- Barfender Reached 20,000 Wishlists! - 20 September 2026
We Reached 20,000 Wishlists! Thank You!The Barfender community keeps growing incredibly fast! As of today, our game has crossed the 20,000 wishlists milestone on Steam. While celebrating this amazing achievement, both our development and publishing teams wanted to share a few words with you, the community that has been with us on this journey. From the very beginning of the development process, we have worked hard to perfectly deliver the fun chaos that lies at the core of Barfender. Knowing that 20,000 people are currently waiting at the doors of our bar brings indescribable joy to our team. Thank you so much for believing in our vision, playing our demo, and helping us shape the game with your feedback. Get ready for the storm that is about to break behind the counter!What is Next?Prepare for October 12th: Our Early Access launch is just around the corner. Coordinate with your co-op p…
- "My Bar" App, Decoration Score, and More! - 9 September 2026
Hello!The new demo update we prepared for Barfender is now available to download on Steam. We have also separated our demo page, meaning you can now leave a review directly on it! Leaving a review would make us incredibly happy! Our new demo version includes fundamental optimization improvements as well as some new systems from our development process: New "My Bar" App: The bar's star rating and other statistics will now be tracked directly through this app, and star progression will be managed here. Decoration Score Update: Tables and chairs now directly affect the decoration score. Revamped "Menu" Interface: The menu app has received a much cleaner, more understandable, and user-friendly interface. Screenshot Mode: You can now take screenshots inside the game. We are sure you will create some beautiful wallpapers! We will bring much more comprehensive versions of these mechanics and a…
- Barfender Reveal Date Announcement - 28 August 2026
Grab your shakers, stock the inventory, and prepare for the rush. Barfender is officially launching into Early Access on October 12, 2026! We are thrilled to finally open the doors to our co-op bar simulation. Whether you are perfectly mixing complex orders, managing the absolute chaos of a busy night or just trying to keep the venue from falling apart, we cannot wait for you and your friends to step behind the counter. Barfender is currently 100% playable and bug-free. We don’t see Early Access as an “incomplete game,” but as a “game that will become even better together with you.” At its core, Barfender is a game built on chaos and fun. To elevate this dynamic to its fullest potential, player feedback is crucial. The Early Access phase will allow us to integrate your ideas and experiences directly into the development process. The Early Access model is a critical step in helping us ac…
- 🛠️ A SMOOTHER BAR - 21 August 2026
This update is mostly focused on bug fixes, polish, and making the demo smoother.But we also added a few new things.📐 EASIER BUILDINGFurniture can now align with nearby objects while being placed, making it much easier to build clean counters and organize your bar.Your furniture being crooked is now officially your responsibility.🕺 MORE EMOTESA whole bunch of new emotes have been added.Wave, celebrate, dance, or coordinate an unnecessarily elaborate choreography with your friends while customers wait for their drinks.Running the bar remains optional.📅 ONE MORE DAYThe demo now lasts 4 in-game days instead of 3.Many players were reaching the end before getting enough time with cocktails and the newer systems, so you now have another day to explore, expand, and cause problems.🔧 IMPROVEMENTS & FIXESImproved Unstuck so it more reliably returns stuck players to a safe position.Fixed phone…
- 🍸 COCKTAILS, 🧾 FLYERS & 🎶 FRESH TUNES - 24 July 2026
🍸 COCKTAILS ARE HERE The bar finally serves more than drinks poured directly from a bottle. Build a Cocktail Station, stock up on shakers and glasses, and start mixing premium drinks. Combine drinks and garnishes. Shake everything together, pour it without making a complete mess, and serve it to your customers. Cocktail recipes are hidden throughout the city. Explore the neighbourhood, find recipe notes, and unlock new drinks for your menu. You can track every discovered recipe and required ingredient through the new Cocktails app. Shake responsibly. Or at least point the shaker away from the customers. 🖨️ DESIGN AND DISTRIBUTE FLYERS The Print Shop is now open. Design your own flyers using custom text, colors, templates, icons, and advertising campaigns. Print a stack, head outside, and convince people around the city to visit your bar. Better campaigns improve your chances of attrac…
- 🏦 BANK & BAR EXPANSIONS - 8 July 2026
🏦 THE BANK IS OPEN A new Bank has opened in the neighborhood! Take out loans to grow your bar faster, but keep an eye on the interest. Meet Banker Bilo, the new face behind the counter. New bank-related quests will guide you through your first loan. 🔨 BAR EXPANSIONS You can now expand your bar! Buy new rooms and the garden area through the new Expansions app on your phone. Enjoy a satisfying unlock cinematic every time you tear down a wall. Your regular customers now chip in toward unlocking expansions. Some expansions are marked as coming in the full release, giving you a taste of what's ahead. 🕹 A LIVELIER NEIGHBORHOOD New Arcade and Record Store buildings have appeared on the street, complete with signs, stickers, and glowing billboards. New faces are now wandering around town: Gloria, Hippi, Leaf, Henry, Blue, and Janwick. 🎯 GAMEPLAY Thrown items on non-host players should feel…
