Dev Diary // Steam Early Access Wrap-Up and Next Steps

Hello explorers 👋

On April 23rd, Into the Radius 2 will leave Early Access on Steam.

The game has spent a little over a year and a half in Early Access. During that time, we released six major updates. Each one was preceded by beta testing, followed by patches and hotfixes.

In this dev diary, we’ll talk about the road to version 1.0. What’s included in the release, what we’re changing right now, and which ideas we’ve decided to move to post-launch.

What’s Included in 1.0

We released four betas and introduced several major changes at once. Some of the additions coming in 1.0 were already shown in these betas. A huge thank to everyone who took part in the recent testing. Leaving Early Access is always one of the most important milestones in a game’s life, and for us this moment matters a lot.

We’ve expanded the set of gear available for night raids. The game now includes four types of night vision devices, as well as a signal flare that ignites when it hits the ground and lights up the area. Alongside that, we added a set of tools that quickly find practical use in the Radius, including in close combat. We also reworked how you interact with canned food, so now you can eat straight from the can with a knife, just like you would in the field. Two new food items were added as well: canned pineapple and canned meat.

The weapon arsenal has also grown. The game now includes the GP-34 underbarrel grenade launcher with VOG-25 grenades, as well as the F-1 hand grenade. And we’re continuing to migrate existing weapons to the modular system: the betas already introduced modular versions of the SKS and VSS Vintorez.

We also expanded the anomaly lineup and added several completely new types. You’ll now encounter anomalies that, on contact, burst into shrapnel, charge up and release an electric discharge, suppress nearby light sources, or attach to the player and then explode, dealing extra damage. Some of them can also trigger especially powerful electrical surges inside their radius, so even familiar areas will require more caution.

The world itself has changed, too. We updated location names to match the lore. Movement between locations was also reworked: instead of a simple interface, players now enter special passages with their own unique gameplay.

Customization has been expanded as well. The game now features a painting system that lets you recolor a wide variety of items, from weapon parts to the Explorer’s Uniform. You can use spray cans with solid colors, or special stencils with camouflage patterns. Post beta the number of colors will be increased.

We also reworked the artifact system. Items that were previously categorized as altered items will now be classified as artifacts in 1.0. Meanwhile, new altered items now appear as ordinary objects with unique visual traits. We made this change because we want artifacts to feel like truly valuable, unusual, memorable finds that are closely tied to the Radius itself. Currently, we feel like this approach is a good fit, because it lets us present artifacts in a new way while also making loot more varied.

Finally, one of the biggest additions in 1.0 are the story, narrative, and characters. Which is a great segue into our next topic…

Changes Based on Beta Feedback

Beta testing wasn’t just important as a way to show new content. It also helped us understand how players perceive the story, characters, and the game’s overall atmosphere.

In the betas, the story carried the player up until the transition to Pechorsk Outskirts, after which the game switched back to a standard mission loop. Shortly after the first 1.0 beta went live, we began receiving a lot of feedback about the way the story is presented and the quality of the dialogue.

Even if you didn’t play the beta, you’ve probably seen those discussions. So we want to share the steps we’re taking to improve in each of these aspects.

Guide Lauri

For the full release of 1.0, we will reduce the number of his lines, revisit the timing of his appearances, and re-record the character, since many players felt his beta voice sounded too upbeat considering the context.

At the same time, it’s important for us to preserve Lauri’s story. He was never meant to be a throwaway character, he’s a meaningful part of the overall narrative, so we won’t remove his memories or his storyline. Instead, parts of his story will be delivered through white figures that players can interact with to hear his commentary.

Supervisor Eva

UNPSC Supervisor Eva also came up often in your questions and discussions. So we decided to rework how she’s presented as well.

She will remain a friendly Committee junior specialist who supports you throughout the game despite everything that’s happening. However, we will reduce the number of her personal lines that aren’t tied to things like tutorials and briefings. Also her debriefings will now become voice messages on your tablet. And yes, she’s a bit quieter now.

Additional Voiceovers

Apart from characters who interact with the player, the game also includes other entities with voice lines. For example, Mimics and ash figures.

Up until 1.0, these lines were temporary AI voice-generated placeholders. However, by the time we leave Early Access, all these lines will be replaced by proper human voice-acting.

Keep sharing your feedback! We always try to see what can be improved.

What Else Will Be in 1.0

The full release will include a completed story you can play from beginning to end. You’ll learn the full story of Explorer 73, get to know the Committee and other characters better, and eventually reach a dedicated final location.

By release, all core gameplay mechanics will be brought to their final state. On top of that, 1.0 will include a new mimic type, a guitar, new weapons, and Steam achievements.

What We’ll Focus On After 1.0

During Early Access, we tried to both grow the game and maintain its technical health at the same time. On one hand, we added new mechanics, content, and major systemic changes. On the other, we worked in parallel on bug fixing, stability, and general support. But as the game grew, the workload tied to new content gradually began to outweigh everything else.

After 1.0, our main priority will shift. We want to focus on technical polish: addressing critical issues that may appear after release, fixing long-standing rough edges, and continuing optimization. It’s important to us that Into the Radius 2 feels not just like a game with a lot of content, but like a stable and cohesive full release.

Once the PC version is stabilized enough, we plan to release the full version on Meta Quest as well. Since this will happen after the main polishing phase, we don’t see a need for separate beta testing on that platform. We plan to release it as a complete version right away. No estimated date yet, unfortunately.

We’re also considering bringing the game to other platforms. Though it’s too early to share something concrete.

As for new content, decisions on additional features and systems will be made after release. At the moment, we do not plan to add new locations or other major content expansions after 1.0. Our goal is to ensure that the content already created works as well as possible. If our plans change, you’ll know about them in future diary entries.

Beyond stability, optimization, and support, there are also several previously mentioned directions we’ll revisit later. After 1.0 is stabilized, the following features will require additional evaluation and planning:

• 4 player co-op

• Mod support

• Localization into languages other than English

• Shooting range

• Laboratory and perk-based artifacts

We want to note separately that modular pistols are not in our plans. At this stage, we believe the modular system works best for weapon types where changes noticeably affect both visuals and gameplay.

With pistols, the majority of modifications would be mostly cosmetic or too limited in impact to meaningfully change the experience. So we’ve decided to focus on weapon system directions where modularity truly adds depth and feels significant.

Overall, this is the same philosophy guiding our approach to release: focusing on changes and decisions that we think matter most and have a significant impact.

Thank you to everyone who’s been on this journey with us! Your feedback, discussions, criticism, and support directly shaped what version 1.0 will become. There isn’t much time left until release, and we’re currently working through final adjustments and preparations for leaving Early Access.

See you in the Radius on April 23rd ☀️

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