Hearth and Hamlet Updates: Patch Notes & Release Timeline
Hearth and Hamlet updates timeline: demo launch April 20, Steam Next Fest v1.0.46 patch, 150,000 wishlists, and full release on August 19, 2026.
Hearth and Hamlet is still pre-release, and its biggest update is the full launch on August 19, 2026. The latest shipped build is the Demo v1.0.46 patch from June 15, and there are no full-release patch notes yet because the game has not been released.
The short answer
- Latest update: Demo v1.0.46, released June 15, 2026 for Steam Next Fest
- Next big update: Full 1.0 release on August 19, 2026 at 17:00 UTC
- Old demo saves: Made incompatible by v1.0.46; demo saves will not carry over
- Wishlist milestone: Over 150,000 as of August 12, 2026
- Full-release patch notes: Not available yet
Hearth and Hamlet update timeline
The official update history is short but dense, running from the demo announcement in April to the “one week” post before launch.
| Date | Update |
|---|---|
| April 14, 2026 | Demo announced for Steam Medieval Fest |
| April 20, 2026 | Free demo launches for Steam Medieval Fest |
| May 6, 2026 | Developer thanks demo players, previews Next Fest plans |
| June 10, 2026 | 70,000 wishlists announced; Steam Next Fest entry confirmed |
| June 15, 2026 | Demo v1.0.46 patch released for Steam Next Fest |
| June 15–22, 2026 | Steam Next Fest |
| July 2, 2026 | Release date announced: August 19, 2026 |
| August 12, 2026 | “One Week Until Launch”: 17:00 UTC confirmed, 150,000+ wishlists |
| August 19, 2026 | Full launch (planned) |
The demo was announced in a Steam post on April 14 and went live on April 20, timed to Steam Medieval Fest. On May 6 the developer thanked players and promised big news was coming around a release date and the June Next Fest. June then delivered both: the 70,000-wishlist milestone post, and the v1.0.46 demo update that shipped alongside Next Fest itself.
That momentum predates the demo. In March, The Gaming Outsider reported that Hearth and Hamlet was surging up the Steam charts within its first month of being listed, and called the upcoming demo one of the most anticipated arrivals of the Medieval Fest. The game is a cozy incremental citybuilder where you draft laws, set policies, assign workers, and manage citizen happiness for production bonuses while recruiting guards to defend against raiders and dangerous animals.
What changed in Demo v1.0.46
The June 15 patch is the most substantial update so far, and most of its content is expected to carry into the full game:
- Gold became accessible for the first time
- Several new buildings and one additional main-story quest were added
- New research options, including “Advisor” quality-of-life research unlocked in the Leader’s Hut or Manor
- Traditional Chinese and Korean localization added
- Full UI scaling with automatic or manual modes, plus 4K readability adjustments
- Independent audio sliders for music, sound effects and UI sounds
- Shift + F11 to hide the interface, plus a toggle for helper arrows
- Multiple launch options to help players with startup crashes
The patch also rebalanced worker quantities, research rewards and combat, fixed dozens of small visual bugs, and overhauled the audio system. In short, it was a polish, accessibility and stability pass aimed squarely at the full release.
Why old demo saves broke
v1.0.46 included “extensive backend changes to make the game more robust and flexible for full development,” and the official notes warned that older save files were no longer compatible. The same backend work is why demo saves will not transfer to the full game either — the developer has confirmed players should plan to start fresh. See the save file page for the full picture.
What the demo updates reveal about the full game
The v1.0.46 additions read like a preview of what the final game will feature: a Gold economy, an “Advisor” research line focused on quality of life, one more main-story quest, and two additional languages. The patch notes describe the release as “a strong technical foundation for the full game,” which suggests the demo builds are converging on the launch version rather than diverging from it.
The balance work is telling too. Worker quantities, research rewards and combat were all rebalanced in June, and the April build had already been tuned from community feedback collected after Medieval Fest. That points to a team using demo telemetry to shape the launch build. Still, everything above is demo-stage information — the release build could differ, and no full-release patch notes exist yet.
How to follow Hearth and Hamlet updates
If you want updates as they land, there are three reliable channels, all used by the developer so far:
- Steam announcements page — every update since April was published here first
- Official wiki updates page — a readable timeline of the same announcements
- gamedb.wiki changelog — a player-run reference tracking official updates and game data
The developer also runs a Discord server, linked in the April demo announcement, and wishlisting the game on Steam guarantees an email whenever the full release or a new update goes live. For everything else about launch day, see the release date page.
What the developer has announced recently
The August 12 “One Week Until Launch” post confirmed the unlock time of 17:00 UTC on August 19 and celebrated passing 150,000 wishlists. Earlier announcements built the same momentum: 70,000 wishlists in June, a release date reveal on July 2, and a promise of updated trailers before launch day.
Community discussion right now centres on the demo’s future and the launch itself. Players have asked whether the demo will stay up after August 19, which the developer has not confirmed. See demo details. The full-release date, unlock time and countdown details are covered on the release date page.
What to expect after launch
Full-release patch notes do not exist yet — the game ships August 19, 2026. What the post-launch update cadence will look like, and what the first post-release patch will fix, is to be confirmed. The pre-launch posts suggest a small, focused team: updates so far have been event-driven (Medieval Fest, Next Fest, launch), so players should not assume a fixed weekly patch schedule before the developer says otherwise.
Frequently asked questions
What is the latest Hearth and Hamlet update? The Demo v1.0.46 patch from June 15, 2026, released for Steam Next Fest. The full game releases August 19, 2026.
Did v1.0.46 add gold? Yes. Gold resource access was unlocked in v1.0.46 for the first time.
Do Hearth and Hamlet demo saves carry over? No. The v1.0.46 patch made older demo saves incompatible, and the developer confirmed demo saves will not transfer to the full release.
Are there patch notes for the full release? Not yet. The full game launches August 19, 2026, and no post-launch patch notes exist at the time of writing.
Is the demo still available? The demo launched April 20, 2026 and is currently playable; whether it stays up after launch is to be confirmed.
Is there another demo update planned before launch? Nothing has been announced. The last demo update was v1.0.46 on June 15, and the developer said work is focused on finishing the final game.
Does Hearth and Hamlet get console updates? There are no console versions announced, so there are no console patches to follow. The game is Windows and SteamOS/Linux only for now. See platforms.
New to the game? Read the beginner guide or the first-hour progression guide before launch day. For launch timing, see the release date page.
Sources: Steam announcements · Steam community hub · The Gaming Outsider · Hearth and Hamlet Wiki updates page · gamedb.wiki changelog