The latest Zwift update has just been released. Zwift game version 1.43 is gradually being rolled out to all platforms!

Overview

Last update was pretty big, and this month we have another bigger game release. The release covers another highly-anticipated feature, the Climb Portal feature.

Climb Portal

The Climb Portal is live and available for Zwifters as soon as they download the new game release. The feature essentially allows users to ride famous climbs from around the world on Zwift. However, the scenery is nothing like anything we have ever seen before on Zwift. Instead of a gamified recreation of the IRL location, Zwift has used an array of shapes and colors to truly bring the Climb Portal to life.

The colors and shapes change with the different gradient, and the road itself is a slightly holographic strip of “road” that looks somewhat similar to NYC. Riders will be able to enter these climb portals from either France or Watopia. Additionally, events celebrating the TDF and TDFFaZ will be hosted on the climb portals. Zwifters can read all about the new Climb Portal feature in the dedicated Zwift page and FAQ page.

Here is a bit of text from Zwift’s press release about the Climb Portal:

“During July, riders looking to complete the Climb Portal First Ascent Challenge will need to finish two on-demand stages, each of which will offer cyclists four different climbs to choose from: the Cote de Trebiac, Col des Aravis, Col d’Aspin, and Puy de Dome for stage one. And for stage two, choose between Cote de Domancy, Cote de Pike, Col du Platzerwasel, and Col du Tourmalet. Both stages will run from June 30 to July 30. To complete the mission, Zwifters need to complete one climb per stage.”

Key Takeaway: Zwift has a ton of climbs that currently exist in the game and the amount will only be increasing in the next few months. There is also an opportunity to complete an all-new challenge with these Climb Portals!

Thoughts: This seems to be a pretty great feature, but I just don’t really see how this can be that entertaining, especially for the longer climbs that can take ~2 hours. I can’t really see myself doing these climbs too often, but I know others certainly can. There are definitely some nice touches to the graphics though!

For reference, here is a guide to the current climbs:

Climb Portal Zwift Page: https://www.zwift.com/events/series/zwift-climb-portal

FAQ Page: https://support.zwift.com/en_us/climb-portal-faq-H1gnQ0gO2

Zwift Play Updates

Zwift has made numerous changes that you likely won’t notice, but one of the more notable ones is the addition of haptics to the controllers. Now, when you carry out certain functions, you will feel vibrations on the controllers, this makes it a bit more interactive and responsive.

Video Screenshot Apple TV Roll Out

Video Screenshots were introduced a while back. Now, they are finally making their way to Apple TV. Previously they were only available on iOS, Mac, and some PC users. Good to see this feature roll out further!

The Usual

As usual, Zwift fixed the things that they broke in previous updates and added a few additional perks, here are the details from the forums. Forum thread: https://forums.zwift.com/t/game-update-1-43-june-2023/608547

• Zwift Play controllers now have haptic feedback on Mac, PC, iOS, and Apple TV, with Android coming soon. You’ll now feel your controllers vibrate when you receive a Ride On, brake, ride over boost strips and hazards in Repack Rush, use power-ups, and more.
• Video Screenshots will begin to roll out to a percentage of Apple TV devices.
• Fixed an issue with Coffee Stop that would cause the first use of Coffee Stop after 30 minutes to be 30 seconds instead of the expected 3 minutes. This was most prevalent in events.
• Fixed an issue with Coffee Stop that would result in the timer getting stuck, preventing Zwifters being able to use Coffee Stop.
• Water textures are back and less gray.
• Fixed an issue which occasionally caused cyclists to not appear to be pedaling despite having cadence connected.
• Zwift theme music returns!
• Action Bar pops up more easily on touch screens.
• Black squares that appear in dusty conditions have been banished.
• Fixed an issue that caused road edges and avatars to turn white in the underwater tunnels of Watopia.
• Improved the appearance of the roadway near the village on the Epic KOM route.
• Fixed an issue where HoloReplay privacy settings were reset after exiting Zwift.
• Fixed an issue that could potentially cause Workout category card titles to be blank.
• Fixed a crash that could occur when saving a custom workout.
• Fixed an issue where the Save Activity screen could get stuck with a “spinning” indicator.
• Fixed an issue where some segments in Makuri Islands and Scotland only displayed results in total seconds.
• Fixed an issue in the Ride Report where the power output line did not match up with the corresponding zone blocks.

More Changes:

PC

• AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX GPUs now have the Ultra graphics profile enabled.
• Mac and PC: Fixed an issue where button hover effects in the Pause menu flashed while moving the mouse.

Android and iOS:

• Fixed an issue where scrolling in the Zwifters Nearby list could open the Action Bar.
• Fixed an issue where the Leaderboard and Zwifters Nearby lists could not be hidden by swiping to the side.

Android:

• Fixed a crash that could occur when using Zwift Play controllers.

Zwift Play Improvements:

• Fixed an issue so Zwift Play controllers can better navigate the Pause screen on some mobile devices.
• Various improvements to in-game menu navigation using Zwift Play controllers.
• Fixed an issue that could potentially prevent using Zwift Play controllers from adjusting workout intensity.

Bugs

Just because Zwift fixed stuff, it doesn’t mean that they didn’t also break stuff in the process! Here is the list for this month…

• None as of right now!

My Thoughts

Zwift continues to roll out some of the features that were promised in the “This Season on Zwift.” This is really great to see and Zwift is making developments at very great speeds compared to where they were previously. Overall, the Climb Portals are a nice touch, just not something for me. I look forward to seeing how the community reacts to the Climb Portals!

Let me know your thoughts on the Climb Portal down below!

Notice anything else? Let me know in the comments!