New Stars

Released: Mar 4, 2026
Platforms
Last updated: 14 Sep 2026, 04:06 GMT

Updates & announcements

20 posts

09 Aug 2026Developer post
v4 Archetype - Workshop Update, Old Stars
Workshop Support - Final Content Update New Stars now supports Steam Workshop. Icons, portraits, empire and map presets, and events are all moddable. Subscribe to anything in the Workshop and it loads automatically, no setup required. Browse mods: Workshop Hub Make mods: Modding
29 May 2026Developer post
3.1.0 Continuity - macOS Support + Wiki + Improvements
This update introduces macOS support alongside stability and usability improvements, plus a few requested gameplay options and fixes. Mac support! Added Mac support to the game The Wiki is back! wiki.newstarsgame.com - Community wiki is now live again with updated information and
09 Mar 2026Developer post
3.0.4
Improved Background stars appear less distorted on the gold galaxy Tweaked Custom preset empires now have a 10% chance of spawning, instead of 5% Fixed Custom preset empires didn't spawn in the game Gold galaxy was always being auto-selected first when customising map settings So
Improved

Background stars appear less distorted on the gold galaxy
Tweaked

Custom preset empires now have a 10% chance of spawning, instead of 5%
Fixed

Custom preset empires didn't spawn in the game
Gold galaxy was always being auto-selected first when customising map settings
Sometimes hyperlanes didn't generate properly on huge galaxies
Original post
06 Mar 2026Developer post
3.0.3
Fixed Clicking fast enough sometimes gave player negative resources when building fleets After updating relations with a player, it did not update contacts panel until the next month passed Leaderboard was not opened via keyboard binding
Fixed

Clicking fast enough sometimes gave player negative resources when building fleets
After updating relations with a player, it did not update contacts panel until the next month passed
Leaderboard was not opened via keyboard binding
Original post
05 Mar 2026Developer post
3.0.2
Note : Sometimes patches are huge, even when little was changed. Improved: Load menu now sorts saves by the time they were last loaded Export resource orders now display in star system HUD Fixed: After loading save: Existing build queues on planets disappeared. Sometimes visual a
Note: Sometimes patches are huge, even when little was changed.
Improved:

Load menu now sorts saves by the time they were last loaded
Export resource orders now display in star system HUD
Fixed:

After loading save:

Existing build queues on planets disappeared.
Sometimes visual artifacts from map view appeared in star system view
Original post
04 Mar 2026Developer post
3.0.1
Fixed: - Empires' names and primary flag color were randomized when creating a new game.
04 Mar 2026Developer post
v3 Continuity - Hex Worlds + Game Release
The Hex Worlds Update is now live! The biggest update introduces fully playable Hex Worlds with three world sizes, alongside major AI improvements, quality-of-life upgrades, balance tweaks, and a wide range of fixes. Galactic politics are now more dynamic, colonies are clearer to
The Hex Worlds Update is now live!
The biggest update introduces fully playable Hex Worlds with three world sizes, alongside major AI improvements, quality-of-life upgrades, balance tweaks, and a wide range of fixes. Galactic politics are now more dynamic, colonies are clearer to manage, and overall competition between empires is stronger than ever.
Hex Worlds
Explore and colonize procedurally generated Hex Worlds available in Small, Medium, and Large sizes. Each world can generate across 52 unique biomes and 7 distinct world types, allowing for more varied colony layouts, strategic planning, and visual diversity across the galaxy.
Mechanics

Every 2 adjacent buildings gives a bonus resource.
Some tiles have random yields (especially on void worlds).
Businesses get 4 build slots to build anywhere available on the colony.
Changelog
Note: Saves from previous updates will not work with this version.
Added

Hex Worlds (Small, Medium, and Large)
Official cross‑platform multiplayer support
Fleet Panel → Added a “Go To” button
Tips → Added previous/next buttons and sieging/military hints
Improved
AI Empires:

Are far less likely to declare war when agendas were satisfied
Unite against the player through their own galactic unions
Move more strategically during wars
Stop prioritising human players over other AI empires
Colony Panel:

Stats are now more descriptive
Owner and business slots are now displayed clearly
Subjects → “Suzerain” status renamed to “Tributary”
Fleets → Any type of fleet now explores hyperlanes when moving to star systems
New Game → Galaxy generation now spawns empires more evenly in distance
Changed

