Airborne Empire

Open World· RPG· City Builder· Exploration

Released Apr 2026

Build your sky city while exploring a vast landscape in this Open World RPG City Builder. Combining the methodical construction and management of a city builder; the unique lift, balance, and propulsion needed for a flying city; and the compelling characters, dangers, and adventures of an RPG!

87% positive · 919 reviews

Not yet

Released, but still in active development

High confidence

Active Development

Not yet

Released, but still in active development

High confidence

Active Development

Where to buy

Steam Updated 12 Oct 2026 $29.99

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Evaluation

Airborne Empire launched into Early Access on January 13, 2025 and reached its full 1.0 release on April 17, 2026, completing all originally stated roadmap goals including the final Kingsfell biome, the Pirate Queen story conclusion, Survival Mode, Creative Mode, and multiple new biomes and game systems. Importantly, post-1.0 development has continued at an active pace. On June 25, 2026, the developer shipped the "Balloon Party" update, adding a new Balloon Town Center and a Balloon Theme Pack for city decoration. Then on August 6, 2026, they followed up with another major update adding the Mill Town Center — a meaningfully different starting option that provides a production bonus to all buildings. Both updates were clearly new gameplay content rather than maintenance patches. This gives the developer a consistent post-launch pattern of roughly one major content drop every 4–6 weeks since 1.0. The June update also explicitly teased "more Town Center updates in the future," signaling the developer's intent to keep building on the game. The studio has been communicative and active throughout the entire development history — from Early Access through 1.0 and beyond — and there is no indication that post-launch content additions are winding down.

Evidence

New Mill Town Center added post-1.0, providing a production boost to all city buildings. Developer closes with 'more updates soon.'

news post · Aug 6, 2026 source content shipped

high

Balloon Party update adds new Balloon Town Center and Balloon Theme Pack. Post explicitly states 'Stay tuned for more Town Center updates in the future!'

news post · Jun 25, 2026 source content planned

high

Media

Details

Developer

The Wandering Band LLC

Publisher

Stray Fawn Publishing

Achievements

Platform

Windows, macOS

Controller

—

Steam Deck

Playable

Players

Single-player

City Builder Open World RPG Exploration Resource Management Casual Colony Sim Family Friendly Strategy Sandbox Adventure Combat Real-Time with Pause Relaxing RTS

About this game

BUILD YOUR UNIQUE FLYING CITY

Airborne Empire is a one-of-a-kind Open World RPG City Builder. Build and grow your own city in the skies and keep it aloft by managing its lift, balance, and propulsion.

Shape and grow your own unique flying city
Manage lift, balance, and propulsion to keep your city airborne
Organize your city’s defenses and abilities to defeat pesky pirates
Balance resources, infrastructure, and the needs of your people

EXPLORE A VAST OPEN WORLD

Traverse a vast open world full of dangers, exotic wonders, and many hidden treasures.

Travel across 5 diverse biomes such as the lush Aeyrie, volcanic Blackspine and snowy Kingsfell
Discover distant kingdoms and forgotten settlements scattered across the lands
Meet quirky characters, uncover their stories, and trade with them
Complete quests that help liberate towns and rebuild connections between kingdoms

DEFEND THE SKIES FROM PIRATES

Sky pirates are threatening the fragile peace. Defend your people and hunt down enemy outposts across the world.

Build defensive structures to fend off pirate attacks
Use a variety of offensive weapons such as Freeze Cannons, Tesla Cannons and Aircrafts
Track down pirate outposts and destroy their bases
Protect the kingdoms below from an assortment of pirate enemies

RESEARCH AND DISCOVER THROUGH EXPLORATION

Research, unlock and uncover all kinds of new technology to expand your flying city.

Unlock new lift, propulsion, and morale buildings
Develop new abilities and weapons tools to defend your city against pirate threats
Research upgrades that improve your city and enrich the lives of its citizens
Discover relics and hidden technologies across the world

NEW WAYS TO PLAY

Airborne Empire offers multiple ways to experience life in the skies depending on the challenge you seek.

Survival Mode challenges players to survive 20 escalating stages of pirate attacks
Pacifist Mode allows players to focus on exploration and city building without combat
Hard Mode offers a more difficult challenge with custom difficulty sliders
Creative Mode offers unrestricted building for players who want to experiment freely