- Critical Mass (v0.8.2) - 12 September 2026
Knocking a few more things off my request list with this update before I dive back into the Sector 4 - Phase 2 content I have planned.Adaptive ShieldThis is something I saw in a game trailer and thought would be cool. Shields now have a new legendary variant. Instead of forming a bubble around your ship, the Adaptive Shield follows a wider version of your ship's silhouette.Dreadnought by John_Shi (https://star-vortex.com/ships.php?view=313)This isn't purely visual, as it also reduces your hitbox, which in theory should mean you take fewer hits. The shield you upgrade to legendary will determine the actual visual style of the Adaptive Shield.Mobile Test DronesThe Science Vessel now has a new Mobile Test Drone that darts around within a 60-meter area after it lands. This should give you a better representation of your DPS against a moving enemy, or you can simply use them for a bit of tar…
- Filtered Noise (v0.8.1) - 5 September 2026
In the push to finish multiplayer, I've been putting off some quality-of-life requests that needed more work on the user interface. Now that I've had a little time, I think it's about time a loot-heavy shooter like ours had some proper loot sorting tools and a way to test weapons and compare their actual DPS.A wave of new players has also uncovered a wave of new bugs. You'll find the fixes below.Science Vessel: Test DronesThis isn't a fantasy dungeon crawler, so I can't call them "Target Dummies." Instead, you get Test Drones! Deploy them from the Science Vessel whenever you like. Pick a level and a drone type (Regular, Elite, Boss, an Immortal that never dies, or a Hostile one that shoots back), then fire away. The panel shows a per-weapon breakdown of shield damage, hull damage, hits, crits, debuffs applied, and DPS.This tool is inevitably going to create more work for me down the roa…
- Four Galaxies: Special Steam Celebration - 28 August 2026
Today we're joining forces with three other space games for the Four Galaxies Steam Celebration!Star Vortex, Reality Break, Star Valor and Astronomics all have big updates landing around the same time, so we've put together a little Steam event to celebrate. All four games are on sale now, with pick-and-mix bundles available if you want to grab more than one.Star VortexYesterday I released the biggest Star Vortex update ever, adding full online multiplayer support. You can now explore, fight, hunt for loot and build increasingly ridiculous ships together, with optional PvP and Hardcore modes if you want your supposedly cooperative game to descend into violence.Multiplayer is also available in the free demo, so friends can jump in and try it without buying the game.Reality BreakReality Break is a fast-paced Action-RPG roguelite built around rewriting reality itself to change the rules of…
- Multiplayer (v0.8.0) - 27 August 2026
I've never put as much testing and work into a single update as I have this one. The last couple of weeks really did feel like the quiet before the storm, but the storm is finally here. Star Vortex now has full online multiplayer support.A huge thank you to everyone who helped test, both in real life and on Discord. This update is a lot more solid because of you guys.Alongside multiplayer, there's also a pile of bug fixes, quality of life improvements and smaller changes, a lot of which turned up while I was tearing through the code getting it ready for other players.Multiplayer Co-opYou can now host a session with up to 8 players flying in the same sector. Multiplayer games use the host's sector, but you bring your own ship, and whatever you earn during the session - experience, loot, credits and mission progress - goes home with you to your own save.You can fight side by side or ventu…
- Recalibration (v0.7.95) - 13 August 2026
Testing of the new multiplayer mode continues behind the scenes. While that's going on, I've been checking off a load more QoL requests that were on my list. A lot of these came from the Steam Community, but I read everything, wherever you may post it...Assembler Hangar BayThe Assembler now has a Hangar Bay in its first tab that can store up to 10 ship designs. Each design includes your full upgrade selection, equipment and the ship design itself. They can be created, edited and deleted entirely for free.Build a tanky Gladiator, a glass-cannon sniper and a support ship, then switch between them whenever you're at the fleet.Free Upgrade ResetsWhile making the Hangar Bay, it quickly became apparent that it would be exploitable as a way to avoid upgrade reset costs unless I made every interaction with the system cost credits. So, in the spirit of Slormancer, all upgrades can now be freely…