AI Opinion → Now based on shared ethics instead of government type
Fleet Capacity → Renamed to “Max Fleet Size”
Game Events → Costs and rewards are now consistent across all game durations
Music → Restored several music tracks from 2022
Multiplayer → Disabled medium‑to‑impractical galaxy sizes to prevent packet issues (for now)
Toggles → Off/on states are now much clearer (red and blue)
Battle → Combat now triggers whenever enemies are within the same system, instead of using a limited combat range
Fixed
Camera → Rotating the camera while the fleet panel was open caused control issues
Clans → Sometimes clans converted into normal empires, when spawning
Combat

Enemy fleets waited unnecessarily before engaging allied fleets
Battles loaded from saves sometimes didn't resume correctly
Sometimes starbases joined the same battle twice.
Sometimes enemy fleet reinforced battle on the incorrect sides
Laser fire visuals were oversized
Colony Panel

“Go To” button didn't function correctly
Upgrade orders were previously displayed the same as build orders
Players were able to remove build orders for buildings not yet constructed but already queued for upgrade
Double‑upgrading the same building was possible
Exploration → Planet events sometimes didn't display when exploring new systems
Galaxy Map → Build animation continued after the order finished
Leaderboard → Sometimes didn't rank players by score correctly
Linux → some text had issues displaying on Linux
Main Menu

Player profile info was wiped after exiting the game from the pause menu
Sometimes “Reveal All” and “Meet All Players” toggles didn't apply in-game
Map toggles often required double‑clicking to actuate
Map & Empire Settings → Settings often didn't randomise properly on load
Multiplayer → Numerous multiplayer issues were resolved
New Game

Players sometimes spawned on broken worlds
“Meet Player” dialog appeared when starting a second game with tutorial tips enabled
Notifications

Sometimes became unresponsive after adjusting music settings
“Liberated colony” ping sometimes triggered repeatedly after making peace
Saving → After loading a save, sometimes game settings were randomly changed during load.
Ship Builder

Preset list sometimes appeared empty and didn't update correctly
Combat mode caused excessive console logs that caused lag
Deleting a preset used by a ship caused simulation errors
Ships sometimes spawned without turrets or with incorrect default presets
Star Systems

Fleet orders sometimes didn't update visually as intended
Ships remained stationary in edge cases
Star System Panel → “Go To” button didn't trigger properly
Starbase Panel → Ships added to the build queue didn't update immediately
Unions

Sometimes players weren't shown as allied when joining a union
Subjects no longer remained allied after joining a union
Tweaked

Leaderboard → Now reveals player names even if previously unmet
Hyperlane Density (>2) → Reduced the number of hyperlanes generated
Save Files → Adopt a more consistent naming convention
Camera → Reduced accidental edge‑scrolling
Visuals → Reduced city light intensity of colony worlds
Colony

Occupation now damages 10% of buildings (previously 20%)
Siege difficulty from soldiers halved
Reduced siege difficulty from buildings and halved population contribution
Build Cost

Reduced from 90 to 75 minerals on standard speed
Final upgrade reduced from 360 to 120 minerals
Slightly increased power cost of capital upgrades (+15 power on standard speed)
Other Tweaks

Space squids now spawn as a single squid, attempt peaceful contact, but die trying
Base tech costs reduced on the lowest durations
Jump‑drive distortion time halved
Wormhole travel technology unlocked earlier and appears more frequently
Removed

Colony context menu
Game wiki (backend server ceased to exist under mysterious circumstances)
Wiki button
Note: Not all changes have been listed.
Full Release
New Stars has officially launched out of Early Access.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2231270/New_Stars/
Original post
02 Nov 2025Developer post
2.0.2 "Frontier"
Fixed: - Events: Fixed a bug where game event notifications (pings) did not show at all. - Fleets: Fixed a bug where fleets didn't stack correctly after opening galaxy map for the first time.
24 Oct 2025Developer post
2.0.1 "Frontier"
Fixed bugs where... Map : Empires attempted to spawn in same star system on compact maps Camera : Panning while screen edging causes camera rubber-banding Camera : Panning over edge boundary causes rubber-banding Game : Fixed game breaking when going to the main menu, then starti
Fixed bugs where...
Map: Empires attempted to spawn in same star system on compact maps
Camera: Panning while screen edging causes camera rubber-banding
Camera: Panning over edge boundary causes rubber-banding
Game: Fixed game breaking when going to the main menu, then starting or loading a game
Note: Wiki will be down until further notice because server appears to be on strike.
Original post
13 Aug 2025Developer post
Frontier v2.0.0-beta
A new update has been launched. Experimental Multiplayer Support: Has been in the works since July 2022. Should work, but is unstable. Tested to work between two Steam accounts, but not tested between different regions. Loading multiplayer save functionality was added, but not th
A new update has been launched.
Experimental Multiplayer Support:

