ASTRONEER

ASTRONEER is a space sandbox from System Era Softworks, where discovery and self-planned infrastructure matter more than pre-set combat classes. On various planets and moons, players collect resources, change their surroundings with a terrain tool and build workshops, power supplies and vehicles from modules.

Progress runs from a small outpost through new technologies to expeditions to other celestial bodies. The game can be played alone, but is also suited to exploring together and building up a base.

ASTRONEER began in Early Access on Dec 16, 2016 on PC and as an Xbox Game Preview on Xbox One. The full 1.0 version was released on Feb 6, 2019. Standalone console versions followed for PS4 (Nov 15, 2019), Nintendo Switch (Jan 13, 2022) and PS5 (Nov 20, 2025).

The later expansions Glitchwalkers and Megatech are separate content products. They neither replace the base game nor justify new console generations.

Officially released native versions exist for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch. The PC version is the Windows version, including distribution via the Microsoft Store through Xbox Play Anywhere. The Xbox One version may also be playable on newer Xbox devices, without taking up a separate native Xbox Series version.

The difference between PS4 and PS5 is important: the PS4 version was previously playable on PS5 via backward compatibility. Since November 2025 there has been a dedicated PS5 port with up to 4K, 60 frames per second and DualSense features. System Era says that for many regions there is a free upgrade for owners of the PS4 version, with one exception in Japan.

The terrain can be dug out, built up and shaped with the Terrain Tool. This creates ramps, tunnels, paths and new building areas, instead of expeditions being limited to fixed routes. Resources end up in the backpack and are later used for tools, oxygen supply, equipment or more complex machines.

Freely combinable platforms and modules develop into stations with printers, storage containers, research and refining. Vehicles extend your range on the surface, while spaceships make travel to other planets possible.

With Glitchwalkers (November 2024), the first major paid expansion appeared, with a new story and the planet Aeoluz. Megatech (November 2025, on Switch since February 2026) adds large-scale building projects. Both products are expansions and not standalone base game releases.

Important mechanical additions were each also added to the main game for free, such as the storms and new equipment around Glitchwalkers, as well as the interplanetary material transport through the Megatech update. The paid additional areas and exclusive structures remain separate from these.

Steam lists the following minimum requirements for Windows: a 64-bit dual-core processor at 2 GHz, 4 GB RAM, a dedicated graphics card with 1 GB VRAM, DirectX 11 and 2 GB storage. Recommended are a 64-bit quad-core processor, 8 GB RAM, a dedicated GPU with 2 GB VRAM and 4 GB storage. An internet connection is required for online co-op.

Store details may change as the product evolves. For consoles, the respective platform requirements apply.

On expeditions, the distance travelled is not the only thing that matters. Your oxygen supply limits trips without resupply, while mobile devices and connected supply lines make longer journeys possible. The backpack has limited space, so resources and essential equipment must be weighed against each other.

Custom Game settings let you make the oxygen supply simpler or harsher, as you prefer. This keeps the game suitable both for relaxed exploration and for deliberately tougher survival scenarios.

New devices and recipes are unlocked through research. Power from wind, solar and other energy sources supplies production and tools. Resources flow through printers, smelters, centrifuges and storage into ever larger production chains.

Later facilities and conveyor technology reduce manual labour. Above all, the Megatech systems turn transport between distant bases into a customisable production process. Building this infrastructure is part of the long-term game goal and not a time-limited event.

Switching between different celestial bodies changes the available materials, hazards and demands on energy and transport. The Terrain Tool, vehicles and shuttles are more than just means of transport: with them, players reach hard-to-access resource sites, set up waypoints and create supply routes.

The missions and the gateway network give additional direction for longer exploration trips. If you prefer building freely, you can focus on your own outposts and vehicles.

ASTRONEER supports building and exploring together. The original Xbox and PC release was described with co-op for up to four players. Dedicated Servers offer a further option for longer-lasting shared worlds, with support for individual platform combinations depending on the server used and the respective version.

Glitchwalkers has one important distinction: in a privately hosted co-op session, guests without the DLC may visit a world on Aeoluz according to the developer, if the host owns the expansion. On dedicated Aeoluz servers, however, all players need the expansion. Dedicated server support for the DLC was added later.

Glitchwalkers introduces an additional planet, Aeoluz, whose eight biomes and altered cave systems form their own progression path. Digital storms, firewalls and damaged gateways are overcome using collected storm data and specially developed countermeasures.

The expansion tells a connected story about the manipulation of the Astroneer Training Program. Part of the storm and mission mechanics was also added to the base game for free. Later, Glitchwalkers received support for Custom Games and Dedicated Servers.

Megatech expands base building with particularly large projects. The paid structures include an Orbital Platform as a building area in space, the Biodome for growing alien plants and a Museum that uses collected materials and research results.

At the same time, the Intermodal Terminal was introduced as a free megastructure. It combines automated rail transport with shuttles, enabling material flow between planets. Many building projects already require considerable progress in the research system. Existing save games can generally continue to be used.

With the permanently available Custom Games, you can adjust the starting situation, planet, resource deposits, power generation, oxygen consumption and resurrections. This lets players create relaxed building scenarios, demanding survival runs or self-designed rules with permadeath.

Configurations can be shared via a code. Some special rules change the availability of achievements or missions, so Custom Games do not automatically have the same goals as the default setting.