- Building Comp 23: "Block Party" - 4 October 2026
Hello ShantyTowners!A new building competition is upon us!Building Competition 23: "Block Party"In conjunction with last week's update, which brought a heap of indoor items to be placable outdoors, I thought it would be fun to create a neighborhood get-together like we used to when we were kids (or like they did in the movies, if you're not my generation :D)How It WorksTheme: "Block Party" (basically, an outdoor get-together)Just place a single building and decorate it however you like and post 1-3 images and a little description to the #submissions channel on the Discord. We'll do a community vote based on how many trophy emojis your submission gets!What Are The Rules? Post your submission before Sunday, October 18th (2 weeks from this post) Only one submission per person Build in creative or story mode on any map!These are just my example submission pics from the update.Let's see how…
- Patch 1.06.02 - 4 October 2026
Hi there!Fixing some collisions and other things!Patch Notes:Version 1.06.02Changes:Added some collisions so small items can be put on tables, benches, etc.Bottles can be stackedBottles load with proper 2 sided materialsUpdated localizationsChanged the “Shop Supplies” item to “Shop Storage” and changed the icon to not be the same as misc itemsMoved the “Cooler” item to the shop items categoryAdded a buffer to creative item lists to stop words from getting cut off at the endUpdated the discord linksSeasonal items get given for free if you’ve completed the gamePlease share any issues you find on the #BugReports channel on Discord!-Erik
- ShantyTown is 50% Off! - 28 September 2026
ShantyTown is on a Daily Deal Discount!Due to ShantyTown's performance, Steam has chosen this game to join the Steam daily deal, which mean's we're putting the game on sale for 50% off!This is probably the lowest ShantyTown will go on sale for a while, so if you've been waiting to pick up the game, now's a good chance :DI've really enjoyed making this game, but enjoyed watching people enjoy the game more. It's been great!Check out the recent update if you haven't seen it already.There are some new concepts for ShantyTown in the works, so look forward to that!That's all! Enjoy the game :)-DevErik
- Bringing the Indoors Out! - 27 September 2026
New Update?Yes! There's quite a bit here, mostly some upkeeping updating, but also quite a few new creative items! So let's dive into it.A Lot of New Items...There are over 70 new items in 11 new groups. I tried to keep it as compact as possible.To be honest, I wasn't really sure how to handle this, but I figured I had modeled a lot of little items in the interiors of the houses and shops that spawn randomly to fill in the inside of buildings to keep them from being too plain. However, players didn't really have access to any of them. Now that changes!So I thought, why not just let everyone place these items freely! These items will be unlocked with their respective shops, but should automatically unlock if you've already have those shops unlocked.If it doesn't work: Try the cheat code InsideOut and it should force the unlock of ALL interior objectsI put all these items into the "shop i…
- Building Comp 22: "Overgrown" - 20 September 2026
Hello ShantyTowners!A new building competition is in!Building Competition 22: "Overgrown"This idea came suggested from an Indonesian Gentleman in the DiscordBreak out the plants and ferns, let's make something overgrown!How It WorksTheme: "Overgrown"Just place a single building and decorate it however you like and post 1-3 images and a little description to the #submissions channel on the Discord. We'll do a community vote based on how many trophy emojis your submission gets!What Are The Rules? Post your submission before Sunday, October 4th (2 weeks from this post) Only one submission per person Build in creative or story mode on any map!These are just my example submission pics. Show me what you got!What Are The Prizes?The winner of this competition get's a soundtrack key and will have their name immortalized in the game forever!Last Competition's WinnerThe last competition's "Just On…
- Building Comp 21: "Just One Building" - 6 September 2026
Hello ShantyTowners!This time we're doing a new competition idea that was recommended by a community member, MyriaDonkey, a "Single Building Challenge"Building Competition 21: "Just One Building"I put out a call for some new building competition ideas and their idea was to do your best with just one building, and I think that sounds fun! With just one upgradable object, can you make a beautiful scene that tells a story?Here's my example above.How It WorksTheme: "Just One Building"Just place a single building and decorate it however you like and post 1-3 images and a little description to the #submissions channel on the Discord. We'll do a community vote based on how many trophy emojis your submission gets!What Are The Rules? Post your submission before Sunday, September 20th (2 weeks from this post) Only one submission per person Build in creative or story mode on any map! (but only 1 b…
- Building Comp 20: "Casino" - 23 August 2026
