Tears of Metal entered Early Access on July 22, 2026 and Paper Cult began patching immediately. Six builds shipped in the first eleven days, covering a day-one cross-play hotfix, two rounds of patch notes, two hotfixes and a larger balancing patch. This page tracks what each one changed.
A recurring note runs through every entry from July 24 onward: cross-play is temporarily disabled on the default Steam branch after each patch, because Steam approves updates faster than the Microsoft Store and Game Pass builds. A Steam beta branch named crossplay stays matched to the Game Pass version for players who need it. See Co-Op for how that works.
Build Timeline
Date | Version | Headline |
|---|---|---|
July 22, 2026 | Launch build | Early Access release on Steam and the Microsoft Store, with PC Game Pass on day one |
July 22, 2026 | Hotfix | Fixed multiplayer cross-play being unusable; stopped already-started campaigns appearing in Public Lobbies |
July 24, 2026 | 0.8.57278 | First full patch: hero unlock changes, boss and enemy fixes, achievement fixes, a new Charm, interface corrections |
July 28, 2026 | 0.9.57408 | Castle Records overhaul, save recovery system, boss fixes, level work |
July 31, 2026 | 0.10.57598 | Optimisation hotfix for Acts 1 and 2 plus army and Castle Records fixes |
August 1, 2026 | 0.11.57863 | Large balancing patch: economy, meta-progression, Charm tiers, Act 2 difficulty curve, Beacons |
Version 0.8.57278, July 24, 2026
The first substantial post-launch patch. On balance, Ruadh Stonecrusher became unlockable by defeating the Banshee, Wallace's Flamberge sword dropped from nine Dragonstones to three, and his Celtic Longsword became purchasable for 500 triskelle. Bosses' block-breaking attacks became parryable. The Distant Cloaks event began reducing Threat by two, and A Distraction switched from Dragonstones to coins.
Major fixes covered an Act 3 Giant that could stay invincible, an invisible Banshee boss, gates that could block progress during Brienne's unlock quest, a Treasure and Dice event that charged players even when they won, and several problems with the ranged enemy The Dreadshot. Gilles the Hog stopped ignoring players who had been attacking him for a long stretch, and Bombers were reworked to hold position until approached and to spread their targeting.
Kill Streak was renamed Chain Streak to better describe the mechanic, and a new Common Charm, Cutthroat's Blade, added 10% critical hit chance on Finishers. Several achievements and unlocks that were impossible to earn were repaired, including one requiring a 20-second Combo Chain and another tracking Act completions without opening a chest. Optional anonymous gameplay data collection arrived as an opt-in setting, the default maximum framerate dropped from 120 to 60, and Wallace's Committed Charge description was corrected from -35% to 35% damage resistance.
Version 0.9.57408, July 28, 2026
A systems patch. Castle Records was reworked so that unlocked-item tracking is accurate, locked items are easier to identify, and items that cannot currently be obtained are marked as such. A save recovery system was added to prevent corrupted save files. Fixes covered the health bar, Charm stack counts, placeholder text in event tooltips, Iseult the Banshee jumping away and not returning or floating in place, Harold occasionally becoming invincible, and enemies spawning far outside the arena. Texture sizes were reduced, and the second Swamp biome and the Birchtrees level were rebuilt.
Version 0.10.57598, July 31, 2026
An optimisation hotfix. Texture resolutions changed again and Acts 1 and 2 received performance and stability work. Fixes covered Drift Correction locking player controls when set to 1, army units not being dismissed properly, commanders disappearing after reaching level 6 or maximum if the game closed before another level was played, and Castle Records not displaying unlocked Charms correctly after the previous patch.
Version 0.11.57863, August 1, 2026
The largest post-launch patch so far, released alongside the final weekend of the launch discount. Meta-progression was reworked after feedback that it felt too grindy: Region Currency rewards became guaranteed in every Act, increased in Acts 2 and 3, and Scroll rewards were added to Acts 2 and 3 once Act 2 has been cleared. The coin economy was rebalanced across shops, fountains and chests, with Grey Fountains restoring five more health and Dragonstone treasure chests now costing one Dragonstone and guaranteeing a high-tier Charm.
Charms were reclassified between rarity tiers and rebalanced, with the stated goal of making the tiers meaningfully different and preparing for stronger Charms in later updates. Act 2's difficulty curve was smoothed, several Act 2 Captains had their health and block health adjusted, and the Norsemen encounter was rebalanced. Beacons now arrive in clearer waves, and Emblem selection favours families that have not appeared yet rather than drawing at random.
Optimisation continued across Acts 1 and 2 with Act 3 still outstanding. Allies became more survivable at level 1, stopped taking more damage than intended during boss fights, and can no longer be hurt by Bombers or Elites.
What Paper Cult Said Was Next
As of August 1, 2026 the studio listed four areas in active development, without dates:
Reviving fallen comrades: the studio acknowledged that paying coins to revive is not always fun and said it would test an alternative on a beta branch
Mid-run saves: still in development, described as progressing well
Performance optimisation: to be released gradually rather than held for one large update, with Act 3 outstanding
Networking optimisation: written and in testing, aimed at the desync players hit when connecting through distant relay servers
Paper Cult promised an updated Early Access roadmap on launch day. None had been published as of early August 2026.