Has been in the works since July 2022.
Should work, but is unstable.
Tested to work between two Steam accounts, but not tested between different regions.
Loading multiplayer save functionality was added, but not thoroughly tested.
Multiplayer games may not start with huge or impractical maps.
Throughout development, New Stars has been largely been focused on a singleplayer experience for simplicity, and multiplayer playtesting wasn't really playtested due to development contraints etc., but I am adding it because I believe it should now work to an okay standard - no guarantees though.
New map size "Impractical" - 1000 stars:

As the name suggests, this map size is chaotically large.
Won't work with multiplayer (packets are too big).
Suggested by Grendain.
There were other improvements, such as the main menu theme being different, and some bug fixes, but I forgot the rest.
Original post
26 Sep 2024Developer post
1.10.0 "Frontier"
Map presets have been added, along with general improvements. Added Map presets -> Save map settings, in the main menu, in a similar way to empire presets. Improved Pause menu -> Map settings text -> now displays all map settings rather than a few. Empire icon -> Adde
Map presets have been added, along with general improvements.
Added

Map presets -> Save map settings, in the main menu, in a similar way to empire presets.
Improved

Pause menu -> Map settings text -> now displays all map settings rather than a few.
Empire icon -> Added subtle shadow to icons for more visual depth.
UI -> Button -> More buttons now have a click SFX in main menu (delete button).
Changed

Map seed -> Seed now supports being saved as text instead of just numerical.
Starbase -> Damage dealt for each level changed from `16`, `32`, `48` to `16`, `24`, `32`.
Fixed

Ship builder -> Combat mode -> Ships only shoot once after engaging combat mode.
Galaxy -> Visual spawns inside ubiquity.
Main menu -> UI -> SFX not balanced for some selector inputs.
Removed

Music -> total tracks reduced from 68 to 50.
https://wiki.newstarsgame.com/Update_1.10
Original post
10 Aug 2024Developer post
1.9.0 [10.08.2024]
Update improving empire customization and stability. Added Add: Create Game -> Saveable and loadable empire presets. Improved Create Game -> Empire -> Wider range of popular standardized colours, and doubled amount of colours to choose from 32 to 64. Ubiquity -> Starb
Update improving empire customization and stability.
Added

Add: Create Game -> Saveable and loadable empire presets.
Improved

Create Game -> Empire -> Wider range of popular standardized colours, and doubled amount of colours to choose from 32 to 64.
Ubiquity -> Starbases -> Replace old turret prefabs with new turrets.
Create Game -> Allow empire presets a chance to spawn in (if enabled by player).
Fixed

Fix: Create Game -> Map size setting not initially synced with actual value (i.e. appeared as 'duel' when map size was actually 'small').
Fix: Create Game -> Clicking 'Main' to exit origin selection and 'Play' randomizes the empire being customized, resulting in lost customization.
Fix: Fleet panel -> Esc key cancels fleet orders, when it used to close panel.
Fix: Create Game -> After starting game, galaxy visual sometimes does not match customized visual type.
Changed

Hyperlanes -> Base hyperlane density from 0.4 to 0.5.
Removed

Remove: Create Game -> Map -> Cached/saved values -> Conflicts with network synced value leading to unexpected map generations.
newstarsgame.com/changelog
Original post
10 Aug 2024Developer post
New Stars DevLog #24 | Empire Presets, New Wiki, and more...
It's been a while since the last dev log. Here are some recent developments for New Stars, with emphasis on empire customization. Empire Presets Many games have a feature where you can save customizations. New Stars now has this! Six new default empire presets have also been adde
31 Jul 2024Developer post
1.8.2 "Gateway" [31.07.24]
Fixed Fix: Combat -> Min range on turrets often freezes battles indefinitely . Fix: Combat -> All projectiles are not visible in combat (outside ship builder). Fix: Saving system -> Saving sometimes corrupts for the yearly auto save (race condition). Improve Combat ->
Fixed

