Early Access was never meant to be the finish line for Junkyard Saints: Scrapstorm.
It is the point where the next part of development begins.
Now that the game is out in the wild and I can see how people actually play it, where builds break, which systems work and which parts still need more attention, I can start looking further ahead.
Today, I want to give you a first look at the current Road to 1.0.
The roadmap above represents the direction I am currently planning for the game throughout Early Access. Some updates are already taking shape, while others are intentionally left open for now.
And one thing is important from the beginning:
Features, scope and release windows may change during Early Access.
Scrapstorm is still a one-person project. I would rather move something than release it unfinished simply because a date was written on a roadmap months earlier.
October 31, 2026 – Graveyard Shift
The first larger post-launch update will arrive with Graveyard Shift.
This update will introduce the first major seasonal expansion of the existing game.
Planned features include:
A new Seasonal Map
New Seasonal Challenges
New Seasonal Cosmetics
Graveyard Shift is also an important test for how I want seasonal content to work going forward.
The goal is not to constantly replace the game underneath you. Seasons should instead give you new reasons to return, new environments to master and additional challenges without making everything you earned before feel obsolete.
Q4 2026 – Rise of the Machines
After that, the campaign continues.
Rise of the Machines is currently planned as one of the largest content expansions following the Early Access launch.
Currently planned:
Chapters 6–10
The introduction of Machine Language
New Prefixes
New Suffixes
New Affixes
The next campaign chapters will push the story beyond the current Early Access content while also expanding the systems surrounding equipment and enemies.
Prefixes, suffixes and affixes are especially important here.
The further Scrapstorm progresses, the less I want difficulty to simply mean "this enemy now has more health."
New modifiers allow enemies, equipment and eventually entire runs to develop much stronger identities.
A powerful build should remain powerful — but the wasteland should keep finding new ways to make you pay attention.
Q1 2027 – Dungeons & Mech
The first quarter of 2027 is currently reserved for two systems I have wanted to build properly rather than rush into the initial release:
Dungeons and the DIY Mech Mount System.
Planned features:
Dungeons
DIY Mech Mount System
Dungeons will offer a different kind of challenge compared to regular chapters and Endless.
Instead of relying entirely on the progression you gain during a standard run, they are designed to put much more emphasis on the Saint, equipment and build you bring into them.
And then there are Mechs.
The current plan is not to simply give you a finished vehicle and call it a day.
The DIY Mech Mount System is intended to fit the philosophy of Scrapstorm: build something questionable out of whatever useful garbage you can find and somehow make it work.
There is still a lot of development ahead for this system, which is exactly why it has its own place on the roadmap.
Q2 2027 and Beyond
You may have noticed that the remaining roadmap slots currently say:
TBA.
That is intentional.
I already have several systems, ideas and content expansions in different stages of planning, but I do not want to announce features simply because they sound exciting on a roadmap.
By the time Q2 2027 approaches, I will have months of Early Access data, player feedback and a much better understanding of where Scrapstorm benefits most from expansion.
That may mean more story content.
It may mean deeper endgame systems.
It may mean completely new ways to play.
Or it may mean that an existing system deserves significantly more development before the next major feature is added.
The later stages of the roadmap are deliberately flexible.
Thank You
Thank you to everyone who has already played, reported bugs, written feedback, experimented with absurd builds or simply recommended the game to somebody else.
Early Access only really works when there are people on the other side willing to participate in it.
There is still a lot of scrap left to collect.
Graveyard Shift begins October 31, 2026.
And after that?
The road to 1.0 continues.
See you in the Scrapstorm.