Stars Reach News

[p]THE MOON ON THE HORIZON[/p][p]These are the last days of the Hidden Fog Update. A new update is being installed during the next maintenance cycle. Soon you will visit a new moon with the name of Haven. There is much to learn there. This is a particularly good time to start testing Stars Reach.[/p][p]Preparation for the new moon: make sure there is one character slot free on your account. You will not be able to experience the new content until you create a new character. Existing characters cannot travel to Haven.[/p][p][/p][p]EVERY NEW MMO YOU CAN PLAY IN 2026[/p][p]Respected gaming content creator Force Gaming posted a video this week bucking the current doom & gloom trend among those contemplating the MMO genre. In an effort to increase positivity and hope, he discussed nearly 20 MMORPGs you can play or will be able to play this year.[/p][p][/p][p]Stars Reach was right in the middle of the creation. Click here to jump in at our timestamp:[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]UNEVEN SUBSTRATA[/p][p]You’ve picked a spot where you want to build but the location is not flat. What are your options?[/p][p][/p][p]There are more options than you may think. Instead of just terraforming your way to a flat building spot, consider a multilevel build.[/p][p]In this case, Hubert designed an elaborate external staircase to move folks between the upper building and the lower building.[/p][p][/p][p]The floating staircases may not be to code in your jurisdiction but they work very well on Bixis. [/p][p][/p][p]Additional highrises are already going up nearby on this hot, new settlement.[/p][p]Big thank you to Chayce and Hubert for this inspiration.[/p][p][/p][p]BUG FIXES[/p][p]In the past weeks there have been improvements to camera performance – especially in confined situations like inside buildings or underground caves.[/p][p]Additional camera improvements are coming in next week’s update as well.[/p][p]We have fixed both server crash bugs and client crash bugs. [/p][p]The GovBot issue from the 15th has also been fixed and should not be a problem again in the future.[/p][p]There have also been a few performance enhancements and some backend improvements to make life easier for the developers so normal tasks don’t need to be done manually. This frees up more time to spend on developing or scaling the game.[/p][p][/p][p]PLAYTEST SCHEDULE[/p][p]Between an unplanned outage on January 15th and a new update being installed on January 21st, livestreams have moved and playtest schedules are slightly more complicated. These times are presented in Pacific Standard Time but you can see them converted to your time zone in the official Discord’s event calendar.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]LOGO MERCH AVAILABLE[/p][p]We currently have three sets of logo merchandise in stock:[/p]

• [p]The Transplanetary League set[/p]
• [p]The Stars Reach logo set[/p]
• [p]The Infinite Worlds set[/p]

[p]You can visit the store here: https://starsreach.com/store[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]HOW ELSE YOU CAN HELP?[/p][p]If there is one thing you can do to help us, you can wishlist us on Steam. This makes a difference for the algorithm and also helps on the day we eventually launch on Steam. Thank you for this support. [/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p]2025 MOST ANTICIPATED MMORPG[/p][p]For the first time in 10 years, MassivelyOverpowered have awarded the huge honor of Most Anticipated MMORPG to the same game two years in a row. [/p][p][/p][p]That award was bestowed on Stars Reach for 2024 and 2025. We are deeply grateful and honored. [/p][p][/p][p]Click to learn more:[/p][p][/p][p]BUG FIXES[/p][p]In the past week we have fixed a key client crash bug that would happen when attempting to travel through a portal. [/p][p]We also fixed a less common but equally annoying server crash bug.  [/p][p]There have been a few performance enhancements and some backend improvements to make life easier for the developers so normal tasks don’t need to be done manually. This frees up more time to spend on developing or scaling the game.[/p][p] [/p][p]WELCOME TO TYRARACTA III[/p][p]The Servitors have unlocked a portal to a beautiful new planet with a green atmosphere. It’s a rugged place with very little flat terrain. Plan for a terraforming pass as your first step if you decide to build a home or settlement here.[/p][p][/p][p]At night, the green sky turns into a place of mysterious green mists and the shapes of rugged hills and canyons.[/p][p][/p][p]If you are interested in more of a tour, please see this recording of our livestreamed tour yesterday. [/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]STARS REACH VS. NO MAN’S SKY[/p][p]Did one of these games influence the other? Are they similar games? [/p][p]Controlled Chaos addressed these questions thoroughly in a well-prepared conversation with Stars Reach Game Director Dave Georgeson. [/p][p]They looked at the similarities and big differences between the two games which did not influence each other’s development at all.[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p] [/p][p]PLAYTEST SCHEDULE[/p][p]For those of you who have been testing for a while, we are back on our normal pre-alpha phase cadence of Thursday-through-Tuesday morning tests. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are reserved for updates, hardware upgrades, backend maintenance, and similar functions. [/p][p] [/p][p][/p][p]LOGO MERCH AVAILABLE[/p][p]We currently have three sets of logo merchandise in stock:[/p]

