It’s been nearly two years since we saw Astroneer arrive on Xbox One and PC in Game Preview/Early Access form, but now finally liftoff is on the horizon as the game gets a fully confirmed release date – and a whole ton of extra features and content.
Having first hit Xbox One in December 2016, Astroneer will take a giant leap away from the Game Preview form that has served it so well, releasing as a fully-fledged title on February 6th 2019.
Reshaping the landscape of Astroneer is no mean feat and when it drops on Xbox One and PC on that date, will be found with a whole solar system’s worth of new content. That means the 2 million odd players who have witnessed the game emerge from humble beginnings will be well catered for.
We will see the debut of a new exploration-focused adventure that will take you to 7 brand new planets, seeing you facing challenges like dangerous flora, treacherous terrain and immense, mysterious structures. An increase in the character customization options will also empower every astronaut to showcase their personality as they explore new narrative elements. What’s more, dedicated servers will enable intrepid adventurers to build their bases asynchronously through Xbox One and PC cross-play, finally seeing Astroneer fulfilling the developer’s intended vision.
That in turn will allow you to grab some mates for online multiplayer fun, blasting off to explore uncharted planets, unearth rare materials and unlock the mysteries of the universe. How you go about that is up to you, but expect to be found reshaping colorful terrain, molding the stylized minimalist landscape to create mountains or chasms all while immersed in the meditative sounds of the sci-fi synth soundtrack.
“Astroneer reflects on the legacy of human space exploration and imagines the future,” says System Era Softworks communications director Joe Tirado. “We want to inspire a sense of wonder and reverence for the beautiful universe we live in, while promoting ideals such as creativity, tackling adversity and outside-the-box thinking.”
If you haven’t yet made a purchase of Astroneer then you may wish to do so right now. The Game Preview version on Xbox One, and that of the Early Access edition on PC are currently at a fraction of the $29.99 launch price that it’ll come with. It also delivers a ‘Retro’ suit for any Early Access supporters. You’ll only have until November 16th 2018 to snap up that price though.
More details regarding Astroneer can be found by checking out our hands-on time with the game. Remember though, this was seriously early access stuff so you may well find it all changed – but still, even back then Astroneer was pretty spectacular.
