History of the game
How Karoball got from the first lines of code in July 2022 to the rebuilt game of 2026.
Karoball is older than it looks. It started in the summer of 2022, grew through 2023, went quiet for almost three years and came back rebuilt in September 2026.
The version numbers are easy to mix up. The 2022 builds were numbered 0.0.3 to 0.0.9, the 2023 game called itself v0.1 and the rebuilt game of 2026 picked up at 0.1.4, so today's 0.1.x is a different game from the v0.1 of 2023.
Four years in ten dates
Work began on the project, which was called KarromBall at first, and within days it had in-game chat and several pitches.
- v0.0.3
The first release, for Windows. The next few days added a scoreboard, fences round the pitches, a kick-off rule, the Meteor and the goal blast that threw everyone back after a goal, which lasted until 2026 when it became the Legendary Explosion celebration.
- v0.0.6
First on Android, with an on-screen stick and buttons.
- v0.0.7
The Phantom arrived, so all seven classes were there: Standard, Dribbler, Gorilla, Meteor, Lakaka, Disruptor and Phantom. WASD controls came in and the builds were called Karoball from then on.
- v0.0.8
The first big update and the first devlog on itch.io: new physics, a graphical overhaul, kits to customise, buildings, an options menu and class switching in the game.
- v0.0.9
Accounts with stats, an Elo rating, gold, items with rarities, an inventory, a shop, a leaderboard, profiles, a minimap and spectator mode. Then the game rested for seven months.
- v0.1
The seven classes were back to pick from, with bigger goals, a redesigned map, another graphical overhaul, an unlocked frame rate and a launcher with automatic updates.
- v0.1
Android v0.1 went up on itch.io. Work went on into November and then stopped, and apart from a couple of small server changes in 2025 nothing more happened for almost three years.
- v0.1.4Read the update
Work on the rebuild started on 20 September 2026, first of all on getting rid of the input delay. The next evening 0.1.4 went live with instant movement, a play menu with Quick Play and ranked queues, new town art and a new launcher.
- v0.1.19Read the update
After a week of releases that brought tournaments, parties and friends, trading and the town at night, the game opened to everyone as an open test.
Where it is now
Counting 0.1.4, that's 25 releases in two weeks, and the game has grown with almost every one. Every class has an ability, there are bots to play and challenges that unlock the classes, goal celebrations to collect, a shop with new stock every day, replays of every match and chat on the play menu. Each step has its own post on the updates page.
Karoball is still in open test. It's free, for Windows, with one server, in Europe. The old Android app can't join the rebuilt game, so for now there is no Android version. If you want to follow along or tell us what you think, come and say hello on Discord.
