Major Update Is Now Live – Customer Wiki, Assembly, Avatar Customizations & More

Steam post image Hi Chefs,

We've just released a major update for Cooking Simulator 2.

This update introduces one of the most requested features since launch, expands character customization, improves assembly and kitchen interactions, adds a large number of tutorial improvements, and delivers another round of performance optimizations and bug fixes across the game.

As always, thank you for all the feedback, reports, videos, and suggestions. Many of the changes below come directly from community feedback.

Customer Wiki Steam post imageOne of the biggest additions in this update is the new Customer Wiki.

The wiki allows you to track discovered customer preferences and learn more about the guests visiting your restaurant.

Features:

• Track discovered flavor preferences

• Track discovered tags

• View progress for each customer

• See how many preferences have been discovered compared to the total available

• Customers with all preferences discovered will now receive a special golden appearance

To ensure compatibility with existing save files, previously completed customer preference quests will automatically unlock the corresponding preferences when loading older avatars.

Character Creator Additions Steam post image

We've expanded the Character Creator with new customization options:

New Content

• 3 new female heads

• 3 new male heads

• 1 new female outfit

• 1 new male outfit

• 1 new female hairstyle

• 1 new male hairstyle

• 5 new glasses

• 9 new gloves

• 9 new earrings

Assembly & Interaction Improvements

Assembly received one of its biggest quality-of-life updates so far.

New Features

• Automatically pick up the next matching ingredient after placing one during assembly

• Ability to re-enter plating on an already completed plate

• Added direct puree transfer using a spoon

• Added direct transfer interactions from spawners to:

  • Containers

  • Grill plates

  • Assembly stations

Improvements

• Faster and smoother assembly enter/exit transitions

• Improved assembly hologram animations

• Better ingredient availability display on the plating HUD

• Plate holograms now correctly match the held plate type

• Improved sauce deformation visuals during plating

• Various assembly interaction improvements

Fixes

• Fixed herb pots not appearing correctly in ingredient lists

• Fixed mixture visibility in dish selection screens

• Fixed ladle animation issues

• Fixed ingredient placement inconsistencies

• Fixed floating ingredients near decorative objects

• Fixed dish selection issues

• Fixed several plating HUD issues

Performance Improvements

This update continues our ongoing optimization work.

Optimizations

• Improved idle-state processing performance

• Improved visualization performance

• Improved thermal processing performance

• Improved VFX performance

• Improved animation performance

• Improved movable object performance

• Improved ingredient processing performance

• Improved dish screenshot saving performance

• Reduced memory allocations

• Improved food property tag UI performance

• Improved thermal system performance

Asset Optimization

• Optimized many ingredients textures

• Added LODs to selected ingredient spawners

• Removed unused meshes and textures

Tutorial Improvements

We continued improving tutorial clarity and progression.

Day 2

• Blueprint tutorial improvements

Day 3

• Quest tutorial improvements

• Day Summary flow improvements

• Character Creator tutorial improvements

• Skill progression tutorial improvements

• Multi-select tutorial improvements

• Shop tutorial improvements

• GN container tutorial

• Additional order flow improvements

• Ping and hint positioning fixes

Additional Fixes

• Added red outline for oversalted fries

• Improved customer reactions during tutorial

• Improved repair tutorial guidance

• Improved kitchen upgrade tutorial

• Fixed mentor dialogue visuals

• Fixed "First Thousand" quest progression

• Disabled player pings during tutorial

New Gameplay Features

Impossible Hints

Blueprint Improvements

• Pinned blueprints are now saved between sessions

Spoilage Visualization

Added missing spoilage visualization for:

• Ingredient spawners

• Mixtures

• Loose materials

• Mixture pieces

• Containers

Quality of Life Improvements

• Avatar level is now calculated more accurately based on XP progression

• Added support for ingredient stacks in multiselect

• Restored multiselect functionality while holding GN containers

• Improved autofill behavior in Day Menu

• Deleted avatar names can now be reused immediately

• Sandbox settings now save correctly

• Auto-off settings now save correctly

• Tool hangers near assembly no longer accept pans and saucepans

Visual Improvements

• Updated various ingredient models, materials, and textures

• Updated mozzarella materials and shaders

• Updated ingredient presentation in the main menu

• Improved cooking visualization through better ingredient color transfer

• Added missing thermal visualizations after cutting ingredients

Fixes

This update also includes a large number of bug fixes across gameplay systems, recipes, interactions, tutorials, UI, controllers, save systems, thermal processing, seasoning, equipment interactions, ingredient handling, and multiplayer functionality.

Notable fixes include:

• Maintenance Master perk now correctly reduces repair costs

• Fixed deep fryer basket placement issues

• Fixed seasoning multiple ingredients at once

• Fixed thermal visualization problems

• Fixed tasting spoon tag display

• Fixed propane tank behavior

• Fixed frying tutorial overheating issues

• Fixed blueprint and save-related issues

• Fixed numerous interaction edge cases involving containers, ingredients, and tools Steam post image

Time for a quick summary - All Changes to the game Since Hotfix #1

Since the first post-launch hotfix, we've released multiple hotfixes and major patches focused on stability, performance, progression, multiplayer, tutorials, recipes, and overall quality of life.

