Nova Swarm

Nova Swarm

Released Jun 2026

A fast vertical shoot ’em up where boss victories shape your build. Master 30 ships, combine upgrades, rescue captured fighters and dismantle colossal bosses. Build from the beginning or face Onslaught’s immediate pressure, with separate Steam leaderboards for both.

90% positive · 28 reviews
Pending
Released · Awaiting evaluation
Pending
Released · Awaiting evaluation

Where to buy

Steam $4.99
Can't confirm — worth a look
We couldn't confirm these stores carry this game.
Green Man Gaming Steam key Search IndieGala Steam key Search
Prices in USD, as listed by each store.
Buying through an affiliate store helps support the site

Media

Details

Developer
Publisher
Tiny Foundry
Achievements
100
Platform
Windows
Controller
full support
Steam Deck
Not rated
Players
Single-player

About this game

READ THE SWARM. BUILD YOUR FIREPOWER. PUSH FURTHER.

Slip through a closing wall of bullets. Break the weapon pinning you down. Watch a towering fortress collapse around its reactor.

Nova Swarm is a fast vertical shoot ’em up that combines arcade action, evolving ship builds and a strange galaxy full of surprises. Learn the warning, find the opening and decide what needs to be destroyed first. Turn the lessons from your last defeat into your next personal best.

Two rescued fighters escort the player ship beneath empty cages while enemy formations approach.

BUILD YOUR SHIP. SHAPE YOUR RUN.

Defeat a boss in Arcade Tactical and choose one of three upgrades for the rest of your run.

Strengthen your weapons, improve handling, reinforce your defences or build around support drones. Upgrades can stack, evolve and combine into Fusion protocols. Combine the right drone upgrades, for example, to add converging crossfire to your support wing.

Your starting ship provides the foundation. Your choices shape what it becomes.

Three upgrade choices after a boss victory; Blink Drive completes the Rift Crossfire Fusion.

CHANGE THE BATTLE WITH YOUR SHOTS

Free captured fighters and bring allies into the fight. Destroy a rival’s guns to silence its attacks. Break shield projectors, cut dangerous machinery loose and expose vulnerable cores.

Face strange Veilborn visitors and segmented Space Snakes. Learn their movements and attack patterns, and choose when to press your advantage.

Take on Planetfall, a colossal orbital fortress. Dismantle its outer structure or strike the core when its shutters open, and bring it down in a rolling collapse of armour and machinery.

The player ship faces Planetfall, a vast orbital fortress with shielded anchors surrounding its reactor.

30 SHIPS TO DISCOVER AND MASTER

Begin with three ships and unlock the rest of a 30-ship fleet as your pilot career develops.

Explore precision cannons, sweeping spread fire, drone specialists and nimble interceptors. Different weapons, handling and traits give each hull its own strengths and tradeoffs. Find your favourite, then try a ship that makes you approach the swarm differently.

Solar Hammer displayed in Nova Swarm’s current ship hangar, with its weapon trait, combat stats, and 30-ship selection strip.

CHOOSE YOUR CHALLENGE

  • Arcade Tactical: Start from the beginning and build your run through boss victories and upgrade choices.
  • Onslaught Tactical: Face immediate pressure. Choose three starting upgrades and launch into Sector 51, with a separate Steam leaderboard to climb.
  • Arcade Pure and Onslaught Pure: Test your flying and shooting without drafted upgrades.
  • Daily Signal: Fly the same daily ship with the same route theme and rules as every other pilot.
  • Scout Run: Learn patterns and experiment at a gentler pace.
  • Sector Run: Practise deeper encounters from earned checkpoints.

Onslaught starting-loadout inspection showing the Arcade Legend ship and three upgrades: Damage Up, Rail Surge, and Pierce.

A GALAXY WITH PERSONALITY

Between the firefights, cosmic creatures drift past and unexpected scenes unfold around you.

Discover 60 Cabinet Wonders: strange sights with stories to uncover, from ghost fleets to living constellations. Explore the mystery of The Cabinet, an arcade machine that watches your career.

Advance pilot ranks, complete Pilot Orders and expand your Threat Codex. Detailed Run Reports help you understand what happened and prepare for the next attempt.

Cabinet Wonder: a luminous starwhale constellation drifting through deep space in blue, violet, and gold.

CONTROLS AND COMFORT

Play with a keyboard or controller. Adjust interface size, Reduced Motion, screen shake and flash intensity, with separate controls for music, voices and sound effects.

Steam Deck / SteamOS validation is pending. A Steam Deck compatibility rating is not confirmed.

Another ship. Another build. Another chance to beat your best.
No evaluation yet
Ask us to evaluate this game's completeness Report illegal or harmful content