Facepunch has released patch 26.04.28 for s&box, a significant post-launch update focused on technical improvements, editor enhancements, and critical bug fixes. The patch introduces a Linux Dedicated Server, editor features including Selection Sets and Paste Special, and substantial video pipeline upgrades (libyuv for faster RGB to YUV conversion, enabling 2K AV1 recording at 60fps). On the bug-fixing front, this release addresses a critical StringBuilder race condition that could lead to remote code execution, resolves multiple AnimGraph crashes, fixes a CResourceSystem crash on Linux, and corrects the IsRunningOnHandheldcodecodecodecodecode flag which was always returning false (causing UI issues on Steam Deck). Quality-of-life improvements include better offline mode login resilience, ultrawide menu layout fixes, faster storage settings page scanning, and restored functionality for holding ESC to force quit the game. Alongside these changes, founder Garry reflects on the journey to Version One, doubles the Play Fund, and reaffirms weekly update commitments.
A Message from Garry: Reflection on Version One
Alongside the technical changes in Release 26.04.28, founder Garry shares a personal reflection on the journey to s&box‘s Version One milestone.
The Hard Path
Garry admits feeling embarrassed about how long development has taken, noting that if he were to build everything from scratch now, it would “probably take less than a year.” However, he acknowledges a counterpoint from someone who compared the situation to a songwriter saying, “if I knew what the song was I could have knocked it out in 5 minutes.”
blockquoteblockquoteblockquoteblockquoteblockquote“It would have been easy to have taken Garry’s Mod and applied it to Source 2. I wasn’t happy to do that. I knew we could do more, I knew we would have regretted walking the easy path.”
Honesty About Imperfections
Garry is transparent about Version One’s shortcomings:
- It isn’t perfect and likely never will be
- Work remains on content discovery
- Challenges exist around dealing with low-quality AI-generated content
blockquoteblockquoteblockquoteblockquoteblockquote“At some point we have to say that it’s good enough for v1.”
A Memorable Quote
The patch notes include a line that will likely define this moment for the community:
“It isn’t perfect but at this moment in time it’s both the worst it will be and the best it has ever been.”
An Invitation to Create
Garry emphasizes his personal history—getting his start in the game industry with Garry’s Mod, and watching countless community members do the same. His goal with s&box is to continue that legacy:
“I want to show people how fun and rewarding making games is. I want them to be able to make money from it.”
Play Fund Doubled
In hopeful anticipation of finally being profitable, Facepunch has doubled the Play Fund. Garry expresses hope that they can steadily increase it further over time.
| Play Fund Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Action | Doubled with Release 26.04.28 |
| Reason | Anticipating profitability |
| Future plans | Steady increases over time |
The Play Fund is Facepunch’s system for rewarding community creators, ensuring that those who build content for s&box can earn money from their work.
What’s Next: Weekly Updates
Garry confirms that development will continue as before:
- Weekly updates will be released
- Community listening remains a priority
- Roadmap shows larger features being planned
“This is how we work. We release and improve. This is what we did with Garry’s Mod, this is what we did with Rust. This is what we’re going to do with s&box.”
Added Features
Linux Dedicated Server
The patch introduces a Linux Dedicated Server, expanding hosting options for community servers beyond Windows.
Editor: Selection Sets
A new editor feature allowing users to save and recall specific selections of objects, streamlining complex scene editing workflows.
Editor: Paste Special
Advanced paste functionality giving creators more control over how assets are duplicated and placed within scenes.
Improved: Quality-of-Life & Performance
Cross-Platform Compatibility
- Native library loading now happens at runtime instead of at InteropGen, enabling cross-platform binary compatibility
- Zio case-insensitive filesystem wrapper for Linux improves file handling reliability
Offline Mode
Offline mode login handling is now more resilient. The menu no longer throws errors when launched offline.
Video Recording Overhaul
| Improvement | Details |
|---|---|
| RGB to YUV conversion | Now uses libyuv for much faster processing, enabling 2K AV1 recording at 60fps |
| Video export render target | Now uses MSAA, eliminating dithering artifacts |
| Quality | Improved for scenes with fast-moving objects and camera movement |
| Container format settings | Now properly passed from managed to native layer |
Graphics & Rendering
- AO upscaler is now pixel-perfect compared to full-resolution rendering, with proper MSAA support
- Slow rotation no longer stutters due to improved per-component
Rotation.AlmostEqualcodecodecodecodecode precision
Ultrawide Display Support
- Menu layout improved for ultrawide displays with constrained content width and feathered edges
- Menu fixes across store CTA positioning, search overlay, server list filters, and various UI components
Batch Publisher UX
- Org handling improvements
- Completion messages added for better user feedback
Editor Improvements
- Component categories reorganized for better discoverability in the editor
- Removed unused shadow data from lightbinner, cleaning up for future GPU-driven lighting
- Missing undo support added to
TransformComponentWidgetcodecodecodecodecode for reset, paste, and toggle operations
Storage Settings
Storage settings page no longer takes minutes to scan large download caches. Thank you @Zaddish
Fixed: Critical Bugs & Crashes
Security Fix (Critical)
- StringBuilder race condition that could lead to remote code execution has been fixed
Crash Fixes
| Crash | Status |
|---|---|
| Two AnimGraph crashes | Fixed |
Crash in FindOrAllocateTransforms during model hot-reload | Fixed |
| CResourceSystem crash when reloading symlinked resident resources on Linux | Fixed |
Video & Encoding
- WebM video header being written twice – fixed
- Odd-size resolutions breaking the AV1 encoder – fixed
UI & Rendering
- Inverse scissor box shadow rendering in UI – fixed
- World panel transformation being applied twice in subpanels and render targets – fixed
Steam Deck & Handhelds
IsRunningOnHandheldcodecodecodecodecode always returning false – fixed. This was causing small UI on Steam Deck and other handhelds
Dedicated Servers
- Dedicated server errors when using
Steamworks.Friendcodecodecodecodecode methods – fixed
Editor
- Focus in 2D editor views incorrectly moving camera toward objects instead of framing them – fixed
- Rigidbody properties not being reapplied when ModelCollider updates, causing lost gravity scale on resize – fixed
- Editor exceptions when performing large project structure changes – fixed
Networking & Game Loading
- Client disconnect not triggering when game load fails during handshake – fixed
Character Models
- Shorts clothing models clipping with the player body – fixed
Menu
- Menu carousel null reference exception – fixed
- Menu toggle styles and context menus on game cards – fixed
Quality of Life
- Restored holding ESC to force quit game – fixed
Summary of Key Changes in Release 26.04.28
| Category | Main Improvements |
|---|---|
| New Features | Linux Dedicated Server, Selection Sets, Paste Special |
| Video | libyuv conversion (2K AV1 at 60fps), MSAA, dithering fixed |
| Performance | Faster RGB→YUV, storage page no longer slow |
| Steam Deck | Handheld UI fixed (IsRunningOnHandheld corrected) |
| Security | StringBuilder RCE vulnerability fixed |
| Crash Fixes | AnimGraph (2x), FindOrAllocateTransforms, CResourceSystem on Linux |
| Editor | Undo support, component categories reorganized, 2D view fixes |
| Offline Mode | No more errors when launched offline |
| Ultrawide | Menu layout improved with feathered edges |
| Play Fund | Doubled |
Looking Ahead
Facepunch plans to continue releasing weekly updates, listening to the community, and improving the platform. The roadmap shows larger features in development. As Garry states:
“So more of the same. This is how we work. We release and improve. This is what we did with Garry’s Mod, this is what we did with Rust. This is what we’re going to do with s&box. This is what we love doing.”