- Full Thrust (v0.7.91) - 28 July 2026
The graphics are finally getting to where I want them. For the first time I didn't need to create custom artwork for a news post... the header image is just a screenshot taken in-game with the new dynamic lighting effects. More on that below!New Difficulty Slider: EnemiesMaking enemies tougher is one thing, but what about simply having more of them? Thanks to a series of performance improvements, there's now a new difficulty slider that lets you double (or halve) the number of enemy squadrons you encounter.The difficulty presets have also been reworked. Higher difficulties now focus more on increasing enemy numbers while slightly reducing the damage multiplier.Vanity ThrustersShips now support Vanity Thruster slots. These are purely cosmetic directional thrusters that can be placed anywhere on your hull. They automatically fire based on how your ship is moving, so if you strafe left, th…
- Ice and Fire (v0.7.9) - 17 July 2026
This began as a hotfix, but then I started messing around with some new weapon ideas. So alongside the bug fixes, there are now a load of quality-of-life improvements and some new toys to play with.Ice FabricatorThe Ice Fabricator is a new utility weapon that sprays walls of ice into space.You can box in enemies, block off an approach, or build yourself some cover to hide behind. It creates a completely different style of play that will hopefully appeal to some players.I spent a lot of time making sure the ice behaves properly, so it cannot be stamped directly against a hull or used to shove ships around.PyromaniacInspired by the ice walls, I finally worked out how to make the flamethrower-style weapons feel more distinct and fun.Instead of disappearing immediately, their projectiles now slow down and linger, painting space with fire, frost or plasma that continues damaging any enemies…
- Zombies (v0.7.8) - 13 July 2026
Ok, so we don’t have actual zombies. Not like the amazing Space Pirates and Zombies. If you haven’t played it, you absolutely should... just don’t ask about the sequel.Anyway, I’m adding a few fun new weapons to keep you entertained while most of the work continues behind the scenes on Multiplayer Mode.August 27th. Put it in your calendar.Reanimated ShipsWe don’t have a Necromancer class, sadly, so no proper zombies. What we do have is a new rare modifier that gives an \ % chance to reanimate destroyed enemies.Reanimated ships return at full strength and join your squadron for the rest of the encounter, fighting alongside you against their former allies.I made them blue, so they hopefully stand out as friendly companions.Override TetherDon’t feel like waiting for an enemy to die before stealing it? The new Override Tether is a grapple weapon that temporarily flips an enemy to your side…
- August 27th: Multiplayer - 8 July 2026
Not many visible changes in this update, but there's a huge amount of work happening behind the scenes. As a result, don't be too surprised if a few strange bugs pop up in single-player...And yes, I just called it single-player, because all of those behind-the-scenes changes are laying the groundwork for the new Multiplayer mode!On August 27th 2026, the multiplayer update will go live. Right now I'm working through bugs and doing a lot of testing. Over the next 3 - 4 weeks I'll also start inviting people from Discord to help out. If you'd like to get involved, come and join us at: https://discord.gg/ePgg7qgs4bI'm not looking to turn the game into some massively multiplayer experience, but you'll be able to host games and play 2–8 player co-op with friends, strangers, or even jump into PvP if that's more your thing.The multiplayer browser will list any public games but be warned, multipl…
- Conduits (v0.7.6) - 2 July 2026
The Summer Sale is in full swing, and with it has come a wave of feedback from players discovering the game for the first time.This update is almost entirely driven by suggestions from the Steam Community.ConduitsConduits can now drop from enemies. These are auto-special slot items that link to other equipment, adding extra damage types and debuffs.For example, attach a Thermal Conduit to your Freeze Ray and it'll start setting enemies on fire as well as freezing them, triggering Steam Cloud reactions.Foley's Rage by CountMOPS (https://star-vortex.com/ships.php?view=67)Conduits were added for players who prefer to focus on a smaller selection of weapons instead of filling every slot with something different. You can chain conduits into other conduits, link multiple conduits to a single weapon, and if you don't like the visual effects you can set them be Invisible in the Assembler.By def…
