Nuclear Throne received its 100th update on December 5, 2025, exactly 10 years after the game’s original launch, bringing the most substantial content drop in the roguelike shooter’s history. The free update adds Cuz, a 13th playable character who breaks the game’s rules by carrying three weapons instead of two and uses a Cry ability that tears through enemies and projectiles simultaneously. Beyond the new character, Update 100 introduces custom mode for creating personalized runs and challenges, expands local co-op from 2 to 4 players with reworked revive mechanics, adds unlockable C-skins for every character with new achievements, implements 60+ fps support after a decade of 30fps, enables widescreen, adds 15-language localization, and includes dozens of quality-of-life improvements. The original Vlambeer team reunited for this update, including Jan Willem Nijman, Paul Veer, Jukio Kallio, Joonas Turner, and Justin Chan, plus YellowAfterlife handling technical implementation.
Meet Cuz
Cuz represents Nuclear Throne’s first new playable character since launch and deliberately breaks one of the game’s fundamental rules. Every other character in the roster carries two weapons maximum, forcing players to carefully manage their loadout and make strategic sacrifices about which guns to keep. Cuz carries three weapons, giving him unmatched versatility and arsenal depth that fundamentally changes how you approach runs. His Cry active ability creates emotional catharsis through violence, tearing through both enemies and their projectiles to clear dangerous situations that would overwhelm other characters.
The addition of Cuz is particularly notable because the character’s name appeared in fake leak screenshots circulated by fans a decade ago predicting future content that never materialized. Vlambeer acknowledging this old community meme by actually implementing Cuz shows respect for the dedicated fanbase that kept Nuclear Throne alive through years without major updates. The three-weapon gimmick makes Cuz instantly appealing to players who struggled with the two-weapon limit, while the Cry ability provides defensive options for bullet-hell situations where other characters have no escape.
Custom Mode Changes Everything
Custom mode allows players to modify virtually every aspect of Nuclear Throne to create personalized experiences, unique challenge runs, or experimental scenarios for learning mechanics. Players can adjust enemy spawn rates, weapon availability, mutation frequency, health pools, damage scaling, and countless other parameters that were previously locked to the developer’s intended balance. This feature transforms Nuclear Throne from a fixed roguelike with predetermined difficulty curves into a sandbox where players control exactly how brutal or forgiving they want their runs to be.
The custom mode also serves as an educational tool for players trying to master specific mechanics or practice difficult sections without grinding through hours of standard runs. Want to practice fighting the final boss without replaying the entire game? Custom mode lets you start there with any character, weapons, and mutations you want. Curious how the game plays with triple enemy spawns but quadruple health pickups? Custom mode makes that experiment possible. This flexibility extends the game’s replayability infinitely while respecting players’ time by letting them engage with the content they find most enjoyable rather than forcing everyone through identical experiences.
The 60 FPS Controversy Ends
Nuclear Throne launched in 2015 locked to 30 frames per second, which baffled players expecting smooth performance from a pixel-art action game. The decision was intentional, tied to the game’s original Game Maker engine limitations and design philosophy, but it made Nuclear Throne feel sluggish compared to contemporaries like Enter the Gungeon or Binding of Isaac that ran at 60fps. Community modders created unofficial 60fps patches through beta branches, demonstrating that the game felt dramatically better at higher framerates without breaking balance.
Update 100 officially implements 60+ fps support while maintaining an option for 30fps for players who prefer the original feel. The upgrade makes Nuclear Throne’s frantic bullet-hell combat substantially more responsive, especially for precise dodging and quick weapon swaps that felt awkward at lower framerates. Combined with widescreen support replacing the original 4:3 aspect ratio, the technical improvements make Nuclear Throne feel like a modern indie game rather than a mid-2010s relic. Steam Deck verification and Apple Silicon compatibility further expand platform accessibility beyond the original Windows-centric release.
Four-Player Co-Op Chaos
The expansion from 2-player to 4-player local co-op fundamentally changes Nuclear Throne’s social dynamics. The original 2-player mode was notoriously frustrating because the shared screen meant players could trap each other, and Nuclear Throne’s difficulty demands that everyone can quickly escape dangerous situations. With four players simultaneously firing weapons and triggering abilities, the screen becomes absolute chaos that requires coordination and communication to navigate successfully.
