Steam News1 May 20262mo ago

THE "PLUG AND PLAY" UPDATE

Steam post image THE "PLUG AND PLAY" UPDATE Last update smoothed out the early shifts. This one is about how you play them.

Full notes

Full Barfender update

Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.

What changed

2 fixes3 additions3 changes1 removal

Balance
Store
Gameplay
UI and audio

changedSteam post image CO-OP DEVELOPMENT STATUSStill cooking. We're working on it from both sides: the technical side (netcode, sync, all the stuff that makes two players in one bar not fall apart) and the balance side (a chaotic shift with a friend needs to feel right, not just functional). No date yet. We'll show it when it's ready.

changedSteam post image FULL GAMEPAD SUPPORTThe big one. Full gamepad navigation across the main menu, pause menu, the phone, the shop, A-Mart, and the bar itself. Rotation works on stick now, so placing furniture isn't a wrestling match. Steam Deck players, you're in.

addedSteam post image CUSTOMIZE YOUR BARTENDERFull character creator at runtime. New presets, a better default look, and the whole thing is localized. The bar is finally yours.

changedSteam post image VIRTUAL KEYBOARDMIKEA and the shop have a proper on-screen keyboard now, with hardware fallback. Heads up: Asian languages aren't currently supported on the virtual keyboard. You'll need a hardware keyboard for those.

addedSteam post image MEANER NIGHTSA new Night Director paces the late shift. Hobos read the room better. Customers get frustrated when you reject orders. Ragdolls feel smoother. Price reactions are in (still cooking, tell us how they feel).

removedNOTABLE FIXESFeedback window no longer wipes your text on close

Barfender changes

changedStill cooking. We're working on it from both sides: the technical side (netcode, sync, all the stuff that makes two players in one bar not fall apart) and the balance side (a chaotic shift with a friend needs to feel right, not just functional). No date yet. We'll show it when it's ready.

changedThe big one. Full gamepad navigation across the main menu, pause menu, the phone, the shop, A-Mart, and the bar itself. Rotation works on stick now, so placing furniture isn't a wrestling match. Steam Deck players, you're in.

addedFull character creator at runtime. New presets, a better default look, and the whole thing is localized. The bar is finally yours.

changedMIKEA and the shop have a proper on-screen keyboard now, with hardware fallback. Heads up: Asian languages aren't currently supported on the virtual keyboard. You'll need a hardware keyboard for those.

addedA new Night Director paces the late shift. Hobos read the room better. Customers get frustrated when you reject orders. Ragdolls feel smoother. Price reactions are in (still cooking, tell us how they feel).

Steam post image THE "PLUG AND PLAY" UPDATE

Last update smoothed out the early shifts. This one is about how you play them. Full gamepad support, a character creator, a settings screen that doesn't fight you, and meaner nights behind the bar.

Steam post image CO-OP DEVELOPMENT STATUS

Still cooking. We're working on it from both sides: the technical side (netcode, sync, all the stuff that makes two players in one bar not fall apart) and the balance side (a chaotic shift with a friend needs to feel right, not just functional). No date yet. We'll show it when it's ready.

Steam post image FULL GAMEPAD SUPPORT

The big one. Full gamepad navigation across the main menu, pause menu, the phone, the shop, A-Mart, and the bar itself. Rotation works on stick now, so placing furniture isn't a wrestling match. Steam Deck players, you're in.

Steam post image CUSTOMIZE YOUR BARTENDER

Full character creator at runtime. New presets, a better default look, and the whole thing is localized. The bar is finally yours.

Steam post image VIRTUAL KEYBOARD

MIKEA and the shop have a proper on-screen keyboard now, with hardware fallback. Heads up: Asian languages aren't currently supported on the virtual keyboard. You'll need a hardware keyboard for those.

Steam post image SETTINGS, REBUILT

Cleaner layout, better navigation, fewer pause-menu bugs, bigger text where it was squinting at you.

Steam post image MEANER NIGHTS

A new Night Director paces the late shift. Hobos read the room better. Customers get frustrated when you reject orders. Ragdolls feel smoother. Price reactions are in (still cooking, tell us how they feel).

Steam post image STEAM CLOUD SAVES

Your bar travels with you now. Save on desktop, pick up on Steam Deck, keep going. Existing saves get pulled into the cloud automatically.

NOTABLE FIXES

Feedback window no longer wipes your text on close
Difficulty card text aligns properly across all languages
Game time resets correctly on new game from template
Bunch of bug fixes like customer behaviour, interaction problems, physics etc..

TALK TO US

Got an idea or hit something weird? Steam Discussions or Discord.

See you behind the bar.

Source

Steam News / 1 May 2026

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