Dear Hamster Playground Community,

We want to extend our heartfelt appreciation for your support and enthusiasm for our game. While we understand that you've been eagerly awaiting updates, we wanted to take a moment to provide you with some insights into our current status.


As much as we wish we could bring you constant news of progress, we've encountered a few technical challenges and optimization hurdles along the way. Please accept our sincerest apologies for any delays this may have caused. We're committed to delivering an great gaming experience, and this requires us to work diligently behind the scenes.

But rest assured, these periods of silence do not mean we've been idle. Quite the contrary. Our team has been hard at work crafting exciting new content and refining additional mechanics that will elevate the "Hamster Playground" experience to new heights. Remember that we're a very small team of developers and we've taken this idea of a game in a very ambitious way.

Furthermore, we are happy to share that we are simultaneously working on bringing "Hamster Playground" to console versions, the same way as on PC - in Free to Play - ensuring that everyone can enjoy the game on their preferred platform.



We understand that patience can sometimes wear thin, and we're incredibly grateful for your understanding as we navigate these challenges. Your support fuels our determination to create a game that exceeds your expectations.

On that note, we're excited to announce that if all goes well, we're planning to leave Early Access early next year. This milestone represents a significant step towards bringing you the polished and delightful "Hamster Playground" we've all been eagerly anticipating.

Once again, we thank you for your continued patience, passion, and belief in our vision.
Your feedback and enthusiasm continue to inspire us, and we can't wait to share more exciting news with you soon.

Thank you,
The WeDigGames Team

Hey Mac Users!

This update is all about Mac! We fixed the freezing issue you guys reported, and added some small fixes for the overall quality of play.
All feedback is - as always - appreciated, and if you encounter problems - please let us know via Steam Forum or our Discord.
Enjoy!

You will find the list below, and in a separate thread on our forum.

Change list:

• Fixed Mac OS crashing issue
  
• Game Pad - fixed getting stuck on the name change
  
• Minor UI fixes
  

Hey All!

Do not be alarmed - it's just a small update, that will improve your game experience. And we know, how you love our little Hamster game! Please check the list of features we added.
All feedback is - as always - appreciated, and if you encounter problems - please let us know via Steam Forum or our Discord.
Enjoy!

You will find the list below, and in a separate thread on our forum.

Change list:

• Tutorial Improvements
  
• Overall UI improvements
  
• Minor bug fixes
  

Hey All!

We have a new Update for you all, and this one is about controls and Steam Deck!
Hamster Playground isn't verified (yet) by Valve, but we worked hard to give the players all the necessary improvements that will help them enjoy our game on Steam Deck.
If you are a controller player, we have something for you too! Please check the list of features we added.
All feedback is - as always - appreciated, and if you encounter problems - please let us know via Steam Forum or our Discord.
Enjoy!

You will find the list below, and in a separate thread on our forum.

Change list:

• Steam Deck performance and UI improvements
  
• Added full controller support in UI layouts and gameplay
  
• Added controls hints
  
• Added quick command menu
  
• Added reminder popups for quest, hamster status, and new items
  
• Improved UI scaling and rendering for multiple resolutions
  
• New house items and color sets
  
• Reorganized customization items
  
• Overall UI improvements
  
• Minor bug fixes
  

Hey All

This Update is a quick one!
We know you experience problems with the Loading Screen, and this update should resolve this issue!
If you will have any kind of feedback or encounter problems - please let us know via Steam Forum or our Discord.
Enjoy!

You will find the list below, and in a separate thread on our forum.

Change list:

• Fixed game freezing on the loading screen after a race
  
• Fixed Quest tracking icons obscuring customization items
  

Hey folks,

This one is all about jobs - we've made numerous changes to this feature added just a few days ago and improved the quest tracking, making it much more convenient and user-friendly. The full changelog is below.

