ASTRONEER News

[p][/p][p]Hey all! Joe here to follow up on our earlier message regarding the plan forward for Megatech and beyond. Now that we have released Hotfix 3, the work continues! Let's talk about where we go from here:[/p][p]TLDR: We are moving to a monthly patch cadence to fix bugs, longtime issues, and make quality of life changes for the first part of 2026 instead of focusing on new content. Megatech bugs and releasing Megatech on Switch will be first on the list, and then we will move on to things we should have fixed/changed a long time ago. Now for the full explanation: [/p][p]The team has been answering tickets, reading online posts, and working with community members to take feedback in the month since Megatech has been out. That being said, releasing any game content this late in the year carries one significant risk barrier: shutdown dates for platforms. Because we are a multiplatform game, we need to prepare patches and then send them out to our platform partners for certification, and platforms have outages for the holidays in December. We worked right up until the deadline to release the first three hotfixes and have continued working on the next updates since then, but additional patches won’t come out till early January, after our platform partners come back from the holiday break. This is standard practice, but we just wanted to be transparent with you all. We haven’t stopped working! We just need to wait a bit while everyone gets a much-deserved rest.[/p][p][/p][h2]The Plan for 2026: [/h2][p]That being said, I have some info about how things in the new year will work, which is a significant change from the last 3 years of development. Since 2022-ish, we have been doing two updates a year: One smaller one in the spring/summer, then work to deliver something BIG in the fall. That cadence worked for the team but required us to go dark for extended periods while we cooked up our big updates for the latter half of the year. That just isn’t going to work this time around, so we are swapping to a monthly cadence with more frequent patches for the first half of 2026. Longtime players might recognize this style, it is how we used to operate in the years around our 1.0 launch, and should help us feel more connected with you all. We can figure out the rest later, but for now, it is clear that we have prioritized new content over fixing long-term bugs and quality of life updates that the game desperately needs. While this isn’t as exciting as announcing a big new content update, I hope that this reprioritization is welcome news for the community who just wants to enjoy what is already in ASTRONEER.[/p][p][/p][h2]Timeline:[/h2][p]The first patch of 2026 will happen in early January, and then we will keep rolling with regular updates after that, keeping you all updated along the way. I don’t have any shiny graphics, my producer Sarah would be frustrated with me if I shared the raw internal calendar she sent me, but it is basically:[/p]

• [p]JANUARY – QOL UPDATE[/p]
• [p]FEBRUARY – QOL UPDATE[/p]
• [p]MARCH – QOL UPDATE[/p]
• [p]APRIL – QOL UPDATE[/p]
• [p]MAY – QOL UPDATE[/p]

[p]But with a lot of other small details in there and some MS paint arrows drawn over it all. The first prioritization is fixing up Megatech and releasing it on Nintendo Switch, and then we will start to triage long term issues and get them on the docket. [/p][p]A note: QOL or quality of life means that we are focused on “updates” to the game that make the current experience better. That might mean fixing a long-term bug, or balancing a recipe, or adding/fixing functionality of an existing item to make it more usable. Feel free to suggest things that you think might be candidates for this kind of focused work, but this time will be focused on content already in Astroneer, not new stuff.[/p][p][/p][h2]What happened?[/h2][p]While I think we addressed it in our apology note, I wanted to be transparent and shed light on some of the factors that got us here in the first place. Astroneer is a nearly 10 year old game, and the underlying technology is so outdated that the very platforms and core code the game was built on are no longer supported by current standards. The engine version that the game had been running was Unreal 4.23, (released in 2019!!!!) before the PS5 platform had even been released. The Xbox platform we released on in 2016 (UWP) has been phased out for a new system. That made continued development of Astroneer very difficult, but we managed for a while.[/p][p]Nearly halfway through developing Megatech, we realized that the game would need an engine upgrade to continue feature development. The upgrade process can sometimes take months because you must upgrade and test all existing content, then verify everything is working across all shipping platforms before moving on to new work. Engine upgrades often introduce tons of bugs on their own, and this year was already full developing Megatech content and getting the PS5 version of the game out, which have their own bug loads. This meant our very methodical process for bugfixing and testing became much more complex, and ultimately led to a rough launch. We weren’t just finding issues with Megatech, we missed some crucial bugs that were introduced in the upgrade, and that made fixing things quickly even harder. We really like Megatech conceptually, but it is plagued by bugs and a lack of polish that is stopping some players from enjoying it, which is where we are now. [/p][p]We are committing ourselves to:[/p]

