Hearth and Hamlet Updates: Patch Notes & Release Timeline
Hearth and Hamlet update timeline: launch on August 19, 2026, post-release patches 1.0.01–1.0.04, and the earlier Demo v1.0.46 changes.
Hearth and Hamlet released on August 19, 2026. The latest official update listed by the developer is Patch 1.0.04, posted on August 24. The launch sequence also included patches 1.0.01, 1.0.02, and 1.0.03, while Demo v1.0.46 remains the last pre-release demo update.
The short answer
- Latest update: Patch 1.0.04, posted August 24, 2026
- Full release: August 19, 2026, now available on Steam
- Old demo saves: Made incompatible by v1.0.46; demo saves will not carry over
- Launch review: Check the Steam store page for the live rating
Hearth and Hamlet update timeline
The official update history is short but dense, running from the demo announcement in April through the first post-release hotfixes.
| Date | Update |
|---|---|
| April 14, 2026 | Demo announced for Steam Medieval Fest |
| April 20, 2026 | Free demo launched 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”: 150,000+ wishlists |
| August 19, 2026 | Full release on Steam |
| August 21, 2026 | Patches 1.0.01 and 1.0.02 released |
| August 22, 2026 | Patch 1.0.03 released |
| August 24, 2026 | Patch 1.0.04 released |
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 was the most substantial demo update, and many of its systems now provide useful context for the released 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.
Post-release patches 1.0.01–1.0.04
The first four patches focused on onboarding, input quality of life, save safety, and early bug fixes:
- 1.0.01 (August 21): Added the Hover to Click option, improved research and quest clarity, strengthened save backups, and fixed several worker, research, graphics, and interaction issues.
- 1.0.02 (August 21): Refined Space-bar gathering behavior, fixed a high-dexterity building bug, prevented double gathering and over-leveling, and corrected more text and graphics issues.
- 1.0.03 (August 22): Added Shift + Click fast travel for blue arrows, fixed a zombie-invasion save issue, and corrected several descriptions and visual bugs.
- 1.0.04 (August 24): Fixed a rare enemy-death crash and an enemy-army quest result bug, corrected spelling, and removed defunct telemetry.
These changes mean that current guides should not assume the pre-release demo controls are the only way to play. In particular, players can enable Hover to Click instead of holding the mouse button for manual gathering.
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 previewed systems relevant to the released game: 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,” but exact values and availability should follow the current Steam build and in-game tooltips.
The balance work is telling too. Worker quantities, research rewards and combat were all rebalanced in June, and the first post-release patches concentrated on usability and stability. For exact current behavior, prefer the latest Steam patch notes and in-game tooltips over pre-release demo observations.
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 the Steam community hub is the best place to follow new announcements. For the completed launch timeline, see the release date page.
What the developer has announced recently
The August 19 launch announcement confirmed that Hearth and Hamlet was live on Steam. It was followed by the developer’s August 21 note that 50,000 players had bought and played the game in the previous 24 hours, then patches 1.0.01 through 1.0.04.
Community discussion now centres on post-release fixes, the demo’s future, and the game’s ongoing balance. Players have asked whether the separate demo will return, but the developer has not confirmed that. See demo details. The completed launch details are covered on the release date page.
What to expect after launch
The game is already receiving follow-up patches. The first updates were released within five days of launch, but no fixed weekly schedule has been announced. Follow the official Steam announcements for future fixes and balance changes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the latest Hearth and Hamlet update? Patch 1.0.04, posted on August 24, 2026, is the latest update listed by the developer at the time of writing.
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? Yes. Patches 1.0.01 through 1.0.04 include quality-of-life changes and bug fixes. The official Steam announcements page has the full notes.
Is the demo still available? The demo’s separate Steam listing currently redirects to Steam’s home page. Its return has not been announced.
Is there another demo update planned? Nothing has been announced. The current post-release update trail is for the full game, not the separate demo listing.
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. For installation details, see the download page.
Sources: Steam announcements · Steam community hub · The Gaming Outsider · Hearth and Hamlet Wiki updates page · gamedb.wiki changelog