Quick summary
- Latest normal Steam version verified here: 0.14.58630, released August 14, 2026.
- Mixed-store crossplay: use the Steam branch named crossplay.
- Tradeoff: the compatibility branch can receive updates later than normal Steam.
- The August 13 and 14 updates improved networking and fixed several desync bugs, but matching versions remains a separate prerequisite.
How to switch to the Crossplay Beta branch
- 1
Open the game in your Steam Library
Do not launch the game yet. Find Tears of Metal in the Library list. - 2
Open Properties
Right-click Tears of Metal and choose Properties. - 3
Open Betas
Select the Betas section in the Properties window. - 4
Select crossplay
Choose the branch named crossplay. This is the exact branch name in Paper Cult's developer instructions. - 5
Let Steam finish the branch update
Start the game only after Steam has completed any required download, then compare the displayed version with the rest of the party.
Why the branch exists
Paper Cult explains that Steam updates can ship before the same patch receives approval for Game Pass and the Windows Store. The Crossplay Beta branch is maintained to match that store build. When the Game Pass patch ships, the developer says the compatibility branch is updated as well.
Check the Steam platform page for the normal PC build and requirements, or the Xbox status guide for the current Windows Game Preview and future Series X|S distinction. Then use this page only for the branch decision between those store versions.
That creates a deliberate tradeoff:
| Steam branch | Purpose | Current caveat |
|---|---|---|
| Normal / latest | Receive the newest Steam patch | Official 0.14 notice says crossplay compatibility is temporarily disabled |
| crossplay | Match the Game Pass / Windows Store version | Can trail the normal Steam branch by a patch |
Troubleshooting by symptom
| Symptom | Check first | What the evidence supports |
|---|---|---|
| Steam player cannot join a Game Pass / Windows Store group | Steam player is on the crossplay branch and has finished updating | Directly covered by Paper Cult's branch instructions |
| Two Steam players show different versions | Whether one is on normal Steam and the other is on crossplay | A branch mismatch is a plausible version mismatch |
| Everyone matches versions but the session desyncs or freezes | Confirm version 0.14 or the matching crossplay build, then check host and network stability and report logs | Recent patches improve networking and state sync, but do not guarantee that every connection problem is fixed |
| An older guide shows different balance or prices | The guide's patch versus the branch's displayed version | The Crossplay branch may deliberately be behind the normal build |
Save-file warning: historical scope
The developer's July 28 branch post warned that the then-current older Crossplay build did not yet contain the safer save-recovery pipeline and recommended duplicating this file before staying on that version:
C:/Users/YOURUSERNAME/appdata/locallow/paper cult/tears of metal/SaveData_ToM.txt
What the August 13 update and patch 0.14 improve
Paper Cult's August 13 update introduced networking optimization intended to reduce stuttering and desync, plus crash and performance work. Version 0.14.58630 then fixed several state-sync bugs affecting Elite and Boss HP, Threat Levels and Campaign Maps, along with other client-side issues.
These changes improve the normal branch, but they do not replace the Crossplay Beta requirement stated in the 0.14 announcement. Switching to the compatible branch can resolve a version mismatch; it does not prove that every relay, invite, latency or connection problem is fixed.
Which Steam beta should I choose for Tears of Metal crossplay?
Will the Crossplay Beta have the latest Steam patch?
Does switching branches fix every co-op problem?
Where is the Tears of Metal save file?
Official sources
- Paper Cult's Crossplay Steam Branch instructions
- Paper Cult's version 0.14.58630 announcement
- Paper Cult's August 13 networking update
- Paper Cult's version 0.11.57863 announcement
- Tears of Metal official Steam store page