HEAT Labs news & patch notes

What’s Next for HEAT Labs

• Target Release Window: Q1 2026
• Development is now focused on polishing core systems, stability, and user experience
• Major features are being finalized rather than rapidly expanded

Important: HEAT Labs is a live app. This means most changes, improvements, and fixes are deployed directly to our platform without requiring frequent Steam client updates. Updates on Steam will be rare and only used when strictly necessary.

Key Retirement & Access Changes

To centralize access entirely through Steam:

• All legacy keys have been retired (Demo keys, Playtest keys, Pre-release / early access keys)
• You may see a Steam notification about a revoked key, this is expected
• Steam is now the single source of access going forward

These keys were used to test HEAT Labs far earlier than normally possible. With an approved Steam release in place, they’re no longer needed.

Playtesting on Steam

Closed playtesting is becoming more active:

• The HEAT Labs Playtest branch tracks our development version
• Includes very early builds and experimental features
• Bugs, issues, and incomplete functionality are expected
• Used to validate changes before wider rollout

Playtest access is handled directly through Steam via the Request Access button on the HEAT Labs Store page.

Join the Community

Feedback is essential to shaping HEAT Labs: https://discord.heatlabs.net

• Share feedback and bug reports
• Discuss features with other testers
• Get direct insight into ongoing development

This milestone wouldn’t be possible without the testers, contributors, and community members who helped shape HEAT Labs behind the scenes. We’re excited for what’s coming next. -HEAT Labs Team