Standard Studios
Game 01 · Colony survival sim · Windows PC

Derelict Stars

Survive the unknown universe.

In developmentColony survivalWindows PC
Derelict Stars title screen with a planet and its moon
The game

Crash-land. Survive. Rebuild. Then the whole universe opens up.

Derelict Stars is a colony survival game that keeps going long after most would end. You crash-land on an unknown planet, keep your survivors alive, build a home and rebuild your ship. Then you take off, and a never-ending universe is waiting.

The planet comes first. Your survivors need shelter, food and walls, and the world around them has other ideas: storms, wildfire, hungry wildlife, and raiders who have noticed the smoke from your camp.

Get the ship flying and the game changes shape. Chart new stars. Find another planet and settle it. Become a pirate, a trader, or an explorer who just wants to see what is out there. Deal with the civilisations, factions and aliens you meet along the way, and with whatever nobody has a name for yet.

Our aim is a survival game where escaping the planet is only the beginning, and every star holds something worth the fuel it took to reach it.

How it plays

Survive it. Build on it. Leave it. Then go anywhere.

Survive

Shelter, food, warmth and walls. Get your survivors through the first nights on a planet nobody chose.

Build

Turn a crash site into a home: farms, workshops, power and research, made from whatever the wreck left you.

Rebuild

Restore your ship piece by piece until she can fly again, and decide who and what is coming with you.

Explore

Pick a star and go. Trade, raid, settle or simply wander, and meet whoever and whatever is already out there.

What makes it different

Inside the game

Crew selection: backstory, traits and a skill sheet for each survivor.
In-gameCrew selection: backstory, traits and a skill sheet for each survivor.
01.1

Every survivor counts.

You start with a handful of people and a planet that would rather you were not there. Each of them has skills you need, moods you have to manage and a body that can be hurt. Know who can cook, who can fight and who keeps a cool head when the walls come down. Out here, one person can be the difference between leaving and staying forever.

A wind-driven wildfire crossing dry grass toward the camp.
In-gameA wind-driven wildfire crossing dry grass toward the camp.
01.2

The planet is not on your side.

Seasons turn. Storms roll in. A dry spell becomes a wildfire heading straight for your stores, and something out in the dark has learned where you sleep. Surviving means reading the world around you, and being ready when it changes its mind.

A raid in progress, with the enemy's objective and resolve on screen.
In-gameA raid in progress, with the enemy's objective and resolve on screen.
01.3

You are not the only ones out here.

Raiders want what you have built. Traders want what you can spare. Factions want to know whose side you are on. Fight them, deal with them or stay out of their way, but every choice follows you into space.

A boarding action: a hull breach, damage control and crew fighting on deck.
In-gameA boarding action: a hull breach, damage control and crew fighting on deck.
01.4

Your ship is your home. Defend it.

Everything you rebuilt comes with you: the bunks, the workshop, the people. Out among the stars that home can be shot at, breached and boarded, and you will fight for it room by room.

The sector chart.
In-gameThe sector chart.
01.5

Then choose a star.

With a working ship, the map stops being one planet and becomes a universe. Find a better world and settle it. Run cargo between civilisations. Turn pirate and take what you need. Or keep flying, just to find out what is past the next star.

Your first session

It starts with a crash.

  1. An escape pod comes down between the two halves of your ship. Three survivors climb out.
  2. Take stock of the wreck and decide what has to be done before dark.
  3. Build somewhere to sleep, find something to eat and get the first walls up.
  4. Then the planet notices you. The weather turns, something hunts at night, and strangers arrive wanting what you have.
  5. Hold on, dig in, and start looking at that wreck differently. It got you here. It can get you out.
What we’re building

Building the whole journey.

  • Development brings together colony life, planetary survival and life aboard a working starship.
  • Everyday jobs and relationships, construction and research give your survivors a life to build.
  • Environmental dangers and encounters with other factions put pressure on your plans.
  • Ship systems, exploration and combat carry that story into space. Our focus is on how these parts affect one another and the decisions they create for the player.
Why it lasts

No two journeys go the same way.

  • A different crew and a different crash to recover from, every time
  • Stay and build a settlement, or fix the ship and never look back
  • Play the pirate, the trader or the explorer, or change your mind halfway
  • Civilisations, factions and aliens to befriend, trade with or fight
  • A new planet to call home, whenever you find one worth landing on
  • A universe that keeps going for as long as you do
How it is made

Building a world that can surprise us.

  • We use simulation tools and automated checks to help develop the game’s interacting systems.
  • Hands-on playtesting tells us how those systems feel together: whether decisions are clear, setbacks are interesting and we care enough about the crew to keep going.
Development screenshots

Life on the ground. Life aboard.

Development screenshots of the colony, its crew and the journey into space. Select an image to enlarge.

The crash site: nose, hull ribs and engine scattered across the map.
In-gameThe crash site: nose, hull ribs and engine scattered across the map.
A first timber shelter going up beside the wreck at dusk.
In-gameA first timber shelter going up beside the wreck at dusk.
Lightning during a thunderstorm over the wreck.
In-gameLightning during a thunderstorm over the wreck.
The camp under snow in winter.
In-gameThe camp under snow in winter.
A ridge stalker approaching three survivors at night.
In-gameA ridge stalker approaching three survivors at night.
The research panel, split into planet and spaceflight projects.
In-gameThe research panel, split into planet and spaceflight projects.
The work board, with job priorities for each colonist.
In-gameThe work board, with job priorities for each colonist.
The history log: raids, weather and building, in plain English.
In-gameThe history log: raids, weather and building, in plain English.
The character appearance editor.
In-gameThe character appearance editor.
Twenty survivor designs assembled from modular parts.
In-gameTwenty survivor designs assembled from modular parts.
Crew moving through the ship's corridors and quarters.
In-gameCrew moving through the ship's corridors and quarters.
Three crew in the ship's quarters, close up.
In-gameThree crew in the ship's quarters, close up.
Starting a new game.
In-gameStarting a new game.