Jump Space Gets Its Biggest Update Yet: Here’s What’s New

If you have been waiting for a reason to jump back into Jump Space, developer Keepsake Games is finally delivering the goods. Since the co-op space FPS launched last September, it has been steadily moving through early access, but the studio is now pushing its largest update yet to the game's experimental branch.

The update brings a significant overhaul to core systems, including a brand-new player spacecraft, expanded weapon rosters for both ship and foot combat, and a much-requested fix for gear retention.

The Hammerhead and New Arsenal

The star of this update is the Hammerhead. While the existing Catamaran ship is great, the Hammerhead acts as a true tank. It is noticeably slower, but it makes up for the lack of pilot weapons with four dedicated gunner stations and four special weapon slots. To fill those slots, Keepsake Games has added two new ship-mounted weapons: the Vulcan minigun and the Thunderhead cannon.

On-foot combat is also getting some love with the addition of a new minigun and an SMG variant. Perhaps more importantly, the loot system has been completely reworked. Guns now drop with varying rarities and randomized modules. You can spend upgrade points to customize which of these modules are active, giving you more agency over your specific loadout. You can also now view full stats for all player and ship weapons to make comparing gear much easier.

Blueprints and Quality of Life

One of the most common complaints Keepsake Games has fielded since launch involves the frustration of losing high-tier gear. To address this, players can now save found weapons to a personal blueprints list. Once a weapon is on this list, you can reprint it as many times as you like from the Assembler. You can even generate 'loan copies' for friends or let them scan your gear to create their own blueprints.

Combat against AI ships has also been refined. Hostile vessels will now utilize evasive maneuvers to dodge incoming fire, and a new targeting guide has been implemented to help you land critical hits more consistently. The developer is currently looking for feedback on ship health balance, so if you find the new combat loop too punishing or too forgiving, they are encouraging players to head to the community channels.

How to Access the Update

The update is available right now on the experimental branch via Steam. To access it, right-click Jump Space in your Library, go to 'Properties,' and select 'game versions and betas.' Keep in mind that this uses a separate save file, so while it shouldn't impact your main playthrough, making a backup is a smart move. Keepsake Games expects to push this update to the live version of the game by the end of June 2026, provided testing goes smoothly.

The team is particularly focused on stress-testing the new hot-join and instant-rejoin features, so if you are jumping in with friends, make sure to test out those disconnect scenarios to help the developers squash any remaining bugs.