StarCraft gets first patch since 2009, now free to download for all

StarCraft has just received its first patch in eight years, and celebrated the occasion by making StarCraft and it’s expansion, Brood War, free to download too.

None of this is entirely unexpected. In 2016 a StarCraft patch labelled 1.17 appeared on Blizzard’s FTP site, vanishing before it ever went live. A year later, Blizzard have delivered patch 1.18.

Similarly, Blizzard promised StarCraft would be going free to download ahead of the launch of StarCraft Remastered, a 4k remake with fancy graphics no doubt intended to take advantage of StarCraft’s still active online competitive scene.

Still, for StarCraft fans or those looking to try out the game for the first time, this probably feels a lot like Christmas with the original game getting several new enhancements.

The key parts are better compatibility with newer versions of Windows, UPnP support and improved anti-cheat functionality. Those playing it online might also appreciate the ability to auto-save reviews, display the game timer and other perks.

Take a look at the patch notes below, and you can download the game for Mac and PC by clicking on the platform you want. Magic.

StarCraft Patch 1.8

Added windowed fullscreen or windowed mode; use Alt+Enter to switch between.

Added UTF-8 support.

Added cursor clamping in-game while windowed; unclamped in menus.

Added Popular Maps to streamline finding games or game types.

Added options to display actions per minute.

Added Observer mode.

Added opponent information when joining a game lobby.

Added autosaving for replays.

Added an option to display the game timer.

Added UPnP support.

Updated to a new OpenGL backend.

Improved gameplay responsiveness during multiplayer by increasing turn rate to match LAN speeds over Battle.net.

Improved UI layout in Battle.net sections.

Improved behavior of available lobbies within the ‘Join Game’ section.

Improved compatibility with Windows 7, 8.1, and 10.

Improved anticheat capabilities.

Improved installation and patching performance.

Mac Beta support now available for 10.11 and up.

Fixed palette issues to correct rainbow water, 80s Kerrigan face in the loading screen, and other graphic glitches.

Fixed problems with LAN game discovery.

Fixed IME support and other text artifacts in Battle.net menus.

LAN and Legacy Battle.net fixes.