The Infected news & patch notes

Hi everyone,

This beta branch update includes localization for all the missing text (including story notes) and tweaks the Jobs feature based on community feedback. Assuming no issues come up, V.24 will move to the public branch this Friday.

• Added: Missing text across all cultures is now fully localized.

• Change: We've removed or tweaked some of the harder-to-get items to make job completion easier. To compensate, certain techs now require more tech points.

Hey everyone! New content has been added to the V24 beta branch.

We’d love to hear your thoughts as you play, so check out our dedicated beta feedback subforum and share your feedback on the tech changes and Trader Jobs. (Also the lore notes, if it's your first time checking them out!)

Thanks for testing with us.

How to access a Steam beta branch

Hey Folks, the latest patch is now live in the Public Testing Branch, including new content like the Clay Mixer, Melon Crates, furniture pieces, and several gameplay tweaks and fixes.

This update also introduces environmental storytelling: scattered lore notes and POIs are now available for players to discover.

Please Note:

• Lore notes are currently in English only

• You must start a fresh save: notes will not appear correctly in old saves

• Start your journey by accessing the Lore Journal in the Tutorial tab (J key)

• Please post any feedback or issues in the Public Beta Hub forum section.

Thanks for testing with us, and wherever you are in the world, we hope you have a safe and happy holiday!!

How to access a Steam beta branch

Hey everyone, quick update on where we’re at!

We’ve been working on story mode and tackling some quality-of-life fixes based on your feedback in the Mega Thread. But we’ve been hitting engine-level issues and performance bottlenecks that keep breaking the changes we're trying to implement.

That brought us back to the idea of moving to UE5. We actually looked into it over a year ago (back when 5.3 or 5.4 was current), but it just wasn’t viable at the time. Since then, Epic’s made a lot of solid improvements - async loading, better world performance, cleaner tick handling - and UE5 now offers tools that could make some of your most-requested features actually possible.

Over the next few weeks (maybe up to a month), we’re testing whether a UE5 port is actually doable for The Infected. We’re checking what breaks, what carries over, and whether the move solves more problems than it causes. We won’t be posting regular updates during this testing phase, and there’s no guarantee the port will happen.

Right now, we’re aiming to have more concrete news on either a UE5 port or continued story mode development in UE4 by Christmas.

Thanks for hanging in while we figure out whether UE5 gives us a real path forward or just a different set of roadblocks.

Hi everyone!

We're rolling out a minor update to address a few issues before announcing a larger update in the next month.

ADDED

• 3 new music videos to the TV and extended sound attenuation falloff distance

• New POI for the upcoming story mode

BUG FIXES

• Fixed an issue where double door frames could be upgraded to wall types

• Fixed AI dodging attacks while stuck in traps

• Fixed food backpack auto-opening when using food prep tables

• Fixed the settings menu staying open when starting a new game or loading a save

• Fixed missing localization — some text was still showing in English

CHANGES

• Body temperature now updates more slowly (reduced speed by 3), making fluctuations less extreme.

• Added the ability to shift-click food into the barn

• Removed the waterfall from the large cave (temporary change, restoration planned, but no ETA).

• Made various under-the-hood adjustments in preparation for the upcoming story mode

• Keep it focused. While you can post more than once, please avoid spamming. Edit your post when possible to help us track feedback more easily.
• This thread is for intake only. No back-and-forth debates please—we’re here to read, not moderate arguments. I will remove spam, troll posts, etc.
• Be clear and specific. "X is bad" isn’t as helpful as "X feels unbalanced because Y. I think it would help if Z."
• Include anything relevant: Bugs, balance, mechanics, systems, UI, performance, features, QoL, frustrations, praise—lay it all out.

