Starbound

 PC
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 508 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 306 out of 508
  2. Mixed: 130 out of 508
  3. Negative: 72 out of 508

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  1. jecoconono
    May 19, 2014
    10
    Don't follow what the haters say. Play the game yourself and you will see that its amazing. The music, the art, the adventure is all greatly done, and plenty of mods from the community and the fact that you need little to no knowledge to mod the game too, its just a amazing game! Sure, it might be terraria-like but its mostly pure inspiration. Its a great game, and don't forget that itsDon't follow what the haters say. Play the game yourself and you will see that its amazing. The music, the art, the adventure is all greatly done, and plenty of mods from the community and the fact that you need little to no knowledge to mod the game too, its just a amazing game! Sure, it might be terraria-like but its mostly pure inspiration. Its a great game, and don't forget that its currently just a beta so things will change often.… Expand
  2. adrenilinmatt
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    why is the user score for this game so low lol, i see that most of the negative reviews are from release date when the game was unfinished early access. this is ridiculous reason to rate a game 0/10.

    heres a 10/10 to counter the ridiculously low scores.
  3. Game_Chip
    Mar 20, 2017
    9
    Really cool game! I love the story a lot and I love that you can explore other unknown planets just like Mass Effect. In my opinion I think this game is a combination of Minecraft, Terraria and Mass effect! (In a good way) Love the art style, really shows that pixel-based games can turn out to be amazing games! I give this game a 9/10!
  4. Lhetre
    Jun 18, 2017
    10
    Amazing game, so much todo, so much to explore, so much to build. Possibly better than Terraria - advice may vary.
    PS Look at the date of the reviews, the game has deeply changed as of version 1.7, June 2017, and is still being updated with content.
  5. Reinsol
    Dec 15, 2016
    9
    For me, Starbound lived up to the hype. I was an early beta player and playing it after 1.0 was like playing a whole new game. Good times solo and playing with a buddy, base building feels good and tech skills and developer dungeons keep it interesting.
  6. failboy84
    Jan 7, 2017
    10
    amazing game.... there's not much to be said as I haven't really played hundreds of hours (yet) but from the first intro I can tell its already an awesome game. the soundtrack is literally epic, and I don't use that word lightly or often, but in this case its fitting. Every new track I hear is well timed with the games cutscenes and events and sends shivers down my spine.

    The graphics    amazing game.... there's not much to be said as I haven't really played hundreds of hours (yet) but from the first intro I can tell its already an awesome game. the soundtrack is literally epic, and I don't use that word lightly or often, but in this case its fitting. Every new track I hear is well timed with the games cutscenes and events and sends shivers down my spine.

    The graphics are awesome (for a 2d tile based game) and the particle effects add a lot to the scene (rain is especially nice looking, when its wind for example).

    but the main thing that seems to keep me hooked is the sheer volume of content... there's just SO MUCH. I played a while online with my brother (who has played a lot more of the game than I have) and he has an amazing arsenal of bizarre and interesting weapons, all very different from each other.

    My only issue with the game is the performance. I couldn't get the 64bit version to launch and the 32bit version I can play never gets above 50fps on my machine (which isn't a beast pc but can play AAA titles just fine.) however for this game, anything above 30fps really is fine, is still looks smooth and doesn't feel choppy at all...

    so to sum up..... I got several new AAA games for Christmas this year and yet starbound is the game I will be playing for 2017.    … Expand
  7. c0b4ltl1ghtn1ng
    Jan 9, 2017
    8
    I've been with Starbound since the late Koala stages (they named their beta stages after animals, instead of 0.1 or 0.38) and I say 'pick this one up' as much as I did back then.

    If you've played Terraria, then you're already in a familiar field: 2D Minecraft-like, except this one is a bit more floaty. The Combat can seem kinda slow and unbalanced at times (in both directions, mind) but    I've been with Starbound since the late Koala stages (they named their beta stages after animals, instead of 0.1 or 0.38) and I say 'pick this one up' as much as I did back then.

