Island Notes New Version Release Date and Partial Update Preview

Island Notes New Version Release Date and Partial Update Preview

Hello everyone,

It has been more than four months since the last update for Island Notes. During this time, many players have been asking, “Has Kangbao disappeared? Why hasn’t the game been updated yet?”

We want to seriously assure everyone here: we have not disappeared. Over the past few months, we have been continuously working on the new version of Island Notes, and a lot of our time and energy has gone into creating and polishing this update.

Although the game has not achieved especially dramatic success, we have always believed that since you chose to purchase Island Notes, we have a responsibility to deliver better content to every player who has supported the game. That is why we are taking this update very seriously. In terms of both content scale and overall quality, it will be more solid and more substantial than the base game.

Without further ado, here is a preview of some of the content coming in the new version.

New Version Release Date

First, we can now officially confirm:

The new version of Island Notes will officially launch on July 15, 2026. We also want to emphasize that this update was originally planned as a free DLC, but we later decided to integrate it directly into the base game instead.

Brand-New “Archipelago Map”

One of the core features of this update is the new Archipelago Map.

This is a large new map made up of multiple islands, with a total size approximately 13 times larger than the original map. At the same time, thanks to underlying technical iteration and optimization, although the map is much larger, its actual memory usage is lower than the original map, and overall performance is even better.

Archipelago Map Features

• Composed of multiple island regions

• Includes snowy mountains, volcanoes, special environments, and other ecological biomes

• Larger map with more exploration content

• Better optimization and more stable performance

Steam post image Archipelago Map: a large map made up of multiple islands, featuring a variety of ecological environments

Steam post image Comparison between the Archipelago Map (green box) and the original map (red box)

Map Environment Showcase

The new map is not only significantly larger in scale, but also offers more variety in scene presentation and environmental depth. Below are some in-game screenshots from the map:

Steam post imageSteam post imageSteam post imageSteam post imageSteam post imageSteam post image

New Creature Riding Feature

With the map becoming much larger, there also needs to be a more convenient way to travel.

That is why we have added a brand-new creature riding feature in the new version. Players will be able to ride specific creatures to explore more efficiently, traverse different types of terrain, and embark on adventures across the wider archipelago world.

More Monsters / Creatures Added

In addition to the new map and riding system, the new version will also add more monsters and creatures, further enriching the exploration, combat, and survival experience.

Since the new version is still in development, more content will continue to be added in the future. Everything shown above, including monsters, creatures, and other systems, is only part of the new version.

Next, we will also publish a dedicated article introducing the brand-new NPC content in this update, so please stay tuned if you are interested.

Thank you all for your continued support and patience. We also welcome your suggestions, and if you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment under this post. We will do our very best to make this update as good as possible.

— The Island Notes Team