Beyond These Stars

What Beyond These Stars is

Beyond These Stars is a city builder that takes place on the back of Kewa — a giant space whale who swims between the stars while your settlement grows on their back. You land with a handful of peeps, plant the first potatoes, and slowly turn a patch of whale-back wilderness into a humming little city: homes, farms, workshops, power, decoration, and a sky full of stars above it all.

It comes from Balancing Monkey Games, the studio behind Before We Leave, and is published by Hooded Horse (Manor Lords, Against the Storm). The full game releases on Steam on October 16, 2026 — as a complete 1.0, not an Early Access start.

Why it isn't just another city builder

• Your city rides a living creature. Kewa's health tracks the biome you build: plant trees, keep pollution down, mind the temperature of the systems you park in. A healthy Kewa travels faster and even spawns fruit trees on their back; an unhappy one grows Thorny Stems that drag your peeps down.
• Peeps have moods, not just jobs. Happiness and energy feed into sickness, mourning, strikes and celebrations — the management layer sits on top of the production layer, not beside it.
• The map moves with you. The galaxy map opens up as Kewa travels; you scout stars with the scout ship, settle planets at the right temperature, and manage outposts on top of the city at home.
• It's a settled, complete game. No Early Access roadmap: the 1.0 brings the full hand-crafted galaxy, the full story of Kewa and the peeps, and endgame building tiers.

Before you buy

• Release: October 16, 2026 on Steam — a 1.0 release, not Early Access.
• Price: not listed yet; wishlist for launch pricing.
• Platform: PC (Windows 10, 64-bit). Single-player only.
• Languages: 15, including Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
• Demo: a free demo is live on Steam right now — the best way to test the early loop.

What to do first

1. Play the demo today. It's the same opening the full game has, and the muscle memory is worth having before launch day.
2. Read the beginner guide — first-hour priorities, the 16-tile work rule, and the mistakes that lead to your first strike.
3. Skim Kewa care before you build wide. The whale is a system, and it only talks back quietly.
4. Check the release date page if you want the timeline of how the game got here — Early Access plan and all.

Common questions

Is the October 16, 2026 release date final?

Steam currently lists October 16, 2026 as the release date, and the developer's own September 15, 2026 announcement confirms it. The game was originally headed for Early Access; that plan changed in March 2026 — the team decided to finish and ship a full 1.0 instead.

Is Beyond These Stars Early Access?

No. It launches as a complete 1.0 with the full galaxy, story and endgame buildings.

Is there a demo?

Yes — a free demo is live on the store page now. It covers the early game and is the fastest way to learn the controls and the peep loop before launch.

Is there co-op or multiplayer?

No, single-player only.

How much will it cost?

Not announced yet. The store page is still "coming soon" with no price listed.