    If you've played Terraria, then you're already in a familiar field: 2D Minecraft-like, except this one is a bit more floaty. The Combat can seem kinda slow and unbalanced at times (in both directions, mind) but the real area Starbound shines is the exploration.
    Beam down to a Planet, scour it for ores and/or treasures, or just enjoy the scenery above and below ground all the way to the Small Meteorites orbiting the atmosphere above or the planet's molten core bellow. When you're finished, tell Scotty to beam you back up, find a new planet, and repeat.

    Of course, the game does still have it's faults.
    During it's Beta phases, there was no real goal in how to progress through the game, aside from 'get the bestest gear ever.' Now that it's released we finally have a story driven plot:
    Some big tentacle monster destroyed Earth, and you gotta stop it form destroying the rest of the universe, somehow. Sounds Noble, right?
    Unless you focus on the story, it can get outright forgotten about. That's a good and bad thing: There's so much to do anyway, but it's part of the game that just feels lackluster compared to everything else. It can easily be plowed through in a few hours, although there was a recent update that adds post story content. I've not checked that out yet

    Apparently some people have been having problems just running the game since it's official release. I do not know why, it's always run smoothly for me. Try running it in a different display mode, is what I'd suggest (if windowed, try fullscreen, etc).

    And the mods, oh golly the mods. At once point the Devs made it a clear goal to make the game as easy to modify as they possibly could, and it still shows today. As of right now, Starbound's Steam Workshop has a little over two Thousand separate mods for it, although totaling to 3500. The second number, however, includes the outdated mods that were abandoned due to a dry update period.

    Overall, I say get this game, and get a friend or two to get this game, too. The vastness of space is best explored with buddies.    … Expand
  8. RustyHeart
    Oct 23, 2018
    10
    I'm really flabbergasted to see a 7,2 for user score. I suppose it's votes during early access. But Starbound changed since this period. It became a really complete game. Pixel art is marvelous. The story is cool and you've some greats awesome updates ! Like Mechas and spaces stations. You've such possibilities to have fun, especially with your friend.
  9. HondaSalesman
    Feb 7, 2020
    10
    This is a late review but all of the gripes from early patches in the games life have been revisited, with more content being added on a somewhat regular basis. The game-play is fun and engaging, with the movement getting better and better as you progress throughout the game. It's non-linear story is, while not the most original, is fun and unique in it's own sort of way. All and all it'sThis is a late review but all of the gripes from early patches in the games life have been revisited, with more content being added on a somewhat regular basis. The game-play is fun and engaging, with the movement getting better and better as you progress throughout the game. It's non-linear story is, while not the most original, is fun and unique in it's own sort of way. All and all it's just a fun crafter that you can spend hour after hour enjoying.… Expand
  10. neowiz73
    Jan 18, 2017
    10
    Amazing 2D story driven sandbox game, similar to terraria but you are able to explorer a limitless amount of planets that have a very wide variety of creatures, biomes and landscapes. with a lot of hidden dungeons and treasures to find, even recover old artifacts from fossil locations.
    You can meet NPCs that are interested in being a crew member of your ship that will help enhance your    Amazing 2D story driven sandbox game, similar to terraria but you are able to explorer a limitless amount of planets that have a very wide variety of creatures, biomes and landscapes. with a lot of hidden dungeons and treasures to find, even recover old artifacts from fossil locations.
    You can meet NPCs that are interested in being a crew member of your ship that will help enhance your team if you choose to have them along or just leave them on the ship to continue to enhance your ship in various ways.
    a lot of random side quests can be gained from the various NPCs that dot all of the planets.
    Build anything like you can in minecraft but with a lot more variety of block types and furnishings to add a lot of appeal to the decor. then you can add people to each building or house and create your own civilization.
    with the update of 1.2 you are now able to terraform any biome into whatever biome you like.
    there seems to be more updates to come and more fun to be had in the coming months and years.    … Expand
  11. Airaindust
    Sep 5, 2014
    9
    This game is really fun. I'm waiting for the final build but play nightly sometimes. Anyone calling this a scam is an uninformed idiot. Tired of hearing about how they don't update because if you weren't an idiot you would know they do every night. Give the game a chance if you are interested and do your own research instead of listening to trolls.
  12. Madforstarbound
    Jan 30, 2015
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Whoever said this was abandoned, never tried the nightly versions. This game is solid, Really a masterpiece of a game, with all the things a good survival game should have. And also... MOD SUPPORT! Not many games have these. and chucklefish is great at what they do. idiots, who call themselves gamers, can't hold a candle, if they knew what one is, to how amazing this game is.… Expand
  13. zombiechan
    Sep 24, 2014
    8
    I picked up Starbound months ago and I've set up a server for me and my friends. We had a great time goofing off and building stuff. Doing our usual stuff when it comes to sandbox games like this.