Fix: Combat -> Min range on turrets often freezes battles indefinitely [ships automatically moving towards targets results in no shots being fired].
Fix: Combat -> All projectiles are not visible in combat (outside ship builder).
Fix: Saving system -> Saving sometimes corrupts for the yearly auto save (race condition).
Improve

Combat -> When a turret exceeds min range, its damage is halved, instead of 0.
Note

Laser turrets visuals don't currently work, but all other turret projectiles should now appear as expected.
https://wiki.newstarsgame.com/Update_1.8.X#1.8.2
Original post
25 Jul 2024Developer post
1.8.1 [25.07.2024]
Techs and building costs are now in-line with the wiki and are a lot more consistent. Fixed Fix: Tech -> Base cost ignores prerequisites for non-repeatable technologies Fix: Graphics -> VSync not applied when starting game, if previously enabled . Fix: Colony -> Building
Techs and building costs are now in-line with the wiki and are a lot more consistent.
Fixed

Fix: Tech -> Base cost ignores prerequisites for non-repeatable technologies
Fix: Graphics -> VSync not applied when starting game, if previously enabled [required manually re-enabling after starting game].
Fix: Colony -> Building base costs are very inconsistent and unpredictable.
Original post
18 Jul 2024Developer post
1.8.0 'GATEWAY' [18.07.2024]
Added Wiki -> wiki.newstarsgame.com Main Menu -> Galaxy visual selectable from main menu Pause Menu -> Restart button to pause menu Improved Galaxy -> Hyperlanes are now coloured to match galaxy Removed Empire -> Naval capacity (not union naval capacity) -> Arbi
Added

Wiki -> wiki.newstarsgame.com
Main Menu -> Galaxy visual selectable from main menu
Pause Menu -> Restart button to pause menu
Improved

Galaxy -> Hyperlanes are now coloured to match galaxy
Removed

Empire -> Naval capacity (not union naval capacity) -> Arbitrary bottleneck to expansion
Note

Previous saves may no longer restore the galaxy same visual (before this update), but future saves now will.
There is still a bug preventing some settings such as 'Galaxy Visual' from syncing after exiting to main menu and starting a game, although this is not new.
The new wiki is being developed, so this update was heavily delayed.
Changelog: https://newstarsgame.com/changelog
Original post
26 Jun 2024Developer post
1.7.1 'GATEWAY' [26.06.2024]
Added Add: Scroll Camera -> You can now move by hovering to corner of screen Improved Ubiquity -> Planet HUD -> World indicator shows colour of planet, rather than suitability for clarity System Name Text -> Planet HUD -> World indicator shows colour of planet, rat
Added

Add: Scroll Camera -> You can now move by hovering to corner of screen
Improved

Ubiquity -> Planet HUD -> World indicator shows colour of planet, rather than suitability for clarity
System Name Text -> Planet HUD -> World indicator shows colour of planet, rather than suitability for clarity
Optimized

Events -> New event batching system that supposedly makes events run more efficiently
Fixed

Fix: Planet HUD -> Name text becomes grey in system that is being explored, making it hard to see
Fix: Planet HUD -> World indicator is not shown until planet is fully explored
Original post
04 Apr 2024Developer post
New Stars DevLog #23 - 2 Years of Development!
Development on New Stars started two years ago today. Here are some recent changes. More Optimizations Saving the game no longer lags. AI now mostly uses multithreading. Unnecessary event calls have been reduced which decreases CPU load as well. Other changes and bug fixes are vi
Development on New Stars started two years ago today. Here are some recent changes.
More Optimizations

