The latest major update for System Era Softworks’ space exploration and base-building game, Astroneer, has deployed across all platforms, bringing with it a significant expansion of player control over their in-game universe. Update 1.78, released on March 11, 2026, fundamentally alters the endgame experience by introducing the Megatech Custom Games system alongside sweeping balance changes to the game’s most ambitious construction projects.
Megatech Custom Games: Unprecedented Player Control
At the heart of the 1.78 update is the new Megatech Custom Games feature, a suite of granular settings that allows veteran players to tailor the game’s core systems to their preferred playstyle. This system represents a significant evolution from the broader Custom Games options introduced in earlier updates, specifically targeting the complex mechanics of the Megatech tier of gameplay.
Customizable Construction and Logistics
The new settings grant players the ability to modify nearly every aspect of Megastructure creation and operation. For the Mega Printer Platforms and Megastructure Component Printers, players can now adjust not only the speed of printing but also the fundamental recipes themselves. This includes customizing the types and quantities of ingredients required for constructing massive orbital platforms, biodomes, and intermodal terminals. This level of control empowers creative players and those seeking specific challenge runs to redefine the resource economy of their solar system.
Environmental and System Tweaks
Beyond construction, the Custom Games settings extend into environmental and systemic controls. On the Orbital Platform, players can now adjust the intensity of gravity, enabling low-gravity construction sites or more challenging high-gravity scenarios. The maximum number of chained Mega Terrain Platforms can also be modified, allowing for truly colossal orbital structures. For the Biodome, players gain control over biological processes, with sliders to modify plant growth rates and timers for wilting and plant death, opening new possibilities for automated farming or aesthetic garden management.
Quality of Life and Gameplay Modifiers
The customization extends to logistical and progression systems. The Intermodal Terminal can be configured with infinite Hydrazine fuel in its integrated canisters, simplifying long-distance shuttle logistics. The Museum’s donation milestone requirements are now adjustable, letting players speed up or slow down their collection-based progression. System Era has included a note that some of these modifiers may impact game performance or restrict access to certain missions, encouraging players to experiment within defined parameters.
Major Megastructure Recipe Reworks and Cost Reductions
Parallel to the new customization options, Update 1.78 delivers substantial balance changes to Megastructure construction costs. Based on community feedback regarding the steep resource requirements for endgame projects, System Era has systematically reduced the material costs for several key structures, aiming to maintain challenge while reducing potential grind.
Streamlined Intermodal Terminal
The Intermodal Terminal, a central hub for planetary and interplanetary logistics, has seen the most dramatic reductions. Its Resin requirement dropped from 150 to 50, Aluminum from 30 to 20, Ceramic from 30 to 10, Steel from 15 to 5, and Titanium Alloy from 5 to 2. These changes lower the barrier to establishing a robust transportation network, encouraging players to engage more deeply with the rail and shuttle systems earlier in the endgame phase.
Revised Biodome and Museum Costs
The multi-stage Biodome project, essential for large-scale botanical operations, has received cost adjustments across all three stages. Stage 1 now requires 100 Resin instead of 250, and 40 Ammonium instead of 100. Stage 2 costs were reduced for Resin (150 to 100), Graphene (25 to 20), Aluminum Alloy (30 to 20), Glass (150 to 75), and Nitrogen (160 to 80). Stage 3 saw Resin drop from 300 to 150, with Rubber and Plastic requirements each reduced from 30 to 20.
The Museum, where players display their collected specimens and artifacts, also benefits from rebalanced costs. Stage 1 now needs 200 Compound instead of 300, with Copper and Glass requirements each reduced from 50 to 30. Stage 2 requires 20 Aluminum instead of 30 and only 5 EXO Chips instead of 10. These reductions make cultural and collection-based gameplay more accessible alongside industrial and agricultural projects.
Comprehensive Bug Fixes and System Polishing
Update 1.78 addresses a wide array of bugs and technical issues that have persisted since the introduction of the Megatech expansion and earlier content. These fixes span multiplayer stability, user interface clarity, and specific functionality problems with major game systems.
Megastructure Placement and Multiplayer Fixes
Numerous issues plaguing the placement of massive structures have been resolved. The update fixes invalid terrain errors when placing Construction Anchors and improves hologram alignment to match terrain elevation. It addresses problems where preview holograms would appear red after saving and loading, and fixes Construction Anchors spawning upside down on landing pads. For multiplayer sessions, a bug causing the Megastructure Component Printer to display generic “Ingredient” text instead of specific recipe names has been corrected, improving communication and coordination between players.
Individual Megastructure System Corrections
Each major Megastructure received targeted fixes. The Intermodal Terminal no longer crashes when unpacking a shuttle, and resource transfer between canisters and shuttles now functions correctly. The Orbital Platform now properly allows attachment of Repeaters and Power Sensors to its surface. The Biodome’s Mega Deconstructor now correctly converts plants back into recoverable seeds, fixing a critical resource recovery issue, and seeds will no longer plant in occupied plots under certain conditions.
The Museum system saw extensive corrections, including fixing reward claiming after the third donation milestone, enabling donation of Storm Data, and resolving interaction conflicts with the backpack’s auxiliary slot. Display Cases now properly repackage and unpackage, and the Galastropod collection correctly activates even when shells were consumed for research.
Legacy Issue Resolution and Exploit Prevention
The patch addresses several long-standing problems. It fixes multiplayer rejoin issues caused by nearby Proximity Repeaters, ensures players receive the final rewards from the Glitchwalkers mission, and corrects missing tooltips for resources produced by Portable Smelters. A notable gameplay fix closes an infinite oxygen exploit, preserving the survival tension of the game’s core systems. The update also resolves the Glitchwalkers DLC incorrectly showing as “Not Owned” in the menu and fixes placeholder holograms for certain Creative Mode items.
With the deployment of Update 1.78, Astroneer’s endgame has been transformed from a fixed set of high-cost goals into a more malleable and player-directed experience. The combination of deep customization tools and rebalanced progression costs demonstrates System Era’s commitment to supporting both creative expression and satisfying gameplay loops. This update effectively hands players the tools to become true architects of their own interstellar narratives, reducing friction where it hindered enjoyment while introducing new layers of depth for those who wish to fine-tune their corner of the galaxy. The extensive bug fixes further solidify the technical foundation, ensuring that these ambitious systems function as intended for solo explorers and multiplayer teams alike.
