Update history
Latest Zero-K updates
Search patches, hotfixes, and dev posts. Load more to keep browsing the timeline.
Browse updates
Published changes
Search updates. Filter by source or date. Open any row for the full patch notes, or load more to continue the timeline.
- Zero-K
Zero-K v1.14.8.0 - Unit Icons and Magpie Nerf
This update improves the command menu by adding larger build icons with a higher resolution. The bottom of the UI also has a scale setting as we move towards better support for increasingly large screens. There are also…
Patch notes29 changes6 numericFix - Zero-K
Cold Take #44 - Choice vs. Automation
Automation means making tasks complete themselves without player intervention. The concept has a bit of baggage, at least in RTS, as people worry it means that a game will play itself. Some spin-off genres have found su…
Announcement8 changesUI/audioGameplay - Zero-K
Zero-K v1.14.7.0 - Guard and Pulsing Balls
This update polishes a few mechanics and includes quite a few fixes. Singularity Reactors get their wobbly balls back and the guard command should be much more useful. Disarm no longer hard-disables jumpers while windin…
Patch notes20 changesFixGameplay - Zero-K
Cold Take #43 - Levels of Customisation
Zero-K is extremely customisable, which is great but risks making the game unapproachable. The problem with customisation is that it asks players to optimise their own experience without necessarily giving them the back…
Announcement13 changesUI/audioWorkshop - Zero-K
Zero-K v1.14.6.0 - By Popular Demand
Space clicking wrecks and build options is back by popular demand ( https://github.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/issues/5742, https://github.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/issues/5747 and https://github.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/issues/5750 ).…
Patch notes7 changesFixGameplay - Zero-K
Cold Take #42 - Reclaimable Wrecks
The basic reclaim mechanic is as follows: units leave wrecks when they die, and these wrecks can be harvested by constructors for extra metal. This sounds like a simple enough mechanic, but the more I think about it, th…
Announcement12 changesUI/audioMaps - Zero-K
Zero-K v1.14.5.4 - Wire and Egg Fixes
This is a small fix update which also has some commander tweaks. The big wire change is that the settings are now local, which means people with the graphics bugs on Linux can disable them until we figure out the proble…
Announcement13 changesFixCompatibility - Zero-K
Zero-K v1.14.5.3 - Eggs and Wires
This update adds wires between structures to visually connect energy grids. This makes grids easier to use and more satisfying to build. We have also added commander eggs, which let players rebuild lost commanders. The…
Patch notes32 changes2 numericFix - Zero-K
Cold Take #41 - Deathballs and Auras
The term "deathball" comes up whenever players complain that roaming around the map with a single army is too powerful. The complaint conflates whether deathballs are unfun to use, or just unfun to fight, but it is wort…
Announcement9 changesMapsBalance - Zero-K
Zero-K v1.14.5.0 - Planetwars Playtest Command Tweaks
Planetwars is live right now. The second open playtest is in full swing, with 240 invasions launched in the past 26 hours. We designed the round to last the weekend, although it is hard to dial in, although we are consi…
Patch notes13 changes3 numericFix - Zero-K
Planetwars Lobby Update
This is a small lobby update to prepare for the next Planetwars test round. The round is starting in a little over 45 hours from this post (2026/05/01 at 12:00 PM UTC). More information on the changes is to come shortly…
Announcement1 changeUI/audio - Zero-K
Cold Take #40 - The Retreat Range Bonus
Cold Takes usually cover a concept used in the design of Zero-K, but this one is about a term invented by players to describe an issue with the game. This issue involved the "retreat range bonus", but the term was initi…
Announcement10 changesGameplayServer - Zero-K
Zero-K v1.14.4.0 - New Music and Brawny Dante
This release includes an amazing new soundtrack by Vladislav Lapochkin (D.700). It is the new default, and all previous soundtracks can still be selected ingame under Settings/Audio. Big thanks to everyone who contribut…
Patch notes39 changes13 numericFix - Zero-K
Cold Take #39 - Special Abilities
A conflict has been brewing over the course of this series. Half the cold takes, those on general design principles, often imply that Zero-K avoids special abilities, while the other half shatter this impression by bein…
Announcement14 changesUI/audioMaps - Zero-K
Cold Take #38 - Avoid State Toggles
Almost everything players do in RTS is done by issuing direct commands or by toggling states. Direct commands give units a temporary goal, and include classics such as "move to this location" or "shoot at this enemy unt…
Announcement11 changesUI/audioGameplay - Zero-K
Cold Take #37 - Scouting Trouble
Most strategy games have tools for spying on the enemy, often at the cost of resources. This is known as scouting, and it is a tricky thing to design since its balance depends on the usefulness of information. Scouting…
Event8 changesBalanceGameplay