• [p]The Transplanetary League set[/p]
• [p]The Stars Reach logo set[/p]
• [p]The Infinite Worlds set[/p]

[p]You can visit the store here: https://starsreach.com/store[/p][p][/p][p] [/p][p]HOW ELSE YOU CAN HELP?[/p][p]If there is one thing you can do to help us, you can wishlist us on Steam. This makes a difference for the algorithm and also helps on the day we eventually launch on Steam. Thank you for this support. [/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p]Thank you for taking this journey with us![/p][p]Some of you will remember every item below. You lived each of these moments with us. We started the year with simple game features, placeholder graphics, and prayers that the servers would stay up. We ended the year with some features refined, more user selectable options, better visuals, improved performance, and better onboarding for new players. We are excited about 2026.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]JANUARY[/p]

• [p]January Game Update (before we started giving them fancy names)[/p]
• [p]And the mad scramble to get ready for a recently decided Kickstarter campaign[/p]
• [p]We enjoyed Beanstalk City on Gaiamar[/p]

[p]FEBRUARY[/p]

• [p]Escarion & Quality-of-Life Update[/p]
• [p]Kickstarter Launched and reached its goal in less than one hour.[/p]
• [p]Many new reveals with the Kickstarter stretch goals[/p]
• [p]Megarock City was established on Rodin IV[/p]

[p]MARCH[/p]

• [p]Seasons, Skies, and Public Events Update[/p]
• [p]Procedural Creatures Update[/p]
• [p]Kickstarter officially closed – late pledges remained open[/p]
• [p]Rodney’s Western Town was established on Zaraxa[/p]

[p]APRIL[/p]

• [p]World Reset Update[/p]
• [p]Infinite Worlds merch collection released[/p]
• [p]GUNCTown was built on Rodin IV[/p]

[p]MAY[/p]

• [p]Physics Midterm Update[/p]
• [p]Better Homes & Gardens Update[/p]
• [p]Eric Goldberg spoke at GamesBeat Summit 2025 in Los Angeles[/p]
• [p]And who could forget Mycityum on Pyromycis, the amazing mushroom city?[/p]

[p]JUNE[/p]

• [p]Wild Wormholes Update[/p]

[p]JULY[/p]

• [p]Cosmic Calibration Update[/p]
• [p]Brave New Worlds Update[/p]

[p]AUGUST[/p]

• [p]Twilight Update[/p]
• [p]Niina Fujioka spoke at Gamescom 2025 in Cologne[/p]
• [p]The Transplanetary League merchandise collection launched[/p]
• [p]The GAIA Ship was first seen in deep space – the escape from the planet wipe[/p]

[p]SEPTEMBER[/p]

• [p]The Dynamic Update[/p]
• [p]The University Update[/p]
• [p]Raph Koster presented at IGDA SD Demo Days 2025[/p]
• [p]A new Stars Reach logo debuted with supporting merchandise[/p]

[p]OCTOBER[/p]

• [p]Vendor Kiosk Update[/p]
• [p]Recently begun Akavegas expanded dramatically on Akacala.[/p]

[p]NOVEMBER[/p]

