Mars Horizon (Switch): Software updates (latest: Daring Expeditions Update)

On this page, you will find all there is to know about the various Software updates for Mars Horizon on Nintendo Switch (originally released on November 17th 2020 in Europe and North America)!

Click here for more Software updates!

Mars Horizon – Ver. ??? (Daring Expeditions Update)

• Release date: January 11th 2022 (North America, Europe)
• Patch notes:

• New Mission: Space Tourist
  • We’ve added a space tourist mission where you can elect to send a billionaire or an educator into space on their request. This is a high risk mission for your agency, possibly wrecking your reputation or granting you huge rewards. We’ve also added new narrative events and cinematics for this mission.
• New Mission: Chinese Rover Zhurong
  • This adds a new mission for players who are playing the Chinese space agency in the game; Chinese Rover Zhurong as a payload to send to Mars! We took inspiration from this recent dramatic accomplishment by the CNSA and have put it into our game along with brand new cinematics which reflect the activity of the mission.
• New Mission: Philae / Rosetta Mission
  • This adds a playable new mission where the comet that the Rosetta mission targeted appears in the Solar System – and you’re able to research a mission to land on it just like ESA did. There’s new narrative events which explain the comet’s formation and chart its relevance in science. We’ve also added a bunch of dramatic new cinematics as well as the new payloads.
• New flags, Spacepedia Updates, and Bugfixes
  • As well as these awesome new missions we’ve added loads of new nation flags to select when you begin your own custom agency. There are new spacepedia entries for space tourism, the Zhurong rover, and of course Rosetta and Philae. We’ve also implemented lots of bug fixes to address the balance of some missions and some localisation improvements.

• Additional notes: none.
• Source: The Irregular Corporation PR

Mars Horizon – Ver. ??? (Expanded Horizons Update)

• Release date: June 22nd 2021 (North America, Europe)
• Patch notes:

No patch notes available. This update brings the following:

• new sandbox mode
  • Unlocks ALL upgrades
  • Launches NEVER fail
  • Unlimited mission gameplay battery
  • FREE building moving
  • Removing obstructions is FREE
  • Starting funds 
  • Starting support tier
  • A save icon to identify these sandbox saves at a glance
• new ultra-hard Iron Core mode
  • Iron Core mode will save after EVERY SINGLE TURN whether you want it to or not
  • Like with Sandbox Mode, a save icon will identify these Iron Core saves to help differentiate it.
• new missions inspired by Mars Perseverance
• additional achievements
• other enhancements
• adds Reusable Vehicles
• adds the Early Observations vehicle pack
  • SPOT Satellite mission
  • Rockets Nippon 1 and Nippon 2
• adds the Distant Observations Vehicle Pack
  • Vega Rocket
  • Akari Satellite
  • Himawari Satellite
• The menu header highlights now loop, as per community requests, so now you can cycle through headers more easily
• In-progress missions are better highlighted in the UI – we’ve added a pulse, a clipboard, and a research icon which are displayed when appropriate, so it’s always clear what missions are underway in your list 
• Made the ‘Complete Task’ button in mission gameplay more obvious when it appears – now it’s highlighted and pulses slightly – it will be ghosted when it’s not applicable so it will be much more clear when you can finish a mission early
• Catch Up Mechanic – when you fail a mission the previously used parts will become cheaper and also build faster. A game changer! It makes catching up after a failed launch feel more manageable and it can lead to some great last minute changes in your fortune
• The agency icon size for the solar system screen is now on a slider for accessibility 
• Bonus reward communication now improved, there is now an animated font and more ceremony in the results screen when these are achieved – this makes getting a Mission Bonus more rewarding!
• We’ve made your rivals’ failures more obvious – they are now going to pop up red, pulse, and they’ll have a unique icon next to them in the Solar
• System screen in the News Ticker. Now you can get a feeling of smug satisfaction when you notice a rival experiencing a setback!
• Improved the drift icon – in response to community feedback, we’ve made it more clear to know if it will swing to the left or right by the addition of indicator arrows
• China’s space shuttle now has an arm-based deployment cinematic, so now you can watch Chinese payloads being plucked from the cargo bay and positioned in space
• And last – but by no means least – there’s a new agency logo! It’s our new company logo, the Auroch Aurochs! We love it.

• Additional notes: none.
• Source: The Irregular Corporation PR

How to download updates for Mars Horizon for the Nintendo Switch?

To download the updates for Mars Horizon, you have three options:

• let the console do its thing if you have automatic downloads activated, and didn’t completely turn it off

If not…

• try to launch the game from the Home Menu while being connected to the internet. You should get a prompt when doing so: simply follow the instructions on screen;

OR

• select the game > press either + or – to go to the Options page > select Software update > select Via the Internet.

To check that you have the latest version installed, simply select the game on the Home Menu, and press – or + to go to the Options: the version number is displayed just below the game title.