• [p]Getting back to our process that leaves us with dedicated time to bugfix without new changes going in.[/p]
• [p]Be more malleable about dates. If things aren’t ready, delay, apologize for the delay and deliver higher quality later.[/p]
• [p]Focus on fixing issues in the game now before adding new content, so future content updates will go smoother.[/p]

[p]I could go on about this year, but I think I will leave it there. I appreciate everyone who has been giving us constructive feedback during this process. Please know that our main focus as a studio is to deliver fun stuff for you all to enjoy, and as a studio we’ve internalized that we didn’t deliver the quality you all expect from us. We can’t change our past decisions, but I hope being transparent about what brought us to this point and how we are working to learn from those mistakes helps. Keep holding our feet to the fire, keep the feedback coming, and we will see you in 2026.[/p][p]-jt[/p][p][/p]

[p]Our latest Hotfix is now available, addressing some of the more persistent issues present in the game along with a few more fixes we were able to fit in. Of particular note are the improvements for the partial nuggets issue and the issue where Xbox players who purchased Megatech via a bundle were not getting access to that content as intended. We also buffed the storage capacity of the new Large Canisters, so thank you for sharing your feedback. [/p][p]As we mentioned on our recent statement, we will continue to work on additional fixes in order of severity, but please continue to send your bug reports for any issues you encounter as you run into them. We’ll update you with a more specific time frame as soon as we’re able to and thank you for your patience as we work on resolving these issues. [/p][p]If you have other issues that you want to report, please send us an email at [email protected] so we can get a ticket started to keep track of it. Please include as much info as possible, including which platform you play on, your in-game username, and a description of the problem encountered. [/p][p][/p][p]*Modding Reminder: We’ve seen reports of the game crashing upon launch, and in most cases following the launch of Megatech this was because the game was modded. We do not officially support mods, so if you have used them on any of your old saves, you are likely going to crash. We recommend removing all mods and starting a new save if you want to enjoy the content. Use mods at your own risk![/p]

• [p]A quick update to help clear up any misconceptions: Mods are not THE source of crashes here. They do, however, historically contribute to them. We're addressing the issues we can internally but unfortunately cannot address issues caused by external Mods and recommend you uninstall them to see if that helps with any issues you might be experiencing. [/p]

[p] [/p][h2]BUG FIXES[/h2]

• [p]Fixed an issue on Xbox and the Microsoft Store where content would not unlock correctly if you purchased the Glitchwalkers and Megatech bundle. This fix should retroactively unlock the content. Please email our Support team if the issue persists.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue preventing PS4 save files from being imported to the PS5 version of the game in regions outside of the Americas. For anyone else finding trouble with importing save files from the PS4 to the PS5, please consult this guide.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where attempting to cancel a print on a Mega-Component Printer could result in the creation of unremovable partial nuggets.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where attempting to cancel a print on a Mega-Component Printer could result in losing all resources and canisters attached at the time of the print.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a handful of DLC ownership related issues that occurred in multiplayer games.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the Biodome’s Mega-Oxygenator could lead to consuming more oxygen than intended.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where slotting a small soil canister on to the Resource Donation Station of the Museum or removing it could cause a crash.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where trying to pick up a canister slotted to the Museum while donating resources could cause a crash.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an instance of the game crashing shortly into loading a game save file.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue that prevented some players from being able to build the Stage 3 for the Biodome.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the Mega-Modules in a Biodome would stop working after reloading a save file unless they were removed and re-slotted into the Biodome.[/p]