- Close Combat (v0.7.5) - 23 June 2026
This... is a big update.The main feature is Close Combat, a completely new playstyle built around giant space swords, energy torches and aura weapons that reward diving in to groups of enemies. To support it, there's a brand new Gladiator secondary class, 13 new close-combat weapons, new legendary variants, a new starting ship, major drone and beacon improvements, and a much better radar/navigation system.Behind the scenes, this update also contains a huge number of performance optimisations, bug fixes and code improvements. The amount of work that went into this has been a little daunting, so if anything is broken expect hotfixes in the next few days.I've tested it extensively though, including a full playthrough using my own Close Combat build while tweaking the balance to make sure it stays fun and viable throughout the game.Gladiator Secondary ClassThe purpose of this new Secondary…
- Close Combat: Dev Update - 15 June 2026
Just wanted to give a quick update on progress.The next major update is the Close Combat Update, introducing an entirely new playstyle built around getting up close and personal with enemies. The update adds a variety of new close-range weapon types, including massive space swords, short-range Torch weapons, and Halo weapons that continuously damage nearby enemies.M-炮艇 by cccsennn (https://star-vortex.com/ships.php?view=229)Most of the content is already finished. Some of it accidentally made its way into the previous hotfix. So, if you happened to find a Halo weapon in the Black Market or at a Trader.. that wasn't supposed be there.The update also introduces a new Secondary Class, Gladiator, focused entirely on close combat. It includes a variety of upgrades designed to make fighting at close range viable, with bonuses such as increased armor, hull leech and a localized gravity field.A…
- Specialists (v0.7.2) - 3 June 2026
Another pretty large update for the class system this time. I've posted this as a regular update though, as I don't want to become one of those games that thinks everything is a major update.The Science Vessel has joined the fleet, and the grapple guns have finally received their long-awaited overhaul. More details on both are below. I also finally managed to fix the Steam Deck framerate issues.New Secondary ClassesThe Science Vessel is now a permanent part of the fleet, and it's where you now go to buy secondary classes. All existing secondary classes now start locked and must be purchased using an Infected Seed from Species-XI. If you had already spent points in one from a previous save, you'll unlock it for free.I've added five new secondary classes, each focused on a damage type: Arsonist (thermal), Cryonic (cold), Juggernaut (kinetic), Vitriolic (corrosive), and Contaminator (radio…
- Hotfix (v0.7.16) - 21 May 2026
I don't usually post news for hotfixes but yesterday's update broke a few player builds. So, after some reflection and discussion, I've made a couple of changes listed below.Gravity WellBlack Holes can be fun, but they ended up being more frustrating than enjoyable as a reaction effect. Due to that, the Corroding (Corrosive) + Disabled (Electric) reaction has been replaced with a Gravity Well.Gravity Wells persist for 3 seconds, pulling enemies toward their inner perimeter while dealing ticking Corrosive damage to everything caught inside. Like with all the reactions there is no friendly fire from these when triggered so you will not be pulled in yourself.Debuff RemovalDebuffs are no longer removed when a reaction triggers. Ships will now retain both debuffs, and reapplying either one will trigger the reaction again once the 1 second cooldown has expired.Hopefully this addresses some of…
- Chain Reactions (v0.7.15) - 20 May 2026
I've decided to split this next update into two parts, this being the first. Simply because Early Access games can lose trust quickly if they don't get regular updates, so I didn't want to delay this when the second part is likely to take a bit longer.The purpose of this update as a whole is to give more depth to build decisions and add more synergy between certain weapon setups.ReactionsBurning and Frozen have long cancelled each other out. Now lots of debuffs cancel each other out, but when doing so they spawn reactions, usually resulting in some form of AOE damage to nearby enemies. Burning + Frozen triggers a Steam Explosion.Frozen + Corroding throws shards of ice outward as projectiles.Corroding + Disabled spawns a Black Hole.Disabled + Radioactive discharges electrical bolts at nearby enemies.Radioactive + Burning emits radioactive clouds of green smoke.Motherwing Design by Quantu…
