Beetleball Updates
Demo is closed. Early Access is live. Track launch notes without treating this page as Steam news.
Beetleball left its public demo behind on 31 August 2026 at 9pm PDT and shipped Steam Early Access on 3 September 2026. This hub is a player-facing timeline, not a dump of every hotfix. The deep launch recap is Early Access launch. The public-demo timeline is demo history. The only typeable shop string from that launch post is on codes. Buy and install from Steam app 2776270; Bugfight Studio is still the developer and publisher.
If you skipped the demo, you do not need to replay Next Fest to understand the paid build. You do need to know which toys were already in the demo (eggs, hats, Snowman, Lab maps) and which ones arrived on 3 September (Atlas, Bee, Museum, passives, quests, proximity voice, hat slots, profile pictures). That split stops a lot of “is this new?” arguments in voice chat.
Current live build (3 September 2026)
Early Access is the current product. Windows, macOS, and Linux. Ranked, unranked, custom, quick play, and alternate modes, up to 6v6. Proximity voice. 14+ classes and 8+ maps. Shop eggs and Beetle Bucks remain the free-to-earn cosmetic loop. Introductory Steam price is $7.99. Full feature list, trailer embed, and day-one advice: launch notes.
Launch Steam news highlighted:
- Atlas Beetle and Bee Beetle as new classes
- Museum map
- Passive abilities and beetle reworks
- Quests and level-up rewards
- Unlockable classes and profile pictures
- Hat slots
- In-game shop that still grants cosmetics through eggs and Bucks
- Proximity voice chat
- Quick play plus alternate gamemodes
- Quality-of-life work on top of the demo
The same post printed ILOVEBEETLEBALL for 10 eggs, 48 hours only. Treat codes as a clock, not a catalogue.
Demo close and why it matters
Bugfight’s 30 August 2026 Steam news (“Demo Closing Soon!”) set the demo shutdown at 31 August 2026, 9pm PDT, because the full Early Access build was going live on 3 September. The demo is not a current download. Progress, cosmetics, and quest state from the demo are not documented here as a guaranteed carryover — if your hats or level survived, treat that as a bonus and confirm in-game rather than arguing from this paragraph.
The demo existed to stress queues, cosmetics, and maps in public. Next Fest and later demo patches are why veterans talk about Snowman, rainbow mustaches, and force start as if everyone already knows them.
Demo history worth remembering
The dated walkthrough is demo history. The bullets below are the index, not a second copy of that page.
Next Fest (23 February 2026) — eggs and the shop. Beetle Eggs (Common through Mythical), XP/levels, Beetle Bucks, a main-menu shop, Snowman competitive map, goal effects, 23 wing trails, class skins (including two mythical iridescent skins per beetle), 27+ mustaches, emotes, stickers, an emote/sticker wheel, colourblind mode, beach/Egypt music, a vertical ball indicator, and in-match beetle customization. This is the spine of the current shop. Details: shop hub.
Steam PvP Fest (9 February 2026) — 5v5 ranked LTM. Top 1000 by the end of the event: bandana. Top 100: boxing gloves. Placement cosmetics, not shop codes.
Demo Update #2 (29 January 2026). 1v1 ranked as a limited-time mode to test queue times, Lab maps in custom lobbies, join-custom-while-queueing, Disable team outlines, Distance blur (default on), AFK auto kick, default matchmaking Elo 300, and a less punishing high-rank loss curve.
March 2026 cosmetics/QoL drop. About 80 new hats (explicitly not more mustaches), rainbow mustache already in the mustache pile from earlier, 75% majority ready, and a host force-start button in the lobby panel. Custom lobbies got easier to actually start.
Longhorn update (April 2026). Longhorn Beetle with a grappling hook, plus polish. Longhorn is part of the “14+” class count veterans assume you know.
Those notes explain why launch could add Atlas and Bee without pretending the roster was empty. Role pages: attackers, defenders, supports. Map callouts: maps. Ranked habits: ranked.
How to read patches from here
When Bugfight posts Steam news, this hub should gain a dated child page rather than rewriting every guide. Until a post-launch patch exists, the children are Early Access launch and demo history. Do not invent a hotfix; the latest Steam news is still BEETLEBALL IS OUT NOW! Do not treat YouTube “NEW CODE” thumbnails as patch notes. Do not treat this wiki as faster than Discord for crash reports.
Practical launch-week order:
- Install, finish the tutorial, open getting started.
- Redeem the shop code if the 48-hour window still accepts it.
- Set always sprint, colourblind, and voice on settings.
- Learn how to score before you blame your beetle.
- Skim launch notes so Atlas, Bee, Museum, and passives are not surprises in ranked.
Official news remains Steam news for Beetleball and the Discord linked from links. This page is the index; that is the source.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers for Beetleball players.
When did Beetleball Early Access launch?
3 September 2026 on Steam (Windows, macOS, Linux). The public demo closed 31 August 2026 at 9pm PDT. Read the launch recap.
What is new versus the demo?
Launch added Atlas Beetle, Bee Beetle, Museum, passives, quests, proximity voice, hat slots, profile pictures, unlockable classes, and more shop cosmetics. Eggs, Bucks, Snowman, and Lab maps already existed in demo patches.
Is the demo still playable?
No. Bugfight closed it on 31 August 2026 at 9pm PDT to make room for the 3 September Early Access build. Play the paid Steam app instead.
Where is the launch shop code documented?
On codes. ILOVEBEETLEBALL in the in-game shop granted 10 eggs for 48 hours after release. This hub will not invent extra codes.
Where should I look for the next patch?
Steam news for app 2776270 and the official Discord on links. This wiki summarises player-facing changes after they ship.
Where is the full demo timeline?
On demo history: 21 January 2026, Update #2, PvP Fest, Next Fest, Longhorn, close 31 August, then Early Access on 3 September.