[p]UPDATE: We originally listed a fix for a bug preventing resource nuggets dispensed from XL Canisters from being grabbed by players. This was an error in our notes and this fix is actually coming in a future update.[/p][p][/p][h2]NEW CANISTERS STORAGE INCREASE [/h2][p]Thank you to everyone who shared their feedback on the new Large Canisters storage not being as high as they should; you did the math and you were right. [/p]

• [p]The storage capacity of the Large Gas Canister has been increased to hold 400 Small Canisters worth of a single atmospheric resource.[/p]
• [p]The storage capacity of the Large Fluid & Soil Canister has been increased from 72 Small Fluid & Soil Canisters to 300 Small Fluid & Soil Canisters.[/p]
• [p]These changes also apply to the Intermodal Terminal's fuel canisters.[/p]

[p]UPDATE: This change has not applied retroactively to Large Canisters built prior to this Hotfix. Building new canisters should reflect these new values, and as a workaround, emptying a canister, packaging them and then unpackaging them should correct their storage values.[/p][p][/p][h2]PARTIAL NUGGETS FIX[/h2][p]Some issues in the game could create “partial nuggets” of resources that cannot be interacted with and block access to the slots they’re in. We've issued a fix that should address this bug on all newly generated resource deposits, though you may still experience partial nuggets that persist from prior to this fix. [/p][p]For this reason, we have updated the Save File Repair Tool so that it now has the option to remove partial nuggets from a save file. If your save has been affected by this issue, follow the link to this guide for steps to follow and look for the “Delete Partial Nuggets” setting. [/p][p] [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]We're keeping our ear to the ground and continuing to track down issues as they get reported, so don't hesitate to keep those reports coming and join our Discord for the latest updates.  [/p][p]Keep an eye out also on the Megatech Troubleshooting Report for the latest news on emerging issues, fixes, and the state of the game. We’ll keep it up to date as we have more information to share. [/p][p]– Honourael. [/p]

[h2]To Our Community[/h2][p]All of us here at System Era and the ASTRONEER development team apologize to you, our players. The Megatech update does not reflect the experience we want our community to have. It also does not reflect our profound appreciation for the support you have shown us and ASTRONEER through the years. [/p][p]We were overly ambitious with our desires for Megatech and that bit us. Ambition is good when kept in check but disastrous when it impacts our ability to deliver a great experience at launch. This has been a painful but important lesson for our team. We are committed to fixing the game in both the short and long term. We are also focused on repairing the trust we've broken with all of you. [/p][p]Alongside providing stable fixes for the content that you've purchased, we owe you all a greater degree of transparency in our communications as we work to rectify this situation. We will update you with more information and schedules as soon as we have concrete information to give.  [/p][p]Megatech obviously has many issues that require immediate attention. Below is our immediate plan to address these critical issues.[/p][p][/p][h2]Hotfixes So Far[/h2][p]Our immediate action has been to provide hotfixes as quickly as possible to address the worst issues we can fix right now. Hotfixes 1 and 2 are live, and Hotfix 3 is targeted for release next week. The complete list of fixes for Hotfix 1 and 2 can be found online, and we will post notes for Hotfix 3 when released. Below are highlights from those hotfixes.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]If you’re still having issues importing save files from the PS4 to the PS5 after Hotfix 3, please refer to this guide we created and contact support if the problem persists.[/p][p][/p][h2]After the Hotfixes[/h2][p]While the hotfixes address a bulk of the worst offenders from the issues reported, we are by no means done. The first 3 hotfixes will not fix everything; they are a stopgap we're applying to address some immediate concerns while we continue working on larger and much more time intensive repairs.   [/p][p]These wider reaching repairs will begin releasing in early 2026 with the goal of drastically improving the quality of the game. While we are focused on bugs, we are and will continue reviewing player feedback on the content itself. Discussions around what changes we may decide to make to that content continue as more feedback comes in and fixes are solidified.[/p][p]We are planning many changes for ASTRONEER in 2026 but are first and foremost committed right now to fixing the game. This update has given the team a lot to consider regarding our future plans for ASTRONEER.  We are going to refocus the way we work to seriously prioritize quality and will have more to share with you all in the new year regarding this promise.[/p][p][/p][h2]Where to Stay Informed[/h2][p]If you’re looking to stay informed of the ongoing work in fixing issues with the Megatech Update, keep an eye on the Megatech Troubleshooting Report, which we have been keeping up to date throughout the post-release window for this update. It’s also a good place to find workarounds for lingering issues. [/p][p]We want to encourage everyone to join our Discord server, where we share news and updates about the game. In the next few weeks, you'll notice more SES representatives will be engaged and visible in the server as part of our commitment to increase transparency and to keep you all informed.  [/p][p]Keep an eye on our socials, website, and discord. We want to make certain everyone in the community receives the most updated information as it's being released.[/p][p][/p][h2]Thank You for Your Reports[/h2][p]We'd like to express our deepest gratitude to everyone in the community who shared their bug reports with us. Your diligent reporting has allowed our small team to identify and prioritize the most pressing issues in the game and target the necessary fixes we've been working to address. [/p][p]We would like to encourage everyone to continue to share reports with us: We are reading and discussing it all, but it will take some time for us to get back to everyone and respond to every message personally.[/p][p]To improve response time on our end, we are asking everyone to please include as much information about the issues you are experiencing as possible. This includes what platform you're playing on, your version number, screenshots or video, your username, and a detailed description of what occurred.[/p][p][/p][h2]In Closing[/h2][p]We're not going to defend the Megatech release: Its problems are bad, and we are acknowledging the truth of that. Your frustrations with this update are understandable. We not only failed to deliver on the quality of the update, but we also failed all of you as our fans.  [/p][p]We can, should, and will do better. We love ASTRONEER and we want it to thrive. [/p][p]-SES and The ASTRONEER Development Team [/p]