    The music is pleasant and I love some of the random aliens you run into. If you enjoyed Terraria but wanted to prefer Scifi, then Starbound is worth a check. (A lot of people seem to be    I picked up Starbound months ago and I've set up a server for me and my friends. We had a great time goofing off and building stuff. Doing our usual stuff when it comes to sandbox games like this.

    The music is pleasant and I love some of the random aliens you run into. If you enjoyed Terraria but wanted to prefer Scifi, then Starbound is worth a check.

    (A lot of people seem to be rating this game with zeros saying it was unfinished, but I do not know what they expected from buying a game that is in early access.)    … Expand
  14. Elroyscout
    Feb 14, 2015
    10
    This game is art, this game is soul, this game is what this culture needs to survive... sure there will allays some stupid Mushroom cloud in this culture, but that only makes this more amazing by comparison
    i know the art is hyper-generic, i know the combat system is stupid but i do not care, because that is part of the charm. the entire starting universe is lame bland and predictable,    This game is art, this game is soul, this game is what this culture needs to survive... sure there will allays some stupid Mushroom cloud in this culture, but that only makes this more amazing by comparison
    i know the art is hyper-generic, i know the combat system is stupid but i do not care, because that is part of the charm. the entire starting universe is lame bland and predictable, but the player is the one to put their own spin on it, turn their castle ship into Farmer Joe's Cornfeild, go roaming the universe with a cowboy hat or make a paintball arena on a dead planet... which we did on a whim and had such a great payoff.i know this feels unfinished, but that makes it ever more tantalizing, because this game, in early beta, has one hundred and fifty hours of playtime, while the unnamed game which many people claim that this is a ripoff of... has only fifteen minutes, because this thing feels like it has only scratched the surface of it's potential, and yet feels even more wholesome, encompassing, and unique. the races deserve a line and that line is... these may feel a bit generic, but when you actually look at the time, the philosophies, effort and lore they put into seven separate races... you want to pack you bags and move to this galaxy. Unlike other popular games, which are pretentious, silly and just make a lot a noise for the sake of noise, this thing is light, simple and sweet in telling a very simple message, in a very unique way that makes it actually viable...
    Go and explore    … Expand
  15. ninjaofthewest
    Feb 1, 2015
    8
    This is one of the most underrated game of 2014. For those who were raging about the game's problems most of these problems have been addressed and fixed. For
  16. slickserpent99
    Nov 25, 2016
    9
    If you like adventure games, this is the game for you. Land on a planet, travel across the surface to find old ruins and secret laboratories, or trek through a cave into the vast underground to find old, ruined outposts, underground cities, underground jungles, graves, and MOAR secret laboratories. A captivating game that will suck you in. It's a bit slow to start, but, if you put time andIf you like adventure games, this is the game for you. Land on a planet, travel across the surface to find old ruins and secret laboratories, or trek through a cave into the vast underground to find old, ruined outposts, underground cities, underground jungles, graves, and MOAR secret laboratories. A captivating game that will suck you in. It's a bit slow to start, but, if you put time and effort into this game, the payoff will be amazing. THIS is what gamers should play rather than that unfinished repetitive mess that is No Man's Sky.… Expand
  17. ANDRESF2033
    Jun 17, 2017
    10
    LA VERDAD YA HE JUGADO TÍTULOS PARECIDOS DE CRAFTEO COMO TERRARIA PERO NUNCA ME LLAMARON MUCHO LA ATENCIÓN , STARBOUND LO TIENE CASI ABSOLUTAMENTE TODO, DESDE MECÁNICAS DE ATAQUE HASTA AUTOS VOLADORES, ES UN BUEN JUEGO SI QUIERES PASAR UN BUEN RATO DE AMIGOS. PERO ES EL MEJOR SI QUIERES CREAR EL MUNDO QUE SIEMPRE SOÑASTE
  18. Cik
    Feb 10, 2015
    10
    A very, very enjoyable game, even at this stage of development; there is a very appealing uncomplicated beauty, yet depth of play and entertainment that has gripped me for days. It is worth it, and will continue to be as it develops more.

