1. SpaceCraft
  2. News

SpaceCraft News

SpaceCraft from Shiro Games has been delayed but a playtest is coming

SpaceCraft from Shiro Games is easily one of the most exciting looking upcoming games, but we're going to have to wait a bit longer to see it release.

Read the full article here: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/10/spacecraft-from-shiro-games-has-been-delayed-but-a-playtest-is-coming/

Sign Up for the Playtest & Early Access Release Window

[p]Greetings Pioneers,[/p][p][/p][p]Today’s blog brings you news of an upcoming playtest and new information about the release window. [/p][p][/p][p]In the time since we shared a first look at SpaceCraft gameplay in the Gameplay Overview, development has steadily progressed to a point where we have a solid core experience and foundation for our game. This means that we are ready to begin playtesting and get the game into the hands of a limited number of players. [/p][p][/p][h2]Playtest Information[/h2][p]If you would like to help us shape the game by sharing your thoughts and feedback on in-development features and content, then you should request access to the playtest via the button on the Steam Store page. Invites will be sent out via a notification from Steam when the playtest begins towards the end of this month, October. [/p][p][/p][p]Some important information to be aware of before requesting access to the playtest: [/p]
  • [p]Servers are limited to the EU region, if you are not based in the EU region your ping could be heavily impacted. [/p]
  • [p]Translation is limited to English, translating the game at this stage would lead to significant delays in our capacity to implement new features, content and change the game based on your feedback. [/p]
  • [p]Texts have not been proofread or corrected, you may encounter typos or grammatical errors.[/p]
  • [p]Performance hasn’t been optimised, a good graphics card is recommended to run the game as smoothly as currently possible.[/p]
  • [p]The playtest will be continuous, the game will be updated with new content and features once they are ready to be tested. [/p]
  • [p]Servers might only be open at scheduled times, this will concentrate the maximum number of players at one time and help us better analyse player interactions. [/p]
  • [p]The playtest will have a limited player count at first, more invitations will be sent out over time and based on our needs. [/p]
  • [p]No NDA is required, you are free to record and share the current version of the game. [/p]
  • [p]The playtest does not represent an Early Access release-worthy game, we are looking to improve the game thanks to your feedback and testing.[/p]
[p][/p][p]At its start, the playtest will contain basic but key aspects of the game that will allow us to gather feedback on the quality of player onboarding and early-game gameplay. Over the course of the next couple of months, we will continue to add new features and systems to the playtest and will shift our focus to both the quality of multiplayer interactions and of the game’s content. During this period there will be a continued effort to improve optimisation and fix bugs. [/p][p][/p][h2]Playtest Features & Content[/h2][p]The image below shares some additional details about the features that will be available in the playtest:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]New Early Access Release Window[/h2][p]In order to fit the playtest in our development schedule, the Early Access release window has been moved to Q2 2026. We understand this news might be disappointing to some of you, and for that we would like to apologise. The playtest is a crucial part in our process of developing a high quality experience and we could not prepare for a successful Early Access launch without incorporating player feedback beforehand. [/p][p][/p][h2]Cockpit View??[/h2][p]We also know that the playtest will allow us to build a positive relationship with our community that we can carry on over into Early Access and beyond the 1.0 release. Part of that relationship, on our side, means finding the sweet spot between our vision for the game, our development resources, and your ideas. [/p][p]An example of what that can look like is the addition of the first person cockpit view when piloting your spacecraft. This feature has been widely requested since SpaceCraft’s reveal and we managed to implement it without compromising our development schedule. [/p][p][/p][p]Here’s a first look at that new feature: [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]We are aware that, until now, we have been fairly quiet for the past couple of months when it comes to news and updates about the game. We hope that today’s blog paints a clearer picture of what’s to come for SpaceCraft and how you can get involved with the game. [/p][p]If you have any questions about what we’ve shared today please ask away here in the Steam forums or over on Discord if you’re more comfortable there, we’ll try our best to answer as many as we can! [/p][p][/p][p]Thanks for joining us Pioneers, [/p][p][/p][p]Shiro Games [/p][p]
[/p]

Thank You for 200,000 Wishlists!

