Running a petrol station while secretly being an alien was apparently not enough.
Now the customers are getting abducted.
Cybernetic Walrus has released the latest major update for Roadside Research, expanding the co-op petrol station simulator with human abductions, new alien research systems, more automation and the first stages of what sounds like a considerably less subtle plan to invade Earth.
The appropriately named Abduction Update is available now for Roadside Research, which launched into Steam Early Access in February and supports solo play alongside online co-op for up to four players.
Human research gets slightly more invasive
Roadside Research already asks its undercover aliens to study customers while pretending to understand perfectly normal human activities such as stocking shelves, serving food and refuelling cars.
The Abduction Update takes that research to a rather more direct level.
Players can now abduct humans to gather additional information about their strange Earth-based subjects, while the existing Probing System has also been reworked with new difficulties and improved reactions from unfortunate research participants.
You still need to maintain the illusion that this is a perfectly normal petrol station, of course.
Roadside Research revolves around balancing business management with alien research, while keeping customer suspicion low enough to prevent government officials from turning up and discovering the entire operation.
Apparently making people mysteriously disappear is now part of maintaining that delicate balance.
F.A.R.T. is here to solve your restocking problems
One of the update’s most useful additions also has one of the stupidest names.
The Fully Automated Restocking Technician, or F.A.R.T., is a new robot designed to handle the tedious business of refilling shelves.
Cybernetic Walrus previously introduced automation through tools including self-service petrol pumps, self-checkout registers and automatic cleaning. Restocking remained one of the more hands-on jobs, so F.A.R.T. now takes some of that workload away from players.
That should leave considerably more time for the important work.
Like abducting people.
There is also a new Battery System powered by Giuseppe, a muscular hamster who can apparently be bribed with Research Points to run on a wheel and generate energy for alien technology.
We could probably write several paragraphs questioning the scientific reasoning behind that setup.
But honestly, “alien petrol station powered by ripped hamster” feels like it has already answered every question anyone could reasonably ask.
Suspicious customers can now be distracted
Keeping humans oblivious to what is happening around them has also gained another tool.
The new Distractor can be used when particularly observant customers begin noticing things they really should not.
Alongside the alien technology, players now have more options for customising the station itself. Placeable walls allow greater control over layouts, while new summer-themed decorations can make the whole secret research facility look considerably more welcoming.
Additional quality-of-life additions include the Goopster Fridge for keeping energy drinks cold and a Box Dispenser intended to make storage and organisation less painful.
NPC navigation has also received improvements, which should hopefully reduce the number of humans struggling with the apparently advanced alien concept of walking around furniture.
The invasion is officially beginning
The biggest long-term addition may be the new Invasion missions.
Cybernetic Walrus has confirmed that this update introduces the first of four planned Invasion Stages, each containing a collection of tasks that will eventually build towards Roadside Research’s overarching finale.
Until now, the aliens have largely been gathering information while attempting to maintain their disguise.
That appears to be changing.
Alien HQ is beginning preparations for something larger, meaning the petrol station may eventually prove to have been less of a long-term business venture and more of an extremely elaborate reconnaissance operation.
Which is slightly unfortunate for the regular customers.
Especially the ones who thought the weird employee with the suspiciously drawn-on human face was just part of the local charm.
Roadside Research continues to grow through Early Access
Roadside Research entered Steam Early Access on 12 February 2026, with developer Cybernetic Walrus and publisher Oro Interactive continuing to expand its management and alien research systems through regular updates.
The studio currently expects Early Access to last around a year, with smaller additions arriving regularly alongside major systems updates roughly every three to four months. Future plans include more alien technology, multiplayer interactions, NPC behaviour and additional ways to expand the petrol station.
The Abduction Update fits neatly into that approach.
It adds more ways to automate the mundane parts of running the business while expanding the ridiculous alien side that makes Roadside Research more than another shop-management simulator.
Our take on Roadside Research
Roadside Research has always worked because of the contrast between painfully normal jobs and deeply abnormal employees.
Restock the crisps.
Clean the floor.
Serve a customer.
Abduct them for research.
Perfectly standard retail behaviour.
The Abduction Update seems to understand that the alien side needs to keep evolving alongside the petrol station management. Automation makes repetitive work easier, while abductions, expanded probing and the beginning of the invasion give players new reasons to keep gathering research.
And then there is Giuseppe.
Any update capable of introducing a muscular hamster as part of an alien energy network deserves at least some attention.
Roadside Research’s Abduction Update is available now, with the first stage of the aliens’ wider invasion plans officially underway.
Earth probably should have taken the suspicious petrol station more seriously.
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