Hello ShantyTowners!The last competiton "Fishing" had some clever ways to put the poles to the water. Check out the winning creation by Ruruie on their so-called "Secret 21st Map" Do you know where in Westmarsh this was built?So what's the new theme? This week, it's just one word again:Building Competition 20: "Casino"There's an official location in ShantyTown that's called Hotpot Casino, it's a casino built out on stilts in the middle of the water. I think it's a great concept and I welcome you to make your own casino!My creation here is made using the Hotpot Casino's location items but your creation does NOT have to be at the Hotpot Casino level, you can build one anywhere you want!How It WorksTheme: "Casino"Just build something that seems casino related and post 1-3 images and a little description to the #submissions channel on the Discord. We'll do a community vote based on how many…
- Building Comp 19: "Fishing" - 9 August 2026
Hello ShantyTowners!Last week's "Bathhouse" competition had some nice little spots, here's the winner from Discord, MyriaDonkey's Smokestack Springs:So what's the new theme? This week, it's just one word:Building Competition 19: "Fishing"There's a lot of water in the world of ShantyTown, and a lot of implied fishing, so I thought it could be a good source of inspiration!So let's make something on a dock, on a boat, a restaurant, up to you! Note: There ARE fishing poles that can be unlocked at the Seafood Market!How It WorksTheme: "Fishing"Just build something that seems fishing related and post 1-3 images and a little description to the #submissions channel on the Discord. We'll do a community vote based on how many trophy emojis your submission gets!What Are The Rules? Post your submission before Sunday, August 23th (2 weeks from this post) Only one submission per person Build in creat…
- Patch 1.04.07 - 9 August 2026
Hi there!Some changes, I've had reports of "flashing water" on some graphics cards, I hope this fixes that!Patch Notes:Version 1.04.07Changes:Added a Overall Quality Slider that should help those with lower graphics settings have non-flashing waterAdded some names from the winners of the building competitionAdded a accidentally hidden shop typeMoved fishing rods to the Shop Items creative categoryPlease share any issues you find on the #BugReports channel on Discord!-Erik
- Building Comp 18: "Bathhouse" - 26 July 2026
Hello ShantyTowners!Last week's "Rooftops" had some nice little spots, here's the winner from Discord, MyriaDonkey's Pumphouse Rooftop:So what's the new theme? This week, I want to try something different and ask ShantyTown creators to build something the game has within it!Building Competition 18: "Bathhouse"One of the last locations you visit in ShantyTown, and the last chapter of the game (spoiler alert! :D (not really)) is the Temple Bathhouse inspired by Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away, I wanted to make a vertical bathhouse location.Time for you to build your own Bathhouse! It can at the designated "Temple Bathhouse" location, or anywhere else. Up to you!How It WorksTheme: "Bathhouse"Just build something that seems bathhouse-y and post 1-3 images and a little description to the #submissions channel on the Discord. We'll do a community vote based on how many trophy emojis your submiss…
- Building Comp 17: "Rooftop" - 12 July 2026
Hello ShantyTowners!Last week's "Patios" had some really chill spots, it's time to relax again... at a higher altitude !The winner from that competition, Ruruie's Mapel Lodge, was a very impressive, and very realistic location. Check it out!So what's the new theme? This time we're staying chill, but elevating ourselves a bit.Building Competition 17: "Rooftop"There's something inherently satisfying about being on a roof, and ShantyTown's mechanics are built for this kind of a thing, so I'm looking forward to seeing what wild creations you can come up with!Here's my example creation:How It WorksTheme: "Rooftop"Just build something with a rooftop or a maybe just a good view and post 1-3 images and a little description to the #submissions channel on the Discord. We'll do a community vote based on how many trophy emojis your submission gets!What Are The Rules? Post your submission before Sun…
- Patch 1.04.06 - 12 July 2026
Hi there!Just a couple of fixes this time, hope things are alright!Patch Notes:Version 1.04.06Changes:The game now double checks for the end-of-game achievement when you re-open it in case that one didn't triggerMade it so if you quit while playing in the Blanklands, it should re-open in the blanklandsThe last thing you created should be saved in the blanklands when re-opening and loaded automatically, but please save your creations with the camera too! :DPlease share any issues you find on the #BugReports channel on Discord!-Erik
- Building Comp 16: "Patio" - 28 June 2026
Hello Builders!Last week's "Pipes" had some really cool industrial creations. Amazing work!DeeDeeBeeBee's Floating Fish and Ships was like a dream out of one of the more unusual Ghibli movies!For something a bit more atmospheric, take a look at this other industrial masterpiece:So what's the new theme? Something a bit opposite:Building Competition 16: "Patio"If you didn't know, there's some new Summer Seasonal Items that were added just a week ago! Let's put those items to good use!This one is a bit more general, a bit smaller in scale (possibly), but there's still room for a lot of interpretation. Here's my example creation:How It WorksTheme: "Patio!"Just build something with a patio or a summer feeling and post 1-3 images and a little description to the #submissions channel on the Discord. We'll do a community vote based on how many trophy emojis your submission gets!What Are The Rule…
- Patch 1.04.05 - 28 June 2026