V23 Patch Notes

Additions:

• Save file stats now display in both the main menu and in-game menu.
• New tutorial and quest systems implemented.
• New quest journal UI. (Story mode content will use this system in the future.)
• New keybind added for quest journal access.
• Sandbox vs. Story mode selection available in the settings. (Story mode content not yet active.)
• Added trader tech that allows crafting of Electrical and Mechanical Parts (25,000 coins).
• Added Take All shortcut when looting POI containers. (Default key: T)
• Full controller support added.
• New footstep sounds implemented.
• Corner Dirt Plots and Stone Path foundations added.
• New cave added to the map. (See image below.)
• Fish Ration added. Can be crafted on the Food Prep Table.
• Quarter Foundations with legs (long) added.
• Mirrored Ceiling (Ladder Access) pieces added.
• Wooden Double Door Frame added. Can be upgraded to Metal.
• Double Doors added. (Two variations.)
• Garage Door added for use with Double Door Frames.
• Arrow indicator added to show door orientation.

Changes:

• Players now start in random spawn locations.
• The ATV no longer spawns at the lighthouse by default.
• ATV now spawns fully repaired at a random POI.
• Reduced number of Gas Barrels at POIs; they no longer respawn.
• Significantly reduced medical and bandage loot from POIs to promote crafting and survival gameplay.
• Bolts now auto-reload—no longer need to press R.
• Updated in-game UI icons (interact prompts, etc.) for clarity and controller support.
• Crocodiles now ignore swamp trees for smoother navigation.
• AI now has a chance to dodge player attacks.
• Some items now included in dead AI drops.
• Doors that were open when saving will now load in the open state.

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed: Upgrading a ceiling ramp to cement would incorrectly become a foundation ramp.
• Fixed: Extractors could have multiple ore types toggled while powered off.
• Fixed: Moving the NPC Town Hall and House could cause door duplication.
• Fixed: Snapping vertical walls below another vertical wall wasn’t functioning.

Reminders:

• Every time we release a new Preview Build, we’ll edit this post to include the latest changes by day.
• You can track the progress of the update in one place.

• Translations will only be added once the entire update is complete.

• To keep things organized, we've set up a dedicated subforum on Steam specifically for the public beta branch.
• All feedback, suggestions, and bug reports should be posted in this subforum. This helps us and the community moderators keep track of everything in one place. Again, we will only intake issues, suggestions, and feedback when posted to the new subforum—so please head there to post!

Build Part Additions:

• Wooden Foundation 2
• Wooden Corner Foundation 2
• Wooden Triangle Foundation 2
• Wooden Ceiling 2
• Wooden Corner Ceiling 2
• Wooden Triangle Ceiling 2
• Wooden Ceiling 2 (Ladder Access)
• Wooden Corner Ceiling R 2 (Ladder Access)
• Wooden Corner Ceiling L 2 (Ladder Access)
• Wooden Triangle Ceiling 2 (Ladder Access)

• Wooden Foundation Quarter
• Wooden Foundation Quarter 2
• Concrete Foundation Quarter
• Sandstone Foundation Quarter
• Wooden Ceiling Quarter
• Wooden Ceiling Quarter 2
• Concrete Ceiling Quarter
• Glass Ceiling Quarter
• Sandstone Ceiling Quarter

• Wooden Vertical Half Wall
• Interior Wooden Vertical Half Wall
• Glass Vertical Half Wall
• Sandstone Vertical Half Wall
• All the upgrade variations of walls (Brick, wood, concrete)

• Wooden Slanted Roof Quarter
• Wooden Door 2
• Wooden Door 3
• Wooden Ramp (Ceiling) – Snaps only to ceilings and has no legs.
• 3 new sets of metal railings.
• Mirror versions of the corner foundations and ceilings so textures align correctly.
• Wood and Concrete half pillar.
• Change: Pillar snap points adjusted slightly to accommodate quarter foundations and ceilings. Previously placed pillars will maintain their original position.

Other Additions:

• New POI – Added a new POI and roadway near the center of the map.
• New POI – A more city-like POI that contains an enormous amount of loot. This POI will not include any technologies but will offer some other cool items that can be found with a fresh/new game save.
• Advanced Sawbench – Electric Circular Sawbench: requires 200 power and trader tech—yields five planks per log.
• Trader Tech – New Electric Sawbench tech available from the trader for 1000 coins.
• Elevators – Added both Elevator Frame and Elevator Cabin- tech required from the trader.
• Trader Tech – New Trader technology for unlocking elevator components.
• Settings – Added menu settings to adjust the number of AI spawns in POIs (default is 3).
• Lighting – Players can now change the color of powered lights. Additionally, lights can now have adjustable intensity and a flashing effect.
• Lighting – New linear light added.
• Lighting – New wall light added.
• Watermill – Provides 350 power and must be placed on rapids. Trader tech required.
• Trader Tech – New Watermill trader tech available for 1500 coins.
• Water Bottle – Can't be crafted but can be found in loot.

