2nd Anniversary Dev Blog
2 Years of Crime Boss: Rockay City
Since its launch on Epic Games in March 2023, Crime Boss: Rockay City has seen significant transformations through numerous updates and patches over the past two years. This blog takes you through every major change, from gameplay improvements and exciting new content to essential bug fixes and balance adjustments. For anyone curious about the effort that’s gone into shaping Crime Boss into the game it is today, we’ve gathered all the key updates that have defined its evolution.
Major Updates Timeline (2023–2025)
2023 Updates
Version 1.0
Mar 28, 2023 – PC Launch (Epic Games Store)
Crime Boss: Rockay City launched as a first-person co-op heist shooter, featuring a star-studded cast, a turf-war campaign, and multiplayer “Crime Time” mode.
Apr 3, 2023 – First Patch
This patch addressed loading issues, laggy EULA screens, and a bug causing a SWAT spawn issue. A previously unlisted bug involving a certain celebrity character appearing without clothing was also fixed.
Apr 17, 2023 – Performance & UI Fixes Patch
This update resolved FPS spikes in “Dragon Dogs,” refined lobby filters, and introduced new features: high-ping warnings, an in-game ping display, quick links to Discord/website, and session naming for lobbies.
May 9, 2023 – Major Performance & Balance Patch
This update introduced IOSTORE technology for faster loading, requiring a full re-download. Game balance was improved with mission tweaks, new boss arenas, and adjusted progression for earlier access to weapons, black-market items, and crew hiring. Several bugs were fixed, including an invincibility glitch and FPS drops in lobbies.
Console launch
June 15, 2023 – PS5 & Xbox Series X/S Release (Day-1 Patch)
Crime Boss: Rockay City launched on consoles with a day-one patch focused on improving stability and online play. The update fixed crashes, resolved Xbox online session issues, and addressed PS5-specific problems with the Activities feature and party member name displays. Following this update, overall game stability was improved on both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Update 2
Aug 25, 2023 – Update 2
The update brought several key improvements. A new Respect stat in Crime Time allows players to gain Respect, which affects mission availability, enemy heat, rewards, and crew ranks. High Respect unlocks large heists like the Money Train, without relying on single-player progression.
Players can now pick up enemy weapons (with reduced damage). Controller aim assist was improved with a slower reticle near targets, slight tracking, and bullet magnetism. The difficulty of Baker’s Battle was reduced, and loot bag counts now scale with difficulty and player count.
Other Changes:
Crew progression: Teammates level up and unlock perks.
Non-lethal stealth takedowns: First hit knocks out enemies; second hit is lethal.
New mission Garage environment and unique character ranks.
Turf war enemy waves now spawn from one side for better mission variety.
Improved grenade cues for better awareness during combat.
Update 3
Aug 29, 2023 – Update 3
Update 3 added a fresh set of mission scenarios and environments to both the campaign and Crime Time, enhancing variety and replayability. Key improvements included stronger stealth mechanics, improved AI perception, and the introduction of a new “Shuffle” mode with randomized mission chains. Turf War was also updated to include solo defense missions, and progression was balanced to make the campaign economy smoother while making certain missions more forgiving.
Key Changes:
Stealth Improvements: Stronger takedowns, rebalanced AI perception, and adjusted suppressor effectiveness.
New “Shuffle” Mode: Players face randomized mission chains across three difficulty tiers, rewarding high rewards and extra Respect.
Turf War Update: Defense missions can now be attempted solo, allowing players to defend without hiring additional soldiers.
Balance & Progression Updates: Campaign economy smoothed, first Urban Legend (“New Blood”) made more forgiving, and character-specific missions now persist across campaign runs even if the character dies.
Multiplayer & UI Enhancements: Hosts can now kick, mute, or view player profiles, and new privacy settings were added to the lobby.
Update 4 and Gold Cup Expansion
Sep 14, 2023 – “Dragon’s Gold Cup” Expansion Pack (Paid DLC)
The first paid expansion, Dragon’s Gold Cup, introduces a new storyline and heist. Travis Baker teams up with Dollar Dragon to steal a former crime boss’s gold. The Gold Cup Heist is playable in three ways, with unique recon setups, and a single-player plotline unlocks Dollar Dragon as a recruitable crew member. New mission chains, including two Urban Legends, are added, along with an exclusive “Blue Dragon” outfit for Dollar Dragon.
Sep 14, 2023 – Update 4
Launched alongside the DLC, this update made several gameplay and UI improvements:
Standardized Enemy Markers: Clearer identification in Turf Wars.
Tactical Ping System: Double-tap to command AI for better coordination.
Improved Aim Assist: Refined for better control.
Buy-Back System: Lost weapons in Crime Time now return in the black market.
