Naev

Naev

Released Jul 2017

Naev is a game about space exploration, trade, and combat in a large and vibrant universe. Players travel the galaxy and earn money by trading, fighting, and performing missions.

80% positive · 234 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 get it

Free on Steam

Evaluation

Naev is a free-to-play, open-source space exploration game that the developers openly describe as an ongoing hobby project with no defined end point and no fixed timeline for a "finished" version. The store description states plainly that major releases happen roughly on a yearly basis. The release history confirms this with exceptional consistency. The team has shipped a major version every December: v0.9.0 on December 23, 2021; v0.10.0 on December 23, 2022; v0.11.0 on December 23, 2023; v0.12.0 on December 23, 2024; and v0.13.0 on December 25, 2025. Each major release brings substantial new content — new missions, ships, factions, engine systems, and gameplay mechanics. The most recent developer communication is the March 31, 2026 patch notes for v0.13.4, which state explicitly: "Development has largely focused on the upcoming 0.14.0, with an entire absorption and faction reputation rework already, with lots more new things to come." This is a direct developer statement confirming that the next major version is actively in development. As of October 1, 2026, the team is approximately six months past the last minor patch and roughly nine months into the expected twelve-month window before the next annual December release. This sits comfortably within the established cadence. There is no indication from the developer that the project is winding down; the opposite is true.
Evidence
v0.13.4 patch notes state: 'Development has largely focused on the upcoming 0.14.0, with an entire absorption and faction reputation rework already, with lots more new things to come.'
news post · Mar 31, 2026 source development ongoing
high
v0.13.0 major release shipped with engine migration to Rust/SDL3, integrated plugin manager, 28 new missions, 11 new ship variants, 20+ new songs, and significant gameplay and content additions.
news post · Dec 25, 2025 source content shipped
high

Content

1 of 1 released · no outstanding content
Released
Sep 2020

Media

Details

Developer
Publisher
Naev Team
Achievements
—
Platform
Windows, macOS, Linux
Controller
—
Steam Deck
Not rated
Players
Single-player

About this game

Naev is a game about space exploration, trade and combat. Players travel the galaxy and earn money by trading, fighting and performing missions.

Main features:

  • A large galaxy with hundreds of planets and moons to explore.

  • Real-time, semi-Newtonian gameplay reminiscent of the Escape Velocity games.

  • Many different ships to buy and pilot, and many ways to customize each of them.

  • Multiple factions, each with unique ship designs and personalities.

  • Open-source, meaning ultimate freedom of modding.

Currently Naev is a playable game, but it is far from being a complete one. To further mature the game, we, the developers, need you. Yes, you. All it takes is the motivation to be creative in some way! Probably the easiest way to help, as well as one of the most valuable ones, is by coming up with new stories for the game, and by shaping those stories into playable missions. Other ways to help include making art or sounds, improving gameplay via balancing work, or (if you have the ability) even a bit of coding on the main program.

A few things to keep in mind:

  • This game is a hobby project, not an indie development project. There is no final plan, no time frame for the "finished game".

  • The dev team does not accept monetary donations, only direct contributions to the game itself.

  • The game engine is written in Rust and C. Missions and other scripts are written in Lua.

  • Major releases are done roughly on a yearly basis.

  • There is an experimental multiplayer plugin, although it is quite limited.

Last evaluated Oct 1, 2026
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