Public Beta Available! 1.3.8.2
Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2026 4:17 pm
Hi everyone,
Please try this new beta and let us know if it helps your game. We encourage you to start a new game as there may be changes that only take effect upon starting a new game.
To facilitate frequent beta iterations as needed, this beta is only available for now on Steam and GOG. All Matrix customers also have a free Steam key available (through your My Page) which can be activated if desired to install DW2 via Steam and test this Beta there.
On Steam, you can switch to it by going to Distant Worlds 2 in your Steam Library, right-clicking on it, choosing Properties -> Betas -> then choosing the latest beta branch from the drop-down list and allowing Steam to update your game. If it updates correctly, you should see the latest beta version listed as your version in-game on the bottom right.
On GOG, you can switch to it by going to Distant Worlds 2 in your GOG Library, selecting Distant Worlds 2, then clicking on the button next to "Play" that looks like two horizontal lines with small offset circles, choosing Manage Installation -> Configure then picking the latest Beta from the Beta channels drop-down list and allowing GOG to update.
The Core game engine has been upgraded to use newer versions of Stride and .NET. We now include .NET in the game executable, so no additional external .NET redistributables are required.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you still experience crashes with 1.0.6.4 or later, especially crashes in battle, please try the new DXVK rendering option in the game settings. This can be found under "Rendering Mode", which can be switched from DirectX 11 to DXVK. DXVK is only guaranteed to work with the SDR (Standard Definition Rendering) option in your game settings. It may work with some HDR (High Definition Rendering) settings, but we do not advise trying those at this time. The DXVK option will likely resolve many issues caused by driver bugs or incompatibilities.
If you try this setting and the game does not launch, please note the command line option in the changes below to switch back to DirectX 11. (To force DirectX on launch, add --use-dx11 as a command-line argument to DistantWorlds2.exe).
Changes in 1.3.8.2 (October 22nd , 2026):
CRASH FIXES
- fixed crash when identifying empire refuelling points
- fixed crash when checking whether facilities can be upgraded
- fixed crash when determining resource prices
- fixed crash when determining migration sources
- fixed crash when fleet assigns queued mission to pickup debris, but debris has already been picked up
- fixed crash when adding character traits via a game event
- fixed rare crash when rendering Fleets screen
- fixed crash when rendering particle effects
- added warning message to player when unable to write SessionLog and other files in game folder at startup due to insufficient file permissions (would previously crash)
USER INTERFACE
- fixed missing action buttons in Colony Detail screen when Shadows Rising installed (was expecting 11 buttons when there are only 10)
- ensure search textbox is focused and text is selected when switch to Search screen
POLICIES
- added new policy setting for 'Default Diplomatic Strategy for Pirates'. This allows a planetary empire to set all pirate faction relations to Hostile, and thus make it harder for pirates to park near your colonies in an attempt to spread their influence there. Note: setting to ‘Conquer’ option will cancel all current treaties with pirate factions and set them as hostile
CONTRACTS
- ensure that having many simultaneous Atuuk Great Directions does not block acceptance of contracts
DESIGNS
- fixed manually-upgraded fighter designs sometimes getting wrong components in bays
- fixes to pirate ship weapon firing arcs
PIRATE FACILITIES
- pirate facilities are now constructed in their own build queue (i.e. they do not wait for other facilities to complete first)
- ensure that new pirate facilities have their discovery level set higher than colony exploration level (i.e. they are hidden from colony owner)
SHADOWPORTS
- prevent accepting the same Shadowport contract multiple times (and thus gaining multiple rewards from the same contract)
- Shadowport construction ships no longer check whether new Lone Pirate spaceport is being constructed in another empire's territory (was previously blocking construction and preventing Lone Pirate from becoming a Pirate Faction)
- when a Junkyard Shadowport is destroyed, any nearby claimed shipwrecks are released and become normal damaged abandoned ships that can be salvaged
LONE PIRATES
- when player Lone Pirate captures a ship they are now presented with choice to either scrap the captured ship for money (previous behavior) or to instead switch to the captured ship and scrap their previous one (transferring all of their cargo and other items to their new ship). Note that this only applies to ships that are viable for a lone pirate: must be mobile (sub-warp speed + hyperdrive) and one of the following roles: any freighter, Escort, Frigate, Destroyer or Cruiser
EVENTS
- fixed Zenox Homeworld bases being captured by pirates
- fixed Haakonish 'Ancient Exploration Ship' event causing a high quality planet to appear in home system
- fixes to various pirate-related events
MODDING
- extended character images so that randomly-generated characters now randomly select image from pool of multiple images for their race and role (i.e. from all images where name starts with '[RACE]_[ROLE]')
- static characters (defined in CharacterDefinitions.xml) can now have random skill levels by setting amount to zero (will auto-select a value between -0.05 and +0.1).