• Hamster Jobs balancing
  
• Hamster Jobs bug fixing
  
• Hamster Jobs Improvements
  
• Ability to turn on/off autopause when game is out of focus in game settings 'gameplay' tab
  
• Quest tracking now indicates which mode the quest concerns
  
• Quest tracking now indicates which items and slots in the house the quest concerns
  
• Minor Bug Fixes and Improvements
  

Hey All

This Update is all about Jobs, and new, spooky Halloween DLC!
We added a new feature - Jobs, that will allow you to earn currencies without playing races. There is a special introduction quest, that will let you know how this system works. There is also a special DLC you can buy with spooky, Halloween stuff.
If you will have any kind of feedback or encounter problems - please let us know via Steam Forum or our Discord.
Enjoy!

You will find the list below, and in a separate thread on our forum.

Change list:

• Hamster Jobs allow players to earn currencies without playing races
  
• New premium DLC 'Spooky Hamster House'
  
• New Quest introduction to jobs
  
• Jukebox - in-house music changer
  
• Minor Bug Fixes and Improvements
  

It's the "Trick or Treat" time of the year, and Hamster Playground joins the party with a fresh (or, perhaps not so fresh, at times even rotten), all-new DLC!
Lo and behold Spooky Hamster House - a content pack that allows you to feel the chill running down your spine while experiencing new activities and accessorising your hamsters with new cosmetic items!
This DLC features:

• new items celebrating the event;
  
• new, scary costumes;
  
• brand-new quests with unique rewards;
  
• for the first time - a job for your hamsters!
  

Hey All

This new update is about size!
It's quite technical stuff, as we focused on making the game smaller in size, and added some small bug fixes to improve the quality. If you will have any kind of feedback or encounter problems - please let us know via Steam Forum or our Discord.
Enjoy!

You will find the list below, and in a separate thread on our forum.

Change list:

• Game size is now ~4 GB
  
• Use 'ESC' to close windows and sub-menus
  
• Localization fixes
  
• Small UI improvements
  

Change list:

• Added 'Shop" with currency exchange items
  
• Added "Owned" tab to customization window to filter items you have already bought
  
• Added "Quest Items" and "Tracked Quest Items" tabs in customization windows for items that are quest related
  
• Items related to 'Tracked Quests' will now have a badge on them in customization window
  
• Minor bug Fixes
  
• Minor Localization Fixes
  
• Minor UI improvements and Fixes
  

We will be in London, showcasing our game at EGX (22-25 September 2022, ExCeL, London).
Hamster Playground will be available for playing in Rezzed Zone, among other Indie games.
If you will be there - come and say hi, talk to the devs and play Hamster Playground.

See you guys there!

Changelist:

• minor networking improvements
  
• minor localization fixes
  

Hey All

In this new update, it's all about languages, and quality of play. We added translations (you can change the language in the Options Tab) and worked on the online experience. If you will have any kind of feedback or encounter problems - please let us know via Steam Forum or our Discord.
Enjoy!

You will find the list below, and in a separate thread on our forum.

Change list:

• The game has been fully localized for:
  - Japanese
  - Simplified Chinese
  - Traditional Chinese
  - French
  - Italian
  - Spanish
  - German
  - Portuguese
  - Polish
  - Korean
  - Ukrainian
  - Thai
  - Indonesian
  
• Matchmaking fixes - players should be able to connect without issues
  
• Matchmaking range set to 'global' - you can now play with anyone in the world
  
• UI visual improvements - UI textures will now adapt to resolution and will not get blurry/pixelated/aliased at any circumstances
  
• New performance settings - you can now disable volumetric lights in video settings for performance boost (for older GPUs the boost is significant)
  

Hey All

In this new patch, we added new content: Quests! There is more coming soon, but we hope this first batch will keep you busy ;)
We also added something for players in Asian territories (font support), and some minor bug fixes.
Enjoy!

You will find the list below, and in a separate thread on our forum.

Change list:

• Added Quests: Tutorial Quests and House Renovation Quests
  
• Added Font support in player names, hamster names, and house names for Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai, and Cyrillic
  
• Minor bug fixes and improvements
  
• Performance optimizations
  

Hey All

Another patch just landed. This time we worked on customization, and overall improvements.
You will find the list below, and in a separate thread on our forum.

