Stellar Blade: Everything MAJOR Added Since Launch

[00:01] If you caught the Summer Game Fest 2026

[00:04] showcase, you're likely buzzing about

[00:06] Stellar Blade being back in the

[00:07] spotlight thanks to its sequel

[00:09] announcement, Stellar Blade: Blood Rain.

[00:12] Even though details on Eve and the new

[00:14] setting are scarce, the hype is real. At

[00:17] least it is for me. Plus, it was just

[00:19] revealed that a Nintendo Switch 2 port

[00:22] of Stellar Blade is on the way. So,

[00:23] whether you're diving back in or

[00:25] starting fresh, we've got you covered.

[00:27] Here's a look at everything major going

[00:29] on with Adam, Eve, and Lily since

[00:31] launch.

[00:34] At launch, Stellar Blade arrived with a

[00:36] full story campaign, multiple endings,

[00:38] and a New Game Plus mode, a rarity these

[00:41] days. New Game Plus allowed players to

[00:43] keep their progression while tackling

[00:45] tougher enemies and experimenting with

[00:47] new skills, weapons, and nano suits. On

[00:50] the technical front, Stellar Blade was a

[00:52] showcase for the PlayStation 5,

[00:55] launching with smooth frame rates,

[00:56] ray-traced reflections, and full support

[00:59] for DualSense features. Shift Up clearly

[01:02] wasn't resting on its laurels, though,

[01:04] as launching Stellar Blade was just the

[01:06] beginning.

[01:09] Shift Up focused heavily on

[01:10] quality-of-life updates early on. They

[01:13] added map pins for easier navigation, a

[01:16] favorite system for inventory

[01:17] management, and confirmation prompts to

[01:20] avoid accidental money spending. They

[01:22] also tweaked combat targeting and

[01:24] lock-on mechanics, which made the

[01:26] tougher encounters feel more manageable.

[01:28] These small changes made a world of

[01:30] difference for long-term play. [music]

[01:32] One of the earliest major updates also

[01:34] introduced Boss Challenge as a dedicated

[01:37] mode, allowing players to rematch

[01:39] powerful enemies from throughout the

[01:40] game. Alongside it came five new nano

[01:43] suits, additional accessibility options

[01:45] like extended puzzle timers, and auto

[01:47] targeting improvements for the shooting

[01:49] segments, as well as quality-of-life

[01:51] features such as an always visible

[01:53] compass toggle. Subsequent updates

[01:56] continued that momentum, adding even

[01:58] more nano suits, expanded hairstyle

[02:00] customization options, and additional

[02:03] accessibility improvements that helped

[02:05] make Stellar Blade more welcoming to a

[02:07] broader range of players.

[02:10] Later in 2024, the highly anticipated

[02:14] photo mode dropped, letting players

[02:16] pause the action to snap cinematic shots

[02:18] with custom filters, angles, and poses.

[02:21] Along with that, we got a ton of new

[02:22] outfits and [music] cosmetic options for

[02:24] Eve, letting players customize her look

[02:27] without messing with the gameplay

[02:28] balance.

[02:31] Stellar Blade's post-launch content also

[02:33] included several crossovers and DLC

[02:36] packs. One of the earliest and most

[02:38] notable was a collaboration with Nier:

[02:40] Automata, which introduced themed

[02:42] outfits for Eve, a roaming merchant

[02:44] inspired by Emil, and a handful of

[02:47] cosmetic items. This content was

[02:49] completely optional, fully integrated

[02:51] into the main world, and entirely

[02:53] focused on visual customization.

[02:56] Later, content from Shift Up's Goddess

[02:58] of Victory: Nikke franchise arrived,

[03:01] adding more outfits and themed visuals.

[03:03] Like the Nier crossover, this DLC

[03:05] emphasized cosmetic personalization

[03:08] without altering gameplay balance or

[03:09] [music] progression. While the Nier

[03:11] collab sent Eve on a scavenger hunt to

[03:13] search for Stellar Tears, the Nikke

[03:15] collab actually brought the mobile

[03:17] game's signature gameplay to Stellar

[03:20] Blade. It also brought with it brand new

[03:22] Nikke-inspired outfits for Eve to wear,

[03:24] alongside a brand new boss, Scarlet.

[03:29] The Boss Challenge mode grew

[03:30] significantly after launch, adding new

[03:33] bosses and in-game content that really

[03:35] pushed player skill. It became the go-to

[03:37] mode for testing out loadouts and combat

[03:39] mastery. The addition of Scarlet in

[03:42] particular gave veteran players a

[03:43] formidable new encounter to overcome,

[03:46] further cementing Boss Challenge as one

[03:48] of Stellar Blade's most robust

[03:50] post-launch additions.

