Day-one patch
Also called: Day one patch, Launch day patch, Day 0 patch
A day-one patch is an update released on or right after launch day to fix bugs found after the release build was locked or once players arrived.
A day-one patch is an update that goes out on launch day or within the first day after it. Some are planned, covering fixes that were ready after the release build was frozen. Others are reactive, written in a hurry after the first player reports and reviews arrive.
On Steam, a patch can go live within minutes of upload, so the cost shows up elsewhere. Reviews written in the first hours stay on the store page, and the team spends launch day fixing instead of talking to players. A rushed patch can also break saves or features that worked in the launch build.
QA reduces the size of a reactive patch by testing the release candidate on varied hardware before launch, and by running a regression pass on the patch itself before it goes live. The day-one patch data page on this site collects launch-day patch data from recent Steam releases.
Updated · Written by JJ, founder of Jumbo Jelly.
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Related terms
- Regression pass
A regression pass retests features that already worked after a code change, to catch bugs the new patch broke in old parts of the game.
- Gold master
Gold master is the build a studio approves as the release version, after QA signs off that no known game-breaking bugs remain.
- Build ID
A Steam build ID is the global number Steam assigns to each uploaded build of a game, used to tell builds apart and to set one live on a branch.
- Softlock
A softlock is a bug where the game keeps running but the player can no longer progress, for example stuck in a room with no way out.