Changes:

• Build UI – Adjusted to accommodate all the new build parts.
• Spike Traps – Now have a 10-20% chance of breaking when hit by AI Vambies. Barbed wire is recommended for complete protection.
• Environment Rapids – Rapids no longer freeze in winter.
• Vambie Drops – 30% chance for Vambies to drop coins (between 5-15 coins). It makes coin collection easier and adds incentive for combat.
• Rain Sounds – Rain sounds are dampened when in buildings and bases.
• Log Cart – It will no longer push logs, frogs and other objects on the ground.

Bugfixes:

• Fixed an issue where some objects could not be placed on glass ceilings.
• Fixed a bug where players could get stuck in the fridge UI, requiring a forced reboot to exit.
• Finally resolved (hopefully) all rain-in-base issues.
• Mike would sometimes have issues opening gates if they were placed near slopes.

Here’s how it works:

Preview Builds:

• Updates on the beta branch will be released as Preview Builds (e.g., Preview Build 1, Preview Build 2, etc.).
• Players can test new content, provide feedback, and report bugs as we develop the patch.

• Every time we release a new Preview Build, we’ll edit this post to include the latest changes by day.
• This means you can track the update’s progress all in one place.

• Please note that translations will only be added once the full update is complete.

• To keep things organized, we've set up a dedicated subforum on Steam specifically for the public beta branch.
• All feedback, suggestions, and bug reports should be posted in this subforum. This helps us and the community moderators keep track of everything in one place. Again, we will only intake issues, suggestions, and feedback when posted to the new subforum—so please head there to post!

Additions:

• Stone Crate Rack – Store up to six stone crates for better organization.
• Electric Furnace – Offers 20 slots and consumes 200 power. Power consumption stops when no ores are smelted. (Locked behind trader tech.)
• Trader Tech for the Electric Furnace – Cost: 750 coins.
• Cooler – Preserves a small amount of food, ideal for livers or other perishables while on the go. Can be placed on the Truck. (Max 2 can be built per save.)
• Advanced Mixer – Requires 100 power to run. (Locked behind trader tech.)
• Advanced Mixer Trader Tech – Cost: 1000 coins.
• Brick Half Wall Slanted – Now includes the missing Dark Brick version.
• Wooden Corner Railing Open and Concrete Corner Railing Open.
• Wooden Window 2 – Can now be opened and closed.
• Iron Window – Can now be opened and closed.
• Glass Window Frame.
• Auto Stack/Store Button – Added for easier item organization in storage containers.
• Wall Sections – Snappable to the side of foundations for seamless building.
• Custom Food Storage – You can now decide which foods get stored in NPC Storage Chests.
• NPC Chest Rules – Configure which NPC Storage Chests Mike (or other NPCs) can eat from.

Changes:

• Increased Loot Chances – Loot chances in the large town (apartments) increased from 50% to 66.6%. Better odds for loot hunters!
• Animal Attacks – Bears, foxes, and wolves are now more challenging, with added blood effects and attack feedback.
• Auto-Return Projectiles – Harvesting animals, picking them up, or looting AI will now return arrows or bolts to your quiver or backpack automatically. No more lost projectiles!
• Trader Item Prices – Adjusted sale prices for some items sold to the Trader.
• Movable Log Stands – Log Stands can now be moved even when loaded with logs.
• Plant Beds Grid Snapping – Plant beds now snap to a grid for easier placement.
• Chest Rack Update – The chest rack in the Town Hall now supports NPC Storage Chests.
• Glass Texture Improvements – Glass on building pieces is now clearer, with no dirt film.
• NPC Chest Texture – Updated to better match regular chests with a slightly darker color for distinction.
• Window Mesh Update – Improved wood and brick window meshes; glass is now clearer.
• Stone Crate Rack Expansion – You can now add coal and sandstone crates to the stone crate rack.
• Stackable Clay Bowls – Clay bowls now stack in piles of 10.
• Mushroom Interaction – Press the interact key () to gather mushrooms. No need to right-click anymore.
• Gate Placement – Gates can now be placed on foundations, not just the ground.
• Stone Grinder Output – Now drops 5 sand per cycle instead of 10.
• Fish Bait Price Adjustment – Sale price changed from 0.30 to 0.06.
• Mike Behavior Update – Mike will now close the doors he opens.

