10 years after it launched, one of the best roguelikes of all time gets a surprise update on Steam with quality of life improvements and a new controls menu

It was 2015—10 years ago—that we called Nuclear Throne "a crowning achievement for Vlambeer, and one of the finest action-roguelikes ever made" in our 90% review. Seven years later, in 2022, we said it was still the best roguelike around. And now, in 2025, eight years after its last update, Nuclear Throne has suddenly sprung back to life.

"Good news for (future) Nuclear Throne fans: there's an updated beta build on Steam with many quality of life improvements like 120fps support, different aspect ratios, and a new controls menu!" Vlambeer wrote in a surprise announcement on Bluesky. "Oh, and a new melting loading screen tip. 😎

Good news for (future) Nuclear Throne fans: there's an updated beta build on Steam with many quality of life improvements like 120fps support, different aspect ratios, and a new controls menu! Oh, and a new melting loading screen tip. 😎 store.steampowered.com/app/242680/N...
— @vlambeer.com (@vlambeer.com.bsky.social) 2025-06-25T22:31:32.280Z

Vlambeer celebrated its 10^th anniversary in 2020 by closing its doors, not over any discord between co-founders Rami Ismail and Jan Nijman, but simply because it felt like the "natural" thing to do at that point in their careers. Four years later, however, it was back, although without Ismail, who sold his half of the studio to Nijman. And Nijman has apparently decided to go back to where it all began.

The studio said in a separate post that it would "be nice" to get the new update out to console versions of Nuclear Throne, but it wants to "make sure everything is rock solid on PC first."

To give the new Steam beta a shot, you'll need to right-click on Nuclear Throne in your Steam library, then select "Properties," "Betas," and "openbeta_win64" from the dropdown. Wait for the game to update, and then "enjoy your silky smooth gaming."

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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