Below, Rusted Gods Patch 1.23.1 Notes

Patch 1.23.1 is the first numbered retail changelog FromSouthGames posted for Below, Rusted Gods after the July 29, 2026 Steam unlock. Steam news titled it Update notes for v.1.23.1 and dated the transmission around July 30, 2026—roughly one day into launch week. This page explains each player-facing fix in Operator language, who should update immediately, and which wiki manuals to re-read. Pair it with the living ledger on Patch Notes and the recovery drills on Soft Locks Troubleshooting.

Why this hotfix mattered on day two

Launch-week Operators were already reporting progression stalls that felt like story gates but behaved like broken state machines: re-enabled electrical puzzles that never released control, Dimitri injury/death paths that froze the shift, and media players that kept “owning” interaction focus after you walked away. Patch 1.23.1 targets those exact failure modes plus two localization bugs that could confuse JP and FR interface players mid-scene.

If your save still soft-locks after updating, treat it as a new report—not as proof the patch never shipped. Confirm the client shows 1.23.1 (or newer) before filing via the Bug Report Guide.

Full game walkthrough (no commentary) — retail soft-lock context

Changelog, decoded for Operators

Electrical puzzle soft-lock

Official line: fixed a soft lock caused by re-enabling the electrical puzzle.

Player meaning: if you restored or re-triggered an electrical puzzle after an earlier interaction, the game could trap you in a state where neither puzzle completion nor leaving the beat advanced the mission. Update before repeating that loop. If you were mid-puzzle when the news posted, finish the Steam update, reload, and re-test once—then follow How to Progress When Stuck if the stall was actually a missed cue instead of a bug.

Dimitri leg-injury soft-lock

Official line: fixed a soft lock that could occur when Dimitri dies from his leg injury.

Player meaning: a specific injury → death path for Dimitri could halt progression entirely. That is distinct from “the ending felt bad.” If your run froze around Dimitri’s injury outcome, update to 1.23.1 and retry from the nearest sensible save. Context on who Dimitri is and why status flags matter lives on Squad Members and Life Support & Squad.

Dimitri death flag

Official line: fixed an issue where Dimitri was not correctly flagged as dead.

Player meaning: even when the fiction said Dimitri was gone, internal flags could disagree—breaking later branches, UI, or event gates. After the patch, death status should track consistently for narrative and systems logic. Re-read Decisions & Branching only if you are comparing ending routes; otherwise stay spoiler-light and verify the build first.

VHS player auto-off outside range

Official line: the VHS player now turns off automatically when the player moves outside its interaction range.

Player meaning: walking away from a tape deck/VHS interaction no longer leaves the device “stuck on” in a way that steals focus or blocks other prompts. Useful when you juggle facility media and desk instruments in the same minute—see Cassettes & Lore and Operator Station.

Japanese localization — member code

Official line: fixed an incorrect member code in the Japanese localization.

Player meaning: JP interface/subtitle players could see the wrong member code string. After updating, restart the client so language packs reload—habits covered on Supported Languages.

French localization — Maria’s song characters

Official line: fixed incorrect characters in Maria’s song in the French localization.

Player meaning: FR players could see garbled or wrong characters during Maria’s song moment. This is a display/text fix, not a new song. Spoiler discipline: do not hunt the scene early; if you already hit it with broken glyphs, update and replay that beat. More language matrix detail: Supported Languages.

Who should update right now

• Anyone stuck on electrical re-enable loops
• Anyone frozen around Dimitri injury/death
• JP players who noticed wrong member codes
• FR players who saw broken characters in Maria’s song
• Anyone whose VHS/tape interaction felt “sticky” after walking away

Everyone else should still update—hotfix stacks stay healthier when the fleet is current. Launch pricing and store context remain on Price & Discount and Out Now Launch.

Verify the build before you blame the wiki

1. Fully exit Below, Rusted Gods.
2. Let Steam finish the update for app 2895680.
3. Relaunch and note the version/build string if shown (or Steam’s download history time).
4. Re-test the stuck beat once with headphones—Headphones & Audio.
5. If still broken, capture repro steps with the Bug Report Guide and the official Google Form linked from Steam launch news.

Wiki pages to re-read after 1.23.1

• Soft Locks Troubleshooting — diagnose bug vs missed cue
• Patch Notes — living ledger entry
• Life Support & Squad + Squad Members — status flags
• Supported Languages — FR/JP hotfix notes
• How to Progress When Stuck — non-bug stalls
• Full Game Walkthrough — only if you need spoiler-aware routing

What this patch does not claim

Steam’s 1.23.1 notes do not announce new endings, new achievements, balance passes, or Deck control remaps. Do not invent those. Endings count remains four; achievements remain eight—see Full Game vs Demo and Achievements & Collectibles. Review temperature as of early August sits around Very Positive (~88% from ~147 reviews) on Review.

Mid-article footage note

The embedded no-commentary full-game walkthrough is context for retail pacing and soft-lock-prone facility beats—not a substitute for the official changelog. Use it to recognize rooms and media props, then return here for patch truth.

Reporting etiquette after a hotfix

Say whether you are on pre-1.23.1 or 1.23.1+. Include whether Dimitri’s death UI looked wrong, whether the electrical puzzle was a re-enable, and whether a VHS prompt stayed active across rooms. That vocabulary matches what the Administration already fixed once—and helps them see regressions fast. Community channels: Discord & Community.

Closing transmission

Update. Re-test. Then decide if you need recovery literacy or a bug ticket. Keep Soft Locks Troubleshooting and Patch Notes pinned beside this page through launch week. The hole does not care that you were “about to” patch—only that your flags finally match the story.