- THE "SMOOTHER TOGETHER" UPDATE - 26 June 2026
"SMOOTHER TOGETHER"Hey everyone,A new Barfender demo update is live.This one is mostly about fixes, stability, and quality-of-life improvements after the co-op update. Thanks a lot to everyone who played, reported issues, and sent us footage.🍻 CO-OPImproved co-op stability and reduced desync issuesFixed several broken interaction cases in multiplayerImproved handling for unstable connections👀 Visuals & UIFixed visual issues where parts of the bar could disappear or flickerAdded VSync optionMade the FPS Limit setting clearer📺 Streamer ModeImproved Twitch poll feedbackFixed some chat-controlled customer behavior issuesAdded clearer jukebox music license information for streamers🧯 Quality of LifeImproved the “I’m Stuck” button reliabilityFixed dialogue issues that could lock the camera or fail to close properlyPlease keep sending feedback in Steam Discussions or Discord. It really help…
- 🍻 THE CO-OP UPDATE - 14 June 2026
👥 BRING YOUR CREW You asked for it. A lot. So here it is. Co-op is now live in the Barfender demo. You can create or join Steam lobbies, invite friends, ready up, and run the bar together with up to 4 players. Someone can serve drinks. Someone can clean. Someone can carry furniture around for no reason. Everyone can panic when the customers start throwing things. Co-op is a big shift for Barfender, so we'll keep improving it with your feedback. If something breaks, desyncs, explodes, or becomes way funnier than intended, tell us. 🏗️ MOVE YOUR BAR COUNTERS Bar counters can now be moved. That means you can finally shape the bar more freely instead of being stuck with the old layout. We also redesigned the bar space with a new kitchen, office area, updated object placements, new counter types, and cleaner placement behavior. Your bar should feel more like your bar now. Still probably fil…
- THE "PLUG AND PLAY" UPDATE - 1 May 2026
THE "PLUG AND PLAY" UPDATELast update smoothed out the early shifts. This one is about how you play them. Full gamepad support, a character creator, a settings screen that doesn't fight you, and meaner nights behind the bar. CO-OP DEVELOPMENT STATUSStill cooking. We're working on it from both sides: the technical side (netcode, sync, all the stuff that makes two players in one bar not fall apart) and the balance side (a chaotic shift with a friend needs to feel right, not just functional). No date yet. We'll show it when it's ready. FULL GAMEPAD SUPPORTThe big one. Full gamepad navigation across the main menu, pause menu, the phone, the shop, A-Mart, and the bar itself. Rotation works on stick now, so placing furniture isn't a wrestling match. Steam Deck players, you're in. CUSTOMIZE YOUR BARTENDERFull character creator at runtime. New presets, a better default look, and the whole thing…
- THE "SMOOTHER SHIFTS" UPDATE - 23 April 2026
THE "SMOOTHER SHIFTS" UPDATE We've been watching clips, reading your feedback, and digging through the data since the demo went live. While we love the chaos, some of those first shifts were landing more frustrating than fun. This update cleans up onboarding, sharpens the early quests, and squashes the bugs that were getting in your way behind the bar. ABOUT CO-OP You've been asking. A lot! So let's clear something up. We originally planned to keep co-op for the full release. But after seeing how many of you have been itching to wreck a bar with a friend, we've changed our minds. Co-op is coming to the demo in a future update. It's not in this one, and we want to take our time to make it feel right, so we're not putting a date on it yet. But it's happening!Wishlist Barfender so you don't miss the moment co-op demo drops. HIGHLIGHTSReworked onboarding and early quest flow so progression…
- THE BARFENDER DEMO IS LIVE - 17 April 2026
Pour. Clean. Break up fights. Try to survive.The Barfender demo is OUT NOW on Steam!Grab it, fire it up, and see how long you can keep the bar standing before it all falls apart.IGN dropped our trailer!So what is Barfender?A chaotic bar sim where everything spirals out of control. You're behind the counter. Orders are stacking up. Someone's drunk. Someone's throwing a punch. Someone just walked off with the till.Customers get drunk, and start fightsOrders pile up faster than you can handleGlasses shatter and the mess keeps spreadingUnwanted guests wander inServe drinks. Manage disasters. Stop fights. Hold the bar together before it completely collapses.Good luck.Play nowThe single-player demo is free and available right now. Play solo and see if you've got what it takes behind the bar.And if you want to bring a friend into the chaos? Wishlist Barfender! The full game ships with co-op, a…
- Barfender Single-Player Playtest - 20 February 2026
Hey everyone!We’ve opened a Single Player Playtest for Barfender. If you’re seeing this, it’s your chance to be officially behind the bar a little earlier than everyone else.This playtest is focused on the core single-player experience:Running the barHandling customersManaging chaosSeeing how everything feels moment to momentBalance, pacing, controls, and overall flow are all very much work in progress.What we’re looking forJust play naturally and share your thoughts.Let us know:What feels funWhat’s confusing or frustratingWhat feels surprisingly goodWhat feels missing, too slow, too hard, or “this could be way better if…”That kind of feedback is incredibly valuable to us.Bugs are expected in this version. Feedback and ideas will really help us shape Barfender’s future. In this playtest, you will not be just testing the game. You will be helping decide what Barfender will become.If you…
