Patch notes

Most games change after release. Each update, or patch, replaces files on your system, and the patch notes are the developer’s own account of what that update does. They are usually a plain list: bugs fixed, performance changes, balance adjustments to weapons or characters, new items, and sometimes problems the team knows about and has not fixed yet.

On Steam, patch notes are a specific type of announcement. Valve’s documentation for developers says they are meant for the most engaged players, who want to know what changed even when most people would not notice. They show up in the Steam client’s download window, in compact form in the game’s page in your library and on its news hub, and the latest one is linked from the store page. They are kept out of the “What’s New” row at the top of the Library home, which is reserved for larger announcements. When a developer uploads a new build, Steam prompts them to post notes with it.

For players, patch notes are the most reliable source on a game’s current state, more so than trailers or old reviews. They are especially useful for early access games, where the pace and direction of updates is what you are really buying. They are also where a publisher confirms a fix you have been waiting for, or a change that affects how you play.

At Autosave, when we write about an update we link to the developer’s own patch notes, and we retell them in our own words rather than copying them.