Signs of Life

Adventure· Survival· Open World Survival Craft· Sandbox

Early access since Jan 2014

76% positive · 846 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 Updated 11 Oct 2026 $14.99

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Evaluation

Signs of Life has been in Early Access since January 2014 and remains there as of August 2026. Sweet Dog Studios has spent over a decade steadily building out this sci-fi survival sandbox platformer, and development is clearly still active. The most recent update — Update 26, posted on August 24, 2026 (the day before this assessment) — is a significant one. In addition to a wide range of bug fixes, multiplayer improvements, mod system overhauls, and new items like Cybernetic Eyes and Comm Beacons, the developer stated plainly: "Expect an official announcement sometime soon with the release date and a new trailer." This is a direct signal that the 1.0 launch is being actively prepared but has not yet happened. This follows Update 25 from December 16, 2025, which added a new dungeon, a new intelligent alien area, drone accessories, a reworked MEG tool and grapple gadget, and — notably — an actual game ending with rolling credits. That update also acknowledged a long development gap and framed itself as finishing "the skeleton of the story content." Together, Updates 25 and 26 paint a picture of a game in its final stretch: the story has a conclusion, a 1.0 release date announcement is imminent, and the developer is actively squashing bugs and polishing systems. The game has a strong update history with 10 major content drops across its Early Access life, spanning 2014 through 2026. The game is not yet at 1.0, but the developer is actively working toward it and has signaled that the announcement is coming soon.

Evidence

Update 26 posted — developer states 'still locking in toward 1.0' and that an official announcement with a release date and trailer is coming 'sometime soon.'

news post · Aug 24, 2026 source content planned

high

Update 25 adds a new dungeon, intelligent alien area, drone accessories, a reworked MEG tool, and the game's ending with credits. Developer explicitly says they are working toward 1.0 and asks for bug/balance feedback.

news post · Dec 16, 2025 source development ongoing

high

Media

Details

Developer

Sweet Dog Studios

Publisher

Sweet Dog Studios

Achievements

Platform

Windows, Linux

Controller

—

Steam Deck

Not rated

Players

Single-player · Multiplayer · Co-op · PvP

Open World Survival Craft Sandbox Adventure Survival Crafting RPG Indie Action 2D Space Building Sci-fi Early Access Casual Open World

About this game

Signs of Life is a sci-fi survival sandbox platformer with a combination of procedurally generated and hand-crafted content. You'll explore mysterious locations, mine blocks for resources, and meet strange (and some familiar) creatures, some of which don't even want to kill you and eat your corpse. Along the way, you'll be able to craft armor, weapons, gadgets and more to assist you in surviving in an inhospitable environment.

Story

Sensing that an apocalyptic war was imminent, the United Nations executed a last-ditch plan to save what they could of the human race. Two spacecrafts were launched: a massive colony ship called the Hephaestus and a smaller, faster scout ship called the Hermes. The destination was a recently discovered earth-like planet with the potential to harbor life located roughly 14 light-years away. The Hermes reached the planet first in order to establish a presence in anticipation of the arrival of the Hephaestus.

Four years later, as the Hephaestus approached its destination a faint signal was detected from a nearby asteroid. Against their better judgement, the crew of the Hephaestus decided to investigate, and in doing so set in motion a chain of events that would ultimately lead to their destruction.

The good news is, you managed to survive by hitching a ride on a small escape pod just in the nick of time. The bad news is, everyone you knew and loved is dead, you have nothing but the clothes on your back, a standard issue multi-function wrist laser and a faulty artificial intelligence companion named AGIS. Oh, and the human race is probably doomed.

Probably.

Features

An expansive world with a combination of hand crafted and procedurally generated content.
Online Co-Op Multiplayer
A bunch of weird alien creatures.
Some familiar creatures.
Chickens.
Mining, hunting, gathering.
Gobs of ores, materials and animal organs you can use to...
Craft all kinds of weapons, armor, gadgets, furniture, etc.

Current State of Development

Signs of Life is now close to release. We have finished most of the content we originally planned for the 1.0 release, and we're currently tying up loose ends and tightening up the game.