Steam News20 February 20264mo ago

Major Demo Update for Steam Next Fest

With Steam Next Fest almost here, the Urban Ascend demo has received a major polish pass focused on clarity, stability, and faster optimization.

In this update6

Full notes

Full Urban Ascend update

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What changed

2 fixes2 additions11 changes0 removals

Performance
Gameplay
Balance
UI and audio

changedWith Steam Next Fest almost here, the Urban Ascend demo has received a major polish pass focused on clarity, stability, and faster optimization.

addedFaster City ExpansionYou can now hold Shift while placing buildings to place multiple in a row. Scaling production lines and testing layouts is significantly smoother, especially once your city starts accelerating.

changedClearer Economy FeedbackThe resource display has been redesigned to make your economy easier to read at a glance:

changedClearer Economy FeedbackResources now show a single net value.

changedClearer Economy FeedbackPositive income is clean and readable.

changedClearer Economy FeedbackNegative income stands out immediately.

Urban Ascend changes

changedWith Steam Next Fest almost here, the Urban Ascend demo has received a major polish pass focused on clarity, stability, and faster optimization.

addedYou can now hold Shift while placing buildings to place multiple in a row. Scaling production lines and testing layouts is significantly smoother, especially once your city starts accelerating.

changedThe resource display has been redesigned to make your economy easier to read at a glance:

changedResources now show a single net value.

changedPositive income is clean and readable.

With Steam Next Fest almost here, the Urban Ascend demo has received a major polish pass focused on clarity, stability, and faster optimization.

If you're trying the demo during the festival, this is the best version yet.

Faster City Expansion

You can now hold Shift while placing buildings to place multiple in a row. Scaling production lines and testing layouts is significantly smoother, especially once your city starts accelerating.

Clearer Economy Feedback

The resource display has been redesigned to make your economy easier to read at a glance:

Resources now show a single net value.
Positive income is clean and readable.
Negative income stands out immediately.
Proximity bonuses display exact percentages in tooltips.

Optimization decisions should feel deliberate, not confusing.

Proximity System Transparency

Proximity bonuses now:

Appear in all relevant tooltips, including the building palette.
Show exact bonus values.
Clearly indicate when they are inactive.

You can now plan layouts with full information before placing anything.

Research Improvements

Research upgrades now correctly apply to all affected systems, including gold-only generators. Scaling is more consistent and stable across longer demo sessions.

Incident Stability Fixes

Incidents now correctly apply and remove their effects, even after saving and loading. Rare cases of lingering effects have been resolved.

Fixed a title menu crash.
Adjusted default audio balance.
Improved HUD behavior and presentation.

If you're discovering Urban Ascend during Steam Next Fest, jump into the updated demo and see how far you can optimize your city!

Source

Steam News / 20 February 2026

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