Groundwork Simulator Early Access roadmap
The studio published three Early Access updates on its own site. Here is what each one says it will add, and what it does not commit to.
Three updates are planned: Update 1 (in progress) adds a new map, new deposits and story-mode objectives; Update 2 adds vehicles and wash-plant equipment; Update 3 is the full release with modding support and Map Studio.
The developer published three Early Access updates on its own site, and it published them with a caveat attached: features and timing may change as development progresses, and no dates are announced. So the roadmap is a direction, not a schedule. Here is what each of the three updates actually says, translated out of marketing into what you would notice in game.
Update 1 — in progress
The store-and-site copy marks this one as in progress, which is worth noting on launch week: the first content update is already being built.
| Item | What it means in play |
|---|---|
| New map | A second region to operate in, not a reskin of the launch site |
| New gold deposits | Different ground to find and test, so the drill-and-test step gets reused somewhere new |
| Plan excavation sites around the new terrain | The new region is meant to be planned around, i.e. terrain layout changes the site design |
| Story mode | New objectives layered on top of the sandbox loop |
Story mode is the item that changes the shape of the game most. The launch build is a sandbox with an economy; objectives on top of that give the loop a direction beyond "dig more, sell more".
Update 2 — vehicles and the plant
This is the update aimed at the middle of the loop: more machines, more processing, and a balance pass.
- New vehicles for digging and hauling, with vehicle capacity meant to be matched to the scale of your operation.
- New wash plants and expanded processing equipment, plus more in-depth wash-plant controls.
- Community feedback: machine handling and processing balance refined from player reports.
The phrase "match vehicle capacity to the scale of your operation" is the interesting one. In the current build the constraint on your throughput is machine choice plus the route you build; adding capacity tiers means the site layout has to keep up with the fleet.
Update 3 — full release
The last planned step is also where the tools show up.
| Item | Detail from the roadmap |
|---|---|
| Modding support | Community-made content, plus modding tutorials |
| Map Studio | Sculpt terrain and design custom mining sites, build new regions for your own scenarios |
| Full release | The 1.0 step out of Early Access |
| Performance and progression blockers | Fix performance and progression-blocking bugs |
| Community feedback | Prioritise community-reported bugs and usability improvements |
Map Studio is the one to watch if you care about longevity. A terrain sculpting tool is the natural end state for a game whose whole premise is reshaping ground, and it is the only roadmap item that turns players into content authors.
What the roadmap does not say
No dates. The roadmap page itself says "dates to be announced", and the caveat above the list says timing may change. There is no Early Access exit window published, no price-change statement, and no console version anywhere in the plan — the three updates are the entire published plan.
That also means the useful question is not "when is 1.0" but "which update changes the loop first". Update 1 adds a place and a reason to dig; Update 2 adds throughput; Update 3 adds tools. If you are deciding whether to start now, the release page covers what shipped and the launch week page covers what is currently broken.
How to follow it
The developer posts through the official site's news page and the official Discord, which is also where bug reports are being routed — the Discord link is pinned at the top of the Steam discussions and also sits on the official contact page. Steam's own news feed for the app had no posts at the time of writing, so the site and the Discord are the two places an update would appear first.
For what to do with the build in your hands right now, the beginner guide and the machines overview are the practical starting points.
