October 24, 2026
Trucker 2056 Early Access Release Candidate 1 hit its final playtesting yesterday. The release candidate is already extremely stable; this playtesting will focus entirely on game balance, mechanics, and improving the gameplay so that Trucker 2056 is even more fun to play. Meanwhile, I am also working on several graphics updates and some final pieces of actual game content that will land in Early Access. There is also some focus on the game's difficulty.
Currently, the game is balanced so that it gives me personally a nice challenge when playing on Ironman (i.e., not saving during the campaign). I've considered this the sweet spot, as it means that more casual gamers can still enjoy a tough but fair challenge if they're willing to do some saving and loading. But we'll see what others think. The game might become easier or harder depending on the feedback.
At the moment, I'm targeting a release in the first half of 2027. Whether it's Q1 or Q2 depends on whether playtesters think there's enough content in the Release Candidate, so the actual release date might drop quite soon. Meanwhile, below is a roadmap that outlines the route through Early Access to the 1.0 release. It will include some minor high-level spoilers, which will be marked with a Spoilers. badge.
The game is essentially feature-complete. It includes the main campaign, which currently has three (out of a planned seven) possible different endings. The game also includes an additional roguelike Gauntlet game mode featuring a single self-contained scenario with score and speedrun leaderboards. Content-wise, it includes:
What remains to be done are the abovementioned balancing and difficulty adjustments—especially to the in-game economy—to make trading a more viable (and sometimes necessary) strategy than it is now. There is also some missing dialogue, AI placeholder images, and a couple of missing cards still. The remaining design, gameplay, and content will be completed within the next four months.
Spoilers. This is the content that might be included in Early Access right away if playtesting indicates the game doesn't have a long enough playtime. If a shorter version is released initially, these features and content will be added within the first four months of Early Access.
Spoilers. The currently planned release date for 1.0 is 12–16 months after the Early Access release. Quantitatively, EA will include all the content listed under "Current Early Access Status" above. More specifically, it will include:
Post-1.0 release, the game will of course receive bug fixes, game balance updates, and similar maintenance when necessary. In addition, it will probably receive added content such as new Gauntlet missions.
Spoilers. Depending on the game's reception and sales, there is also a planned DLC which will introduce at least the following content cut from the 1.0 release:
For further updates and discussion, join the Discord, follow Trucker 2056 on Bluesky, or subscribe to Trucker’s Log 2056 to get updates straight to your inbox. And please wishlist the game on Steam.
See you on the road. And remember: we got ourselves a convoy.
Cheers,
Lasse Rintakumpu
Trucker 2056 designer and developer