• [p]GovBot Update[/p]
• [p]Four planets were claimed and developed at the same time in a first for Stars Reach.[/p]

[p]DECEMBER[/p]

• [p]Hidden Fog Update[/p]
• [p]We were mentioned in more end-of-year roundups and lists of MMORPG coming in 2026[/p]

[p]Our small team kept working hard all year, putting out game updates every 24 days, on average.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]MASSIVELY OVERPOWERED REMEMBERS OUR KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN[/h3][p]In a series of articles, MassivelyOP has been remembering important moments and stories from 2025.[/p][p]In a roundup of MMO crowdfunding stories of 2025, they remember the Stars Reach Kickstarter campaign as a standout, positive moment.[/p][p]Read it: Here[/p][h3]PLAYTEST SCHEDULE[/h3][p]Our playtest schedule resumes a more “normal” rhythm of Tuesdays & Wednesdays off, Thursdays through Tuesday mornings servers available.[/p][p][/p][p][/p]

[p]HIDDEN FOG 1.1 & 1.2 UPDATES[/p][p]Yes, we have 2 small updates going in over the space of one week. The first one is December 18th and the second one is December 19th. [/p][p]We have not tried to patch this rapidly before so this is a test and a learning experience in and of itself. [/p][p]There are bug fixes, server-side process improvements, memory use reductions, cleanups, and other small changes. Many won’t be visible to you but some will, such as improvements to the first hallway and upgrades to the graphics settings in the escape menu. [/p][p][/p][p]More useful details can be found here: 
[/p][p][/p][p]HOLIDAY FIRESIDE CHAT[/p][p]We had a fun fireside chat with Raph Koster on livestream yesterday. [/p][p]There were leaks – some visual like concept art for Hyugons, Stokadi, and the Fae! There were other leaks like visual effects and minor details about stealth. The Bioscanner was leaked – collect all the fauna. And upcoming changes to chat. And did he mention the Corruption?[/p][p]Raph answered a bunch of questions from the audience including related to music professions, acting, Newsnet, lore, the moon Haven and its planet Crucible, reactivating previously-learned skills, and player-made missions.[/p][p][/p][p]If you missed out, you can see the video recording here: [/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]HOLIDAY CHANGES TO THE PLAYTEST SCHEDULE[/p][p]The two small updates, combined with the holidays, are making us slightly rethink our test schedule for the rest of December. [/p][p][/p][p]The playtest will be available for you over most of the holidays in case you need an escape from the family. Just kidding.[/p][p][/p][p]STRESS TEST![/p][p]We need your help. If you can spare us one hour this month, please make it be 11am Pacific/2pm Eastern/20:00 CET on Saturday, December 20th.  [/p][p]Please log into the game on any character, new or existing. Come to the TPL space station and help us push our servers to the limit. Thank you in advance for this valuable service.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]LOGO MERCH AVAILABLE[/p][p]We currently have three sets of logo merchandise in stock:[/p]

• [p]The Transplanetary League set[/p]
• [p]The Stars Reach logo set[/p]
• [p]The Infinite Worlds set[/p]

[p]You can visit the store here: [/p][p]/p][/p][p] [/p][p]HOW YOU CAN HELP [/p][p]If there is one thing you can do to help us, you can wishlist us on Steam. This makes a difference for the algorithm and also helps on the day we eventually launch on Steam. Thank you for this support. [/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p]Improvements to Settings [/p][p]Your individual settings should now save between sessions. So tap escape, check out the menu, and get everything just the way you like it.[/p][p][/p][p]Day and Night Cycles Extended[/p][p]We have slowed down the day/night cycle to a modest degree. More tuning of this cycle may be expected in the future.[/p][p][/p][p]Simulation Modifications[/p][p]We felt that the erosion effects of water were too aggressive and we tuned this back. [/p][p][/p][p]Bugs and Bug Fixes[/p][p]The Xyloslicer now works again. [/p][p]Midotara is running a bit slow so expect to see a slight delay in terraforming operations.[/p][p][/p]