This is a minor patch for the Beta branch that includes:

● Added more information in our telemetry functionality to help track down network issues

● Changed the maximum time until the user is disconnected when network packets are not handled

If you are experiencing issues when playing online in the form of disconnects or not able to connect, you can help us by doing the following:

1. Make sure you switch over to Beta Branch

a. Right click on the game in steam, select Properties

b. Go to Game Versions & Betas and select the Beta version (screenshot below)

Please make sure to opt-in to our telemetry

a. Start the game

b. Go to Settings

c. Go to Gameplay

d. Make sure Telemetry is set to ON

Play the game, and when a disconnect happens we will get additional information that will help us fix network issues.

With patch 1.6 we hope to have solved some of the major disconnects issues we’ve seen happening. But to try it out we are today launching it on the Beta branch on Steam. So, if you have encountered a lot of disconnects, please jump into the Beta branch and try it out. Save games are compatible between 1.5 and 1.6 so you can jump back to 1.5 without risking your save. Please note that cross-play with players not using 1.6 will not work.

Please continue to report any issues that you encounter as that helps us improve the game!

IMPORTANT: We’ve seen a lot of Nvidia GPU crashes, and it is because of driver issues. Make sure you update to the latest drivers before playing, that should resolve GPU crash issues on Nvidia hardware.

As usual, the fix list below can contain potential spoilers.

The main change in 1.6 is that we’ve disabled the disconnect code in the game. This means that disconnects will hopefully happen a lot less frequently. However, this does mean that when playing on a bad network with high ping / packet loss you might experience desyncs, slow response and potentially game breaking bugs.

Patch 1.6 also includes almost 300 bug fixes including most of the soft blockers & crashes that we’ve seen happening.

Soft lock fixes

●     In certain situations, the player couldn’t interact with the whale

●     In certain situations, the player could be stuck behind a blocking volume in Hospital

●     In certain situations, the player character would freeze when entering the barn

●     In certain situations, the player could get stuck after interacting with the binoculars

●     When loaded a checkpoint in tank section sometimes resulted in the players not connecting properly in online play

●     Sometimes the player would get killed by the underwater brookhorse too soon

●     NPC could sometimes fail to sit down in the bus towards orphanage

Crashes

●     Crash could occur during tank chase

●     When shooting the other player, in the hanging soldier room, the game could crash and prevent the player from getting an achievement

Other

●     Improved overall game stability and fixed several crashes.

• Improved companion AI navigation and fixed cases where companions could fail to follow the player.

• Fixed camera behavior during certain gameplay moments and cinematic transitions.

• Resolved issues where music or ambient sounds could continue playing incorrectly.

• General gameplay polish and minor bug fixes.

●     Resolved multiple online co-op issues, including cases where players could become stuck or desynchronized.

●     Fixed various visual glitches, including clipping and animation issues.

Did you know that there are a total of 18 masks and 20 posters that can be found in REANIMAL?

Have you discovered them all? Which one was your favourite? Let us know, but please make sure to mention spoilers in the titles of your posts! After all, we don’t want to spoil the hunt for others.

Hello everyone,

We know you are all eagerly waiting for a REANIMAL patch.

The Steam version of the patch 1.5 is already done.

The console versions will need a few days longer.

Normally, we would simply publish the patch on Steam and ask for your patience. However, crossplay only works if both players are on the same game version. We know crossplay is an important feature for you, so we have decided on a different procedure instead.

We have opened a new build branch for the game on Steam to give those of you who already want patch 1.5 and don't use crossplay/friend's pass a chance to experience it.

This patch will be pushed live to all users across all platforms as soon as possible next week.

1. The only multiplayer option available for the dev branch is if both users own REANIMAL on Steam and are on the beta branch. That means:

- Crossplay between a Steam user on the beta branch and consoles/Epic/GOG will NOT work.

- Crossplay between a Steam user on the beta branch and a Steam user on the default branch will NOT work.

- The beta branch is ONLY available for the FULL version of the game, not for the friend's pass. If you use the beta branch, you will NOT be able to play with friend's pass users.

2. While the beta branch will recognize your default branch save game, the same does not apply in reverse! That means, if you go to the beta branch, you can progress from where you left off on the default branch, but if you then change back to default branch, the additional progress you made while on the beta branch will be lost!

