Icarus

Icarus is a PvE survival game on a failed terraformed planet. As a prospector, you land from an orbital station into dangerous wilderness regions, gather resources and complete missions. The toxic atmosphere, wild animals, wildfires and severe storms make even simple expeditions risky.

The game combines survival, base building, equipment and the search for valuable exotic matter. You can play alone or team up for shared expeditions.

Icarus was released for Windows PC on December 3, 2021. The standalone ICARUS: Console Edition followed on March 26, 2026 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

The console version was adapted by GRIP Studios and already includes the landscapes of the New Frontiers expansion in the base game. The releases therefore also differ in scope and multiplayer.

Icarus was released natively for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The original Windows version comes from RocketWerkz. GRIP Studios handles the separate console adaptation.

On PC, the game supports groups of up to eight people. The console version is designed for up to four people and, according to the PlayStation Store, does not support crossplay. A PS4 or Xbox One version does not follow from the backward compatibility of modern consoles.

Before any major undertaking, you must secure food, oxygen and protection from the elements. Wood, stone and metals go into tools, weapons, shelters and eventually technically complex facilities. The environment can damage built structures during storms.

Hunting and farming supply the character. Tamed animals help with transport, while the search for exotic matter requires risky trips to remote areas.

New Frontiers expands Icarus with the Prometheus region, new biomes, enemies and a connected mission series. The PC expansion was released on August 24, 2023. The standalone console version already includes this content.

Dangerous Horizons was released on March 5, 2026 for PC and adds, among other things, the Elysium region, additional creatures and advanced technology. Other DLC packs provide extra building objects, animals or outposts. These contents differ from the major area expansions.

Icarus requires at least Windows 10 64-bit, 16 GB RAM, an Intel Core i5-8400 and a GeForce GTX 1060 with 6 GB graphics memory on PC. DirectX 11 and around 70 GB of free storage are also needed.

RocketWerkz recommends 32 GB RAM, a Core i7-9700 and a GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. The details refer to the Windows version, not the console versions.

Icarus offers a permanently playable open world, individual time-limited missions and calmer outposts. In the open world, a base remains in place and story quests can be completed as operations directly from there.

Individual missions often begin with a new landing and their own preparation. Outposts are aimed more at players who want to build and experiment without constantly having to deal with the dangers of a regular expedition.

Three progression systems shape development. The tech tree unlocks new tools and building materials. Talents allow specialization in areas such as hunting, exploration or crafting. At the orbital workshop, you trade captured exotic matter for equipment for later landings.

Your character develops over several expeditions, even though individual missions start with a new base.

On PC, up to eight people can survive on Icarus together. Friends share the work between exploration, hunting, building and resource gathering. Dedicated servers are planned for longer-term open worlds.

The console version supports groups of up to four people. PC and console players cannot play together in the same match.

ICARUS: Console Edition is more than an unchanged port of the PC version. It was released in 2026 with its own adaptation by GRIP Studios and includes New Frontiers in the base package.

While up to eight people can play together on PC, co-op on consoles is designed for four. There is no crossplay between the two versions. Additional editions and separately available content are therefore not automatically identical.

On PC, Icarus has a German user interface and German subtitles. English voice audio is included. Other supported text languages include French, Japanese and Korean.

The German PlayStation Store also lists German on-screen text and English voice audio for the PS5 version.

Icarus was originally meant to become a second home for humanity. Failed terraforming, however, created a hostile environment with toxic air. People returned for valuable exotic matter, which is especially prized on Earth.

The contrast between a hostile atmosphere and seemingly familiar forests, rivers and animals shapes the game world.