Bugfixes:

• Animal AI Fix – Animals attacking players inside bases or on foundations now correctly target the player instead of structures.
• Empty Cans Return – Mike now returns empty cans after eating fruit or veggie salads.
• Rain Issue – Fixed rain appearing inside bases under specific conditions.
• Repair Bench Cost – Repairing depleted armor now costs 50% of the craft cost (down from 100%).
• Inventory Border Glitch – Fixed a small black border appearing when right-clicking items in the inventory.
• Mike and Log Stand Fix – Mike no longer gets stuck when placing logs in a log stand being moved.
• Indoor Plant Bed Fix – Plants indoors no longer die with heat provided. Doors are now recognized as part of the base structure.
• Rooster Requirement – Roosters are now required for chickens to reproduce.
• Mike Distance Issue – Fixed Mike glitching when Log Stands are more than 25k units away from his house.
• Watermelon/Pumpkin Crates – Added missing details for adding and removing items.

Preview Builds:

• Updates on the beta branch will be released as Preview Builds (e.g., Preview Build 1, Preview Build 2, etc.).
• Players can test new content, provide feedback, and report bugs as we develop the patch.

• We’ll post a patch specific news update on Steam, and every time we release a new Preview Build, we’ll edit that same post to include the latest changes by day.
• This means you can track the update’s progress all in one place.

• Please note that translations will only be added once the full update is complete.

• To keep things organized, we've set up a dedicated subforum on Steam specifically for the public beta branch.
• All feedback, suggestions, and bug reports should be posted in this subforum. This helps us and the community moderators keep track of everything in one place. Again, we will only intake issues, suggestions, and feedback when posted to the new subforum- so please head there to post!

Highlights of this update:

• Removed the landclaim pole, so there are no more building restrictions.
• Tweaked the humanoid AI for better interactions.
• New military tent POI added for exploration.
• Autosave system to back up your saves.
• Various new settings added to the main menu.

Additions:

• Chickens and frogs can now be enabled or disabled in the main menu settings.
• Base Attack Settings: You can now control when base attacks start and how frequently they happen.
• Wandering AI: Random humanoid AI will now roam the world, potentially crossing paths with players. You can toggle this feature on/off in the settings.
• New lootable items: Coffee and tea tins can now be found in POIs. Consuming these items gives a temporary heat boost—perfect for the colder months.
• Ambient background music added when entering POI areas and during base attacks to heighten the atmosphere.
• New military tent POIs with valuable loot.
• Autosave system: A backup folder with five autosave files will be created, helping you restore saves in case of issues.
• Greenhouse update: The greenhouse will need to be connected to water pipes to keep your plants hydrated.
• 21 new decor elements to customize your base.

AI Changes:

• Removed the AI grab behavior: The special attack where AI could grab and throw players has been scrapped.
• More hit reaction: Attacks on AI will now feel more impactful with additional blood effects and camera shake.
• Updated AI skins: Changes include tweaks to clothing, skin color, and size for more variety.
• New and removed animations: Some animations have been enhanced, while others have been phased out.
• Removed the shield-carrying AI: The larger AI with a shield and sword is gone.
• Extended despawn time: Dead AI will now stay on the ground for five minutes, up from two minutes.