1. Close your game.

2. Right-click the game in your Steam library.

3. Select Properties > Game versions and Betas

4. Select the "beta" option in the list.

5. Wait for your game to finish updating.

Below, you will find the full patch notes for patch 1.5 that is available on the beta branch:

\[patch notes]

Opera House (Tank Section)Fixed an issue where blocking volumes were not correctly disabled when reloading from a checkpoint after dying, preventing further progression.

• Online – Tank to Final Sheep Beast Transition
  Fixed an issue where transitioning from the tank scene to the final Sheep Beast scene could result in a black screen.
  Note: This is a partial fix. In very rare cases, the issue may still occur.

• Forest Village
  Fixed an issue where certain level triggers could be bypassed, potentially leaving players in a locked progression state.

• Bunker Puzzle
  Fixed a softlock that could occur if players solved the bunker puzzle, exited the area, and then died — causing them to respawn without a way to progress.

• Barn (Single Player)
  Fixed an issue where the player could occasionally lose movement control after entering the barn for the first time.

• Orphanage (Stacked Beds Room)
  Fixed a progression issue where players could become stuck after defeating all spider kids due to the area not unlocking properly.

• AMD Stability
  Implemented a workaround to prevent crashes on certain AMD hardware and driver combinations.

First of all, we would like to thank everyone who has played REANIMAL, shared their experience, left a review, provided feedback, or reported bugs! Your feedback is invaluable for us, and we appreciate all of it.

Thanks to your bug reports, we have identified the following main pressure points, and we would like to provide an update on where we stand with those:

Below is a list of currently known issues reported by players. We’re actively working on fixes. In the meantime, you’ll find temporary workarounds where available.

Please note: This section may contain minor gameplay spoilers.

We’re aware of a crash affecting certain AMD graphics cards when using specific driver versions. The issue affects the following GPUs when running AMD driver version 25.9.1 or later:

·         RX 9060

·         RX 9060 XT

·         RX 9070

·         RX 9070 XT

If you’re experiencing crashes, please roll back to AMD driver version 25.8.1.

A temporary fix which disables some advanced graphical effects has been implemented, and it will be included in the next patch, which we will first make available on a Beta branch later this week.

We have identified several softlock scenarios that may prevent progression after player death and respawn. These typically occur when certain blocking volumes are not correctly disabled.

Please note that all trophies/achievements, and unlocked masks are saved in your profile, so that will not be affected when creating a new save game. However, progress on found coffins and rabbit statues are saved in the save game, and as such are not transferred to the new save game.

Bunker

Issue: Unable to progress after completing the bunker puzzle.

Cause: After solving the bunker puzzle and exiting the area, dying and respawning may leave the door closed even though the puzzle remains solved.

Tank Section (Opera Area)

Issue: The path forward may be blocked, preventing progression.

Cause: If you’ve already progressed through this area, then die and respawn there, the path forward may remain blocked.

Orphanage

Issue: In the room with the stacked beds, progression may be blocked after defeating all enemies.

Cause: In rare cases, one enemy may become stuck behind a wall and cannot be defeated, preventing the blocking volume from being disabled.

If you encounter any of the issues above, please follow these steps:

1.      Return to the Main Menu.

 2.      Select New Game.

 3.      Choose a save slot (note: this will overwrite the selected slot).

 4.      Select the most recent chapter prior to where the issue occurred.

 5.      Play forward to the affected area.

Please note that all trophies/achievements, and unlocked masks are saved in your profile, so they will not be affected when creating a new save game. However, progress on found coffins and rabbit statues part of the save game, and as such are not transferred to the new save game.

Fixes for these progression issues are complete and will be included in the upcoming patch, scheduled for release in the next two weeks. On Steam these fixes will be made available earlier in the Beta Patch, coming in the next days.

Below are currently known online-related issues. We’re actively investigating them and working toward permanent solutions.

What’s happening

We’re aware that some players experience seemingly random disconnections during online play.

In many cases, this appears to be caused by high latency or packet loss. If the connection quality drops below a certain threshold, the game will end the session. We believe the limits may currently be too strict and are reviewing how to improve stability for all players.