[p]We had a big launch day for the Megatech Update, which is probably appropriate given the name. Our team has been diligently looking at all the feedback coming from the community, and we have valuable information to share that we hope will be of help.[/p][p]*LAST UPDATED: December 18th, 2025 – Any changes from the previous version of this report will be added in italic lettering to facilitate distinguishing new updates.[/p][p][/p][h2]Modding Reminder[/h2][p]We’ve seen reports of the game crashing upon launch, and in the vast majority of early cases this was because the game was modded. We do not officially support mods, so if you have used them on any of your old saves, you are likely going to crash. We recommend removing all mods and starting a new save if you want to enjoy the content. Use mods at your own risk! [/p][p]Note: A quick update to help clear up any misconceptions: Mods are not THE source of crashes here. They do, however, historically contribute to them. We're addressing the issues we can internally but unfortunately cannot address issues caused by external Mods and recommend you uninstall them to see if that helps with any issues you might be experiencing. [/p][p][/p][h2]Fixed Issues [/h2][p]So far, we have released three hotfixes for issues introduced in the Megatech update. In case you have encountered any of these issues previously and would like to review whether they have been fixed yet, you can review a full compiled list of all fixes so far in the Patch Notes here.[/p][p][/p][h2]Platform Parity[/h2][p]Review the following list to verify what update version each platform is in.[/p]

