Monthly Update - July 2026
July's headline is Compass, a new way to navigate a game's world without losing track of what you set out to do. Wand Maps also grew by 67 maps, including all 15 campaign levels of Halo: Campaign Evolved and a rebuilt map for Palworld 1.0. Maps shared links got shorter and easier to read, the app's home screen now has a collection button for games with Auto Highlights, and the game library kept growing, with 64 new games and mods updated for 280 games.
Compass
Sometimes a big open world is a bit overwhelming. You know where the quest item is and you don't want to spend ten minutes getting there and back, just to advance to the next step of the quest and do it all over again. If that sounds like you, then you should check out Teleport. Other times though, you're in the mood for the walk. You want to experience the world and all its surprises, but don't want to get so turned around that you lose track of what you set out for in the first place. Enter Compass.
Open the map in Wand's in-game overlay and you will see a small compass icon on any pin. Click it and Compass launches as a small widget that stays on screen while you play, pointing you toward that spot and updating live as you move and turn. When your target is above or below you, it switches to a 3D arrow. As you get close, it tightens up, so you find the exact spot instead of circling it.
In Palworld that might mean tracking a base site you found earlier, a resource node on the way to somewhere else, or a Pal you've been trying to catch. You keep playing and Compass keeps pointing you in the right direction.
It pairs naturally with Checklists, the completion tracker built into Wand Maps. Mark a base site, a resource node, or a Pal spawn you want to come back for, and instead of holding the location in your head, click the pin's compass icon whenever you are ready and follow it straight there. It works the same way with custom pins you have dropped yourself, not just the ones already on the map.
Compass is live now for Palworld, with more games on the way.
Also This Month
Halo: Campaign Evolved mods
Halo: Campaign Evolved had Wand mods ready the day it arrived, and 15 maps covering the campaign followed within the week, from The Pillar of Autumn through The Library.
Shorter links for shared maps
Filter a map down to what you care about, or open a checklist you built, and the share link you get back is short and readable rather than a long string of category IDs. Shared views open on the web for anyone, with or without an account, and every link you shared before this keeps working.
Game collections on the home screen
The game collections section of the app home screen was updated, and there's a new collection for Auto Highlights. Open it and you get the full list of games where Wand captures your best moments for you, rather than checking title by title.
Palworld 1.0 map
Palworld 1.0 changed the world enough that it was time for a new map, so we rebuilt it from scratch. The new map launched with live location tracking and Teleport across its pins. Palworld is also the first game with our new Compass.
Post-session recap update
The recap after a play session now needs at least one clip or game event, and a session of 15 minutes or longer. Short sessions and empty recaps no longer trigger the post session screen.
$100 Steam gift card giveaway
We ran a giveaway in early July for players who switched to the beta channel. We know that you want to see more in-app giveaways, so be sure to keep an eye out.
Mod testing update
Any game with 1,000 or more weekly players gets tested by a dedicated team whenever something changes that could affect it, and anything flagged for testing gets looked at within about 10 hours. We wrote up how that works, and why it's someone's job here rather than a matter of hoping the right volunteer notices.
This Month in Games
In July we added 64 new games, updated mods for 280 games, and published 67 new maps on Wand Maps. A few of the new additions:
- Halo: Campaign Evolved (Xbox/PC Game Pass)
- Palworld 1.0
- Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
- Hell is Us (Xbox/PC Game Pass)
- Abyssus (Xbox/PC Game Pass)
- Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories
- Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout DX
- Date Everything!
- Moss: The Forgotten Relic
- ZeroSpace
- Tormented Souls 2
- NEBULOUS: Fleet Command
- Cyber Knights: Flashpoint
- WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition
- House Flipper Remastered Collection
Improvements & Fixes
Beyond the highlights above, here's what else shipped this month.
Improvements
- Manual clipping and Auto Highlights are now separate settings
- Clips play the moment you open them, from a thumbnail or a shared link, instead of waiting on a second click
- Clicking a game title from the videos header takes you to that game's Highlights page rather than its main page
- Higher quality thumbnails for clips stored on your own drive
- The Montage Ready notification stops coming back once you have dismissed it
- Showing all pins on a dense map no longer slows the map down
- Maps in the desktop app are now sorted by priority
- Descriptions on map hero actions and smart actions can include links
Bug Fixes
- Epic Games sign-in codes now reach players without needing support to step in
- Captured clips no longer start on a few black frames
- Cookie preferences now save in the desktop app, and the consent notice stops reappearing as you move between pages
- The View on Map link on a clip now opens the map at the pin where the clip was recorded
- Next and previous inside the video player now move through the clips from the session you opened, not every clip you have for that game
- Event markers on the video progress bar now update when you switch clips
- The input overlay stays in sync after you trim a clip
- Pin ordering displays correctly on a selected pin
- Fixed a case where a game map could fail to load at the start of a session
- Education cards on the Highlights page carousel no longer get cut off at some window sizes
- Checkout now shows a clear message when a payment method is declined, instead of a generic failure
- The "Try Pro for free" quest no longer appears for players who are not eligible for a free trial