Survival, exploration game Abiotic Factor has just released a major content update that introduces new difficulty settings, smarter enemies, and additional tools for staying alive—plus a Greek myth-inspired home world.

If you’re looking for a more immersive and punishing playthrough, you might want to check out the latest difficulties. First up is the Hardcore setting, where everything is not only out to get you, but can make you lose everything. The second mode, Iron Mode, builds on Hardcore by disabling perk points and recipe sharing. On top of that, enemies now come with new abilities to make the experience even tougher.

To prepare for apocalyptic survival, the dev team added exercise machines for scientists to train on, and existing gym equipment can now be dismantled to free up space. Once survivors have gotten those sweet gains, you might want to toss a few grenades. The update adds a new alt-fire method, allowing you to throw underhanded or overhanded, which changes how the grenade interacts with the environment. Another welcome feature, something more games would benefit from, is incremental reloads. If you only fired one round, your scientist will now reload just that single round. Crossbows now have an updated scope, which is always nice to have. And melee-focused survivors will be happy to know there’s a spear that can be paired with a shield for extra reach. In general, melee combat has been fine-tuned across several areas.

The developers have also updated their roadmap, giving players a look at upcoming adventures in spring and summer next year. It includes new portal worlds, enemies, traders, recipes, and additional free content such as base upgrades, boats, and a new pets system.

As for the new Abiotic Factor DLC, players will be able to settle in a brand-new home world inspired by Greek mythos. Temple of Stone features a hedge maze, amphitheater, and plenty of secrets to uncover. Botanists will also receive a redesigned uniform, ID card, and a philosopher-inspired hair and beard style. Additional souvenirs include a wreath, a Greek-themed armor set, and some seriously solid stone furniture. Luckily, you don’t need to own the DLC yourself to access its content—only the game host needs it.

More holiday content is on the horizon as well. A Christmas-themed update in December will add a new portal world, and as a bonus, all players will be gifted with a new home world. And the best part, this is just the beginning, with plenty more features and surprises planned throughout 2026.