Cosmoteer: Starship Architect & Commander
Early access since Oct 2022
Design and simulate the starships of your dreams! Command your ship or fleet in epic battles and manage your crew while exploring a dangerous galaxy. Play alone or with friends, test your ships in online PvP, and let your imagination reach for the stars!
94% positive · 13K reviews
Not yet
In early access, content still planned
High confidence
Content Planned
Not yet
In early access, content still planned
High confidence
Content Planned
Where to buy
Steam $19.99
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Evaluation
Cosmoteer: Starship Architect & Commander remains in Early Access with active, ongoing development by Walternate Realities. The game entered Early Access on October 24, 2022 and has been updated at a consistent and prolific pace ever since.
The most significant recent milestone was the Meltdown Update (July 30, 2025), which the developer described as the "biggest Cosmoteer update yet." It introduced an entirely new heat management gameplay mechanic, a new weapon (the Thermal Resonance Lance), overclock modes for almost every existing weapon and system, and a brand-new faction (Great House Io) with over 100 ships. Crucially, the Meltdown Update's closing statement made a direct commitment: "We're now turning our focus to finishing and launching Career 2.0 as soon as possible." Career 2.0 is a major, named, unshipped overhaul to the game's career mode that has been referenced across developer communications dating back to at least March 2025.
Following the Meltdown Update, development has continued at pace. Four additional named updates have shipped: Update 0.30.1 (September 9, 2025), Update 0.30.2 (November 5, 2025), Update 0.30.3 (December 15, 2025), and Update 0.30.4 (April 17, 2026). As of October 3, 2026, Release Candidate 0.30.5 is actively being tested in public preview, adding custom weapon ranges and arcs, balance changes, new ships, and bug fixes — including a fix for Linux freezing issues.
The developer's update cadence shows no signs of slowing. Career 2.0 remains the outstanding committed feature, and the game is clearly not approaching a wrap-up. The most recent developer communication is dated October 3, 2026.
Evidence
Release Candidate 0.30.5 posted for public testing, adding custom weapon ranges/arcs, new ships, balance changes, and bug fixes — including a fix for Linux freezes. Active development confirmed as of October 2026.
The Meltdown Update — described as the biggest Cosmoteer update ever — shipped, introducing heat management, overclock modes, Thermal Resonance Lance, and the Great House Io faction. Closing statement explicitly commits to finishing and launching Career 2.0 next.
Media
Details
Developer
Publisher
Walternate Realities
Achievements
—
Platform
Windows
Controller
—
Steam Deck
Playable
Players
Single-player · Multiplayer · Co-op · PvP
About this game
A starship builder perfect for fans of games like FTL, Starsector, SPAZ, Space Engineers, Escape Velocity, Avorion, and more.
Design awesome starships using intuitive ship creation tools that are easy to learn but hard to master. Fully customize your ship's shape and floor plan, choosing where to place individual modules including weapons, engines, hallways, and crew's quarters. Your ship's design is key to its survival, and every decision you make will impact its performance in battle. Easily share your designs with others through the Steam Workshop, Forums, and Discord.
A ship's crew is its lifeblood. Numbering from half-a-dozen to a thousand or more individually-simulated people, your crew will pilot your ships, operate their weapons, and carry munitions. How efficiently they operate determines how well your ships will perform in combat. Your crew are autonomous but you can optionally customize their behavior with specific roles and job priorities.
Command your ship or fleet in real-time tactical battles. Combat is physics-driven, explosive, and immensely satisfying. Each module can be individually targeted and destroyed, and whole ships can even break apart into multiple pieces. Target an enemy's weapons to eliminate its offensive capability, destroy its shields to lower its defenses, or go for the kill by taking out its reactor.
Become the most famous "Cosmoteer'' in the universe by battling A.I. ships, taking on contracts for factions, earning loot, and upgrading your own ship while exploring a procedurally-generated galaxy, alone or in online co-op with friends. Then test your ships design and command skills online against other players in multiple PvP battle modes. Or let your imagination fly free in the Creative Mode where you can build whatever you want with unlimited resources.
Still want more? A powerful modding framework and Steam Workshop will keep Cosmoteer constantly feeling fresh with new player-created weapons, modules, and other enhancements.
Cosmoteer has a friendly and growing community on Discord. Join 20k+ fellow Cosmoteers today!
Design awesome starships using intuitive ship creation tools that are easy to learn but hard to master. Fully customize your ship's shape and floor plan, choosing where to place individual modules including weapons, engines, hallways, and crew's quarters. Your ship's design is key to its survival, and every decision you make will impact its performance in battle. Easily share your designs with others through the Steam Workshop, Forums, and Discord.
A ship's crew is its lifeblood. Numbering from half-a-dozen to a thousand or more individually-simulated people, your crew will pilot your ships, operate their weapons, and carry munitions. How efficiently they operate determines how well your ships will perform in combat. Your crew are autonomous but you can optionally customize their behavior with specific roles and job priorities.
Command your ship or fleet in real-time tactical battles. Combat is physics-driven, explosive, and immensely satisfying. Each module can be individually targeted and destroyed, and whole ships can even break apart into multiple pieces. Target an enemy's weapons to eliminate its offensive capability, destroy its shields to lower its defenses, or go for the kill by taking out its reactor.
Become the most famous "Cosmoteer'' in the universe by battling A.I. ships, taking on contracts for factions, earning loot, and upgrading your own ship while exploring a procedurally-generated galaxy, alone or in online co-op with friends. Then test your ships design and command skills online against other players in multiple PvP battle modes. Or let your imagination fly free in the Creative Mode where you can build whatever you want with unlimited resources.
Still want more? A powerful modding framework and Steam Workshop will keep Cosmoteer constantly feeling fresh with new player-created weapons, modules, and other enhancements.
Cosmoteer has a friendly and growing community on Discord. Join 20k+ fellow Cosmoteers today!
Are these done yet?
Last evaluated Oct 8, 2026
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