We're delighted to announce that Ranch Simulator will leave Early Access and transition to v1.0 on 3 November 2023!
As you may have heard, we currently have the big Unreal Engine 5 update available on the unstable branch for community testing - if you haven't already, take a look at our previous announcement to see how you could be playing an early version of the UE5 update right now!
We continue to work on the update, making tweaks and fixing bugs based on your feedback. We'll be releasing the final version of this update on the public branch when ready, and then we'll be transitioning to v1.0 on 3 November.
So What Happens Now? Are You Still Going to be Updating the Game?
Absolutely. We will be continuing to support the game after launch including with free updates and patches. The first post-launch content update we will release is the much requested pets update! Keep an eye out for news on your fluffy friends - we'll be adding cats and dogs to the game.
In the new year we'll reveal our post-launch roadmap. As always, we want to hear your thoughts and suggestions - make sure to join the Discord and let us know what you'd like to see added!
What's This About Save Data Compatibility?
We know that your ranch progress is important to you, so we want to be as clear as possible regarding save wipes. Please be aware that your old saves from the previous Unreal Engine 4 version of the game will not work with the new Unreal Engine 5 version. As a reminder, here's what we shared previously:
Previous saves are not compatible with the new UE5 version of the game. We don’t take this lightly, but to deliver the major enhancements this update brings it was simply unavoidable. Please also be aware that new saves from the current unstable version might not be compatible with further unstable versions of this update and the final version of the update which will go onto the public branch. Once the final version of this update is live on the public branch, we foresee no further save wipes.
For the time being the old UE4 version of the game is still available on the default branch so that you have the option to continue playing that with your existing saves if you choose. When the UE5 update moves to the public branch, a new branch will be created for the old UE4 version. Make sure to give your new saves different names from your previous UE4 save files to avoid accidentally overwriting them!
That's all for now, ranchers.
The Ranch Sim Team
