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War of the Worlds - Multiplayer First Look - 2026 Development Update
🕑 Added 2026-01-05 20:24:29 +0000 UTC๐ 2026 Development Update โ Multiplayer First Look
Everything shown here is pre-alpha gameplay.
Features, visuals, performance, and systems are still actively being worked on.
The December 2025 Update (v0.9.1) for Patreon testers introduced multiplayer to the main branch, alongside major improvements to the player controller and hundreds of bug fixes and optimizations across the entire game.
This update focused heavily on:
๐ ๏ธ Stability
โก Performance
๐ Fixing long-standing issues
๐งฑ Laying the groundwork for consistent, more frequent updates as we move toward Steam Early Access
Below is a condensed but detailed changelog so you can see exactly whatโs included in this build.
๐ฐ๏ธ A Quick Word on 2025 Development Silence
2025 was a major year both personally and for the project, and I want to briefly explain the slower development pace.
In January 2025, I began the FDNY Fire Academy โ a 5-month (18-week) program requiring full-time commitment, Monday through Friday. The academy involved:
Early mornings
Intense physical training
Constant mental pressure
Non-stop studying
This was my last opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming a New York City firefighter, and I wasnโt going to let a once-in-a-lifetime chance slip away.
During this time, it simply wasnโt possible to give the game and the community the attention they deserved. I know some wondered if the project had been abandoned โ so I want to be very clear:
The project was never dead.
Now that Iโve graduated and settled into my new career, Iโve been fully back in active development since June, and this update represents that return.
๐ง Major Progress in This Update
Youโll see significant improvements and additions across nearly every core system, including:
Core systems
Weapons, vehicles, buildables, items, weather, AI behavior, and moreNew weapons, equipment, and tools
Completely overhauled atmosphere
New lighting, fog, clouds, weather, effects, and sound designNew map areas & environmental improvements
Expanded character abilities
Swimming, parachuting, hang gliding, climbing, and traversal improvementsImproved building & world interaction
Major AI improvements
Tripod and alien behavior refinementsDeep optimization work
Physics, terrain, shadows, LODs, scene loading, and core systems
๐ Version 0.9.1 โ Now Live on Steam for Patreon Testers!
Multiplayer Status
โ Currently Networked
Weapons & equipables
Buildables
Vehicles (including riding as a passenger)
Humans vs Tripods (team switching)
Aliens
Item pickups
Swimming
Parachuting
Hang gliding
Weather & Time of Day
Tripod movement
Tripod behavior
Doors
Text chat
โ Currently Not Networked
Rising Tripod & Storm
Probe
NPCs
Proximity voice chat
๐ซ New Weapons, Equipment & Tools
16 new weapons
๐ Backpack (expands inventory capacity)
โ๏ธ Mining Helmet & Head Lamp (hands-free illumination)
๐ฅ Camcorder
๐ญ Binoculars
๐ Range finders
๐ฏ Scopes
๐ Suppressor attachment
๐ฆ Flashlight weapon attachments
๐ฃ Fishing rod & bait
๐ง Character & Building Improvements
Player body and legs are now visible when looking down
๐๏ธ Buildables
โบ New tent buildable
๐ฏ๏ธ New candle buildable for area illumination
๐ฅ Standing torch can now be crafted to light up areas
Buildables are now:
Fully networked in multiplayer
Dismantlable (returns resources to inventory)
Movable after placement
Additional improvements:
Area around the player is now illuminated during building to improve placement visibility
๐ World Interaction
Loot dead NPCs
Loot dead animals for meat, bones, and leather
Sticks and stones now spawn naturally across the terrain for crafting
๐ New generators that can be turned on to interact with the world
(Generator & vehicle fuel integration coming next update)
๐ New Character Abilities
๐ Swimming (with underwater sounds & visual effects)
๐ช Climbable ladders (rooftops, water towers, elevated positions)
๐ช Hang gliding
๐ช Parachuting
๐ง Crouch sliding
๐ฒ Environment Updates
๐๏ธ New town added to the map
๐ New lake added to the map
Map improvements for a more lived-in world:
New building variety
More parked vehicles
Environmental props
Vegetation improvements
โจ Effects & Visual Improvements
Completely overhauled skybox & lighting
Dynamic volumetric height fog
Dynamic clouds & weather
โก New lightning effects
Improved dynamic atmosphere
๐ Sound ducking when inside buildings
Improved interior lighting
๐ Completely new missile effects & sounds
๐ New nature particle effects around the player
Improved forcefield impact effects
Improved forcefield explosion effects
Enhanced explosion lighting reflecting off Tripods
Heatray beams now emit dynamic lighting reflecting off Tripods
๐ฝ AI & Alien Improvements
Tripods now occasionally wander toward the playerโs general vicinity
Improved probe logic & physics
Enhanced alien movement and behavior for more fluid and reliable interactions
Tweaked damage caused by aliens
โ๏ธ Optimizations
Optimized physics
Optimized Tripod detection
Optimized trigger colliders
Optimized terrain
Optimized destruction rubble piles
Optimized additive scene loading
Optimized shadows
Refactored and optimized core code
Reduced and optimized overall scene sizes
Optimized storm clouds
Optimized terrain LODs
๐ฌ Stay Connected
Join the Discord Community
https://discord.gg/waroftheworldsgame
๐งช Patreon Exclusive Testing
https://www.patreon.com/flipswitchgames
๐ฎ Credits
Lead Developer / Creative Director โ Raf
Tripod 3D Artist โ EldeBH
Sound FX โ Kenickie, 6ar6oyle, Legosi, Cassius
Official Game Soundtrack โ Cordax, AndyFTW, Kenickie
Procedural Movement System Developer โ Temno
โค๏ธ Thank You
Thank you to everyone who stuck around and supported the project throughout this year. Development is fully active again, and updates will be coming more regularly as we continue pushing toward Early Access.
More to share soon. ๐
Comments
untouched milk
yo when did you get the steam code? i just bought it and wondering when ill get it.
[K-no] GameZ
Cant wait to join you. Been waiting for this for some time.........so excited, I could crush a grape! Bring on the immersion
Silent_Night378
Just became a paid member and got the steam key. Let me say this game is going to be absolute PEAKKKK๐ฅ
Tpab
the steam key should have arrived in an email by Flipswitch games
danieliukas kazlauskas
how do i play the game i bought the member for 81 money and i dont know how to instal the early acces of this game
