Outriders next update, roadmap, DLC, and what's next for the game

Given its focus on randomized loot drops and cooperative online play, you’d think Square Enix and People Can Fly’s Outriders might receive regular content updates since its April 1 launch. But that was never the intention going in. Outriders shipped as a complete game, though smaller updates will still roll out in the coming months (and potentially years). One thing that needs addressing soon: a common glitch that wipes out entire swaths of players’ inventory.

Here’s everything we know about the future roadmap for Outriders, from updates to major bugs and potential downloadable content (DLC).

When is the release date for Outriders’ next patch?

A week before the launch of Outriders, developers outlined plans for post-launch support on the game’s subreddit. Aside from outlining the Day 1 patch, it also detailed the broad strokes of a major post-launch update with the following:

• Controller adjustment options such as deadzone adjustment, acceleration settings and legacy layouts.
• Loading Time Improvements for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles
• Further Performance Improvements for Co-op games
• Crossplay friends list and invite system across all platforms. This will require you to be using a Square Enix Members account.
• Bug fixes including, for example: Lore collectibles bugging out on second characters

The most interesting addition here is the crossplay friends list coordinated via a Square Enix Members account system, which in theory would function just like crossplay we see in games like Fortnite or Call of Duty.

It seems like these items encompassed the original intention for what became known as the 1.05 patch, but the game’s bugs caused developers to shift priorities.

“We are expecting this to roll out at least a few weeks after launch,” the post reads. “Newly discovered severe issues will be hot-fixed earlier and separately from this patch of course.” So we can safely expect some of these items to be included in a future update, perhaps before the end of April. If not, then likely sometime in May.

Outriders Day 1 update and version 1.05 patch notes

Outriders received an extensive Day 1 patch on April 1. The updates was a bout 24 GB in size and fixed various bugs, improved overall performance, and delivered some necessary camera smoothing during some cutscenes. It also improved the framerates for cutscenes and dialogue sequences on the various platforms. There was also a small April 4 patch that fixed different bugs and crashing errors.

These were followed up with a more substantial pre-planned patch announced on April 8 — a week after launch — titled patch 1.05, and the patch notes are extensive, including everything from balancing changes to fixes for the game’s biggest bugs. Notably, both the Trickster and Pyromancer classes were nerfed. The patch was rolled out on PC and PlayStation 4 on April 9, but the delayed PlayStation 5 version did not arrive until April 10. That was also when the Xbox version of the patch rolled out as well.

Since the rollout of 1.05, however, more and more players have been experiencing a glitch that wipes inventory if the game disconnects during crossplay. Developers are fast at work on fixes, including a preventative measure added on April 11. This particular bug remains the “top priority” for devs at the time of this writing.

Will Outriders get DLC in the future?

The shortest possible answer is maybe. CBR asked Creative Director Bartek Kmita back in February about potential DLC for the game, and from a practical standpoint, it depends entirely on the game’s popularity.

"Right now, it's up to the players." Creative Director Bartek Kmita told CBR when asked about potential DLC for the game. "If they want more, we are more than happy to create more content, more adventures, more stories, more classes, other things. Right now, we're not thinking about that. We want to ship the game, but then we'll see how people are reacting."

Outriders is sitting right around 75 out of 100 in terms of the average Metacritic review score, and concurrent player counts grew to well over 100,000 within days of launch. It quickly outpaced Borderlands 2, The Division, and Marvel’s Avengers on the Steam charts as well. The game received a glowing endorsement from actor ICE T over Twitter on April 10, which could only help a game that, despite some glaring server and bug issues, is rather fun and going well.

Whether it’s DLC or something else entirely, Outriders may perform well enough to warrant something.

Will there be an Outriders 2?

In an interview with Lead Game Designer Piotr Nowakowski, he implied to Inverse that any Outriders follow-ups could come in the form of a sequel — or at least that’s what a translation made it seem like.

“If players like the game and want more, we also want to come back to that world,” he said when asked about ongoing plans for post-launch support. “I hope that the players will convince Square Enix and us to go on with a different title and continue our story on Enoch.”

The phrase “different title” makes it seem like they might move forward with a different game entirely to continue the story on Enoch, which does seem like a better fit for a game that has never been put in the “games-as-a-service” subcategory.