[p]Greetings Pioneers,[/p][p][/p][p]Today’s blog post is a shorter one, but an important one nevertheless. We’re delighted to share that SpaceCraft has been wishlisted over 200,000 times! [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]On behalf of everyone at Shiro Games, thank you for taking the time to add SpaceCraft to your wishlist. [/p][p]We’re grateful for your support and interest in the game, and we’re working hard to deliver a great experience for you all. We can’t wait to share about the game with you as soon as we’re ready. [/p][p][/p][p]In the meantime we’ve decided to share some new screenshots, featuring a new spacecraft and a closer look at interiors, enjoy![/p][p]We've also shared an extra one on our Discord, head on over there to take a look. [/p][p][/p][carousel][/carousel][p]
[/p]

Gameplay Overview Trailer

[p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]Last weekend, we shared a first glimpse of SpaceCraft during the IGN Live event. We know many of you have been eagerly waiting to see some actual gameplay and so we’re thrilled to finally share it with you! [/p][p][/p][p]SpaceCraft is an online space exploration and building game where you can roam in a vast galaxy, moving seamlessly from systems to planets in order to discover and mine resources. [/p][p]The goal is to establish yourself, improve your base and optimize your experience by building new advanced parts for your ships. [/p][p]You can create corporations with friends and start trading with other players, as well as travel to uncover the secrets of a story-rich world. You choose your gameplay in a persistent universe.[/p][p][/p][p]This first look covers the core gameplay, features and systems that are present in the tutorial, giving you a better understanding of what you can expect to see first-hand later on this year.[/p][p]The game is currently a work in progress, so please bear in mind that the gameplay is subject to change.[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

First Steps - Blog 4

[h3]Greetings Pioneers,

Last time, we unlocked our first permit, crafted the Scanalyzer Alpha, and got a glimpse of the production side of SpaceCraft. Now, it's time to install our newly crafted tool and make our ship a little more capable.[/h3]


We’re back at the Shipyard and interact with the main console. After selecting Scrappy Pioneer, our starting ship, we access the ship editor.





Left: in-game screenshot of the Shipyard. Right: Concept art of the Shipyard.

Most of the time, we’ll be editing a ship that's already docked at the same station we’re at, as it’s not possible to modify ships remotely from other stations. We have a limit on how many ships we can own, which will expand as we progress in the game. Right now, the cap is set at two ships, but the long-term goal is to allow fleets of around ten vessels, the amount could change as development continues and player feedback is gathered.
Even then, you’ll only ever pilot one ship at a time. There’s no system planned for managing an entire fleet directly. We’re currently thinking of implementing a feature that would enable you to move ships between bases and stations to relocate them as needed, without piloting them. But that’s just an idea at this point.





Left: In-game screenshot of the work in progress Shipyard interface. Right: Mock-up of the Shipyard interface.

At the top of the interface, we have three main tabs:
Tools – manage installed modules and tools (where we are now).
Assembly – modify the ship’s structure by adding, moving or removing blocks, engines, wings, or the cockpit.
Customization – personalize the ship’s colors, decals, and eventually full skins.

For now, only the Tools tab is available. Assembly and Customization are unlocked later through permit progression, once we are ready to handle deeper ship modification.

Each part of the ship influences its stats:
Assembly is like setting your character’s attributes in a classic RPG, determining health, speed, and module capacity.
Tools are closer to equipping gear, adding active skills or passive bonuses like improved heat resistance, larger cargo holds, or better energy generation.

On the left side of the screen, we see our ship’s current modules: a Crude Resource Detector, a Crude Mining Laser, two Small Solar Panels, two Headlights, and a Crude Battery. All of these can eventually be upgraded.

In-game screenshot of the work in progress Shipyard interface.

Below that, we see the list of skills provided by our modules, right now, mining and radar detection.

Our freshly crafted Scanalyzer Alpha is waiting in our inventory. We simply drag and drop it onto the ship’s hull. You can attach tools almost anywhere on the hull, giving you freedom to shape your ship's functionality and look.

We can also move existing modules around or even remove them if needed, though with a starter ship like the Scrappy Pioneer, we recommend keeping everything installed to maintain basic functionality.

On the right side of the screen, we find key ship stats, including:
System Support – the ship's built-in capacity to handle modules.
System Requirement – the total load from installed modules.

As long as our system requirement stays below the system support, the ship runs at full efficiency. Exceeding it causes modules to work less effectively and even malfunction. Fortunately, we have enough system support left to install the Scanalyzer without any trouble.

Once everything is in place, we confirm our modifications, and just like that, our spacecraft is now equipped to scan unknown resource nodes!

Shipyard concept art, showcases different ship sizes.

Next time, we'll put the Scanalyzer Alpha to good use as we continue our journey through the tutorial with some new assignments.

Until then, safe travels, Pioneers.