Hey everyone!
Hope you've all been doing well, it's been a while since I last posted about Fortune Avenue, but trust me, I've been grinding away non-stop behind the scenes. The game has changed a lot since it first launched into Early Access! So let's do a quick recap for anyone who hasn't been keeping up with everything that's happened over the past year and a bit on Fortune Avenue.
The new rules and how they work
Since Fortune Avenue launched back in April 2025, a bunch of new rules have been added. I could list them all out, but let's just say there are 7 new rules that really shake things up. Some change the way the wheel of fortune behaves, others straight up cancel all rent. There's something for every playstyle.
On top of that, I've also reworked how rules interact with each other. Rules now complement one another. Instead of drawing 2 random rules, the game now draws one, and if there's a rule associated with it, that one gets picked too. Otherwise it grabs another one at random. I say "random," but I'm lying a little, it's not entirely random. Fortune Avenue actually assigns a weight to each rule based on its potential impact on the game. The bigger the impact, the higher the chance it gets picked.
A new mechanic has also been added. Sometimes when Fortune Avenue offers you two rules, you might not want either of them. Now you can reroll new rules to vote on instead. Way better than having to restart the whole match.
The new cards and how they work
Just like the rules, the cards got an overhaul too. First off, when a player spins the wheel of fortune, Fortune Avenue now prepares cards specifically for that player. Every card has a weight, and the bigger its impact, the more likely it is to come up.
To give you more control, some cards have been reworked. You now decide when to use certain cards instead of them firing off automatically as soon as possible. That's extra control, and one more layer of strategy in your hands.
Oh, and I mentioned rules can change the wheel of fortune, that's an understatement. Some rules can add a bankruptcy slot to the wheel. Land on it and you're automatically out of the game. Another rule adds a victory slot to the wheel, and if you're lucky enough to land on it, you win outright. Simple as that.
The big bad helicopter and the rulebook
Its behavior has changed, it shows up a lot less than before and is way less aggressive. It still kicks out the poorest players after three turns, anyone with less than $100,000. But if it breaks off its chase, the counter resets. Yes, I listened to your feedback and changed that part.
You can also now disable the helicopter entirely when setting up a match. Because yes, you can now fully customize the game's rules. Before starting a match, you can set salaries, starting cash, how much a plane ticket costs. Basically a whole bunch of settings that let you decide exactly how you want to play!
Customization
At launch, Fortune Avenue had 4 different game boards. Today that number has more than doubled, with themes as varied as they come. I've also added gravestones.
Because honestly, I think it's fun to see where a player went bust, which tile sent them packing. It also lets you display emojis in online matches. There are about ten different gravestones to choose from when setting up a match, plus a bunch of customizable dice.
I didn't hold back, you can really make your matches your own, right down to the game's look. Especially since there's now a small board and a large board. Board size directly affects match length, the bigger the board, the longer the game runs.
Game modes
Offline mode has been added, letting you play locally with up to 6 players, all on a single controller (or several, your call). You can pause in offline mode, but not in online mode.
Speaking of online mode, it now has an ELO system that lets Fortune Avenue match you up with players around your skill level. Nothing too serious, but it means you can enjoy a match without getting completely wrecked by tougher opponents.
While we're on the topic of online mode, the network layer has been stabilized, and huge thanks to all the players who helped make that happen. The game is solid now, and an online match can be resumed as long as at least one player is still in it. So yeah, that's really, really cool.
Since we're talking game modes, I've also added team matches. You can play 2v2, 2v2v2, or 3v3 when playing as teams. Little flags will show which team you're on. It's a lot of fun with a group, and it genuinely shakes up your odds of winning.
Interface and controller support
It's come a long way. The options panel has grown quite a bit with new buttons and settings. But the biggest change comes from Steam Deck support. Text size now automatically adapts to your resolution, so you can always read what's on screen.
In this new version, controller players are going to be thrilled. Controller support is rock solid, you never need to touch a mouse or keyboard at any point. Everything just works, and it feels great. That's mostly thanks to the game being available on Steam Deck, but also because it's about to launch on console. More on that soon.
Other changes
Since April 2025, Fortune Avenue has come a long way. Card designs have been completely reworked. All 3D models have been remade and optimized. And for Windows users, DirectX 12 support has been added.
The physics engine has also been swapped out for Jolt, which delivers much better 3D physics simulation than the original engine.
Final words
Fortune Avenue has come this far thanks to your feedback. So thank you to everyone who's played, without you it wouldn't be the game it is today.
I'm pretty proud of the work that's gone into this, and I'm going to keep improving Fortune Avenue over time, especially with your feedback! Especially since it's about to launch on console very soon!!
That's all from me. Thanks so much for reading, and thank you above all for this amazing adventure that is Fortune Avenue!
Xavier aka Binogure