Brotato just got its biggest update in nearly a year, and it’s exactly what the roguelike community has been demanding. The New Dawn update launched October 26 on PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, bringing a comprehensive ban system that lets players remove up to eight items from the shop pool during runs. If you’ve ever played a roguelike and thought why does this garbage keep showing up, you understand why this matters.
This marks the first major content drop since Evil Empire took over development from original creator Blobfish Games. Evil Empire, the studio behind Dead Cells’ legendary post-launch support with 25+ updates and this year’s The Rogue Prince of Persia, is now steering the potato-themed auto-shooter into its next era. Console and mobile versions of New Dawn will follow in approximately one month.
The Ban System Changes Everything
Here’s how it works. Win a run on Danger 3 difficulty or higher to unlock the ban system. Once unlocked, you can blacklist up to eight items from appearing in shops during your runs. These bans persist across attempts, letting you sculpt the item pool toward builds you actually want to execute. The system doesn’t include weapons, only items, but that’s still enough to dramatically increase build consistency.
Anyone who’s played Brotato or similar roguelikes knows the frustration. You’re building around ranged damage and crit chance, then shops keep offering melee-focused items you’ll never purchase. Those dead draws reduce your chances of finding synergistic pieces. The ban system solves this by removing items that actively hurt your strategy, making shops more likely to present relevant choices.
This feature has been standard in digital card games for years, where banning specific cards from appearing increases deck consistency. Roguelikes have been slower to adopt the concept, possibly because developers worry about players optimizing the fun out of their games. But the Brotato community specifically requested this feature, and Evil Empire delivered.
Six New Items Plus Vorpal Sword
New Dawn adds six new items to the ever-growing arsenal. Fresh Meat is unlocked by default, while the other five require in-game achievements. The full list includes Fresh Meat, Fruit Basket, Candy Bag, Ghost Outfit, Will-o’-Wisp, and Hourglass. Each provides different statistical benefits and build synergies, expanding the total number of possible character and item combinations.
The headliner is the Vorpal Sword, a new weapon that alternates between thrusting and sweeping attacks. The sword’s unique property grants players the ability to one-shot enemies for the first time in Brotato’s history, assuming you meet specific conditions. To unlock it, you need to reach 100 percent critical hit chance during a run, which becomes achievable with the right combination of characters and items.
Beta testers singled out Will-o’-Wisp for particular attention during the two-week testing period. Based on community feedback, Evil Empire refined the item’s design before the full release. This iterative approach, soliciting player feedback during beta periods then implementing changes before wide release, mirrors the process that made Dead Cells’ post-launch support so successful.
Save Profiles and Progress Copying
The update introduces three save slots with the ability to copy progress between profiles or reset saves entirely. This addresses a common issue where players want to experience progression again without losing their fully unlocked main file. Now you can maintain your complete save while also running a fresh progression save to rediscover the game’s early unlock loop.
There’s an important caveat. If you unlock every item, character, weapon, and danger level on a save file, achievements become disabled for that profile. This prevents players from copying fully unlocked saves then immediately earning achievements without actually progressing. You’ll still need to earn achievements legitimately on at least one profile, maintaining the integrity of completion tracking.
The Codex Reference System
New Dawn adds an in-game Codex functioning as a built-in wiki. The Codex tracks information about items, weapons, and enemies including personal statistics like how many times you’ve killed specific alien types. This quality-of-life feature means you don’t need to alt-tab to external wikis or keep spreadsheets tracking which items do what.
Evil Empire plans to expand the Codex based on player feedback. The current implementation provides baseline reference information, but future updates could add deeper statistics, unlock conditions, synergy suggestions, or community-contributed strategies. For a game with hundreds of item and character combinations, having comprehensive reference material accessible in-game significantly lowers the knowledge barrier for newer players.
Visual and Accessibility Improvements
Character and item descriptions now include icons representing which stats they affect. These visual indicators improve readability dramatically, letting players quickly identify whether an item benefits their current build without parsing text descriptions. The new icons help associate items and characters with specific stats, making build planning more intuitive especially for players who primarily process visual information.
The Accessibility menu added a new toggle for Show Effects Icons. Combined with the icon additions to descriptions, these changes make Brotato more approachable for players with various accessibility needs. Evil Empire also implemented tweaks to VFX and animations throughout the game, polishing visual feedback without fundamentally altering gameplay.
Mac and Linux Support Arrives
New Dawn brings official Mac and Linux support, broadening Brotato’s platform availability significantly. These builds were already in development under Blobfish Games but are now completed under Evil Empire’s stewardship. Combined with existing Windows support and upcoming console and mobile versions, Brotato is positioning itself as a truly cross-platform roguelike experience.
