2026 is here! Let’s make this the year of TK2! Weekly Update #19 (v0.1.19.6)

Hello everyone,

2026 is officially here, and this is the year we’re pushing The Karters 2 toward Full Release on PC and Consoles! 🎉

Our top priority right now is bug fixing and performance improvements to finally address the most important issues raised by the community. As you can see in this devlog, we’ve already made strong progress to kick off the year on the right foot.

Team

At the moment, there are two programmers actively working on the game:

• Sebastian (me)

• Vipek (Jakub)

On top of that,

• Kami (our Community Manager)

Kami has been a massive help with testing, bug fixing, and general improvements.

Thanks to this teamwork, we’re getting closer to the point where we can shift more focus toward new and exciting features, such as Tournaments and other long-awaited additions.

We’re also happy to share that

• Basia (co-director)

Is partially back on the project and is currently supporting the team with organization-focused tasks, helping us stay aligned and efficient as we move toward Full Release.

On the art side:

• Mariusz (3D Artist)

• Mortus (Animator)

• Matt ( 2D / UI)

At the moment, they are waiting for us (programmers) to finish several key programming tasks so their next round of content can be integrated smoothly.

Upcoming Priorities

Our main development focus for the near future includes:

• Game bug fixes & general improvements

• Performance optimization
  (this may result in a dedicated performance mode)

• Localization & Demo support (PC & Consoles)

• Online server merging & improvements

While Vipek and Kami continue working on fixes and stability, I’m diving deeper into performance rework, and soon after, into two long-awaited features:

• In-game Track Editor

• Duo Characters support

Looking Ahead to 2026 🚀

Our goal for 2026 is ambitious but exciting:

• Full Release on PC

• Simultaneous Console Release

• Online Cross-Play

• In-Game Track Editor

There’s a lot to look forward to!

Beyond the track editor, I’m also exploring the possibility of:

• In-game Character & Vehicle Editor

• Community-made Story Mode

It’s still too early to confirm these features, but I am actively looking into what’s possible. Stay tuned for future updates!

About Player Numbers & the Future

I know seeing low CCU or online player counts can sometimes feel discouraging. However, I want to be very clear:
👉 The prime time of The Karters 2 is still ahead of us.

Right now, we’re using this time to polish, optimize, and improve the game as much as possible. Once we’re ready, we plan to make a big push with major updates aimed at bringing many more players into the game. A Demo is one of the ideas we’re considering - and there’s more planned beyond that.

I truly appreciate every single player who is playing right now, leaving reviews, reporting bugs, and helping shape the game. I want to assure you that 2026 is the year we aim for much higher player peaks, and I’m confident we can get there together. ❤️

Week #19 Patch Notes

Below are the patch notes for the latest build. Apologies for the delay, while improving mod loading, we ran into several issues that needed to be resolved before releasing the update.

The next update will arrive as usual during the upcoming weekend.

Mods Loading Improvements

• Added mods loading progress UI to the Main Menu

• Improved overall mod loading stability

• Mods loading should no longer cause big in-game stuttering

Next Best Ghost Fixes

• Ghost visuals now update correctly when beating a ghost and downloading the next best ghost in Time Trial

• Previously, replay data updated correctly, but kart/character visuals did not

AI Lap Counting Fix

• Fixed AI laps not counting on certain tracks with teleporters

• AI now properly finishes races, regardless of teleporter usage

Replay Mode Improvements

• All game modes now support Replay Mode, including Online Multiplayer

• Replays store presets for all 8 players for accurate race recreation

• Dynamic Behind is now the default replay camera

• Fixed replay issues with teleporters / warps

• Replay VO now behaves correctly (same rules as Time Trial ghosts)

• Replay Mode now properly supports 1, 3, 5, and 7 laps

Leaderboard & Gallery Replays

• Leaderboard replays now work correctly on tracks with ziplines

• Fixed reserve meter showing incorrect values during/after ziplines

Online Spectator Mode Fixes

• Fixed spectator camera being stuck at origin

• Fixed spectators being incorrectly kicked to the lobby during online matches

Mini-Turbo Boost Pad Fix

• Performing a mini-turbo on a boost pad no longer overrides the pad boost

• Boosts now stack correctly

Sorting & Navigation Polish

• Various improvements to main menu navigation and UI flow

Lobby Improvements

• Clan leader & wanted team now auto-hide when not on READY or PLAYERS tabs

• Switch Team button is now unique per local co-op player

• Single-member lobbies can no longer disable AI in Road Breaker

• Netcode optimizations in several areas

• Fixed missing wanted team color for first player

• Fixed UI clipping in options toolbar

• Fixed team desync issues after room leader changes

• Fixed missing tracks popup not appearing

• Fixed missing mod character icons preventing AI from appearing

Daily Hub (TOTD)

• Limited to the last 20 days

• Improved responsiveness when navigating between days

Other Fixes

• Renamed “AI” to “CPU” during races

• Fixed missing CPU icons in the in-game player list

• Fixed players not displaying correctly in the in-game player list

Thanks again to our amazing community for your patience, feedback, and support!

Sebastian