STALCRAFT: X Patch 22.07.2026 Brings Coliseum PvP and a Wide Balance Pass

STALCRAFT: X has received a large update dated July 22, 2026. The patch adds the new Coliseum team-based PvP mode, changes how several Session Battles mechanics work, and brings a wide set of weapon and armor balance adjustments.

EXBO’s official Steam patch notes also detail changes to Operations, the Guide, cosmetics, item handling, and several smaller bugs. Coliseum is available through Session Battles once players reach Bar level 3.

Coliseum puts four teams of three players against one another. Squads fight over batteries and installations across four rounds, with points awarded for captures, charging objectives, kills, and wiping enemy teams. Players can choose between their own equipment and a preset “Fair fight” loadout.

The patch also changes Session Battles so health restoration and weapon reload bonuses depend on a player’s recent damage contribution rather than simply killing an enemy. A new “assist equal to a kill” rule gives kill credit to players who dealt more than 75% of a target’s health when another player landed the finishing blow.

Patch Notes [22.07.2026]

This update adds the Coliseum mode, revises Operations and Session Battles, expands the Guide, adjusts balance across weapons and armor, and includes a long list of quality-of-life changes and fixes.

New mode: Coliseum

Coliseum — new team-based PvP mode featuring 4 teams of 3 players each. Your objective is to capture batteries, charge installations and eliminate enemy squads using your class’s unique abilities.

In this mode, there are three classes (based on the Operations concept). The class is assigned automatically depending on the equipped armour:

• Assault — combat armour;
• Operative — combo armour;
• Support — scientist armour.

Each class has a passive ability and a set of active abilities that depend on the specialization selected before the match.

Before the match starts, equip armour of the desired class and choose one of two available specializations. Each specialization includes 3 unique active abilities. This choice cannot be changed during the match, and passive abilities remain fixed for each class.

To win, your team must earn the highest number of points across four rounds. Points are awarded for capturing the battery, charging the installation, getting kills, and eliminating enemy squads. Be careful: a full squad wipe will deduct a part of your team’s accumulated points.

How to start playing?

Select the Coliseum mode in Session Battles. To access this mode, you need Bar level 3.

The Coliseum mode has replaced Subdivision Battles, so access to Clan Wars is now available through the Subdivision section.

After selecting your class and specialization, you can choose from two game modes:

• Free play
• Fair fight

Free play — is a match played with your own gear.

Fair fight — is a preset loadout mode designed to let players try the mode on equal gear.

Choose the mode you’re interested in and press the Play button to start matchmaking.

Please note: Ranked mode will be launched later. We will announce its release additionally.

How to play?

At the start of the match, four teams spawn in different parts of the map.

1. Rift activation. The process takes 20 seconds. The team that initiates the capture immediately receives 500 points.

2. Battery Delivery. When the timer ends, a battery appears from the rift. Pick it up and deliver it to the installation.

   Note: a player carrying the battery cannot shoot or use abilities that require interaction with equipment.

3. Protection of the installation. The charging process lasts 2 minutes. During this time, prevent enemies from taking control. The squad holding the installation at the end of the process receives the full score.

Interaction with the environment

Special charges are scattered across the map. They can be picked up and thrown at enemies or shot to trigger them remotely. Any action performed while holding a weapon will simply throw the charge without activating it.

Med Barrel

Blast Barrel

Smoke Barrel

Gravity Barrel

Speed Barrel

Destructible objects are also placed throughout the map, creating additional space for maneuvering. A sledgehammer is the most effective tool for destroying walls and ceilings, while standard windows can be broken with a knife strike or a shot.

Updated first-aid kit

In Coliseum mode, healing mechanics have been changed: first-aid kits now feature a full-use animation, different from the standard game behavior.

A first-aid kit can be used when your HP is below 100%. Once it reaches 100%, it stops automatically.

Match Rewards

At the end of the match you receive session battle rewards: Spartak reputation, combat tokens, and placement rewards. Regardless of the match outcome, the durability of equipment and artifacts in your loadout will be reduced.

Quest Ten Breadcrumbs

Phil asks you to help investigate a strange signal that appeared on Forge-11. He believes it may be the key to another Area, but it remains unknown what discoveries this investigation will lead to.

The quest becomes available after gaining access to the Wild North and completing the following quests: In the Nameless Deep for Rise, Point of No Return for Mercenaries, Vodovorot for Frontier, and Leviathan for Covenant.

Operations adjustments

General changes

• Fixed numerous minor environment issues that disrupted the logic of completing Operations.
• Changed the mechanics of Quasi-Destructors. The item is now used to unbound a module so it can be sold at auction.
• Quasi-destructors are no longer needed to remove modules.
• Clearance level no longer increases if the Operation timer requirement is not met. Previously, it increased when completing an Operation at a higher clearance level even if the timer ran out.
• Added a brief incoming damage reduction effect after recovering from a critical wound.
• Fixed incorrect class icon display in the squad interface.
• Removed the Medical Locker collision.