Change list:

• New customization content for the bathroom (you can check what's new in the "new" tab of an item)
  
• minor bug fixes
  

We will be in Seattle, showcasing the game at PAX West (September 2-5, 2022).
If you will be there - come and say hi, talk to the devs and play Hamster Playground.
Look for the Polish Pavilion (with many awesome indie games from Poland) - the number is 811.

See you guys there!

Hey All

Another patch just landed. This time we worked on fixing online, and network issues.
You will find the list below, and in a separate thread on our forum.

Change list:

• Added bots in case no players are found in the online matchmaking
  
• Improved connectivity for certain Asian regions (the game should work without accelerators)
  
• Fixed an issue with diamonds synchronization after the race or switching to a different PC
  
• Minor bug fixes and Improvements
  
• Preparations for the first customization content update
  

Hey All!

We just released a patch, that will fix some issues, that you reported to us.
You will find the list below, and in a separate thread on our forum.

Change list:

• UI fix - multiplayer party system UI rework and fixes - it should be less confusing
  
• UI fix - minor typos corrections and rephrasing of some descriptions
  
• Steam invites now work properly sending you to the party select screen or giving notification on hamster house HUD
  
• Matchmaking has been changed to broader regions
  
• Fixed Difficulty balance in all competitive VS CPU modes (No more Master Difficulty Maze exploiting, sorry)
  
• Minor economy changes - mostly race awards re-balancing
  
• Minor bug fixes all around the place
  

Hello All!

First of all - thank you all for the feedback we received in the first 24 hours after releasing Hamster Playground in Early Access.
We are happy that so many of you tried the game, and send us insight regarding our game.

Below is the link to the Roadmap for our game. What will be implemented in the coming weeks/months.

LINK TO ROADMAP

Hello, all you beautiful people!

We are thrilled to announce, that Hamster Playground is now available in Early Access for free!

The build available on Steam right now allows you to experience the full gameplay loop players will begin by acquiring their first hamster and having a look around the default, basic hamster house. What happens next is up to them they can take a deep dive into racing in the maze, skateboard drag races, or eating contest; race online against other players, spend hours customizing their pet and the house, upgrade equipment, and expand their rooster by unlocking new hamster slots.

We are hoping to hear your thoughts and ideas, as we will work on finishing the game. All feedback and suggestions are welcome, and the best way to talk to us is at Steam Forum or our Discord!

HAVE FUN!
We Dig Games Team

P.S.
Here is a brand new trailer! Enjoy!
[previewyoutube=dmJqRCIvG6c;full][/previewyoutube]

Hello there, all you crazy Hamster lovers!

We are heading to Cologne in August and will be showcasing Hamster Playground during Gamescom 2022. You will be able to find us in Hall 10.2 Booth F020g-E-021g. We are a part of the awesome Indie Arena Booth.

Below you can check out the awesome IAB reveal trailer (with some cool Hamsters in it).

[previewyoutube=1tDZ--1Nvfs;full][/previewyoutube]

Hamster Playground has been selected among 270 developers from 37 countries for this year's Indie Showcase by Digital Dragons!
This means, that from this Thursday, May 12th Hamster Playground Demo will be again available for playing and testing!
The Demo version will be available till Sunday, May 22nd.

Have fun, and share with us your thoughts and feedback about our game!

Yup, we have changed the title of our game!
Why?, you may ask. Well, we did it because we made the game even more appealing and attractive to the players, and we needed the title to reflect that. Hamster Maze was, in essence, a game about racing in the labyrinths, but we decided to expand the scope by adding more arenas and activities. Five gameplay modes are going to be available upon launch, so Hamster Maze has been transformed into something much bigger and changed into a whole Playground.

In essence:

• -The launch has been moved from Q1 to Q3 2022;
  
• -5 game modes to enjoy at launch;
  
• -Compete against AI-driven hamsters as well as other players both locally and online;
  
• -Customise your hamsters over 100 cosmetic items available upon launch;