Overview
Both servers take their daily update at 06:00 UK time. A first warning goes out at 05:45, and a ten minute countdown starts at 05:50. Staff can also schedule an update at another time, and you get the same countdown.
While a countdown is running, a pill at the top right of your screen counts down. It reads Update in when you will stay connected and Restart in when you will be disconnected, so you always know which kind is coming.
English server: soft restarts
On the English server an update usually loads while you play. This is a soft restart.
A small card under the "Update in" pill shows the countdown and explains that you will stay connected. Do not disconnect.
When the countdown ends, your game may freeze for up to a minute while the update loads.
You are then put back exactly where you were, with your vehicle, and a notice tells you which version the server updated to.
If your session cannot be carried over in time, you are asked to log in again. Nothing is lost: your character is exactly where you left it.
Now and then an update needs a full restart instead. When that happens the pill reads "Restart in" and the countdown works as it does on the Balkan server.
Balkan server: full restarts
On the Balkan server every update is a full restart. The countdown tells you that everything is saved and that you will be disconnected. When it ends, the server restarts and you can rejoin about a minute later.
The last two minutes
For the last two minutes before an update, nothing new that would be cut off halfway can start. You are told the server updates shortly and to try again afterwards. These are refused:
new jobs and contracts
races
rentals
lab processes
flight tests
callouts
listening parties
custody bookings
Casino tables close for the same two minutes.
Work in progress
Whatever you were doing when the update lands is settled fairly, on both servers:
If you were | What happens |
|---|---|
On a job run or delivery | It is ended and you are paid for the work already done |
Renting something | The rental ends and the fee is returned |
Entered in a race | The race is called off and your entry is refunded |
At a casino table | The table closes and your bet is returned |
Using placed items | They are returned to your inventory |
Holding an unpaid fuel ticket | The ticket is settled |
On duty | Your duty time and wages are saved |
On a phone call | The call is ended |
What changed
Every update comes with patch notes. The Changelog lists them, newest first, and the Discord posts them too.
See also
Changelog for what each update changed
English and Balkan servers for the other differences between the servers