Changes and Bug Fixes:

• Removed the landclaim pole to eliminate build restrictions.
• Updated tutorial to reflect the removal of the landclaim pole.
• Electrical and mechanical parts are now only lootable (experimental change).
• The selling price of Electrical and Mechanical parts to traders has been increased to $3.
• Fishing available in the large cave with two entrances.
• Blizzard bug fix: Blizzard temperature would sometimes remain stuck after spring arrived—this is now fixed.
• Fixed a cave hole bug where players could fall through the ground.
• Fixed a bug where moving the large flask from a storage chest would turn dirty water into clean water.
• Fixed weapon animations that would sometimes get stuck when swapping quickly.
• Fixed chest rack issue: Some players had trouble placing chests in the rack.
• Improved sound effects: Added sound for placing doors, which now match the same effects as walls and foundations.
• Fixed footsteps on glass roofs: Walking on a glass ceiling will no longer sound like walking on snow.

• AI Behavior and Appearance: What’s your experience with the enemy AI? How do they act, attack, and generally interact with the world? And how do they look? If you think there’s room for improvement, let us know exactly what and why.
• Map and POIs: What do you think about the current map layout and points of interest? Are there areas that could use a tweak or new spots you'd like to see added?
• Building System: How’s the building process for you? What’s working well, what’s frustrating, and where could things be improved?
• Game Balance: How do you feel about the balance overall? Whether it’s resource availability, difficulty spikes, or anything else, we’re interested in your take.

Highlights of this update:

• New Sandstone Building Parts: Build your dream structures with our new sandstone materials. They’re sturdy and stylish.
• Basic Pipe/Plumbing System: You can now set up a functional plumbing system to bring water straight from the Waterhouse to your sinks.

Looking ahead:

• Unreal Engine 5 Upgrade: Chasing down issues and quirks related to upgrading to Unreal Engine 5. This is a massive task that has a fair amount of roadblocks.
• New Points of Interest and Environment Tweaks: Adjustments to enhance your exploration experience.
• AI Improvements: We’re working on changes to the look and behaviors of the AI to better suit the game and community feedback.

Additions

• ADDED - Various sandstone building parts.
• ADDED - New item: Sandstone. Can be obtained by destroying large boulders in the desert or placing mineral extractors in the desert biome.
• ADDED - Piping system to connect the Waterhouse to sinks.
• ADDED - New placeable: Water Relay, used to connect water pipes.
• ADDED - New item: Water Pipe
• ADDED - New placeable storage: Sandstone Crate.

Changes and Bug Fixes

• CHANGE - Right click harvest and tooltip pop up now stays open.
• CHANGE - Mineral extractors will now extract sandstone and shale when placed in the desert biome.
• BUGFIX - Ghost barbed wire fences no longer damage AI.
• BUGFIX - Dirt Plot no longer shows Iron Ingot as a needed material when it should not.
• BUGFIX - Fixed conditions causing issues with tree re-spawns. Trees would sometimes re-spawn when they should not and vice versa. Trees may be reset on save files when loaded for the first time after the update.

Additions

• ADDED - Corner Half Walls in wood, brick etc.
• ADDED - Trader icon to the map.
• ADDED - ATV Trailer, 63 slots storage, can be recalled from garage, map marker.
• ADDED - New info trader tab.
• ADDED - Fireplace 1, larger heat radius.
• ADDED - Fireplace 2, larger heat radius.
• ADDED - New larger cave with 2 connecting openings .
• ADDED - Can now haul placeables like workbenches etc with the truck.

Changes

• CHANGE - Gates now automatically open/close when approached in the truck/ATV.
• CHANGE - Plant fiber can now be used as fuel for campfires, etc.
• CHANGE - Reduced Coal Heater build cost: previously required 10 Iron Ingots, now down to 5.
• CHANGE - ‘One Click’ will now add all items to ghosts.
• CHANGE - Reduced camera shake when hitting trees and boulders.
• CHANGE - Trader locations are now marked on the map.
• CHANGE - Darkened cave interiors, reducing skylight intensity.
• CHANGE - Escape is now used to cancel build mode (instead of Tab).
• CHANGE - Adjustments to lighting and fog.
• CHANGE - Instanced larger cliffs to help reduce RAM usage.

BugFixes!