Stealth Upgrades: Ability to intimidate enemies into surrendering and sneak through missions undetected.
Fixes: Resolved issues like co-op stealth takedown sync problems, melee attacks not breaking objects, and negative income bugs.
Oct 9, 2023 – Update 4.2 Patch
A minor patch resolving:
Gloves’ Missing Boss Card: Fixed in crew progression.
Boss XP Not Awarding Correctly: Addressed issue.
Unique Character Unlock Bug: Fixed in Crime Time mode.
Restarting Baker’s Battle can now help properly update progress.
Update 5
Oct 30, 2023 – Update 5
Update 5 launched a Halloween event, featuring spooky-themed elements, mission variety, and crucial gameplay improvements. New missions like “Breaking Enemy Deals” took place in unique environments. Stealth mechanics were revamped, and the team/character UI received an overhaul. Crew perks were updated to remove negative traits, and AI behavior was improved to make stealth play more challenging. This update also added support for the Dragon’s Gold Cup DLC and resolved several bugs.
New Missions and Environments:
Breaking Enemy Deals: Sneak into rival gang territories to steal loot, set in a roadside diner and a beach underpass.
Shopping Arcade Robbery: A new two-floor mall map added variety to heist missions.
Character & Perk Updates:
Negative character perks were removed, enhancing crew member traits.
The recruitable pool was expanded, offering more crew options.
Stealth & AI Improvements:
AI guards now have improved hearing and vision, making stealth play more difficult.
Intimidation now only works on unarmed civilians; armed enemies must be subdued or eliminated.
Friendly AI bots now support stealth by holstering weapons, intimidating civilians, and executing stealth takedowns when pinged.
Update 6
Dec 12, 2023 – Update 6
Update 6 introduced a festive winter theme, along with new content and gameplay improvements. The update featured a snowy main menu, holiday-themed enemies, and new female character models. It also introduced the “Police Station Heist” mission, where vehicles explode when shot, and an option to restart the campaign from the pause menu. Several bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements were implemented.
New Missions & Gameplay Additions:
Police Station Heist: A new mission type expanding the variety of heist options.
Vehicle Explosions: Vehicles now explode when shot, adding new tactical possibilities.
Campaign Restart: Added the ability to restart the campaign from the pause menu.
Content & Store Updates:
Added a link to the in-game store for the “Heavy Hitters” weapon DLC pack.
Bug Fixes & Quality of Life Improvements:
Fixed issues with non-Latin text characters not displaying correctly.
Resolved problems with enemies getting stuck or avoiding players after spawning.
Addressed long load times in multi-store robbery missions and fixed various environment glitches (e.g., collision on stairs, warehouse door inconsistencies).
Improved lighting in several missions, including Dragon Dogs, Multistore, Garage, Hidden Vault, and Bank.
Fixed an audio bug where the score-counting sound looped at the end of Urban Legend missions.
Corrected a floating tire mark decal and ensured the loot-bag throwing animation worked for co-op spectators.
2024 Updates
Update 7
Feb 7, 2024 – Update 7
Update 7 brought major gameplay changes, including improvements to stealth mechanics, combat, and the single-player campaign experience. Key additions included enhanced stealth takedowns, an updated equipment system with cooldowns, reworked movement mechanics, and a revamped single-player campaign with a guided tutorial and new HEAT/Investigation systems. Additionally, the Butcher mini-boss became more challenging, and the Camera Jammer gadget was added to aid stealth.
Stealth Takedowns: Improved with new animations and smoother mechanics for silent eliminations.
Butcher Mini-Boss: Became more challenging. His weak spot (a fuel canister on his back) is easier to hit, but players can no longer exploit high ground to avoid his attacks.
Equipment System Rework: Grenades and tools now have cooldown timers instead of limited charges, and players purchase them like weapons.
Camera Jammer: A new rare gadget added to disable cameras silently.
Movement Refinements: Better mantling (climbing) and new vault animations.
Single-Player Campaign Overhaul:
The intro/tutorial was completely revamped with a new opening cutscene and a guided first mission.
The first day now serves as a structured tutorial, covering capturing turf, hiring an army, conducting heists, and ending the day.
The starting turf is fixed, and key characters (e.g., Ranger, Jupiter, Cracker) only appear later when the player has higher Respect.
A new cutscene introduces the Sheriff, explaining the HEAT and Investigation mechanics, which increase police presence based on player actions.
After the guided first day, the campaign transitions into the regular rogue-lite structure.
A button in the Options menu now resets all tutorial hints.
HEAT System Recalibration: Each mission raises HEAT, escalating police difficulty. The Investigation mechanic scales with the player’s actions, making high-crime sprees riskier.
