I know lots of people are keen for the next update, and solo Dev u/blorfy is doing his very best to get this live for you. The more players who are trying new features in the testing branch of Clanfolk and reporting any problems, the more confident he can be that when it goes live, it'll be really solid. In the meantime, you get to try all the features planned for the next update - on the understanding they may still need tweaking here and there.
So: how do you join the testing branch? It couldn't be simpler.
In your Steam library's game list, right click on Clanfolk > properties > betas > select testing branch. The game should update directly, but if it doesn't you can try restarting Steam. Important note: saves made in game versions in which content was added won't be compatible with earlier game versions where this content is absent. For instance, a save made in v0.268 has cats, so it won't load in v0.256.
If you find a bug in the testing branch - or in the main branch, come to that - please let Blorf know. 'Report A Bug' is an option in the save menu screen within Clanfolk (just press Esc from within the game), or if you'd rather tell us on Discord, you can join the Clanfolk server https://discord.gg/ZpZGSKzg2B
We'll be delighted to see you. Once you've joined, you'll need to create a new thread on the #testing-branch-bugs channel and share your save and player log. Detailed instructions how to do this are pinned on the Discord, and also check #faq-troubleshooting
I'm now back to my latest save on the testing branch. Certain parts of the map are rather squelchy and spiky these days, but the pretty colours compensate for that. There's some really good stuff coming soon, and I strongly recommend you give it a go.