For Steam Deck players, Brotato has already been a popular choice due to its pick-up-and-play structure and controller-friendly design. The New Dawn update maintains full Steam Deck compatibility while adding features that make the handheld experience even better. The new save profiles particularly benefit players who share devices, letting each person maintain their own progression.
The Transition From Blobfish to Evil Empire
Evil Empire officially took over Brotato development in September 2025, allowing original developer Blobfish Games to focus on new projects. This transition raised questions about whether the game’s direction would change dramatically or if Evil Empire would respect the foundation Blobfish built. New Dawn suggests the latter, with additions that expand rather than replace existing systems.
The beta testing period before New Dawn’s full release demonstrated Evil Empire’s commitment to community feedback. They read every response, implemented changes based on player input, and maintained transparency about what was being adjusted and why. This approach mirrors their handling of Dead Cells, where regular communication and willingness to iterate on features based on player feedback led to one of gaming’s most successful post-launch support stories.
What’s Next for Brotato
Console and mobile players face approximately a month wait for New Dawn, but Evil Empire has promised news about the timeline in coming days. The studio is working with platform partners to ensure smooth launches across PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and mobile storefronts. Getting simultaneous launches across this many platforms is logistically complex, but the PC release demonstrates the content is ready and polished.
Evil Empire has indicated New Dawn is just the beginning. Dead Cells received 25+ updates and multiple DLC expansions under their stewardship, suggesting Brotato could see similar long-term support. The studio’s track record shows they’re capable of supporting games for years after launch, continually adding meaningful content rather than abandoning titles after initial release.
Should Returning Players Jump Back In
If you played Brotato extensively before and burned out waiting for new content, New Dawn provides solid reasons to return. The ban system alone fundamentally changes how you approach runs, making build consistency achievable in ways that previously required excessive luck. Six new items and the Vorpal Sword provide fresh toys to experiment with. And the quality-of-life improvements, particularly the Codex and save profiles, smooth out rough edges that may have frustrated you previously.
For new players, this represents the best time ever to start Brotato. The game is more polished, more accessible, and has more content than at any point in its history. Evil Empire’s reputation for excellent post-launch support suggests you’re getting in near the beginning of a long content roadmap rather than at the tail end of development.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the New Dawn update release?
New Dawn launched October 26-27, 2025 on PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. Console and mobile versions will follow in approximately one month, with specific timing to be announced soon.
How do I unlock the ban system?
Win a run on Danger 3 difficulty or higher. Once unlocked, you can ban up to eight items from appearing in shops during your runs. The ban system does not include weapons, only items.
What happens to my existing save with the update?
If you had a run in progress before the update, you’ll need to abandon it as the game will crash if you try to resume. You can revert to the legacy branch in Steam properties to finish that run, then return to the updated version.
How do I unlock the Vorpal Sword?
Reach 100 percent critical hit chance during a run. This new weapon alternates between thrusting and sweeping attacks and can one-shot enemies, a first for Brotato.
Who is Evil Empire?
Evil Empire is the development studio behind The Rogue Prince of Persia and handled Dead Cells’ post-launch support with 25+ updates. They took over Brotato development from original creator Blobfish Games in September 2025.
Can I still play the old version?
Yes, Steam users can access a legacy branch in the game’s properties under the beta tab. This preserves the Brotato version before Evil Empire’s updates for players who prefer the original.
Does the update affect the Abyssal Terrors DLC?
The update is separate from the Abyssal Terrors DLC that released in 2024. New Dawn is a free content update available to all Brotato owners regardless of whether they purchased the DLC.
Will there be more updates after New Dawn?
Evil Empire has indicated this is just the first update under their stewardship. Given their track record with Dead Cells receiving 25+ updates over several years, Brotato will likely see continued support for the foreseeable future.
A New Chapter Begins
New Dawn represents more than just a content drop. It’s Evil Empire’s mission statement for what Brotato will become under their direction. The ban system, save profiles, Codex, and accessibility improvements show a developer that listens to community feedback and implements features that meaningfully improve the player experience rather than just adding more stuff.
The two-week beta period before full release, where Evil Empire actively solicited feedback and made changes based on player responses, demonstrates a commitment to collaborative development. This approach turned Dead Cells from a solid roguelike into one of the genre’s defining titles. If Evil Empire brings even a fraction of that same energy to Brotato, the potato-wielding auto-shooter’s best days are still ahead.
For the thousands of players who made Brotato one of the most popular roguelikes on Steam, New Dawn delivers exactly what was requested. For the developers at Blobfish Games who built something special then passed the torch to capable hands, this update proves their creation is in good care. And for Evil Empire, successfully launching their first major Brotato update establishes credibility with a passionate community that will be watching closely as future updates roll out. The new dawn is here, and it’s looking bright for everyone’s favorite gun-toting tuber.