Upgrades in Barfender: CO-OP Bar Simulator control how quickly your bar transitions from a chaotic dive into an expansive nightclub. Developed by Proto Division and released in Early Access on October 12, 2026, the game ties venue upgrades to your bar star rating, equipment orders through in-game smartphone apps, and physical property expansions.
Upgrading efficiently prevents your team from becoming overwhelmed by growing crowds, messy patrons, and unruly brawlers. Here is how progression, drink licenses, venue renovations, and staff upgrades function based on official patch notes and verified gameplay.
Star Ratings and Decoration Points
Your overall progression hinges on the My Bar smartphone app, which monitors shift performance, customer satisfaction, and your bar's Star Rating.
Prior to the October 15 update, licenses were tied directly to story quest milestones. Proto Division overhauled this mechanic so that beverage licenses unlock based on your current Star Rating. Crucially, once you achieve a star level, any license unlocked at that tier remains unlocked permanently, even if temporary mishaps cause your rating to dip later.
Advancing your Star Rating requires accumulating Decoration Points alongside shift goals like hitting revenue targets, distributing promotional flyers, and collecting tips:
- Placing Furniture: Tables, bar stools, and proper chairs bought through the aMart app increase your venue's score. Be mindful of budget items; early gameplay tests show that cheap seating, such as basic lawn chairs, actually penalizes you with -2 decoration points.
- Outdoor Topiaries: The October 17 update introduced six new garden topiary decorations—Cat, Chicken, Dog, Duck, Parrot, and Unicorn—giving players additional exterior decorative score options.
- Lowered Thresholds: As of the October 15 patch, developers reduced the decoration points required to hit higher star ratings, making early stars faster to achieve.
Drink Licenses and Bar Equipment Upgrades
Expanding your drink catalog allows you to cater to higher-paying customers, though each tier introduces additional mechanical prep steps behind the counter.
License Tiers
- Tap Beer: The basic license that lets you install a keg dispenser on your counter. Customers order both bottled lager and draft beer from barrels, requiring you to purchase matching beer mugs and maintain draft stock.
- Whiskey: Unlocks whiskey bottles and dedicated glassware. Patrons can order neat pours or mixed varieties. Player sessions observe initial whiskey licensing costs around $30.
- Cocktails: Expands your service to high-end mixed drinks. This tier requires cocktail shakers and assorted mixers. Player testing notes the cocktail license costs roughly $60, though non-alcoholic mixers like Cola require further story and shift progression before becoming available in aMart.
Equipment and Bar Upgrades
Unlocking drinks requires complementary hardware to store, prepare, and serve them:
- Serving Trays: Essential for co-op runs, carrying trays allow one player to transport multiple drinks or snacks simultaneously rather than ferrying single bottles back and forth.
- Mini-Fridgess: Provide organized cold storage for bottled lagers and specialty beers, freeing up prep counter space.
- Drink Menu Capacity: Following the October 17 balance update, menu slot capacity was doubled from 8 to 16 slots, allowing you to offer a much wider variety of beers and cocktails on a single night.
- Sinks: Used for cleaning dirty beer mugs and cocktail glasses returned from vacated tables.
Property Expansions and Financing
As customer volume climbs, your starting floor plan quickly becomes congested. You can expand the bar footprint by purchasing neighboring shop spaces through the Property app.
- Unlocking Rooms: Early venue expansion costs around $650. In the October 17 update, developers refined the Property app interface so it exclusively lists unmet requirements; rooms you qualify for are no longer misleadingly marked as locked when you simply lack the necessary funds.
- Bank Loans: If your nightly profit margin cannot cover immediate expansion costs, you can visit the local bank to take out cash loans (for instance, borrowing $1,360 with a total debt repayment of $1,400). However, active bank loans apply an ongoing deduction against your bar's earnings until the balance is settled.
- Pawn Shop Recycling: Yousef runs the neighborhood pawn shop down the street, offering instant cash for secondhand furniture, leftover equipment, or items like the acoustic guitar found during the opening shift. The October 15 patch scaled dispenser resale values based on how full they are when sold.
- Horse Race Betting: Adjacent to the bar district sits a horse betting tent where players can gamble spare cash on odd or even horses, though bad bets can rapidly deplete your renovation budget.
Staff and Automation Upgrades
Hiring additional staff is critical for keeping shifts running smoothly when drink rushes hit. While early planning had staff slated for post-launch, Proto Division added the Employee System on day one due to community demand.
- Waiters and Servers: Players can print job advertisements at the local Print Shop (costing $1 per advert) to recruit NPC servers. Waiters deliver ordered drinks to seated customers and clear away empty glassware.
- Table Assignment Upgrades: In the October 15 update, developers removed the distance limit on staff assignments and added visual highlights to show which tables are already covered by an employee.
- Future Roles (Early Access Roadmap): In post-launch announcements, the development team confirmed that dedicated Cleaners are the next staff type in production to handle washing dishes, with bouncers and automated secondary bartenders planned for future updates.
Barfender Upgrade Systems Overview
| Upgrade Category | Key Requirements | Primary Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Star Ratings | Decoration points, shift earnings, flyers, tips | Unlocks new beverage licenses and property milestones |
| Drink Licenses | Star Rating tiers, aMart license fee purchase | Introduces higher-value drinks (Tap Beer, Whiskey, Cocktails) |
| Venue Expansions | Cash threshold ($650 for early expansion), Property app | Increases seating capacity and room for bar activities |
| Bar Equipment | Purchased via aMart (Taps, Fridges, Shakers, Trays) | Enables prep for licensed drinks and faster order transport |
| Staff (Waiters) | Job adverts printed at the Print Shop | Automates table service and bussing across assigned zones |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you lose unlocked licenses if your Star Rating drops?
No. Following the October 15 patch, once you reach the Star Rating required to unlock a beverage license, that license remains permanently available for purchase and use even if your rating decreases later.
Why is an expansion room locked in the Property app?
If you have met the stage prerequisites, the room is available. The October 17 update fixed an interface issue where rooms appeared locked when you simply did not have enough cash in hand to complete the transaction.
Can you hire bouncers or dishwashers in the current version?
Not yet. The currently available staff role is the waiter/server. Proto Division has officially announced that Cleaners will be the next staff role added to help with dirty dishes, followed by bouncers and automated bartenders in future Early Access roadmap updates.
Can you change your game difficulty without restarting your save?
Yes. As of the October 17 update, you can adjust your save's difficulty via the Options menu at any time. Changes take effect at the start of your next in-game shift. Switching to the Cozy Nook preset disables customer puking, thieves, the hobo, and visits from hostile thugs.
