Launch Update Notes — The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu

Retail Launch Update — July 15, 2026

The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu shipped on July 15, 2026 for PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S with full cross-play. ACE Team folded demo feedback into the retail build: weapon progression on the galleon, clearer voice options, comfort settings, and freedom to linger on the mainland without a forced mission-end clock.

Watch the Official Launch Trailer above for atmosphere, then use this page as the changelog-style checklist for systems that changed between the Steam Next Fest demo and day-one retail. Broader promotions and DLC claims live on Post-Launch Updates; first-session checklists live on Launch Day Guide.

Nacon's launch press kit also confirms eighteen handcrafted maps, eight playable characters with four available at launch, period arsenal including bows and arquebuses, and a physical disc edition arriving August 6, 2026 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Weapon Upgrade Anvil and Meta Rewards

A Weapon Upgrade Anvil now sits on the Tempestad. Spend tokens earned through contracts to improve weapons between expeditions so successful extractions leave a tangible next-run advantage. Full usage notes: Weapon Upgrades and Meta Progression.

Launch also expands treasure-shrine variety, extra mainland loot, and clearer contract briefings—making appraisal and token banking more readable for new squads after coastal tutorials.

Push-to-Talk, Timer Removal, and Comfort Options

Push-to-talk voice is available at launch. Sanity effects can distort what each explorer sees and hears; deliberate PTT reduces open-mic noise that breaks stealth or floods spatial chat. Pair with etiquette on Co-op and Voice Chat.

The mandatory mission-end timer is gone. Crews may remain on the mainland as long as they survive—leave with secured loot or push for one more shrine. Extraction discipline still matters; see Extraction Loop.

Comfort: a centre-screen focus dot helps motion sickness, and the FOV slider now ranges from 75 to 125. Tune visibility guidance on Best Settings.

Bot Commands, Ox-Wagon, and Camera Precision

Solo and under-staffed squads gain launch-day bot quality-of-life. New gesture commands let you direct AI companions to switch between silent weapons and rifles—better effectiveness at the cost of noise when bots open fire. Full solo guidance: Solo Mode.

Multiple players can now interact with the ox-wagon inventory simultaneously instead of queuing one at a time—speeding mid-mission resupply during fort pushes. See Items & Consumables for wagon etiquette in co-op.

PC players disabling all camera smoothing now get precise 1:1 mouse-to-camera movement. Pair with FOV 75–125 tuning on Best Settings.

Sanity Effects and Doppelganger Polish

Launch adds a new mystery sanity effect alongside improvements to several existing madness layers—ACE Team deliberately withheld the new effect's name in patch materials. Expect surprises during deep jungle runs. Counter-play: Sanity Hallucinations and Sanity System guide.

Doppelganger behavior received a pass for clearer interaction—hallucinated doubles that mimic teammates should feel more readable without removing co-op distrust. Treasure-shrine variety and mainland loot density also increased versus the Steam Next Fest demo.

Guidebook, UI, and Contract Clarity

Retail launch adds hand-drawn art pieces that accompany logbook narrations on the rowboat map, plus a new guidebook page at the combat dummy aboard the Tempestad covering melee fundamentals. Discover codex pages during mainland runs per Guidebook & Lore.

The find-games browser now includes a language column for easier cross-play lobby filtering. Contracts display more mission information and a greater variety of treasure requirements so squads know appraisal targets before disembarking. Weapon balance for contract gear received a launch pass—pair with Loadout Tier List updates after hotfixes.

Quality-of-life additions include leaving sessions while spectating, improved voice 3D spatialization, an extended prologue ending cinematic, replication fixes for foliage interactions, and visual plus loading optimisations across jungle transitions.

Cross-Play Invite Workaround

Cross-play between PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S works at launch, but direct cross-platform invitations currently have an issue. ACE Team is working on a fix without a public ETA. Until then, mixed-platform friends should find the host's session through the online server browser list instead of relying on direct invites.

Same-platform parties can still form normally. Keep game versions matched across the squad. Step-by-step notes: Cross-Play. Report remaining join bugs via Nacon Discord and Steam discussions; this page updates when official invite fixes ship.