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Early Access Roadmap - Version 10 vs Version 11
Aug 18, 2026, 02:55 AM
Removed screenshots whose subject did not match the article topic
Aug 26, 2026, 01:33 PM
Added the stated Early Access duration, the staged price plan, and the studio's post-launch growth intentions
11Overview22This 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.44Confirmed Milestones66DateMilestoneHighlightsSeptember 2023Alpha Phase 1First closed alpha; foundational systems available to community testers.October 25, 2024Patch v0.0.2.111Farming and wood farming introduced; garden furniture set added.January 17, 2025Alpha Phase 2Open world expanded past 30 square kilometers with multiple points of interest, building, crafting, infection, and weather systems.May 2025Phase 3 features announcedStarting zone with lore, communication tower redesign, hunting, fishing, gardening rebalance, early firearms for hunting, character animation overhaul.October 28, 2025Patch v0.0.2.319Mutable character customization system arrived alongside female character models.October 30, 2025Patch v0.0.2.320Performance and stability pass with CPU optimization, Mutable integration, GAS implementation, engine upgrade from UE 5.4 to UE 5.6.December 5, 2025Patch v0.0.2.362Interior collision fix for the Mansion.December 3, 2025Patch v0.0.2.355 (Weapons Update)M4A1 and Glock firearms playable; training range added near the Mansion.January 22, 2026Wildlife UpdateDeer added as the first huntable wildlife species.Early Access 2027Early Access launch (target)Headlight Studio's stated target window for the Early Access release on PC.88May 2026: Full Production And A New World99On May 29, 2026 the studio marked the close of its research-and-prototyping chapter and the start of full production. The stated goal is an Early Access release somewhere in late 2027, open to everyone on Steam. From that point a dev log is posted every week on the website, the Discord, and the game's Steam forum.1111As part of the move, the alpha map was wiped to make way for a brand new world built around the biomes found in Oregon. A large amount of the game's core was reported as coming together at this stage, including a body-modelling survival simulation, a reworked inventory split between a personal stash and a droppable backpack, a two-way building system with a real stability model, tiered crafting, data-driven wildlife, and a single vehicle architecture spanning land, water, and air. None of this had entered the public build at the time of the announcement; it is confirmed development direction.1313DateMilestoneHighlightsMay 29, 2026Full production beginsResearch-and-prototyping chapter closed; Early Access target refined to late 2027 on Steam; weekly dev logs begin; alpha map wiped for a new Oregon-biome world (in development).1515Phase Themes1616Each 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.1818Planned Beyond Phase 32020Open-water boat fishing, listed as planned alongside trap-based fishing.Dedicated PvP servers running a competitive version of the map, planned for after the full release rather than for Early Access.Console release on PlayStation, planned to follow the PC Early Access launch.Additional pre-war and crafted weapons to expand the three weapon categories.2222Studio Independence2424Headlight 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.2626Phase Timeline2828PhaseWindowHeadlinesClosed Alpha 1Q4 2023 onwardFirst playable backer builds: survival, base building, exploration.Closed Alpha 2Late 2024 / early 202530+ sq km world, building, drones, infection, weather, new POIs.Closed Alpha 32025-2026Starting Zone lore, Communication Tower redesign, hunting/fishing/gardening, firearms, drone companion expansion, severe weather, UI rework.Production PhaseQ1 2026Transition from pre-production to full production; team expansion and faster cadence.Early Access2027Steam + Epic Games Store; mandatory crossplay.Version 1.0TBAFull release with complete story, all biomes, and polished gameplay.3030Recent Build Markers3131BuildDateHighlightsv0.0.2.319Oct 2025Unreal Engine 5.6 migration; Mutable system; female character; GAS adoption.v0.0.2.355Dec 2025Firearms introduced (M4A1, Glock); training range near Mansion.v0.0.2.362Dec 2025Hotfix: hip-fire offset, distant terrain loading, ammo spawners.Wildlife updateJan 22, 2026Deer added as first wildlife species.v0.0.2.381Aug 2026Unreal Engine 5.8, new backend and telemetry, distant-world stand-ins, rebuilt drone, 25 languages.3333Early Access Commitments3434Steam + Epic Games Store launch in 2027.Mandatory crossplay between storefronts.Eight languages listed on the storefront: English, French, German, Simplified Chinese, Danish, Italian, Spanish, and Dutch. The studio has said the game stays primarily in English until Early Access and that localisation will be added progressively, with priority set by the community.Modding support with Steam Workshop blueprint sharing.PvP planned for post-Early-Access on dedicated servers.Console release (PlayStation referenced) planned after the full PC release.3636Two further commitments were published alongside the launch window. The studio expects Early Access to run for roughly 18 to 24 months, while stating plainly that