    There exists a lore for every character type as well, so the RPG elements are well polished for the build-stage this game is at, and will only get    A very, very enjoyable game, even at this stage of development; there is a very appealing uncomplicated beauty, yet depth of play and entertainment that has gripped me for days. It is worth it, and will continue to be as it develops more.

    There exists a lore for every character type as well, so the RPG elements are well polished for the build-stage this game is at, and will only get better. And the npc encounters that recognize you as your race and engage you differently in many circumstances is fresh and non-repetitive.

    The exploration potential is boundless and fun, along with the building emphasis of stages based upon your completion of quests; very fun. Jetting from planet to planet, system to system, makes the whole game seem never ending; very expansive. Not to mention that I found myself wandering on the surface of various planets a lot more, which I personally enjoy, and within the depths to accumulate more resources, hidden caves and base structures which I could gain unexpected gear and weapons from. The vast amount of weaponry and uniqueness to each one is simply brilliant.

    There is so much to see and accomplish in the game at the current stage, that I very much look forward to coming back to is with each developmental improvement.    … Expand
  19. shanecavaliere
    May 1, 2015
    10
    This game is being actively developed, and improves all the time. If you're considering buying it, I'd recommend only reading reviews within the most recent couple of months. Even in its current (unreleased) form, it's absolutely better than Terraria. The gameplay, effects, sound, and attention to detail are amazing - not to mention the massive amount of content. The most recent patchThis game is being actively developed, and improves all the time. If you're considering buying it, I'd recommend only reading reviews within the most recent couple of months. Even in its current (unreleased) form, it's absolutely better than Terraria. The gameplay, effects, sound, and attention to detail are amazing - not to mention the massive amount of content. The most recent patch hugely improved the way the game is presented, so quests and objectives are easy to understand and follow. This is a really, really impressive game.… Expand
  20. Knoxx
    Dec 23, 2014
    8
    Starbound is a great game it has so much content the planets you can explore the terraria gameplay the random encounters with aliens quests and much more if you like terraria you will like this game if you like space exploration you will like this game as well
  21. Raymond123
    Mar 2, 2015
    9
    The game is like a great and remastered version of terraria with diffrent worlds, quests, and a home ship. It has tons of long-term play abilty and provides quests which helps you along your way instead of you wondering what to do. You can also choose from several specieas, each with a slightly different story and ship. Great fun! Get for pre-release before the price raises!
  22. Popcultures
    Aug 24, 2015
    10
    Starbound is like space exploring adventure. Millions of planets to see and explore with randomly generated biomes and buildings. You can find villages, research facilities, castles, and the list goes on and on. There are currently 6 different races that all have their own unique weapons and armor. This game is still early access, but it still blows my mind on how awesome it is. FunnyStarbound is like space exploring adventure. Millions of planets to see and explore with randomly generated biomes and buildings. You can find villages, research facilities, castles, and the list goes on and on. There are currently 6 different races that all have their own unique weapons and armor. This game is still early access, but it still blows my mind on how awesome it is. Funny dialogue with random NPCs and cool biomes to explore. Speaking of biomes, there is a lot of em'. Underground slime biomes, mushroom villages, gnome villages, so many things to find.