Saving the game no longer lags.
AI now mostly uses multithreading.
Unnecessary event calls have been reduced which decreases CPU load as well.
Other changes and bug fixes are viewable at newstarsgame.com/changelog.
I now plan to focus more on optimizing daily lag spikes in future updates, since most monthly calculations have already had multithreading optimizations.
'New Worlds': Colony Management Prototype
I'm working on a new demo for a colony management prototype (built from scratch), which is planned to eventually be playable for free on newstarsgame.com when it is ready.
The idea is that interacting with a more tangible procedurally-generated world that you can see, will likely be more enjoyable and engaging than an imagined world from a UI panel.
You can see a preview of its current state here:
It might not have No Mans Sky level of detail in world generation, as it's in its early stages, but there is a lot more features planned with it. If the future demo goes well, it's possible to integrate it into New Stars.
Development Update
Development will be slower until June, due to IRL exams. Admittedly, I didn't do well in the last exams, as a significant amount of my time dedicated towards releasing the project, so it means I will have to resit them, and the game may take slightly longer to reach a full-release state.
Stay tuned for more updates...
Feel free to comment your suggestions below.
🪵 View the Changelog: newstarsgame.com/changelog.
🕹️ Playtest New Stars: adamjr.xyz.
⭐ Wishlist New Stars to support development.
This page is intended to be a development preview, which may not reflect the final state of the game.
Original post
22 Mar 2024Developer post
1.7.0 'GATEWAY' [22.03.2024]
Improved Improve: Colony -> Add info to tooltip about migration for clarity. Optimized Optimize: Starbase Label HUD -> Should only update when siege progress changed, colony created, or month passed. Note: 'GATEWAY' Update The 'Meta' update mostly focused on post early-acce
Improved

Improve: Colony -> Add info to tooltip about migration for clarity.
Optimized

Optimize: Starbase Label HUD -> Should only update when siege progress changed, colony created, or month passed.
Note: 'GATEWAY' Update

The 'Meta' update mostly focused on post early-access support, and optimizing monthly updates.
This update will continue this, but may largely focus on reducing daily lag spikes.
Development may be a lot slower during this period, due to external events, so it may take a few months longer to complete NS to a full release standard.
View changes from previous updates: newstarsgame.com/changelog.
Original post
07 Mar 2024Developer post
1.6.3 'META' [07.03.2024]
Animated combat fixes. Fixed Fix: Fleet -> After battles, fleets sometimes enter FTL in the middle of systems. When a fleet enters a battle, the order that was paused assumes the last position before the battle started, therefore ships appear to teleport out of nowhere, when r
Animated combat fixes.
Fixed

Fix: Fleet -> After battles, fleets sometimes enter FTL in the middle of systems.

When a fleet enters a battle, the order that was paused assumes the last position before the battle started, therefore ships appear to teleport out of nowhere, when resuming order, after battle ended.
Fix: Seamless VFX -> Meteor VFX spawns while viewing system or ship builder.
Fix: Ubiquity -> Animated Combat -> Projectile VFX is not scaled correctly.
Tweaked

Tweak: Combat System -> Increase pace of battles (damage effectiveness increased).
Tweak: Animated Combat -> Remove ship movement speed reduction during battles.
View changes from previous updates: newstarsgame.com/changelog.
Original post

Updates & announcements

Workshop Support - Final Content Update

What's Next: Old Stars

Mac support!

The Wiki is back!

In-game changes:

Custom empires spawn in always - option added

UI - Consistent tooltip scaling

Stability - Loading is more deterministic

Improved

Tweaked

Fixed

Fixed

Improved:

Fixed:

Fixed:

The Hex Worlds Update is now live!

Hex Worlds

Mechanics

Changelog

Added

Improved

Changed

Fixed

Tweaked

Removed

Full Release

Fixed:

Fixed bugs where...

Experimental Multiplayer Support:

New map size "Impractical" - 1000 stars:

Added

Improved

Changed

Fixed

Removed

Added

Improved

Fixed

Changed

Removed

Empire Presets

New Stars Wiki

Changelog

New Worlds

Other Changes

Galaxy Visual Improvements

Adaptive Hyperlane Colours

Stay tuned for more updates...

Fixed

Improve

Note

Fixed

Added

Improved

Removed

Note

Added

Improved

Optimized

Fixed

More Optimizations

'New Worlds': Colony Management Prototype

Development Update

Stay tuned for more updates...

Improved

Optimized

Note: 'GATEWAY' Update

Fixed

Tweaked