it would rather let the scope of its updates and the quality of the build set the pace than commit to a hard deadline, and that it will adjust that estimate openly as development matures. Pricing is expected to climb gradually across the same period as content and features are added.38+The studio has also described what separates the finished 1.0 build from the Early Access one. The intent is to keep expanding story-rich Points of Interest and reveal them progressively so exploration keeps producing discoveries, to grow the urban areas and what can be salvaged in them, to broaden the range of Weapons, Vehicles and crafting, to refine character animation, and to deepen character design so it stays consistent with the world's lore.40+Post-launch commitmentStated intentPoints of interestExpanded and revealed progressively rather than all at onceUrban areasGrown, with more to salvage inside themWeapons, vehicles, craftingBroadened varietyCharacter animationRefinedCharacter designDeepened to stay true to the world and its lore3742Things Still TBA3843Specific weapon roster beyond the M4A1 and Glock, the final list of wildlife species, named storm types in severe weather, and the Version 1.0 release window are all still TBA. Updates will land here as the studio confirms them through the Phase 3 cadence.4045Weekly Dev Log Direction (2026)4247After entering full production in May 2026, the studio committed to weekly development logs. Through early June 2026 these logs outlined the direction for the next stretch of the alpha: squad-based hostile survivors with a first named enemy, multi-seat co-op vehicle roles, a synchronized world radio layer, a data-driven inventory with on-body weapon stowing, and procedural work on a dense urban environment.4449Each log notes that none of this is in the public build yet. The newest public patch is v0.0.2.381, so these items mark confirmed direction rather than released content.4651Early Access Confirmed For Late 20274853On June 12, 2026 the studio confirmed that Rooted will launch in Early Access on Steam and the Epic Games Store in late 2027. No exact date was given; the studio said the game will get one when it has earned it. A Beta phase will come before Early Access, described as probably short, with the purpose of bridging the current gameplay phase and Early Access.5055The same announcement noted that the current public alpha build is outdated, and that a production-version alpha update is planned for later. Nearly 150,000 people had registered for the game by then, with registration applications now closed, and a Content Creator Program opened to applications. The game has passed one million wishlists on Steam.5257Week 24 Dev-Log Direction (In Development)5459The June 12, 2026 weekly dev log outlined a further stretch of in-development work, none of it in the public build. It covered enemy camps with rotating guards and squad patrols, a director that escalates a camp's response up to reinforcement waves, a damage model that resolves shots per body part, a balance baseline for four firearm classes, the first throwables (grenades and molotovs), an electricity system of producers, batteries, and consumers, procedural work on a dense urban environment, and full hunting with carcasses. These items mark confirmed direction rather than released content; the newest public patch is v0.0.2.381.5661The Public Roadmap Board5863In 2026 the studio moved its public roadmap onto the official website, retiring the external board it had used since 2023. The new board is itself listed as a completed item on it. Cards are grouped by discipline and split across three columns, and community members can vote on individual entries. As of early August 2026 the board carries 22 items in progress, 20 planned, and 90 completed, which makes it the clearest single view of what has shipped versus what is still ahead of Early Access.6065In Progress6267The 22 in-progress cards cluster around the systems the weekly logs have been documenting.6469AreaIn-progress workBuilding and craftingSalvage and scrap recovery on the spot, stripping and reclaiming any pre-collapse building, and workbench tiers with shared co-op workshop levels and blueprint guides.World and points of interestA procedural building generator, a biome framework, procedural city streets, and a full C++ conversion of the dynamic sky so one weather layer drives wildlife, audio, and survival mechanics.Combat and weaponsAn adaptive reticle, shoulder swapping with upper-body mirroring, and an enemy faction layer covering corporate enforcers, antidote-bound infected, and rival survivors.Clothing and equipmentModular backpacks with their own capacity, weapon sockets, and cosmetic patches, plus visible weapon holstering and stowage.Exploration and travelSwappable drone hull, rotor, optics, and battery modules with per-component wear, and a unified vehicle framework covering land, water, and future aircraft.Survival and interfaceA split inventory and medical journal, a sleep and rest system, a smart adaptive camera, a reactive soundscape, and a world-spanning broadcast radio network.TechnicalFirst-class mod support built through the codebase rather than bolted on, so the foundation exists when Early Access opens.6671Planned6772The 