• [p]Newest Patch - 1.36.45.0: Steam, PS4, PS5, Xbox, and Microsoft.[/p]
• [p]In the case of the Nintendo Switch, the Megatech update is planned to be released for this platform by early 2026. We expect all platforms to return to parity on the same version by then.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Upcoming Fixes[/h2][p]We’re aiming to release monthly updates for the first half of 2026, starting with January. We will work first on fixing Megatech bugs and releasing Megatech on the Switch, and we will then move on to things we should have fixed/changed a long time ago, addressing longstanding issues and other feedback to focus on quality-of-life improvements. [/p][p]Our recent hotfixes have targeted some of the most highly reported issues first, but we are by no means done. We will continue to work on additional fixes in order of severity, so please continue to send your bug reports for any issues you encounter as you run into them. If you're not already, you keep an eye on our social channels and our Discord server too for any news that we’re ready to share. [/p][p][/p][h2]PS4 DLC not transferring to the PS5 version [/h2][p]Players who purchased the Megatech Deluxe Bundle for the PS4 version of the game on December 11th or before have not retained access to said DLC after upgrading to the PS5 version. We’ve contacted PlayStation to remedy the situation, who will be granting the missing DLC to the affected player accounts, but due to the holiday break they won’t be able to help affected players until January, 2026. [/p][p][/p][h2]PS5 Save File Imports[/h2][p]We’ve seen reports of PlayStation players unable to import their PS4 save files over to the PS5 version because the import button appears to be unresponsive. This can happen because PS4 save files that are saved in the cloud are not accessible directly on the system. To resolve this, you can refer to this guide for step-by-step instructions on how to import your save files from PS4 to PS5. [/p][p][/p][h2]Emerging Issues[/h2][p]Since the release of Hotfix 1, we have continued to monitor reports coming from the community and have identified additional issues to address. The following is a list of some of these issues and some we identified prior to Hotfix 1 but weren’t included in the Hotfix.[/p]

• [p]The DLS can fail to launch one of the Orbital Platform packages and get locked into a state of "Launch in progress" which stops it from deploying more Construction Anchors.[/p]
• [p]Solid Fuel Thrusters are removed from shuttles after running out of fuel. They will be moved to a free T2 slot on the shuttle if available but will otherwise not be found.[/p]
• [p]Xbox and Microsoft players are reporting not being able to save their progress on some of their save files.[/p]
• [p]All Nubcap seeds grow into Conepods.[/p]
• [p]The attached fuel canisters on the Intermodal Terminal are not destroyed when using the Mega-Deconstructor and are not interactable.[/p]
• [p]The increase in capacity to Large Fluid & Soil Canisters and Large Gas Canisters added with Hotfix 3 didn’t apply retroactively to Large Canisters built prior to this Hotfix. Building new canisters should reflect these new values, and as a workaround, emptying a canister, packaging them and then unpackaging them should correct their storage values.[/p]
  • [p]Given the prior issue listed above, it’s worth highlighting that deconstructing an Intermodal Terminal built before Hotfix 3 and rebuilding it will add fuel canisters with the proper storage values, but deconstructing the Intermodal Terminal will leave behind the old canisters that aren't interactable.[/p]
• [p]The preview hologram for Megastructures can be a mismatch to its final orientation after being printed.[/p]
• [p]Importing a PS4 save into PS5 can reduce the size of the save file and partially restore deformed terrain. This isn’t intended behavior, and we’ll be looking into correcting this.[/p]
• [p]Some players are reporting an issue with Packagers eating up the items they’re meant to package then the Packagers being left floating in the air without being interactable. While we work on a fix, you can refer to these workarounds:[/p]
  • [p]This issue seems to occur with already existing Packagers in saves. This can include Packagers discovered during the C.H.E.E.R. event.  Freshly printed or traded Packagers shouldn't encounter this issue.[/p]
  • [p]If the issue does occur, it is recommended to leave the area with the Packager and move far enough away that it is no longer visible. After returning to the broken Packager, it should resume its animation sequence as normal. Avoid saving and exiting when this issue occurs, as it will lead to losing the packaged item permanently and leave behind a floating Packager that cannot be interacted with upon reload.[/p]
• [p]A couple of the Museum’s Stage 3 donation rewards have been known to not be claimable as intended.[/p]
• [p]Display Collection perks cannot be activated on Museums built on the Orbital Platform, giving the error message: “No Museum found on planet.”[/p]
• [p]It is possible in multiplayer games for an automated shuttle to create two versions of itself which can then be used to transport players and items from one to another. This issue has been dubbed ‘Quantum Entanglement Shuttles’ by the community and is not working as intended.[/p]
• [p]Platforms no longer attach to the Unidentified Satellite or the Sun Room, and gravity no longer consistently works on them either. This was not an intentional change, and we’re looking into correcting this.[/p]
• [p]We have received additional reports of crashes that we are investigating and are not reflected in this list. [/p]