• BUGFIX - Addressed floating assets.
• BUGFIX - Resolved issue where Gas Generator would burn fuel when powered off.
• BUGFIX - Fixed potential UI sticking when quickly double-clicking in the trader interface.
• BUGFIX - Resolved elevation-related cave sound and light issues; ‘in cave’ flag now consistently registers.
• BUGFIX - Ensured that adding storage chests or crates on the truck bed aligns their rotation with the truck’s rotation.
• BUGFIX - Corrected various localization text issues.

Content List

• ADDED - Rooster, not needed for reproduction of chickens but grants 4 raw chicken when butchering from the barn.
• CHANGE - Chickens will now reproduce automatically over time.
• ADDED - New trader technologies are available for purchase.
• CHANGE- Various changes to the shield.
• CHANGE - "Tree chop" sound effects.
• ADDED - Repair Bench: you can now repair destroyed clothing, armor and shields.
• CHANGE - Small Rations now require cooked chicken instead of raw.
• CHANGE - The stone grinder used to provide 10 sand and 2 iron fragments every 25 seconds- the time has been increased to every 50 seconds.
• CHANGE - Can now Alt/RMB sand, clay, and cement in and out of cement mixers.
• CHANGE - Interacting with Stone Crates will auto-deposit all stones in your backpack.
• ADDED - New "Move All" button to help shift items to and from containers.
• ADDED - Sound attenuation to AI when stuck on spikes.
• ADDED - Christmas Tree that can be found in the decor filter tab.
• ADDED - Various wrapped gifts are now found in the decor filter tab.
• OPTIMIZATION - A huge reduction in draw calls from static meshes, which resulted in the RAM requirement being reduced to under 5GB and an increase in FPS.
• OPTIMIZATION - Found a FPS drop issue when using unreal engines default wire component. When a player had a large amount (50 to 100) of wire connections, a performance drop was very noticeable. To correct this issue, we changed the wire component to using a simple mesh and spline. Players may notice a small visual change to the connected wires.

Trader additions and changes

• ADDED - Core Strength technology increases max weight by 25.
• ADDED - Lucky Raider technology will help you find better loot while scavenging through POI containers.
• ADDED - Iron Stomach technology let's you eat less and stay hydrated longer. 25% reduction in hydration and nutrient depletion speed.
• ADDED - Energy Boost technology helps you sleep better and increase your bodies energy level. 25% reduction in your energy depletion speed.
• ADDED - New Repair Bench technology from the trader.
• ADDED - New filter buttons in the trader interaction UI.

Shield Changes

• CHANGE - Made the shield mesh smaller to avoid blocking the players view.
• CHANGE - Added shield sound effects.
• CHANGE - The Shield is no longer equipped by default: players must craft and equip it via the armor UI. The shield now has durability and can be broken or repaired.

• BUGFIX - Fixed issues where Mike would sometimes not be repairing build parts. He was actually working well except for in one scenario. If a spike trap for example would be damaged by AI and a player would save/reload before Mike had a change to repaired it, Mike's array of parts to repair would not include the previously damaged part.
• ADDED - ON/OFF toggle to the Gas Generator.

Content

• A new POI has been added with new building types - there's not much to it now, but there's a future purpose in mind for it.
• The map has been updated to reflect the new POI and the roads connecting to it.
• Map Markers: Long requested by the community, map markers are here! Right mouse click while interacting with the map to open the map marker UI.
• Added a Battery Rack, another frequent request. Similar to the storage chest rack but exclusively for batteries.
• When creating any object or placeable that displays a ghost image, you will see the final product instead of just an empty ghost. This change will help you quickly determine if it is in the desired orientation. Once successfully placed, the item will turn into a white ghost ready to receive materials. If it cannot be placed in a chosen spot, it will turn red.
• Added a few Halloween props just for fun. A new skull light and a few gravestone placeables, plus a metal cemetery type fence.
• Added 4 new build parts that act like foundations but can be used for other purposes: stone plot and dirt plot. These new parts can help players create stone pathways, sky bridges, courtyards, graveyards and more.
• Changed the sound effect for door open/close.
• Crossbow Change: Crossbows will now be a viable tool against AI, with bolts inflicting an unblockable 500 damage on headshots.
• Various small bug fixes!