    I love this game, and so should you.    … Expand
  23. Prodigyfire
    Feb 2, 2015
    10
    Anyone who rate this game below a 7 is lying, this game is just beyond comprehension of most people, and those are the people who put below a 7, anyone above that knows a good game when they see it, and we can clearly see the potential Chuckle Fish has out into this awesome game. If I could rate higher then a 10 I would, because this game is just pure awesomeness on our planet.
  24. Vas
    Jun 29, 2014
    8
    This great game has a lot you can do in the beginning. If you don't cheat or get help from players, you can be entertained for many days gathering what you need to go up to the next level. You can create structures and traps and fun designs as well. With mods, you can add a lot more to your game which will make it last longer and more entertaining. There are endless planets you canThis great game has a lot you can do in the beginning. If you don't cheat or get help from players, you can be entertained for many days gathering what you need to go up to the next level. You can create structures and traps and fun designs as well. With mods, you can add a lot more to your game which will make it last longer and more entertaining. There are endless planets you can visit so you can always go far away to a planet no one will find to build your stuff, in order to protect it. Planets of different sizes and types, so there is always a unique planet to find, with many unique NPCs and bases.… Expand
  25. 3dsboy08
    Feb 1, 2015
    9
    Very nice game. Extremely detailed and awesome to play. When the Upbeat Giraffe update was released, it made the game a LOT more fun to play. Play it, it is worth the 20$.
  26. Lunrun
    Oct 11, 2015
    10
    After the development's hiatus, Starbound is finally back into full-swing with regular updates and content. The recent addition of colonies adds quite a bit of depth to building in the game, and good things seem to be happening with the progression and combat. The art style is rather charming, and the game's humor keeps even some minor additions amusing.

    Furthermore, the game has a    After the development's hiatus, Starbound is finally back into full-swing with regular updates and content. The recent addition of colonies adds quite a bit of depth to building in the game, and good things seem to be happening with the progression and combat. The art style is rather charming, and the game's humor keeps even some minor additions amusing.

    Furthermore, the game has a surprising amount of potential for good builds and servers. My friends and I have built everything from space-bars to giant lasers, a steam-punk planet, an Avian home world, you name it! Even Terraria at its present height doesn't have this much potential for building flavor.

    Also, seriously, why is the OST so good? It's kinda ridiculous. They brought in some straight-up piano and fancy instrumentation for it. It's just another example of how damn ambitious this growing indie game has been.    … Expand
  27. Alexanderrieke
    Jun 30, 2015
    10
    Look a lot, and I mean A LOT of people have said things like game is unfinished. And it was abandoned by developers. They are ignorant fools with no creativity. I beg you to ignore them. Starbound is a great game. It may not have much content but it has endless amounts of servers and communities! If you have already beat the game, don't worry! It's just the beginning. Go find new friends,Look a lot, and I mean A LOT of people have said things like game is unfinished. And it was abandoned by developers. They are ignorant fools with no creativity. I beg you to ignore them. Starbound is a great game. It may not have much content but it has endless amounts of servers and communities! If you have already beat the game, don't worry! It's just the beginning. Go find new friends, or build a giant house, or build a giant house with your friends. Maybe make a faction or help someone. Or join one of the great player communities. Or use one of the endless mods made by players. Starbound is a canvas. Many people have drawn on it to make a beautiful painting. Now it is your turn to make your painting. What will you decide?… Expand
  28. Woollenhat
    Aug 6, 2014
    9
    Most fun I have had in years in any kind of game, especially coop. Art is wonderful, music is great and building stuff is incredibly satisfying, if you are creatively inclined.