Hi there!New update here! I'm trying to fix some issues with moving objects (especially buildings) in creative mode not loading correctly later on.Please let me know if I've broken anything! :DPatch Notes:Version 1.04.05Changes:Removed the camera shake from the trainsRemoved the brightness slider (it wasn’t doing anything)Objects will retain their original variant when moving them and cancelingFixed an issue where deleting saves wouldn’t work if you continued playingStructures should now be properly removed without a duplicate when undoingFixed a few issues with canceling movement and undoing placement and then loading a mapFixed names disappearing when moving buildings in creative modeNew seasonal items have better placing rulesPlease share any issues you find on the #BugReports channel on Discord!-Erik
- Summer is Here! - 21 June 2026
Feeling Hot?Kick back and check out the new summer seasonal items added into ShantyTown!A few new seating options, some grills, and some ways to keep your drinks cool have been added into the pool alongside a few other variants to other objects.How do Seasonal Items Work?In ShantyTown, seasonal items only appear on certain maps, at certain times of the year. If you play those maps and place those items, you'll get granted those objects in your creative pool permanently. In this case these items will be available for June, July and August!What Else is New?I re-created the way the save file works, especially when taking multiple photos on the same build. You shouldn't notice anything different, but if you do, let me know!I also added some new settings, including an option to NOT load all maps on open, this is to help against long game open times for those with massive creations.Also, ther…
- Patch 1.04.03 - 21 June 2026
Hi there!New update here! Bringing some new options and some summer items!Patch Notes:Version 1.04.03Changes:Clear button properly cancel’s current load in progressAdded a “watch outro” button with an option for creditsAdded a “Load all on startup” checkbox for optional quicker game opening load timesCreated a new system of saving that should help conserve space when taking multiple photos of the same buildChanged the bathhouse’s dock to stone to better fit the themeSet a new system that clears improperly saved dataSaving photo titles works againDeleting photos works as intendedAdded new supporter namesCompleting a map again will no longer show previously unlocked objects as “unknown”Locked creative items show colors for unique and seasonalSeasonal items will appear in the creative list as “unknown” but only when in seasonAdded a new shopfront type to be unlocked on the bargeAdded some…
- Building Comp 15: "Pipes" - 14 June 2026
Hello ShantyTowners!Last week's "Train Stop" was really nice!Ravi's Crimson Line Village really went above and beyond. And they won first place with it too! Check out this wild creation:For something a bit more atmospheric, take a look at "Biggie's" submission and the 2nd place winner:So what's the new theme?Building Competition 15: "Pipes"What? That's it? What does that mean?Up to you!I thought it could be fun with a bit of an abstract idea, but there are a LOT of pipes in ShantyTown's world. Living silos, train transport pipes, vents, drains, steam etc. So try and find a cool way to utilize the world elements or the pieces in game!Here's some inspirational ideas:How It WorksTheme: "Pipes!"Just build that is pipe related and post 1-3 images and a little description to the #submissions channel on the Discord. We'll do a community vote based on how many trophy emojis your submission gets…
- Patch 1.03.04 - 1 June 2026
Hi there!I want to make a temporary fix for some creative save games that aren't being saved properly.This should help. Bigger save overhaul coming this week.Hot fixes:Version 1.03.04Fixes:Removed the banging noise from the observatoryFixed an issue where creative mode saves were not loading properlyPlease share any issues you find on the #BugReports channel on Discord!-Erik
- Building Comp 14: "Train Stop" - 30 May 2026
Hello everyone!Note: Update info at the bottom!Last week's "Temple" themed building competition had some WILD creations and I think the longer timeline allowed people to stew in the idea a bit more. Anne's "Temples of Him-Mel" is a really cool floating islands idea that really came together well!Some of the other builds were really cool as well. Check this out:So what's this week's theme?Building Competition 14: "Train Stop"Let's make a little train stop, how are you going to make it interesting? What's the setting? Where is it? Build on any map, any location, it can have a train or not, that's up to you!How It WorksTheme: "Train Stop"Just build something within the theme and post 1-3 images and a little description to the #submissions channel on the Discord. We'll do a community vote based on how many trophy emojis your submission gets!What Are The Rules? Post your submission before Su…
- Patch 1.03.03 - 30 May 2026
Hi there!This update is to add a few creative mode features including the ability to cycle wall types and refresh the interiors of buildings to get everything juuuuuust right :)Looking now, it's kinda hard to read so I'll change that...Patch Notes:Version 1.03.03Changes:Added a button to cycle wall type in creative modeAdded a button to refresh interior in creative modeAdding shopfronts properly changes the name, interior and signage of buildingsPlease share any issues you find on the #BugReports channel on Discord!-Erik