The Big Clean Up

• When restarting the stage in the Photon Generator Power Supply objective, the initial enemy waves will now respawn.

Focus

• Fixed incorrect work of Provocation ability during Laser Incision stage.
• Expanded the safe zone in Anomaly Escort and Storm stages.

Sea of Exclusion

• Decoration and symbol randomization now occurs every session (previously once per week).
• Fixed incorrect Provocation ability behaviour during Battleship, Assault on the Cruiser and Tech stages.
• Expanded the safe zone in Tech stage.
• Added a delay before Murmur Puppeteer summons drones for the first time.

Session Battles changes

Vampirism and reload on kill rework

Killing enemies no longer affects health restoration or weapon reload. These characteristics now depend on your share of damage dealt to the target.

Only damage dealt within the last 3 seconds counts. Players must contribute at least 20% of the damage to be included in the calculation. This mechanic is disabled on Collapse and Transit maps.

Kill credit in stats

If a player deals more than 75% of a target’s total health as damage within the last 3 seconds, but another player finishes the target, it will count as an “assist equal to a kill.” In this case, the player receives +1 kill in their stats and number of points equal to the base kill score multiplied by their damage percentage.

Example: if a player deals 87% damage and the base kill reward is 100 points, they will receive 87 points labeled “”assist equal to a kill,” along with the defeated player’s icon.

Invulnerability changes

After respawning, a player is invulnerable only while inside their spawn region. This invulnerability has no timer and lasts until the first action that cancels it.

Invulnerability is removed when:

• firing a weapon;
• throwing a grenade;
• dealing damage to another player (including melee);
• leaving the spawn region.

Once removed, invulnerability does not return upon re-entering the spawn region. It is granted again only after the next respawn.

Guide

Items comparison

You can now compare items directly in the Guide.

To do this, add the items you need to the comparison from the Codex by pressing E.

After that, click the corresponding button in the top-right corner of the interface. The number on it shows how many items you’ve added to the comparison.

Table features:

• The table takes the equipment modification level into account
• The table accounts for attachments that can be equipped on weapons
• You can customize which stats are displayed in the table, or enable the “Differences only” filter. In this mode, the table hides stats that have identical values across all selected items.

Create your own top lists by rearranging items within the table.

Other Guide fixes

• Added new articles about Coliseum mode.
• Added pictures to some popular articles.
• Compatible weapons for attachments are now displayed correctly.
• You can now configure Codex notifications separately so you don’t miss newly unlocked materials.
• Articles are now marked as “Unread” only if a notification has been received.

Balance adjustments

Artefact changes

Weapon changes

Armour changes

Other balance adjustments

Other changes and fixes

• Within the next few days we will issue compensation for Triumphs. It will be provided to players who changed their nickname over the past year and their Triumph progress wasnot transferred to the new name. The compensation will be delivered via an in-game system message to the in-game mail.
• Added animations for placing anomalous devices, tents, stashes, and other in-game objects. The visuals of the animations will be further improved.
• Renamed Colosseum session battle map to Transit.
• Returned the Bar reputation level 3 requirement to allow entry into Session Battles.
• Fixed a bug that caused attachments in preview to extend beyond the screen and become inaccessible when there were a large number of them. A fixed width of 5 cells is now set, and scrolling has been added for items that don’t fit in the list.
• Control of the underbarrel device is divided into separate settings for the primary and secondary slots. The default button for activating the underbarrel grenade launcher now corresponds to the key used to select that weapon.
• For example, if an underbarrel grenade launcher is equipped in the primary slot, you can activate it by pressing the primary weapon key (default: 1) twice.
• Trailblazer motif is now compatible with the Dude style and the Storyteller and Artist cloak styles for the Albatross Heavy Assault Exoarmor.
• Updated basic guitar model. Added the ability to paint all guitars using weapon paint.
• You can now disable the display of health bars for NPCs and various objects in the game settings.
• The “Take all” action now takes the current item filter into account. For example, if the “Artefacts” filter is selected in the remains inventory, only the relevant items will be moved when the action is performed.
• Added Picatinny rail for the FAMAS G2 and its variants. Renamed FAMAS G2 SOPMOD. The silencer and underbarrel grenade launcher on the FAMAS G2 SG can now be removed, but they remain attached by default.
• Added the ability to hide the camouflage foliage on the CCA-Zephyr style. To do this, you need to equip the appropriate faction motif.

Added paint patterns for old motifs

Coliseum gives STALCRAFT: X players a new way to put their builds and squad coordination to work. Tell us what you think of the update in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, and Instagram.

Stalcraft: X

Developed by EXBO

STALCRAFT: X is the largest online game set in the open world of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.

Dive into this universe, filled with mutants and anomalies alone or with friends — unforgettable experiences are guaranteed!

• Genre: Shooter, Adventure
• Platforms: PC (Microsoft Windows)
• Modes: Multiplayer, Co-operative, Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO)
• Release: 2022-12-09
• IGDB Rating: 81.0/100

Steam Official Site