Exploration vs Survival Mode
Mycelarium (the 2026 incremental game by PLAN KAPKAN) gained two modes in update 1.02 on 5 November 2026. The choice is at the start of a save. The update post does not describe a way to switch later.
| Fact | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Exploration | Fewer animals, more leaves, tasks remain | 1 official source |
| Survival | No end goals, tighter balance | 1 official source |
| Switching | Not described | left blank |
What the update post actually says
Exploration is “the original experience, now with fewer animals and more leaves for a more relaxed journey.” It keeps the evolution tasks. The surface screenshot’s corner panel, The Great Migration and the five magic mushrooms, belongs to that experience. The ending achievement, finish by a great migration, requires this mode because Survival has no ending to finish.
Survival is “no end goals or evolution tasks, just you against a tougher challenge with more demanding balance.” There is no Great Migration on that save. I am not filling in multipliers. The post does not give animal counts, food rates, or water rates. A second write-up of the same patch repeats the post and does not add numbers either.
Achievements across the two saves
Most of the 19 achievements are actions: grow a distance, build Predators, scare an animal, fire spores. Nothing in the achievement text says “Exploration only,” except the ending one by implication, because Survival has no migration to finish. Magic mushrooms and the alien ship can still be chased on Exploration. A community note says 1.02 saves started before the patch can lose magic mushrooms and the ship, and that a new save is how players got them back. That bug is not in an official known-issues list. I keep it on the updates page as a player report.
Pick Exploration if you want the task list, the five magic mushrooms as a goal, and the ending. Pick Survival if you want the tighter balance and you do not care about the migration achievement. The demo is a separate app and does not document either mode.
Questions people ask
Can I change mode mid-save?
The update post does not offer a switch. The community guide describes it as fixed for that save; the official post does not confirm a mid-save switch.
Which mode has the ending?
Exploration. Survival’s description removes end goals.
Related pages
Sources
- Steam news for Mycelarium — checked 2026-11-07
- Steam store page for Mycelarium — checked 2026-11-07
- mycelariums.wiki: game-modes — checked 2026-11-07
Checked 2026-11-07.