One of the best surprises of 2022 was the launch of Core Keeper, a mining and crafting sandbox and co-op survival game for up to eight players. Set deep underground, Core Keeper's sprawling subterranean world is full of hidden dangers and brutal boss monsters, but it also manages to be as cozy as Stardew Valley While the rest of the PC Gamer crew was dodge-rolling through Elden Ring in March, I was happily digging through the various biomes of the underground world.

I wasn't alone: Core Keeper became a hit, racking up 500,000 downloads in its first two weeks of Early Access on Steam. Since then, developer Pugstorm has been busy expanding the sandbox with an undersea update in June, a crossover with Terraria in September, and a Halloween event last month.

On November 10, Core Keeper will be getting a new update. The Desert of Beginnings, a sandy, scorching hot new biome, will be added to the Underworld along with a new sub-biome called "Blast Furnace". There's already going to be a lot of new things to do and fun new ways to get around the world: go-karts. Go-karts!

In the new desert biome, players will be able to find and mine a new resource: galaxite ore. There, they will be able to build three types of go-karts to move around the underworld, speed away from enemies, and compete with other players.

Then, when you're done off-roading, take on two new bosses: the molten lump Ignis and the sand giant Ra Akar. Like the other Core Keeper bosses, these battles are always brutally tough and it will be fun to watch players strategize to defeat the new behemoths. The update also includes several new base-building options, including a new insect-capturing net that allows players to collect 12 different insects, including beetles and fireflies, to decorate their homes.

The trailer below shows off a new biome, one of the bosses, and a fun-looking go-kart:

According to Pugstorm, in addition to the new biome and boss, "you'll be able to fish from a boat or minecart" and "clickable recipes that ingredients can be added to the pot automatically," and "larger world objects, such as large chunks of ruins in the world, can be destroyed, picked up, and placed," will be added in the update. caveling enemy types will be increased, and the soundtrack will be expanded with music.

Core Keeper is available on Steam, and you can read more about the November 10 update here. A gallery of screenshots follows.