New Abiotic Factor roadmap lays out story DLC and major free updates into 2026

Half-Life 3 who? While Gordon Freeman and friends remain trapped in a locker at Valve HQ, Abiotic Factor has proven itself to be far more than a simple twist on the series that inspired it, and I'd happily call it one of the best survival games on PC right now. With its 1.0 launch in the rear-view mirror, developer Deep Field Games has a brand-new roadmap for us, and there's a whole heap to look forward to. On the cards are an absolute wealth of free updates and quality-of-life improvements, along with a couple of pieces of paid DLC and a mystery crossover.

Abiotic Factor does an incredible job of pulling from the late-'90s aesthetic of the original Half-Life and making it its own. Its sprawling underground research and containment facility tasks you (and up to five additional friends) with holding out against everything from invading paranormal entities to the military group trying to shut the whole thing down. It's great solo, but one of the best co-op games in recent memory, striking a perfect balance between silly humor and chaotic moments of terror. It's earned itself a Steam review score of 96% from players, so I'm very glad to hear that 1.0 is far from the end of its journey.

First on the Abiotic Factor roadmap is free community update three this fall, which includes a lot of the most-requested features. Look forward to apocalyptic difficulty's new enemy behaviors, a hardcore mode and an additional 'iron mode' designed for "really masochistic scientists," and more sandbox settings such as the ability to set bonus perks. Traders are being improved, armor durability indicators will help you keep track of your gear, and there's a whole heap of fresh inclusions.

Exercise equipment gives you ways to improve your body while also generating some electricity for camp. There's a new battery-charging crate and a wall-mountable item stand, plus a mystery bench that will "put Grayson out of a job" - could this finally be full ammo crafting? You'll be able to grow mushrooms and more farmables. Weapon reloads have been improved, along with the addition of an industrial crossbow and a hardlight spear. Finally, expect crossover cosmetics and some skill perks to "fill in the gaps."

Alongside this update comes the first paid DLC, which is a new 'Temple of Stone' home world. This is full of stone architecture that's very reminiscent of Ancient Greek and Roman designs. "We're just going to see if people like that kind of content," Deep Field says. "If you like it, we'll do more of it; if you don't like it, maybe we'll try some other stuff."

For the holidays, there's a free Winter Cabin home world, along with the Holiday Cryosphere update. This will take us to portal world IS-0126, along with a new entity to discover and some more inclusions. In particular you can look forward to another plantable and better buffs on baked goods. Moving into 2026, a 'mystery crossover' is in the works for the spring. The team has "some crossovers (plural) maybe planned," although it cautions that contracts are still being worked out so it's unable to reveal any of them for now.

Summer 2026 heralds a "massive update" courtesy of a story-driven DLC. We'll be heading to an as-yet-unnamed facility sector, along with even more portal worlds. Expect all-new enemy types, traders, recipes, and so on, as well as another home world. It'll be accompanied by a free patch that packs in multi-quest functionality for the journal, boats, a brewing system, improved pets, better fishing, upgraded enemy behavior, trait presets, and the ability to customize your emotes.

So what could this mystery DLC, teased with the image of a palm tree, entail? "There's a lot of 'I wonder why they're doing that' kind of questions in this little column," developer 'Zag' hints, suggesting that the likes of boats and fishing might be a rather big clue to what we'll be getting up to in the expansion.

Deep Field notes that the roadmap "is likely to change, grow, and mutate as we progress through development," but there's already a lot to be excited about. "We have some other story threads we want to follow," Zag concludes. "It's consumed our entire lives. We can't stop, won't stop. We're really excited to bring you that future - and we're also terrified of obligations to the community, so be nice, we love you."

Want to make the most of your time in co-op? Grab the best gaming headset for PC. If you love Abiotic's throwback style, be sure to take a look through the best classic PC games to play in 2025.

Whether you're all-in on Deep Field's creation or getting your survival fix elsewhere, be sure to drop into the PCGamesN Discord and tell us what you've been playing.