[03:52] The December 2024 update added festive

[03:55] cheer with seasonal outfits,

[03:57] holiday-themed music, and decorations in

[03:59] Xion. The coolest part? It's all

[04:02] optional. You can turn the holiday

[04:04] visuals and music on or off whenever you

[04:06] want, keeping the game fresh all year

[04:08] round. The event also featured

[04:10] holiday-themed activities and rewards,

[04:12] [music] giving players even more reasons

[04:14] to visit Xion during the season.

[04:18] Stellar Blade expanded beyond the

[04:20] PlayStation 5 in June [music] 2025 with

[04:22] a Steam release. This version introduced

[04:25] technical enhancements, including

[04:26] unlocked frame rates, ultra-wide monitor

[04:29] support, HDR, and modern upscaling

[04:31] options such as DLSS and FSR. These

[04:35] improvements gave PC players more

[04:37] control over performance and visuals,

[04:39] while also expanding the game's reach to

[04:41] a broader audience. Alongside the PC

[04:43] release, new content was added for

[04:45] [music] all platforms. Boss Challenge

[04:47] received additional encounters,

[04:49] including the previously mentioned

[04:50] Scarlet, while photo mode once again

[04:52] gained new poses and expressions, as

[04:55] well as even more outfits and

[04:57] accessories. A large number of new music

[04:59] tracks and rearranged themes were also

[05:01] introduced, further enhancing

[05:03] replayability. Steam-specific features

[05:06] such as trading cards, badges, and

[05:07] achievements were added as well. The

[05:10] Complete Edition update also introduced

[05:12] a number of smaller enhancements,

[05:14] including a digital art book unlocked

[05:16] after completing the game, expanded

[05:18] language support, additional

[05:19] accessibility features such as fall

[05:21] prevention options, and even more

[05:23] controller customization choices.

[05:26] Together, these additions helped make

[05:28] Stellar Blade's most complete version

[05:30] feel appropriately named.

[05:33] Around the same time as the PC release,

[05:35] Stellar Blade added support for

[05:37] PlayStation 5 Pro. This introduced

[05:39] multiple graphics modes exclusive to

[05:42] PlayStation's newest console, including

[05:44] a high frame rate mode targeting up to

[05:46] 80 FPS on 120 hertz displays. The update

[05:49] also improved image clarity and

[05:51] resolution using Sony's PSSR upscaling

[05:55] technology, allowing the game to run at

[05:57] 4K with enhanced visual fidelity and

[06:00] smoother performance. Players could

[06:02] choose between performance-focused or

[06:03] balanced visual modes, making the

[06:05] experience highly flexible depending on

[06:07] display setup and personal preference.

[06:11] One of the most substantial post-launch

[06:13] content additions came in the September

[06:15] 2025 update, which included three new

[06:18] epilogues. These added new narrative

[06:20] beats and expanded the game's story

[06:22] beyond one of the original endings.

[06:24] While relatively short and mostly

[06:26] lighthearted, these epilogues provided a

[06:28] meaningful bonus for players who had

[06:30] wrapped up the story [music]

[06:31] and wanted to spend a little bit more

[06:33] time with Eve and the residents of Zion

[06:35] before moving on.

[06:38] At the June 9th, 2026 Nintendo Direct,

[06:41] it was announced that Stellar Blade

[06:42] would be arriving on Nintendo's newest

[06:44] hardware, the Nintendo Switch 2. Not too

[06:47] much is known about what the port will

[06:49] offer other than the full game, but it

[06:51] is known that it's releasing in 2026 and

[06:53] it will feature gyro controls for side

[06:55] activities like fishing. Neither Shift

[06:58] Up nor Nintendo have provided any

[07:00] technical information such as target

[07:02] frame rates or resolutions. For now,

[07:04] we'll just have to wait and see what

[07:06] additional technical details Shift Up

[07:07] shares as we get closer to launch.

[07:11] Today, Stellar Blade offers more bosses,

[07:14] more customization, more cosmetic and

[07:16] seasonal content, and more technical

[07:18] flexibility than at launch. Shift Up has

[07:20] steadily grown the game through free

[07:22] updates, DLC, seasonal events, PC and

[07:25] PS5 Pro enhancements, hard mode,

[07:27] accessibility, and expanded epilogues,

[07:30] all without relying on intrusive live

[07:31] service mechanics. With Stellar Blade

[07:34] Blood Rain on the horizon, it's never

[07:36] been a better time to get caught up on

[07:38] everything Stellar Blade. To help with

[07:40] this, make sure to check out our guides

[07:41] and walkthroughs for the base game and

[07:43] all of the collab events. These guides

[07:45] include full walkthroughs on the NECA,

[07:47] Christmas, and Near DLCs. We also have a

[07:50] full interactive map on our IGN Wiki to

[07:53] help you track down every last secret,

[07:55] nano suit, side quest, and accessory.

[07:57] [music]

[07:58] For more on Stellar Blade and the

[07:59] upcoming Blood Reign, you're already in

[08:02] the right place, IGN.