Feb 15, 2024 – Update 7.2
Fixed an issue where players’ Respect level could wrap around from the highest tier to the lowest due to an overflow in experience points. This bug would reset the player’s max Respect.
Mar 14, 2024 – Update 7.9
A smaller update with balance tweaks and preparations for larger changes in Update 8.
Armored Truck Missions: Rebalanced to yield higher rewards.
Weapon and Economy Adjustments: Reworked weapon costs and progression aspects.
Bug Fixes: Resolved a glitch causing players to lose character control after using C4. Reduced the cost of hiring an army or starting Turf War battles with tier-3 soldiers.
Update 8
Apr 16, 2024 – Update 8
Update 8 introduced a major overhaul to the progression systems for both single-player and multiplayer. The update included a brand-new multiplayer progression system, along with improvements to the single-player rogue-lite campaign.
Multiplayer Progression: Players now earn experience and unlock items over time, leveling up their multiplayer “Boss” character to gain new weapons, throwables, character skins, and crew members.
Boss Customization: Players can choose their avatar for their Crime Time boss.
Weapon Purchases: The multiplayer shop now only offers gear unlocked through the new progression system, rather than all available weapons.
Single-Player Overhaul:
The rogue-lite campaign was shortened and streamlined for quicker runs.
Big heist missions were condensed, with fewer filler missions leading up to them.
Police investigations ramped up faster, shortening playthrough lengths.
Character Progression: Players now level up characters like Travis Baker during the campaign, unlocking higher-tier perks for both Baker and crew members.
Boss Cards Meta-Progression: The system was revamped to align with the new multiplayer-like progression format.
Progression Reset: Ongoing campaigns and multiplayer progress were reset, and players received compensation (20 free levels and exclusive cosmetics).
Update 9 + Steam Release + Cagnali Order Expansion
June 18, 2024 – Steam Release & Update 9 (“Cagnali’s Order” DLC)
Crime Boss: Rockay City launched on Steam, ending its Epic exclusivity. Along with the Steam release, Update 9 introduced the “Cagnali’s Order” DLC expansion.
Campaign Difficulty Levels: Players can now select difficulty levels (easy/medium/hard) at the start of a Baker’s Battle campaign.
UI Refresh: The UI received a visual overhaul for a cleaner experience.
Investigation System Rework: The Investigation system was revamped for clarity.
Turf War Overhaul: Turf Wars became more dynamic, with new variations.
Sabotage Missions: New Sabotage missions allowed players to weaken rivals through fresh objectives.
New DLC Faction: The “Cagnali’s Order” DLC introduced Dr. Lucia Cagnali, a high-tech boss character and new robot enemies.
Robot Allies: Players can recruit robot allies with sci-fi weapons.
Bug Fixes & Optimizations:
General Stability: Optimizations to improve stability, including crash fixes during bank robberies.
Steam Package: New Steam players received prior updates, including the “Cagnali’s Order” DLC.
June 26, 2024 – Update 9.4 (PC Hotfix)
Fixed bugs specific to multiplayer on Steam and Epic.
Resolved issues with clients unable to use throwables in multiplayer.
Improved matchmaking and fixed exploits.
July 2, 2024 – Hotfix 9.5 (PC)
Performance Optimizations: Added a loading screen to pre-compile shaders and improve performance.
Bug Fixes: Resolved progression bugs, including issues with selecting new Boss Cards and crashes in multiplayer.
Update 10
July 11, 2024 – Update 10
Update 10 brought new content and balance changes, such as new maps, skins, and progression tweaks.
New Bank Heist Map: Added a fresh bank heist layout to expand mission variety.
Progression Cap Raised: The level cap was increased to 155, offering more progression opportunities.
New Boss Skins: Enhanced skins for Theresa and Vamp, available at high levels.
XP & Cash Rebalancing: Rewards were rebalanced to improve progression, especially in multiplayer.
Gameplay Balance: Sentry turrets were buffed for higher damage and health, while robot heisters were adjusted for better balance.
Bug Fixes: Fixed mission flow and loot/weapon UI and various other issues.
Update 11
Aug 14, 2024 – Update 11
This update introduced quality-of-life changes, difficulty tuning, and new gadgets and weapons.
Faster Account Progression: Leveling up became quicker, reducing the grind.
Loot Securing Overhaul: Loot was automatically counted as secured at mission end, even if not thrown into the escape van.
New Gadgets: Introduced the Proximity Mine, Camera Spy, and new weapon variants.
Difficulty Rebalance: Hard/Extreme modes were adjusted for more challenge, with longer enemy waves and reduced bleed-out times.
Grenade Mechanics: Fuse timers were added for better control.
Bug Fixes & Adjustments: Fixed various bugs related to character abilities and accessibility issues.
Aug 23, 2024 – Hotfix 11.1
Co-op Difficulty Adjustment: Missions became easier with fewer human players, improving scalability for small teams.
