captured the community's attention. We also added Shared Home islands at the request of players, allowing them to collaborate and create a base together.

[/p][carousel][/carousel][p]Wonder Islands were such a hit that we decided to double down on them in our second major update, Puzzles & Pyrologics, which introduced puzzle-filled ruins and the means to create your own logic system. The brain-bending challenges proved tough, but offered great rewards for those willing to test their wits. A brand-new resource, Emberstone, empowered players to build their own complex puzzles and contraptions. To celebrate the community’s creativity, we added 3 unique player-made islands, the winning entries from our Island Creator Contest!

[/p][carousel][/carousel][p]Last but certainly not least, the Bloom & Blight update was our biggest yet and it was so well-received! Listening to your feedback, we knew we had to improve the game’s progression, pacing, and ecosystem activities, so that’s exactly what we did! The ancient Life Trees and their saplings provided clearer ecosystem restoration objectives, the Tech Tree allowed for increased agency, and the wind lanes fast-tracked long distance travel between archipelagos. The brand-new Sportox and Flogade corruption strains added more depth to the reworked combat and research experience. The update also came with a necessary reset due to file data changes and a new more robust save system.[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][p]Our community’s creativity, much like the skies of Aloft, is truly endless and what better way to showcase it than with contests? We were blown away by the imagination and skill you all displayed in your creations. Thank you again for your participation and congratulations to the winners!

#MyHomeinAloft Photo Mode Contest Winners: [/p][carousel][/carousel][p]Island Creator Contest Winners:[/p][carousel][/carousel][p]

Without further ado, here’s a glimpse of what we have planned for 2026:


This year, we want to take our time to craft updates with great care, but also invest development time into doing a deep polish and optimisation pass for the eventual 1.0 release. Furthermore, the keen-eyed amongst you will have noticed we removed some items from the 2025 Roadmap. Simply put, the game evolved in a way that made some of those items less relevant to the player experience so we decided to focus our time on more impactful features. [/p][p]
And now, the news you’ve all been waiting for: we’re thrilled to announce that the next update for Aloft, Gliders & Gales, will arrive on February 12! Focused entirely on gliders, this update will push your soaring skills to the next level with new glider challenges and a wide range of upgrades and customisation options.[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][p]We truly can’t say it enough: Aloft owes part of its success to our amazing community. Your feedback is invaluable, helping us make Aloft even better than we ever imagined. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you, and here’s to another incredible year in the skies!


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