Early Access Roadmap

Overview

This article tracks the development roadmap for Rooted leading up to its Early Access release. Headlight Studio has run an extended community alpha and is rolling out features in numbered phases.

Confirmed Milestones

Date	Milestone	Highlights
September 2023	Alpha Phase 1	First closed alpha; foundational systems available to community testers.
October 25, 2024	Patch v0.0.2.111	Farming and wood farming introduced; garden furniture set added.
January 17, 2025	Alpha Phase 2	Open world expanded past 30 square kilometers with multiple points of interest, building, crafting, infection, and weather systems.
May 2025	Phase 3 features announced	Starting zone with lore, communication tower redesign, hunting, fishing, gardening rebalance, early firearms for hunting, character animation overhaul.
October 28, 2025	Patch v0.0.2.319	Mutable character customization system arrived alongside female character models.
October 30, 2025	Patch v0.0.2.320	Performance and stability pass with CPU optimization, Mutable integration, GAS implementation, engine upgrade from UE 5.4 to UE 5.6.
December 5, 2025	Patch v0.0.2.362	Interior collision fix for the Mansion.
December 6, 2025	Patch v0.0.2.355 (Weapons Update)	M4A1 and Glock firearms playable; training range added near the Mansion.
January 22, 2026	Wildlife Update	Deer added as the first huntable wildlife species.
Early Access 2027	Early Access launch (target)	Headlight Studio's stated target window for the Early Access release on PC.

Phase Themes

Each phase has emphasized a different layer of the survival loop. Phase 1 established the foundations of exploration and crafting. Phase 2 broadened the world and introduced systemic features such as building, infection, and weather. Phase 3 has focused on bringing food management forward through hunting and fishing, gardening, and the early firearms needed to support hunting.

Planned Beyond Phase 3

Open-water boat fishing, listed as planned alongside trap-based fishing.
Dedicated PvP servers with a competitive version of the map, announced as coming soon.
Console release on PlayStation, planned to follow the PC Early Access launch.
Additional pre-war and crafted weapons to expand the three weapon categories.

Studio Independence

Headlight Studio has stated that some delays have been driven by a deliberate choice to remain independent rather than take on an external publisher. This is part of the studio's stated approach of running all production in-house, including environment art, gameplay programming, design, audio, and publishing.