Temporary workaround

If possible, we recommend connecting your console or PC to the internet via a wired Ethernet connection instead of Wi-Fi, as this can significantly improve connection stability.

Fix status

We are investigating adjustments and improvements to connection handling. This will take some time, but it is a high priority for us.

What’s happening

Some players in specific regions may be unable to join online sessions and are returned to the Main Menu.

This appears to be related to the backend matchmaking service used by the game, which is experiencing connectivity issues in certain regions (for example, parts of China).

Temporary workaround

At this time, there is no known workaround.

Fix status

We are working with our partners to identify and resolve the issue. A solution will take some time, but we will provide a solution as soon as possible.

What’s happening

We’re seeing a higher-than-expected number of crashes reported on high-end hardware, particularly systems using Intel Core i7 and i9 13th/14th Gen processors.

The most common errors include:

·         Out of Memory

·         DecompressShader

·         Fatal Errors during gameplay or startup

This is a known hardware issue officially confirmed by Intel as “Vmin Shift Instability.” Under heavy load, this can cause system instability.

The recommended and most effective fix is to update your BIOS to the latest version provided by your motherboard or system manufacturer. These updates include changes intended to mitigate the issue. In some cases, continued instability may lead to permanent CPU degradation, so updating is strongly advised in any case!

On the software side, the primary way to mitigate the problem is to reduce CPU load within the game to improve stability. Please note this may lower performance on affected systems. We are looking into other options as well though.

Fix status

Addressing these Intel-related crashes is currently our highest priority. We expect first results in the coming days.

We are preparing a hotfix to improve stability on affected CPUs.

Of course, we are also investigating all other bug reports and will deliver patches and patch notes as soon as possible.

Thank you for your patience!

Hey folks,

We are currently gathering every scrap of information possible so that the developers can try and fix the issues you guys have been reporting.

If you do run into an issue, ranging from a minor texture glitch to a progress blocker, please make a report via the Bug Reporting thread with as much detail as possible.

The more information the developers have, the more likely they are to find the source of a problem.

We are reading every message you guys send on Steam and Discord to ensure we can catch as many problems as possible.

If you do run into an issue, whilst we understand that running into a problem in a game is frustrating, we do ask you for patience. We are already working on a patch and we will share more information on the matter when details are ready.

Regards THQ Nordic Community Team

Friend's Pass Is Now Live

We are very happy to announce that REANIMAL Friends pass is now live over on the Steam store:

Thank you for your patience.

The Friend's Pass is very easy to use: the player that has purchased the game hosts a lobby and their friend joins via the Steam Friends menu.

If you do not see the Friend's Pass in store, please exit and relaunch your Steam client.

We announced the Friend's Pass, and it will be with you later today.

English:
This is our top priority right now. The Friend's Pass will come later today. At this stage we can not commit to a specific timeframe or time, but it will be live later today.

Chinese:
我们目前正紧急处理该问题，并确认好友通行证将在今天晚些时候推出。
感谢大家对游戏的支持，恳请您耐心等待，再次为对您造成的困扰表示抱歉！

German:
Der Freunde Pass kommt noch heute auf Steam. Ist gerade höchste Priorität für uns. Wir können uns derzeit nicht auf einen abgesteckten Zeitrahmen, oder eine genaue Uhrzeit festlegen, aber es wird später heute live gehen.

Russian:
Это наш главный приоритет на данный момент. Friend‘s Pass появится сегодня позже. На данном этапе мы не можем назвать конкретные сроки, но он станет доступен сегодня позже.

French:

C'est notre priorité absolue actuellement. Le Pass Ami sera disponible plus tard dans la journée. À ce stade, nous ne pouvons pas nous engager sur une heure précise, mais il sera actif aujourd'hui.

Spanish:

Es nuestra prioridad absoluta en este momento. El Friend Pass estará disponible más tarde hoy. En este punto no podemos especificar una franja de tiempo pero llegará hoy más tarde.

Polish:

Uruchomienie Dostępu Dla Znajomych (Friend Pass) jest naszym najwyższym priorytetem. Zostanie dodany jeszcze dziś, jednak na ten moment, nie jesteśmy w stanie podać konkretnej godziny.