ZeroSpace Release Roadmap

Starlance Studios confirmed Early Access on July 20, 2026 after surpassing 250,000 Steam wishlists ahead of launch. The opening campaign arc ships 13 missions, plus 10 co-op missions with procedural enemy factions, skirmish versus AI at eight difficulty tiers, all four factions, six mercenary factions, and 10 heroes (90+ unique units).

The competitive headline for launch week is Galactic War Season Zero, scheduled from July 20 through August 2, 2026. Season Zero introduces the meta-layer where players fight over sectors on a galactic map before dropping into RTS matches for contested territories. Rewards, ranking, and map modifiers during this window set expectations for future seasons documented on the Galactic War mode page.

Before installing, verify your PC against the system requirements page and read what ZeroSpace is if you are new to RTS+RPG hybrids. Steam preload and exact unlock time follow Valve regional rules—watch the store page countdown for your timezone.

Starlance Studios has communicated that Early Access focuses on a complete core loop rather than a single-mode prototype. Day-one content spans PvE and PvP so players can choose their preferred entry point without waiting for future patches.

• Campaign —13 missions with branching choices; see the campaign walkthrough as missions go live.
• Factions —Protectorate, Grell, Xol, and Legion fully playable in skirmish and Galactic War.
• Mercenaries —Six mercenary factions at launch including Endari; see the mercenaries page.
• Galactic War —Season Zero event guide, three alliances, and ~50-planet strategic map.
• Progression —Shared hero leveling, loadouts, and the loadout builder tool on this wiki.

Features commonly associated with 1.0—expanded campaign acts, additional mercenaries, spectator tools, or ranked restructuring—are explicitly staged for post-launch updates rather than hidden behind Early Access paywalls.

While exact patch schedules can shift, Starlance Studios has outlined three live-service pillars for ZeroSpace during Early Access: balance and competitive integrity, content expansion, and quality-of-life driven by community feedback.

Recent pre-launch milestones include a Gamersky publishing partnership for Asia, Protectorate visual overhaul led by Aaron Kambeitz, unit collision tuning, campaign and UI polish, and a dedicated Galactic War co-op tutorial added after Steam Next Fest. Balance passes will target faction win rates in Galactic War and PvP builds, especially around mercenary combinations that dominate Season Zero.

Content expansion includes new campaign missions beyond the initial 13, 4v4 skirmish maps at full release, potential faction-adjacent units, and seasonal Galactic War map rotations described in the Galactic War map guide. Quality-of-life improvements align with the PC-first control scheme documented under keybindings and quality-of-life settings.

The primary channels for roadmap updates are the Steam store news feed, official Starlance Studios social accounts, and patch notes delivered in-client where available. This wiki mirrors mechanical changes—unit stats, mercenary tiers, new missions—so bookmark pages relevant to your main faction.

During Season Zero, pay attention to mid-season balance patches that may shift beginner Galactic War strategies overnight. Our Early Access review will note major milestone builds when substantial content drops.

If you are planning long-term engagement, treat Early Access as the foundation: learn fundamentals in campaign and skirmish, transition into Galactic War with a stable loadout, and revisit tier lists after each announced balance pass. Starlance Studios has signaled that full release timing depends on campaign completion, server stability at scale, and competitive season health—not a fixed calendar date yet.

Milestone tracking on this wiki cross-links every major update: new mercenary balance notes appear on mercenary pages, unit stat revisions land on faction unit lists, and seasonal map changes are mirrored on the Galactic War map hub. Bookmark those sections if you plan to play through the entire Early Access period rather than sampling launch week only.