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Xenonauts 2 Sets April 2 for 1.0 Launch
Hooded Horse and Goldhawk Interactive have confirmed that Xenonauts 2 will leave Early Access on April 2, marking its full 1.0 release on PC across Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store. The announcement was made during the Turn-Based Thursday Fest Showcase, closing the loop on an Early Access run that began in July 2023.
For strategy fans who have been waiting to commit, 1.0 is the moment Xenonauts 2 stops being a work in progress and becomes the complete campaign Goldhawk intended.
The studio is framing the final stretch as a foundation built for long-term play, with performance upgrades, new late-game threats, and mod support aimed at keeping the game alive after launch.
What Changed During Early Access
Xenonauts 2 has spent its Early Access period undergoing steady revision rather than incremental content drops. Across six major milestones, Goldhawk has reworked core systems and expanded the strategic layer to create a smoother campaign arc, especially in the opening hours where first impressions matter most.
Key improvements highlighted by the developers include a fully reworked air combat system, tutorial upgrades, and a more involved early game built around The Cleaners, a pro-alien militia that complicates the player’s early response to the invasion. The alien roster has also grown, with new ground troops, a wider variety of UFOs, and additional weapons aimed at keeping tactical engagements from settling into a predictable groove.
Just as important, Xenonauts 2 now has a defined endgame that lets players take the fight to the enemy, complete with closing cinematics. On the strategy layer, the developers have introduced new mechanics such as supporters and operations, alongside reworked invasion phases intended to improve pacing and progression.
The game has also added new maps, biomes, mission types, updated models and animations, and a long list of balance changes and quality-of-life improvements.
The Final Milestone Adds Praetorians and Workshop Mod Support
The seventh milestone, positioned as the basis for the 1.0 release, is led by the introduction of Alien Praetorians, described as a major new enemy threat. It also includes significant performance enhancements, reworks of the original maps, and updates to familiar early-game elements such as the Farm and small UFO encounters.
The most player-facing long-term addition is Steam Workshop integration, giving Xenonauts 2 a built-in pipeline for mods once 1.0 lands.
For a tactics strategy game, workshop support tends to extend a campaign’s lifespan through new mission packs, balance overhauls, and community-built quality-of-life improvements, often serving as the bridge between official updates. That can only be a good thing.
Xenonauts 2 launches in version 1.0 on April 2 for PC via Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store.