[p]For a more comprehensive list of known issues, you can refer to our Megatech Live Bug Tracker. You can also find information we’re looking for from the community to help us investigate some of these issues. [/p][p][/p][h2]Other Feedback[/h2][p]We’ve also been seeing some feedback shared around some aspects of the Megatech Update’s game design that we are reviewing, listed here for awareness.[/p]

• [p]Intermodal Terminal: While there are some bugs disrupting the functionality of the Intermodal Terminal, much of the feedback we’ve seen seems to revolve around the complexity of getting it to work as expected. We’re poring through all the feedback and hope to make improvements to this Megastructure in a future update. [/p]
• [p]Megastructure Recipe Costs: We are watching recipe costs closely and will report back if we feel like we need to make any adjustments. While the numbers look daunting at the start, we also want them to feel somewhat challenging. Keep feedback coming about these.[/p]

[p]For clarity, we’ve also received a lot of feedback on the other Megastructures, and we’re still taking it all in to evaluate what improvements can be made. [/p][p]Thank you to everyone for sending in their bug reports and for your patience while we work out these issues. For anyone encountering issues, please send us an email bug report to [email protected] with as much info as possible, including which platform you play on, your in-game username, and a description of the problem encountered so we can sort it all and work on it.[/p]

[p]Set your Megastructure projects aside for a few minutes to join us in looking back at the big week we’ve had since the launch of the Megatech update.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]YOU Made it Mega![/h2][p]Ever since we announced the Megatech update, we’ve been both humbled and excited by the overwhelming reaction we got from you, our community. Our goal was to make something that the ASTRONEER community could sink its teeth into and add new dimensions of fun to the game, and judging from your enthusiasm it seems we must have done something right![/p][p]Since the launch of Megatech last week, we’ve had over 100,000 new players (And that’s on Steam alone) jumping into ASTRONEER for the first time! We’re incredibly grateful for your ongoing support of our quirky little space game and hope you continue to look forward to what we bring in the future; we still have plenty more plans for ASTRONEER.[/p][p][/p][h3]Ongoing Megatech Work[/h3][p]That said, there’s still more work to be done for Megatech. We have more bugs to squash and other kinks to iron out, not to mention a few ideas that got set aside on the cutting room floor that we might want to revisit. [/p][p]We plan to continue to hotfix in the short term, and we have an update scheduled for early 2026 to balance and respond to feedback from Megatech launch just like we did last year with the Glitchwalkers Unlocked update. Keep an eye on our social channels and join the Discord if you haven’t already.[/p][p][/p][h2]Community Roundup[/h2][p]It’s time for a new roundup of community content to shine the spotlight on. We're mixing it up a bit again by also including the emote reactions by the community on Discord, in addition to those from the SES team shared on our internal Slack.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Butterfly_Banana’s artwork made quite an impression over at the Discord server, and rightly so! I love the message, and the design hits me right in the Astroneer pudding, but it also makes me think a lot of Starseeker, I don’t know why. Maybe those cute carrotlings know why. Find more of her work here.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Little Victories[/h3][p][/p][p][/p][p]For a second there I was wondering why coolkid (very apropos name) decided to share a picture of the moon landing as an ASTRONEER screenshot, until I noticed the voxel terrain and top hat. Good use of filters to recreate a historic milestone in space exploration![/p][p]⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀[/p][p]⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Keromas not only seemed to have had a great time with ASTRONEER but also endeavored to get all the achievements, sharing this screenshot along with an encouraging message in order to celebrate. We look forward to seeing you take on Megatech next![/p][p]⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀[/p][p]⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀[/p][p][/p][h2]Sneak Leek[/h2][p]The crew of the Starseeker gathers lots of precious resources, scientific samples, and all manner of findings when they return from their expeditions, so these snazzy stash boxes come in handy for storing and sorting it all out.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Thank you once again for tagging along with us. Now, those Megastructures aren’t going to build themselves! (The Mega-Printer Drone will do that, but someone needs to feed it the copious amounts of resources it needs!) [/p][p] [/p][p]- Honourael. [/p]