Exploring deep space on the ESS Starseeker, players will need to work together with the entire crew of the space station to complete planet-wide objectives across a multitude of star systems using cutting-edge technology. 

Players will have an advanced set of tools at their disposal to tackle expeditions while they face off with the unknown perils of space: fascinating creatures, hazardous flora and mysterious forces that await them. 

The ESS Starseeker is the heart of the experience, a persistent, ever-evolving space station where players get together to plan expeditions, upgrade their capabilities and hang out with other space adventurers. Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions places player freedom at the forefront, but a larger story lies in wait for those curious enough to uncover it.

Today, the first Starseeker Direct broadcast beamed down fresh details and an extended look at gameplay, giving budding Astroneers a taste of the chaos, camaraderie and cosmic fun that awaits aboard the ESS Starseeker

Starseeker isn’t your everyday stroll through the stars - it’s a full-blown expedition game built around cooperation, improvisation and a healthy dose of interplanetary foolishness. 

Recruits begin their journey on the ESS Starseeker, an experimental space station packed with tools, supplies and the questionable leadership of the famous Action Science Hero superteam, the Fronteer Force. Players can set out solo or in a Squad with up to three friends, preparing their loadouts before diving into timed missions across alien worlds.

• Step one: Gear up. Shop, craft and trade your way to the perfect loadout - or ignore all common sense and fill your pack with beach balls and fireworks.
• Step two: Deploy. The moment your dropship lands, the clock is ticking. Time is short, planets are hostile and everything (including your teammates) can, and probably will, go sideways.
• Step three: Survive, celebrate and swap stories back on the Starseeker. For all its “critical missions” and “serious science,” life on the station is more like a space party bus than a research facility.

The first destination for intrepid Astroneers is Tephra, a lush and mysterious planet deep in frontier space. Its tangled jungles, vast oceans and cavernous depths hold secrets, and more than a few hazards.

Each planet in Starseeker is handcrafted, letting players return to favorite vistas, hidden caches or that one spot where Carl got eaten by a flower monster. As Squads progress, new Landing Zones unlock, opening up uncharted territory, fiercer challenges and bigger cooperative missions.

And Tephra is just the beginning. As the Starseeker travels deeper into frontier space, the crew will uncover new worlds, each bringing its own dangers, creatures and stories tied to the Fronteer Force’s Super Top-Secret Mission mission. It's a big mission.

In the Starseeker Direct demo, a Squad touched down on Tephra to help repair critical equipment for the science team. Simple enough, until it wasn’t. Local fauna had Gooped everything in sight, forcing recruits to improvise with their EXO Tools and specialized Nozzles. Nozzles are modular upgrades that transform the way explorers interact with the environment. 

The Squad’s mission required the team to set up a comms relay high up on Tephra’s cliffs, all while cleaning Goop from machinery using Water Hose Nozzles, contending with rowdy creatures, and escaping the planet before time ran out. Of course, detours were made for Carrotling-chasing, Squad hijinks and general chaos. After all, what’s a Starseeker expedition without a little creative disaster?

Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions is a brand new game set within the Astroneer universe, but existing Astroneer fans can rest assured that the original game will continue to live on alongside its new companion with more updates and content for years to come. 

Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions is coming to Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, PS5 and PC (Steam) in 2026.