An unusual bug prevented some Xbox Game Pass users from completing the intro to the newly released Atomic Heart. It's not entirely clear what is causing this glitch, though it may stem from an issue that occurs for players who preloaded the game or downloaded it shortly after release. Fortunately, this Atomic Heart bug proved relatively easy to fix.
Developed by Mundfish, Atomic Heart is a "Shock-like" first-person shooter set in an alternate universe where a Soviet scientist developed a substance called Polymer in the 1930s. This programmable liquid led to massive technological breakthroughs in energy, robotics, and artificial intelligence. The same scientist later developed a device called Thought, allowing humans to integrate Polymer directly into their bodies. However, Thought's launch goes horribly wrong, and players take control of Major Sergei Nechaev as he battles killer robots, biological experiments run amok, and his own deteriorating psyche. The game was released today on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox X/S.
While it's yet to cause any robot uprisings, Atomic Heart hasn't had a perfect launch either. Atomic Heart has significant performance issues and bugs on specific platforms, including multiple Xbox Game Pass users finding themselves unable to advance past the game's intro. Players would reach a point in the quest, "No Rest for the Wicked," where the game instructs them to get into a car. However, when players get close enough to interact with the door, a small message appears showing a padlock and saying the content is only available in the full version of the game.
It appears that this message is supposed to show up if players begin Atomic Heart while it is still installing. However, some Xbox Game Pass users on PC are still seeing it even after the download is completed. Fortunately, it appears that quitting the game and relaunching Xbox Game Pass App is usually enough to fix this bug. According to some accounts, the app may need to download an update before resolving the problem. Most of the Reddit posts reporting this bug stem from early this morning, so developers may have fixed the underlying issue.
Even discounting this major annoyance, Atomic Heart hasn't been off to a perfect start. While critics have praised elements of its story and underlying gameplay design, this is offset by a significant amount of padding and numerous bugs and performance issues on some platforms. Game ZXC gave Atomic Heart an "Okay" rating of 2/5, while its average Metacritic scores indicate a divisive reception overall.
Atomic Heart is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