    That being said, it really is still in a very rough state and it is clear that it is far from finished. Once you have 'cleared' the content that is available at the moment, there is not much or nothing in the way    Most fun I have had in years in any kind of game, especially coop. Art is wonderful, music is great and building stuff is incredibly satisfying, if you are creatively inclined.

    That being said, it really is still in a very rough state and it is clear that it is far from finished. Once you have 'cleared' the content that is available at the moment, there is not much or nothing in the way of dungeon crawling, questing etc.

    Yet I find the criticism displayed here unreasonable, because it actually does not criticise the game, but the development cycle. A game taking long to develop is actually not valid criticism of the quality of the game**

    If I judge what I have gotten for my money, which is 70-80h* of delightful gameplay for about 15€ or so, then I can say that this is great value and has left me highly satisfied. Would I like to continue playing with more content? Hell yeah. But I'll have to wait till the game is properly out.

    *mostly coop. Probably would have been much shorter, if I had played entirely solo.

    ** I am not suggesting that people cannot be rightfully upset at having the release date pushed multiple times if they have been fans of the first hour. But the rating should not reflect your estimate of how well the development progresses, but what the game offers right now in its current form — which I personally find more then satisfying.    … Expand
  29. ReviewBros
    Jul 9, 2014
    8
    its a really cool sci fi game. ive played around 6 hours and loving it. its like mine craft and terrairer put together but set in the future. with over 20 weapons and diffrent materials makes it great. a must buy for addictive gamers.
  30. Nataruma
    Aug 9, 2015
    9
    I don't understand why people think there's nothing but a linear grind, when really you have a vast galaxy to explore as you like. Apart from that, you can on your travels come across and collect different outfits, weaponry, furnishings (A LOT) and find weird and wacky locals to interact with. There's been significant content updates since 2014, with another pretty significant update justI don't understand why people think there's nothing but a linear grind, when really you have a vast galaxy to explore as you like. Apart from that, you can on your travels come across and collect different outfits, weaponry, furnishings (A LOT) and find weird and wacky locals to interact with. There's been significant content updates since 2014, with another pretty significant update just around the corner from the time of writing this review.

    Those who keep comparing it to Terraria really shouldn't. I hated Terraria, but I love Starbound because the focus seems more to do with exploration than "survive this horrendous attack on your house", and the tools and crafting system seem more intuitive to me. Not to knock the survival genre game, but it's not my favourite, and Starbound has elements of combat within it, but it doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the game or lay waste to all your hard work within one bad blood moon attack.

    I'd also like to add that multiplayer really adds more enjoyment to the game, just because everything's more fun with friends, you can also set yourselves interesting challenges with the power of your imagination, like who can terraform a planet faster, or who can build the biggest monstrous building in a set amount of time. The options are literally only as limited as your brain power ;)    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

54
#54 Best PC Game of 2016
32
#32 Most Discussed PC Game of 2016
74
#74 Most Shared PC Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. Everyeye.it
    Oct 24, 2016
    82
    Starbound is one of the very few games that gets both "open world" and "sandbox" done right. The amount of activities available is astounding and the best part is you can avoid them all, if you wish to do just that.
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    Oct 14, 2016
    85
    The price to fun ratio is amazing, but Starbound’s biggest advantage is the freedom it offers. I took a long break from Elite Dangerous to play this indie gem – it’s that good! [10/2016, p.58]
  3. Games.cz
    Sep 19, 2016
    70
    Starbound is not as polished and debugged as other games, and sometimes it may seem repetitive. But compared to more "modern" sci-fi games its explorative, almost melancholic spirit and emphasis on building catches your heart. Spare a few hundred hours of your time, the ultimate boundary once again calls for the survey.
    Read full review
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