FAQ about Capitalism Lab Post-Release Beta

What the Post-Release Beta is, how to install it, and how it sits alongside the release version of the game.

The Post-Release Beta is free to all Capitalism Lab owners. There is nothing extra to buy.

Q: What is the Capitalism Lab Post-Release Beta version?

The beta build is a separate version of Capitalism Lab that includes new features and improvements before they reach the official release. It gives you early access to what we’re working on and helps us identify issues while changes are still easy to refine.

Each build serves a different purpose. The release version is the stable, fully polished game. The beta version is where new features appear first, and because those features are still fresh, they may contain bugs. If you want a dependable experience, use the release version. If you want to preview upcoming content and help us spot problems, use the beta.

After a beta build accumulates enough improvements and performs well through several weeks of testing, its changes are merged into the release version.

Q: Does the Post-Release Beta cost anything?

No. It is free to everyone who owns Capitalism Lab.

Q: Do I have to give up the release version to try the beta?

No. The beta installs separately from the release version, and you can keep both on your computer at the same time. Each gets its own desktop icon — click the one for the version you want to play.

You can run only one of them at a time.

Q: How do I find out what is new in the current beta?

Every beta build is announced on the Post-Release Beta forum, and the announcement post lists what has changed in that build.

Larger new features usually get a post of their own on the same forum, explaining how the feature works and what it changes in the game. If you are trying to work out how a beta differs from the release version, that forum is the place to look.

Q: How do I download and install the Post-Release Beta?

Both the full installer and the patches are announced on the Post-Release Beta forum. Install in this order:

1. Download and run the full version installer for the current beta.

2. Check the forum for a patch released after that installer, and apply it if there is one.

Post-Release Beta forum

Q: Do I need to apply every patch, or only the latest one?

Only the latest one. You do not have to work through the earlier patches in order.

Q: How do I apply a patch?

A patch is a ZIP file whose contents go into your Capitalism Lab Post-Release Beta program folder, replacing the files already there.

To find that folder, right-click the Capitalism Lab Post-Release Beta icon on your Windows desktop and choose Open file location from the pop-up menu.

Then open the ZIP file and extract everything inside it into that folder, choosing Replace when Windows asks about existing files.

Q: Where are the beta’s save games kept?

The two versions use separate folders, so neither can overwrite the other’s games:

Release version: My Documents › My Games › Capitalism Lab

Post-Release Beta: My Documents › My Games › Capitalism Lab Post-Release Beta

Q: Will my release-version saved games show up in the beta?

No. Each version lists only the games in its own save folder, so a game you saved in the release version will not appear in the beta’s load screen, or the other way round.

Q: Can I copy a saved game from one version’s folder to the other?

Moving save files between the two folders is not supported, and what happens if you try depends on which way you go.

A game saved in the beta will not load in the release version. The release version checks which build a game was saved with and refuses anything saved by a later one, telling you that the game was saved using a later game version.

A game saved in the release version will often not load in the beta either. It works only while the two builds still use the same save format, and a beta that changes that format stops listing older saved games on its load screen. There is no error message — the games simply do not appear, which is why copying a folder across can look as though nothing happened at all.

The dependable approach is to let each version keep its own games, and to finish a game in the version you started it in.

Q: Which forum should I post in?

There is a forum for each version, and posting in the matching one keeps each discussion useful to the people reading it:

Capitalism Lab – Release version — questions and discussion about the release version of the game.

Capitalism Lab – Post-Release Beta Version — everything to do with the beta: the download announcements, the new features, and anything that goes wrong in a beta build.

Reports from beta players are the main reason the beta exists, so if something looks wrong in a beta build, please tell us on the beta forum.

If you have any further questions, please email us at [email protected] and we will be happy to help.