The Long Dark update 2.51 is available to download on PS5 and Xbox. According to The Long Dark 2.051 patch notes, the latest update fixes critical profile-progress loss and restored proper knife and tool actions. Additionally, The Long Dark patch 2.51 also resolves structure-repair bypass, and corrected Cougar spawn for new saves.
The Long Dark Version 2.51 Patch Notes – December 11, 2025
Gameplay, UI, Controls
Key Fixes
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Profile Progress Preservation
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Fixed a critical issue causing loss of Badges and Feats or triggering intermittent “profile failed to load” notifications at game start.
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Safehouse Customization Repair Requirements
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Fixed an exploit that let players bypass required materials when repairing structures.
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Cougar Spawn Behavior
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Fixed a bug preventing the Cougar from spawning on saves where it was enabled after initial save creation.
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Note: Existing affected saves will not be retroactively fixed.
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Knife and Tool Functionality
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Restored proper usage for Improvised Knife, Improvised Hatchet, Survival Knife, and Cougar Claw Knife for Harvesting, opening Canned Food, and Breaking Ice.
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Known Issues
Platform-Specific Issues
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MacOS & Linux Shadows
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Additional Shadows for Structures and Terrain remain temporarily disabled due to an engine-level visual bug.
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This affects both platforms; feature will be re-enabled once resolved.
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HDR Display Issue
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Rare occurrences where the screen appears fully black when launching with HDR enabled due to brightness being set to zero.
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Workaround: Switch to a non-HDR display, increase brightness, then return to HDR.
Since the last major update 2.22, players have been experiencing multiple issues and bugs Hopefully, today’s The Long Dark version 2.051 will address some of these issues and bugs.
Download The Long Dark update 2.51 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC and Xbox.
