Early Access Launch Guide

ZeroSpace entered Steam Early Access on July 20, 2026, one day after this guide was written for launch week. Starlance Studios shipped the full advertised loop: 13 campaign missions, 10 co-op missions with procedural enemies, skirmish versus AI at eight difficulty tiers, ranked 1v1 and 2v2 versus, and Galactic War: Season Zero on a ~50-planet persistent map through August 2, 2026.

Early Access pricing is $35.99 USD with a 10% launch discount from the $39.99 base price, running through August 3, 2026. The fourth main faction, the synthetic Xol, is playable in skirmish, campaign, and co-op; ranked matchmaking for Xol arrives after community balance testing per official launch notes. The sixth mercenary faction, Endari, is also available at launch alongside five established mercenary groups.

If you participated in Steam Next Fest, treat EA as a fresh progression start unless Starlance announces a transfer. Skills from the demo still accelerate your first week —start with the how to play guide, then pick an alliance in the Season Zero event guide.

1. Configure controls — Set keybindings and QoL options before your first ranked match. Muscle memory matters more than faction choice in week one.
2. Complete the Galactic War tutorial — Starlance added a co-op onboarding tutorial after Next Fest feedback. Pair it with the Galactic War beginner guide.
3. Lock one loadout — Use the loadout builder to commit a main faction + mercenary + hero triple. Protectorate + Marran + Grace remains the safest starter; see loadout tier lists for alternatives.
4. Join an alliance — Season Zero scoring comes from galactic map co-op. Read Galactic War alliances and pick a creator-led team (Neo, uThermal, or Winter) that matches your schedule.
5. Contribute daily co-op — Influence points scale with mission difficulty and completion. Two short co-op wins per day beat one marathon session on launch weekend.

The embedded video shows campaign pacing and UI flow from GiantGrantGames' Early Access stream — useful for spotting economy rhythms before you queue alone.

Starlance Studios launched the ZeroSpace: First Contact Invitational on July 20 to celebrate Early Access. The event runs through August 9, 2026, culminating in a championship broadcast. Confirmed competitors include GiantGrantGames, PiG (both contributed to ZeroSpace development), Lowko, TheViper, JimRising, MarineLord, White-Ra, and Harstem, with additional surprise entrants announced during the season.

Watch invitational streams to learn high-level loadout choices, tower timing, and mercenary counter-play that will filter into PvP meta and Galactic War tier lists within days. Full event details, schedule notes, and VOD links live on the dedicated First Contact Invitational page.

Season Zero and the Invitational overlap but serve different goals: Season Zero crowns a Galactic Emperor through alliance co-op on August 2, while the Invitational decides an individual RTS champion on August 9. Participate in both if you enjoy competitive scenes —spectating alone teaches macro habits.

Campaign players should follow the campaign prologue guide through mission three branching choices, then use the full campaign walkthrough for Act 1. Multiplayer players should win three skirmish matches against medium AI, then queue Galactic War co-op for their chosen alliance.

Read our Early Access review for honest launch impressions and the release roadmap for post-EA content cadence. Balance patches during Season Zero can shift mercenary rankings overnight —bookmark mercenary guides and your main faction page after each Steam news update.

Missed the pre-launch demo? The demo recap guide still explains mode differences, but this launch guide is the authoritative starting point now that ZeroSpace is purchasable on Steam.