The reworked co-op revive mechanics now integrate with Revive Chests scattered throughout levels, giving dead players more opportunities to rejoin the action rather than spectating for the rest of the run. Co-op Ultra Mutations have been rebalanced for 2-4 characters instead of just 2, ensuring that the endgame power spikes work properly regardless of how many players are participating. Whether four-player co-op improves or worsens the experience depends on your tolerance for screen chaos and your friends’ ability to not shoot you in the back constantly, but the option expands the game’s social potential significantly.
Why This Update Matters
Nuclear Throne receiving a massive free update 10 years after launch demonstrates rare commitment from developers who could have easily abandoned the game and moved on to new projects. Vlambeer disbanded years ago, yet the core team reunited specifically to celebrate Nuclear Throne’s anniversary with the community that kept the game alive through mods, speedruns, daily challenges, and content creation. The update incorporates features from community mods like Nuclear Throne Together while adding original content that modders couldn’t implement themselves.
This generosity contrasts sharply with modern live-service games that nickel-and-dime players with DLC characters, cosmetic microtransactions, and battle passes for basic content. Nuclear Throne launched as a complete $12 game in 2015, received years of free updates, and now gets this enormous 100th update adding a new character, custom modes, expanded co-op, performance improvements, and quality-of-life features without charging a penny extra. It’s a reminder that sustainable game development doesn’t require exploitative monetization when developers respect their audience.
FAQs
When did Nuclear Throne Update 100 release?
Update 100 launched December 5, 2025 at 10 AM Pacific Time on Steam, exactly 10 years after Nuclear Throne’s original release. The update is hitting other platforms once stability is confirmed.
What is Cuz’s ability in Nuclear Throne?
Cuz has a Cry active ability that tears through enemies and projectiles simultaneously, providing both offensive and defensive utility. His passive ability allows him to carry 3 weapons instead of the usual 2, giving him unmatched loadout versatility.
Does Nuclear Throne now run at 60fps?
Yes. Update 100 implements official 60+ fps support after a decade of 30fps gameplay. The original 30fps option remains available for players who prefer the classic experience.
Is Nuclear Throne Update 100 free?
Yes. The entire update including the new character, custom mode, expanded co-op, performance improvements, and all quality-of-life features is completely free for all Nuclear Throne owners.
Can you play Nuclear Throne with 4 players now?
Yes. Update 100 expands local co-op from 2 to 4 players with reworked revive mechanics that integrate with Revive Chests. Co-op Ultra Mutations have been rebalanced for 2-4 players.
What is Nuclear Throne custom mode?
Custom mode lets players modify Nuclear Throne’s difficulty, spawn rates, weapon availability, mutations, health, damage, and countless other parameters to create personalized runs, challenge scenarios, or practice specific mechanics.
Who developed Nuclear Throne Update 100?
The original Vlambeer team reunited for this update, including Jan Willem Nijman, Paul Veer, Jukio Kallio, Joonas Turner, and Justin Chan. YellowAfterlife handled technical implementation, with a secret feature from Doseone.
Conclusion
Nuclear Throne’s 100th update arriving exactly 10 years after launch represents everything right about indie game development. A disbanded studio’s core team voluntarily reunited to deliver a massive free content drop celebrating their community, incorporating feedback from a decade of player experience and community mods into official features that make the game objectively better. Cuz breaks fundamental game rules in interesting ways, custom mode transforms Nuclear Throne into an infinitely replayable sandbox, 60fps makes the action feel modern, and 4-player co-op creates hilarious chaos. The fact that all this arrives free without microtransactions, battle passes, or paid DLC feels almost quaint in 2025’s monetization-obsessed gaming landscape. For anyone who loved Nuclear Throne in 2015 or bounced off due to performance issues, Update 100 provides perfect excuse to revisit one of the best roguelike shooters ever made. For newcomers curious about what made this game special, there’s never been a better time to experience Nuclear Throne at its absolute peak.