We Need More Humans Demo Changelog

The We Need More Humans demo went live on 27 May 2026 (Steam Next Fest followed in June). Matt Cole posted short community notes rather than a giant production changelog. This page collects those notes so old names on YouTube match the skill tree you see in 1.0. The full launch is documented on release notes.

Press for the demo (Games Press, 28 May 2026) promised crowds up to 36,000, hand-crafted 3D maps, a deep skill tree, 10 languages, and Steam Deck support. Deck compatibility on the live store page is still unknown, so that last bullet was aspirational.

31 May 2026 — Demo Bug Fixes

Steam community post titled Demo Bug Fixes!

• Fixed moving to new areas too soon.
• Fixed a “Language Not Loaded” bug.
• Fixed humans stuck in the centre of the map.

If you watched a day-one video where the crowd piles into one pixel or the map yanks you forward, that is this patch. The locations atlas assumes you are on a build with these fixes.

4 June 2026 — Small Demo Update

Steam community post titled Small Demo Update!

• Added a Location Cleared notification before moving to a new location.
• Renamed Max Abductee to Beam Capacity.
• Renamed Arm Max Abductee to Arm Beam Capacity.
• Added a logo animation on the Game Complete screen.
• Added a Press Kit button on the main menu.
• Updated the game icon.
• Renamed Crop Circle Chance to Crop Circle Chance Each Second.
• Fixed not receiving money when the Game Complete screen shows.

This is why our upgrade priority page uses Beam Capacity, not Max Abductee. If a creator says the old name, they recorded before 4 June. The press kit button is also why the links hub can point at Seafront’s Drive folder.

14 June 2026 — Demo Tree Expansion

Steam community post titled Demo Tree Expansion!

• Added one more skill-tree section that unlocks after you beat the demo, with 13 extra upgrades to grind.
• Added a list on the Game Complete screen of things coming to the full game: more upgrades, more locations, more evolutions, game modes, customisation.

That list is the contract 1.0 was judged against. Launch reviews say modes and customisation arrived; they also say customisation is cosmetic-only and modes are extras, not a second campaign. See how to complete and the roadmap.

Other demo-era context (not a patch)

• Itch prototype existed earlier in 2026 (Matt posted to r/incremental_games in February). Steam is the version this wiki covers.
• Next Fest June 2026 put the demo in front of a wider audience; that is why the YouTube spike exists.
• Matt’s social posts in June sold “big satisfying skill tree / evolving humans / travel the world.” The tree is satisfying as a checklist, not as a brancher — the review is blunt about that.

Should you still play the demo?

Yes, as a trial. No, as the complete atlas. Demo recordings are embedded on getting started, the walkthrough, the skill tree, and evolutions because they are the best public footage of the beam. After you install 1.0, trust Steam’s gallery and this wiki’s locations page for biomes the demo never showed.

When Seafront posts a post-launch numbered patch, it will not live here. It will live on release notes.

If you are writing your own notes, the only demo names that still matter in 1.0 conversations are Beam Capacity, Arm Beam Capacity, and Crop Circle Chance Each Second. Everything else on this page is archaeology so a June YouTube video does not look like a different game. Pair it with the skill tree legend and the upgrade checklist so the new names stick.