Overview
After the 1.0 launch of Outbound in May 2026, Square Glade Games shared a plan for free content updates spread across the rest of the year. The studio has been clear that the launch build is a starting point and that several systems will arrive in later drops rather than at release. Each update is themed around a season, and the dates are seasonal targets rather than fixed release days, so the schedule may shift.
The studio has also said its first priority after launch is stability and community-reported fixes, followed by quality-of-life improvements, before the larger themed content updates. That order is already visible in the early hotfixes and the 1.0.8 balance pass tracked on the version history page.
Confirmed Seasonal Updates
Season | Update | Confirmed Contents |
|---|---|---|
Summer | Version 1.1 (fishing) | Adds the long-requested fishing feature: fishing rods, decorative fish tanks for the camper van, and a journal that tracks the species caught. Fish are collectible decorations, not food. |
Fall | More wildlife | Expands the world's animals and wildlife with additional creatures, including flocks of birds, deepening the living ecosystem across both biomes. |
Summer Update: Fishing
Fishing is the headline feature of the Summer update and the first major addition after launch. It was originally unlocked as the fourth Kickstarter campaign stretch goal in 2024 but did not make the 1.0 build, so it leads the post-launch plan instead. The confirmed pieces are fishing rods, fish tanks, and a tracking journal. In keeping with Outbound's no-combat design, the fish you catch are kept as decorations and logged for completion rather than cooked or eaten. Specific species, rod tiers, and catch mechanics have not been detailed and will be documented once the update is live.
Fall Update: More Wildlife
The Fall update is set to broaden the game's wildlife. Square Glade Games has specifically mentioned adding flocks of birds, alongside more animals to populate The Outdoors and The Coast. The emphasis the studio has stressed throughout development is variety over volume: biome-specific fauna that makes each region feel distinct and rewards slow, repeat exploration. As with fishing, the fall creatures follow the rule that no animal can be harmed; they are there to watch and to make the world feel alive.
Further Plans and What Is Not Confirmed
Around launch, the studio also discussed a later winter update centered on expanding NPC interactions with more dialogue, lore, and side content. This sits further out than the Summer and Fall drops and the details have not been locked down, so it should be treated as a stated intention rather than a finished plan.
Some things have explicitly not been announced. Crossplay between platforms is not part of the launch feature set and has not been confirmed as a future addition, so groups should still buy on the same platform to play together. Anything beyond the seasonal updates above is unconfirmed and is left off this page until the studio commits to it.
Separately from the free updates, the School Bus Adventures DLC was unlocked during the Kickstarter and ships bundled with the physical editions. Patch notes and future content drops are tracked on the version history page as they go live.