Astroneer studio announces its next game, 'a multiplayer voyage of discovery' in deep space

Seemingly lost amidst the Nintendo Direct excitement of actual Silksong info, not Bloodborne 2, and specs for the Nintendo Switch 2 is word of a new game from Astroneer developer System Era Softworks called Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions, "a multiplayer voyage of discovery, cooperative expeditions, and camaraderie" in Deep Space.

"The heart" of the new game is the ESS Starseeker, "a persistent, ever-evolving space station" where players will plan expeditions, upgrade their kid, and just chill out with other intrepid space explorers. The crew of the station will have to work together "to complete planet-wide objectives across a multitude of star systems using cutting edge technology," which naturally means encounters with weirdos from other planets and the various sorts of headaches that will inevitably arise.

But it sounds like there'll be more in store than just a Star Trek-style series of disconnected problems to solve and crises to manage: "Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions places player freedom at the forefront," System Era said, "but a larger story lies in wait for those curious enough to uncover it."

As the title suggests, Starseeker is set within the Astroneer universe, but it's an all-new, standalone game. And even though it was revealed at Nintendo Direct, yes, it's coming to PC too—in fact, it's up for wishlisting now on Steam. While co-op multiplayer is the focus, the Steam page says it's also playable as a singleplayer game.

"This game represents our goals as a studio to give players agency while connecting them through shared experiences," System Era co-founder and creative director Adam Bromell wrote. "Over the coming months, we’ll be pulling back the curtain the only way we know how: with transparency and directness. Expect live streams, behind-the-scene vlogs, a limited beta release, and its debut gameplay trailer!"

Starseeker: Astroneer Chronicles is currently expected to be out in 2026, and in a bit of good news for fans of Astroneer, System Era said the new game won't spell the end of the one that inspired it: "Existing Astroneer fans can rest assured that the original game will continue to live on alongside its new companion with more updates and content for years to come."