UI Enhancements: Crosshairs now hid when throwing grenades or bags, and throw trajectories were more accurate.
Bug Fixes: Addressed bugs related to character voice lines, gadget issues, and mission triggers.
Aug 28, 2024 – Hotfix 11.2
Fixed bugs with daily rewards, zip-tying hostages, and mission triggers in Urban Legends.
Addressed localization and cosmetic issues.
Sep 19, 2024 – Hotfix 11.3
Fixed daily rewards and cosmetic display issues.
Resolved issues with throwable aiming and UI bugs related to ammo and equipment.
Update 12CLICK TO VIEW TRAILER ON YOUTUBE
Oct 29, 2024 – Update 12
Introduced players to the (then) limited-time Rockay Rumble mode, where players face waves of enemies. A significant new feature allowed all characters to equip a melee weapon, with damage and rarity rebalanced. Sstandalone mini-campaigns were added, each focused on a major heist and character story missions. XP could now be earned in multiple levels per mission, and side character missions no longer occurred in the rogue-lite mode, ensuring characters stayed in the sandbox campaign once unlocked. Additionally, a black market overhaul was hinted at for the future.
Nov 7, 2024 – Update 12 Hotfix
This patch addressed issues from Update 12:
Fixed a bug where Berserk equipment could soft-lock controls.
Resolved black screen issue when leveling from 154 to 155.
Session browser now filters games by compatible versions.
Removed misplaced NPC mesh from the harbor map.
Controller bug fixed for Small Job selection.
Addressed freezing issues for Epic Games Store users.
Fixed equipment cost inconsistencies after game restart.
Collision issues in Nightmare City were resolved.
Baker’s Bundle DLC now includes a confirmation pop-up to prevent accidental purchases.
Update 13 CLICK TO VIEW TRAILER ON YOUTUBE
Dec 12, 2024 – Update 13
This holiday season update extended Rockay Rumble beyond its original timeframe, with plans for holiday-themed content (like decorations/rewards). A new co-op heist, “Operation Cold Strike,” set in the Arctic, was teased for early 2025. The Party Menu was revamped to give hosts more control. Multiplayer reward bonuses were overhauled: higher difficulties now offer bigger payouts (Hard +40%, Extreme +100%), with a flat +50% bonus for completing Urban Legends or Shuffle chains, and another +50% for perfect runs. A new “human players” bonus rewards 20–30% extra money for missions completed with human teammates. In Rockay Rumble, new enemy types, holiday-themed presents, and rebalanced health upgrades improved gameplay. Weapons and AI were adjusted, and Friendly Bots now pick up loot and use cover better. The Shielder enemy was fixed to properly absorb damage before breaking.
Jan 14, 2025 – Update 13.2
This patch focused on stability and bug fixes:
Fixed an issue where players couldn’t swap characters in multiplayer after recreating a lobby.
Placement indicators for deployables now display correctly.
Resolved a bug where ammo counters wouldn’t display.
Late joiners can now always select a character without issues.
Added a failsafe for abrupt controller disconnections.
In multiplayer lobbies, you can now inspect AI teammates.
General stability fixes applied.
2025 Updates
Mar 11, 2025 – Update 14
A huge milestone for Crime Boss, connecting all platforms and celebrating the Lunar New Year. Cross-play was introduced between PC (Steam/Epic) and consoles (PS5, Xbox Series X|S), with players able to opt in or out of matchmaking. The AI bot system was revamped for improved behavior. Rockay Rumble received a new Lunar New Year-themed map, with added difficulty. The Respect system was enhanced, rewarding Boss Points for gaining Respect. Completing the Baker’s Battle campaign now rewards cash for use in co-op mode. A network status indicator was added to show connection quality. Weapon switching was improved with customizable scroll direction. New bonus objectives were added across missions, and the Armored Convoy mission was expanded to include all variants. Bot AI improvements made bots smarter, prioritizing survival, taking cover, and automatically delivering loot. Enemy balancing was adjusted, and Ranger’s perk was changed to “Gun Nut.” Weapon buffs were made to the Desert Eagle and Urban Striker for better viability.
Mar 20, 2025 – Hotfix 14.1
A stability hotfix following the cross-play update:
Ping warning threshold raised to 150ms.
Fixed a Rockay Rumble map issue where players could fall out of the arena.
Cleaned up campaign progression screen, removing duplicate titles.
Fixed revive bonus stacking issue.
Max-level players can now finish the campaign properly.
SWAT unit voice lines fixed to prevent muting after long missions.
Fixed Ranger’s second mission to resolve progression issues.
Addressed multiplayer lobby code duplication.
Bots now avoid restricted areas to prevent triggering alarms.