20 planned cards are queued behind the in-progress work.6974AreaPlanned workHunting and fishingHostile animals with attack behaviour, passive animals with fear responses, fishing rod mechanics, and animal skinning and butchering. See Hunting and Fishing.Survival mechanicsBody temperature regulation, thermal protection from clothing, a disease and illness system, a flora-based sustenance system, and a campfire cooking grill.CombatFurther firearm system development and a dedicated hand-to-hand melee combat system.WorldA survivor house on the starter island, lakes of varying size with their own ecosystems, and aggressive storm events.Building and craftingA tier 1 greenhouse and a blueprint discovery system, extending gardening and crafting progression.Movement and travelA complete locomotion overhaul, throwable objects, and a rowboat for lake navigation.MultiplayerA trading system between players.7176Server Model At Early Access7277The studio has set out how sessions will be hosted. At Early Access, servers are hosted by players themselves through a listen server, the same arrangement used by several other co-op survival games. Files for community-run dedicated servers are planned during the Early Access period rather than at its start. Official studio-run servers are described only as a possibility after the full release, dependent on available resources. Competitive PvP is tied to that dedicated-server investment, which is why it sits after the full release rather than inside Early Access.7479Summer Break, August 20267681The weekly development log ran without interruption from late May 2026 through Week 28 on July 14, 2026, then paused. The public roadmap carries a summer-break notice stating that the team is taking a short break and that dev updates resume shortly. The most recent dated activity entries on the board are from July 3 and July 9, 2026, covering wildlife behaviour for co-op hunts and the base-building loop. The board notes a slower pace through August, with the detailed activity log due back in September.7883August 2026: The Alpha Send-Off8085August 2026 closed out the current alpha rather than extending it. The August 7 development log said the week had gone to the public alpha rather than the new build: the servers it talks to, what comes back when it crashes, and the first minutes of a new game. It also explained the summer break, which the founder spent on a console port for the studio's other title, with a development kit in hand.8287On August 13 the studio confirmed the infrastructure move was complete, with accounts, pledges, alpha keys, signed agreements, unlocked event items, and backer credits all carried over and the old server retired. Players were told to take the alpha update through Steam, since that is what points the game at the new services, and warned that the game might show a short notice instead of starting a session while the services came back online. Website pledges were said to be reopening soon. The same day brought approval as a PlayStation and Xbox partner, with the studio stressing that PC Early Access remains the priority and that Rooted has no console date.8489On August 14 patch v0.0.2.381 shipped and was described as most likely the last planned update for this alpha. It brings the alpha onto Unreal Engine 5.8, moves accounts, bug reports, crash reports, and the in-game news feed onto the new backend, adds frame-time histogram telemetry with position sampling, introduces three tiers of long-distance stand-ins across the island, rebuilds the drone, tidies several interface elements, and makes the game playable in 25 languages. The studio said the point of the update was to leave the alpha in the best state it can be while the production build takes all of its attention.8691Public Roadmap Board Counts8893As of August 2026 the board carries 132 cards in total, split across three tabs, with each card showing a community vote count. The page itself carries a notice that it is still under rework.9095TabCardsExamplesIn Progress22Inventory and medical journal as two separate screens, salvage and scrap recovery, stripping and refitting any building, workbench tiers and guides, modular backpacks and patches, weapon holstering, first-class mod support, procedural building generation, a biome framework, procedural city streets, a wildlife behaviour foundation, drone modular components, a unified vehicle framework, an adaptive reticle, shoulder swapping, enemy factions and AI, a living soundscape, a broadcast radio network, a smart adaptive camera, and a sleep and rest system.Planned20Hostile and passive animal behaviour, fishing rod mechanics, skinning and butchering, firearm and melee systems, a survivor house on the starter island, lakes with ecosystems, aggressive storm events, clothing temperature protection, body temperature regulation, a disease system, a campfire cooking grill, a trade system, a locomotion rework, throwable items, a tier 1 greenhouse, blueprint discovery, and a rowboat.Completed90Grouped by discipline, the largest group is world, points of interest, and assets at 33 cards, followed by building and crafting at 12, exploration and travel at 8, user interface work at 7, technical and optimisation at 7, and character and animation at 6.
