Early Access Demo & Launch Prep

Starlance Studios ran an extended Steam demo ahead of Early Access, culminating in Steam Next Fest (June 15–22, 2026) with all core modes playable, a Galactic War mini-season (three creator-led alliances, six missions), and community giveaways including custom gaming PCs. The demo previewed the same modular loadout loop that ships on July 20, 2026: one main faction, one mercenary faction, and one hero per match.

If you missed Next Fest, treat Early Access day one as a fresh start—progression from demos may not carry over, but the muscle memory from skirmish and Galactic War tutorials absolutely does. Read the how to play guide first, then the Season Zero event guide before picking an alliance on launch night.

• Campaign — 13 story missions with Mass Effect-style branching, customizable mothership layer, companions, faction reputation, and multiple endings. See the campaign walkthrough.
• Co-op — 10 dedicated missions with procedural enemy factions and objectives; survival-style scenarios alongside campaign drop-in. Details on the co-op mode page.
• Skirmish — Sandbox RTS versus AI at eight difficulty tiers or human opponents; 1v1 and 2v2 support. Practice on the skirmish map list.
• Galactic War — Persistent ~50-planet map supporting co-op, PvE, single-player scenarios, 2vAI, 2v2, and 1v1 drops that feed alliance influence during Season Zero.

The embedded video walks through each pillar with 2026 demo footage so you can see pacing before purchase.

A dedicated Galactic War co-op tutorial was added after Next Fest feedback—players who jumped into the strategic layer without context struggled with influence scoring and planet capture timing. Complete the in-client tutorial, then cross-reference the beginner Galactic War guide and alliances page (Eden Accord, Obsidian Order, Keeper Council).

Season Zero runs July 20–August 2, 2026. Every co-op match on the galactic map advances your alliance toward the central planet and the first Galactic Emperor title. Plan loadouts in the loadout builder and review Season Zero tier picks after each balance patch.

Starlance Studios partnered with Gamersky for publishing in Asia and brought in Homeworld veteran Aaron Kambeitz to overhaul Protectorate visuals toward a grittier, more realistic military aesthetic—see the updated faction art on the Protectorate guide. Additional polish includes unit collision tweaks, campaign and UI updates, and continued Xol faction tuning ahead of the fourth main faction reveal at EA.

Full 1.0 targets expanded campaign acts (15 main story, 10 hero loyalty, 15 side arcs), 4v4 skirmish maps, new mercenaries, and deeper cross-mode Galactic War integration per the release roadmap. Early Access is planned for roughly one year with community-driven balance on Steam and Discord.