Please try this new beta and let us know if it helps your game. We encourage you to start a new game as there may be changes that only take effect upon starting a new game.
To facilitate frequent beta iterations as needed, this beta is only available for now on Steam and GOG. All Matrix customers also have a free Steam key available (through your My Page) which can be activated if desired to install DW2 via Steam and test this Beta there.
On Steam, you can switch to it by going to Distant Worlds 2 in your Steam Library, right-clicking on it, choosing Properties -> Betas -> then choosing the latest beta branch from the drop-down list and allowing Steam to update your game. If it updates correctly, you should see the latest beta version listed as your version in-game on the bottom right.
On GOG, you can switch to it by going to Distant Worlds 2 in your GOG Library, selecting Distant Worlds 2, then clicking on the button next to "Play" that looks like two horizontal lines with small offset circles, choosing Manage Installation -> Configure then picking the latest Beta from the Beta channels drop-down list and allowing GOG to update.
The Core game engine has been upgraded to use newer versions of Stride and .NET. We now include .NET in the game executable, so no additional external .NET redistributables are required.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you still experience crashes with 1.0.6.4 or later, especially crashes in battle, please try the new DXVK rendering option in the game settings. This can be found under "Rendering Mode", which can be switched from DirectX 11 to DXVK. DXVK is only guaranteed to work with the SDR (Standard Definition Rendering) option in your game settings. It may work with some HDR (High Definition Rendering) settings, but we do not advise trying those at this time. The DXVK option will likely resolve many issues caused by driver bugs or incompatibilities.
If you try this setting and the game does not launch, please note the command line option in the changes below to switch back to DirectX 11. (To force DirectX on launch, add --use-dx11 as a command-line argument to DistantWorlds2.exe).
Changes in 1.3.8.2 (October 22nd , 2026):
CRASH FIXES
- fixed crash when identifying empire refuelling points
- fixed crash when checking whether facilities can be upgraded
- fixed crash when determining resource prices
- fixed crash when determining migration sources
- fixed crash when fleet assigns queued mission to pickup debris, but debris has already been picked up
- fixed crash when adding character traits via a game event
- fixed rare crash when rendering Fleets screen
- fixed crash when rendering particle effects
- added warning message to player when unable to write SessionLog and other files in game folder at startup due to insufficient file permissions (would previously crash)
USER INTERFACE
- fixed missing action buttons in Colony Detail screen when Shadows Rising installed (was expecting 11 buttons when there are only 10)
- ensure search textbox is focused and text is selected when switch to Search screen
POLICIES
- added new policy setting for 'Default Diplomatic Strategy for Pirates'. This allows a planetary empire to set all pirate faction relations to Hostile, and thus make it harder for pirates to park near your colonies in an attempt to spread their influence there. Note: setting to ‘Conquer’ option will cancel all current treaties with pirate factions and set them as hostile
CONTRACTS
- ensure that having many simultaneous Atuuk Great Directions does not block acceptance of contracts
DESIGNS
- fixed manually-upgraded fighter designs sometimes getting wrong components in bays
- fixes to pirate ship weapon firing arcs
PIRATE FACILITIES
- pirate facilities are now constructed in their own build queue (i.e. they do not wait for other facilities to complete first)
- ensure that new pirate facilities have their discovery level set higher than colony exploration level (i.e. they are hidden from colony owner)
SHADOWPORTS
- prevent accepting the same Shadowport contract multiple times (and thus gaining multiple rewards from the same contract)
- Shadowport construction ships no longer check whether new Lone Pirate spaceport is being constructed in another empire's territory (was previously blocking construction and preventing Lone Pirate from becoming a Pirate Faction)
- when a Junkyard Shadowport is destroyed, any nearby claimed shipwrecks are released and become normal damaged abandoned ships that can be salvaged
LONE PIRATES
- when player Lone Pirate captures a ship they are now presented with choice to either scrap the captured ship for money (previous behavior) or to instead switch to the captured ship and scrap their previous one (transferring all of their cargo and other items to their new ship). Note that this only applies to ships that are viable for a lone pirate: must be mobile (sub-warp speed + hyperdrive) and one of the following roles: any freighter, Escort, Frigate, Destroyer or Cruiser
EVENTS
- fixed Zenox Homeworld bases being captured by pirates
- fixed Haakonish 'Ancient Exploration Ship' event causing a high quality planet to appear in home system
- fixes to various pirate-related events
MODDING
- extended character images so that randomly-generated characters now randomly select image from pool of multiple images for their race and role (i.e. from all images where name starts with '[RACE]_[ROLE]')
- static characters (defined in CharacterDefinitions.xml) can now have random skill levels by setting amount to zero (will auto-select a value between -0.05 and +0.1).