- Glossary (v0.7.13) - 9 May 2026
Finally got this thing working so thought I'd throw it out in a quick update. The game now has a built-in Glossary that lets you look up factions, ships, items, and legendary weapons.GlossaryIn both the main menu and pause menu you'll now find a link to the Glossary. Inside, you can browse every item, legendary, ship, and faction you've discovered. It shouldn't spoil anything, and it will backfill data for your existing saves.You can change the level when viewing ship and item stats, and see how legendary weapons scale with different base items at different levels. I plan to keep expanding this over time, adding more detail for theory crafting and build design.Cache TiersNavigating through a sector and hitting a dead end sucks. I took the Diablo 2 approach of throwing a cache at the end to make it suck less... but the caches also sucked.First fix, Sector 4 now has fewer dead ends. I've…
- Sector 4 - Phase 1 (v0.7.11) - 3 May 2026
Sector 4 is finally here. Well, the first phase of it.I wanted to get as much content into the final part of the storyline as possible, so it has been split into three phases focused on charging the Singularity Key. This phase brings new ships, weapons, enemies, achievements (one hidden), and a couple of bosses waiting for you when you arrive.Alongside the new sector, this update includes a stack of fixes and balance changes based on recent feedback. The damage cap is still in place but has been adjusted, slow ships are no longer unintentionally slow, debuffs now work properly on multi-part enemies, and almost every sprite in the game has been increased in resolution.Sector 4 - Phase 1The end of Sector 3 now leads into the beginning of Sector 4. Expect new enemies, two new bosses, some new elites, and a range of supporting ships. There are also three new story achievements and one hidde…
- Balance and Performance (v0.7.05) - 21 April 2026
This update was supposed to be a hotfix, but I ended up adding so much to it that it’s basically become a set of balance overhauls based on some recent feedback. The abridged version is that you’re no longer allowed to die in less than 320ms, and when you reach the end of the content and start hitting New Game+, enemies are tankier but deal less damage.Enemy RefactorEnemies get stronger at higher levels using an exponential scale because players get better weapons, more upgrades, and more build synergy... so enemies have to be adjusted to remain a challenge.The issue is that I was primarily adjusting enemies by increasing their damage. The result was that you would get swarmed by lots of glass cannons, and it felt like an Unreal Tournament match set to insta-gib.Endless Battleship Design by Endless (https://star-vortex.com/ships.php?view=130)Now, they still deal more damage... but about…
- Mod Support (v0.7.0) - 11 April 2026
Ok, as mentioned in the last post... I kind of lost track of my plans over the last few weeks.It started when I was trying to figure out how I was ever going to follow through on adding mod support. Once I actually started though, I couldn’t stop... so here it is, much earlier than intended.Along with a bunch of other stuff that probably would’ve been out a couple of weeks ago if not for this.Mod SupportStar Vortex now has first-party mod support with full Steam Workshop integration. You can browse, subscribe, and play with mods directly in-game. They load automatically on startup and can add new weapons, ship parts, enemies... or override pretty much anything.Dawnstar Design by CitizenKing (https://star-vortex.com/ships.php?view=195)I’ve put together a Banana Launcher mod as a first example, which is already up on the Workshop. I’ll be adding more examples over time, mainly focused on…
- Nebulas + Mod Support Incoming - 5 April 2026
Ok, so I know I said the next update would be Sector 4...One of the perks of being a solo dev is complete control over my priorities. One of the downsides is that I have complete control over my priorities...Good news though, I hope!Instead of more content, I ended up doing a full rework of the Nebula system. It’s no longer just "can’t see anything." It now has volumetric clouds you can actively clear to hunt enemies with your exhaust vents, or hide inside to ambush them if you like being sneaky.Fox-02 Design by Yo (https://star-vortex.com/ships.php?view=152)Also... I may have accidentally added Mod Support with full asset replacement, HarmonyX and Steam Workshop support.So... this next update is turning out to be pretty massive, which means it’s currently held together with thoughts and prayers. There is going to need to be a lot more testing.Sorry for the delay. I didn’t want you guys…
