The Cosmetics Update for R.E.P.O. went live on May 7, and developer semiwork delivered a lot more than new hats. Alongside over 500 unlockable cosmetic parts, the update brings a redesigned shop, seven new items, a fresh game mode, balance tweaks, and a lengthy list of bug fixes that players have been waiting on.
What 500+ cosmetics actually means for players
The headline number is worth unpacking. Cosmetic parts are found in boxes scattered through levels, then extracted for tokens that you spend in the shop. It's a loop that gives you a reason to keep scavenging beyond just the main objective, which fits naturally into how co-op games like R.E.P.O. already play. The shop itself has been rebuilt with new environments and a shopkeeper that can be toggled on to help manage the space. Semiwork also teased that the shopkeeper might be hiding some secrets, so expect the community to start poking around immediately.
The new Shop Upgrade Reroller is a small but meaningful addition. Pay to swap out upgrades still sitting on the shelf for a fresh selection, which should cut down on those runs where the shop just never offers what your squad needs.
Seven new items and a racing mode
The item roster expanded significantly with this patch. Here's everything added:
- Semibot Walkies - new communication tool
- Scout - new utility item
- Hauler - new carrying item
- Defibro - new revival item
- Leaf Blower - new physics item
- Roll Staff - new staff weapon
- Zero Gravity Staff - new staff weapon
- Void Staff - new staff weapon
Three new staves in one update is a meaningful expansion to the combat toolkit. The Defibro is the one to watch for co-op squads since revival tools change how teams handle wipes.
The King of the Losers game mode also gets a new variant: Race. The mode already had a dedicated following, and adding a racing format gives it a different kind of competitive energy.
Balance changes worth knowing
Semiwork touched several systems that affect how runs actually feel. Sprint energy drain now scales with acceleration, so you stop burning stamina before you've even hit full speed. The Tumble Climb upgrade got a price increase but also a meaningful buff: you can grab walls in red mode now, though being forced into tumble temporarily disables climbing.
On the enemy side:
- Shadow Child holds players for longer
- Tick suck frequency slows as it grows and detaches when far from its target
- Cleanup Crew head pauses briefly after taking a hit
The Boltzap item no longer destroys hinged objects with its bullets, which fixes some frustrating interactions where you'd accidentally wreck the environment mid-run.
Several upgrades, including Death Head Battery and Map Player Count, no longer spawn in single-player games. If you play solo, your upgrade pool just got a bit cleaner.
Updated melee swing controls
The fix list is longer than most patches
The bug fix section covers a lot of ground. A few standouts:
- Camera smoothing no longer runs slower at higher framerates
- Crown now persists correctly when re-hosting a lobby
- Enemy Elsa actually leaves after being petted now
- Handgun no longer spawns with 2 extra ammo
- Steam Rich Presence no longer shows %levelname% when rich presence is off
- Truck now saves your game when you exit, and loads you back in the truck on return
The truck save fix is one of those quality-of-life changes that sounds minor but matters a lot in longer sessions. No more losing your position because you had to quit mid-run.
Melee weapons also got a full pass: swing direction now matches scroll direction, there's a short delay before they're usable after pulling them from inventory, and they can be thrown with torque. The main menu now flags [MODDED] next to the version number when mods are active, which should help with troubleshooting.
What's next
The Cosmetics Update is the biggest content drop R.E.P.O. has seen since the Monster Update added 10 new enemies last year. With the shop infrastructure now in place and 500+ parts to find, semiwork has built a system they can keep expanding. For everything else you need to know about navigating these new systems, our R.E.P.O. guides collection is the place to start.