Performance & Stability

• Multiple CPU, memory, and VRAM optimizations

• Reduced autosave stutters and save-related performance issues

• Improved texture streaming and texture quality handling

• Optimized ingredient textures, models, materials, and asset loading

• Improved GN container performance

• Improved pickable object performance

• Improved thermal processing performance

• Reduced network traffic across multiple gameplay systems

• Optimized lighting in apartments and kitchens

• Reduced memory allocations across gameplay systems

• Improved save system reliability and performance

• Reduced Steam authentication errors

• Updated Steamworks SDK

Multiplayer & Networking

• Added regional session codes (EU, US, etc.)

• Improved session key visibility and copying options

• Switched connection protocol from UDP to TCP

• Major networking optimizations for ingredients and mixtures

• Improved synchronization of liquids and thermal states

• Reduced network usage for order data

• Improved multiplayer stability

• Fixed Quick Join issues

• Fixed player list issues

• Fixed multiplayer interaction blockers

• Fixed multiplayer dish serving and screenshot synchronization

Tutorials & New Player Experience

• Reworked Day 1 and Day 2 tutorial flow

• Added contextual mentor guidance

• Added clearer tutorial progression requirements

• Improved tutorial assembly flow

• Improved tutorial shop flow

• Improved tutorial day menu flow

• Improved tutorial dish evaluation flow

• Added unloading and trolley tutorials

• Improved kitchen upgrade tutorial

• Added visual feedback for tutorial mistakes

• Fixed multiple tutorial blockers

• Prevented actions that could break tutorial progression

Sandbox & Game Modes

• Added Infinite Order Time option

• Added Infinite Day Phase option

• Added manual phase skipping

• Added Extreme Mode (constant customer flow)

• Added Cozy Home solo mode

• Added customer spawning controls

• Added automatic/manual order flow controls

Progression & Economy

• Increased EXP gain from gameplay

• Rebalanced customer rewards

• Rebalanced dish pricing calculations

• Adjusted tip calculations and limits

• Improved customer preference progression

• Fixed customer preference unlock progression

• Improved daily progression systems

• Improved quest tracking and progression reliability

User Interface & Quality of Life

• Added FOV slider

• Added Visual Effects settings

• Added text-based recipe mode

• Added cart item counter

• Added purchase notifications

• Added autosave options

• Added blueprint pinning

• Improved progression UI performance

• Improved dish evaluation screens

• Improved customer rating clarity

• Improved delivery management interface

• Improved shop flow and purchasing flow

• Improved session management tools

• Improved controller support across menus and assembly stations

Cooking & Gameplay Systems

• Added ingredient return-to-spawner functionality

• Added fridge content transfer during kitchen upgrades

• Improved assembly station usability

• Improved placement systems and placement surfaces

• Improved ingredient handling

• Improved customer behavior logic

• Improved order flow logic

• Improved seasoning calculations

• Improved flavor calculations

• Improved thermal calculations

• Improved spoilage and heat-related systems

Liquids & Mixtures

• Added new liquid shaders

• Added new liquid categories for oils and blended mixtures

• Improved liquid visuals and movement

• Improved liquid color calculations

• Improved liquid mixing behavior

• Improved pouring systems

• Added fluid level interpolation when pouring

• Added liquid stains on paintable surfaces

• Fixed numerous mixture-related gameplay issues

Recipes & Dish Evaluation

• Reworked and fixed numerous recipes

• Fixed incorrect dish evaluations

• Fixed recipe progression blockers

• Fixed seasoning-related scoring issues

• Fixed thermal tag evaluation issues

• Fixed flavor tag evaluation issues

• Fixed raw ingredient detection issues

• Improved customer preference compatibility recipes

• Fixed Beef Stroganoff and multiple other recipe-specific issues

Ingredients & Visual Improvements

• Updated numerous ingredient models and textures

• Improved ingredient icons

• Improved GN container visuals

• Improved ingredient colliders

• Improved ingredient interactions

• Added missing ingredient visibility in containers

• Fixed ingredient flipping interactions

• Fixed ingredient placement edge cases

Save & Load Improvements

• Fixed save corruption edge cases

• Fixed save thumbnail issues

• Fixed incorrect save loading behavior

• Fixed dish state restoration issues

• Fixed progression restoration issues

• Fixed mixture restoration issues

• Improved overall save reliability

Audio, Animation & Visual Polish

• Improved customer reaction animations

• Added head-look animations

• Fixed player animation issues

• Fixed first-person tool animations

• Fixed sound muting issues

• Improved post-processing performance

• Improved outline rendering performance

• Added numerous visual polish improvements

Community Requested Features

Some of the most requested additions implemented since Hotfix #1:

• FOV slider

• Text-based recipes

• Ingredient return-to-spawner system

• Fridge content transfer on kitchen upgrades

• Infinite-time sandbox options

• Phase skipping

• Blueprint pinning

• Regional multiplayer codes

• Cart item counter

• Improved delivery tracking

• Better tutorial guidance

In total, the updates since Hotfix #1 have delivered hundreds of fixes, balance changes, optimizations, tutorial improvements, multiplayer upgrades, recipe corrections, and quality-of-life improvements across nearly every area of the game. The game is in much better state right now, thanks to your feedback, suggestions and all the messages we've received.

Please continue sharing your feedback and reports with us. We're reading everything and using it to guide future updates.

SPECIAL MAJOR UPDATE SALE:

The game is also on -30% Discount right now until 25th of June! Cooking Simulator 2 Better Together See you in the Kitchen!

Big Cheese Studio