Action · July 22, 2016
Starbound (2016)
Bounty Hunter Update In our latest update take on the role of an intergalactic bounty hunter, taking on new quests to track down wanted criminal gangs and following clues to discover their hideouts. Rise up through the Peacekeeper ranks to ultimately restore law and order in the universe! When cornered some criminals may even offer treasure or rewards as a bribe - it’s up to the player to decide how strictly they’ll uphold the law! There are over 50 new ‘rare colored’ variant monsters which can be captured, and a variety of other new content including furniture, armor, tenants and more! Update Key Features New procedurally-generated quests that send players travelling to worlds and space stations, hunting down criminal gangs New Peacekeeper stations for bounty hunters – work your way through promotions and restore law to the universe Take the fight to criminal gangs at their hideouts, including a climatic final mission & boss fight! Brand new quests and cutscenes! New generated criminal hideout micro-dungeons New elemental monster variants which are capturable, and earn progress in a new collection New furniture, objects, costumes, weapons, and more! 4 new music tracks by Starbound composer Curtis Schweitzer And of course some bugfixes About the Game In Starbound, you create your own story - there’s no wrong way to play! You may choose to save the universe from the forces that destroyed your home, uncovering greater galactic mysteries in the process, or you may wish to forego a heroic journey entirely in favor of colonizing uncharted planets. Settle down and farm the land, become an intergalactic landlord, hop from planet to planet collecting rare creatures, or delve into dangerous dungeons and lay claim to extraordinary treasures. Discover ancient temples and modern metropolises, trees with eyes, and mischievous penguins. Make use of hundreds of materials and over two thousand objects to build a sleepy secluded cabin in the woods, a medieval castle, underwater arcade, or even a space station. Starbound has been built from the ground up to be multiplayer and easily moddable. You have the tools to make the universe your own and modify the game to suit your play style - add new items, races, planet types, dungeons, and quests - the possibilities are limitless. Choose from one of 7 playable races and customize your character Save the universe in an epic story campaign featuring colorful characters, bosses, dungeons, and quests! You're the captain of your very own starship! Decorate it, expand it, and use it to explore a procedurally generated universe Colonize uncharted planets and collect gifts from your tenants - if they like you, they may even ask to join your ship crew! Three game modes - Casual (no need to eat), Survival (eat to survive/drop items on death) and Hardcore (permadeath) Craft thousands of objects - building materials, armor, weapons, furniture and more Capture unique monsters to fight alongside you All content is available in online drop-in/drop-out co-op Built from the ground up to be easily moddable. You have the tools to make the universe however you'd like it
Action releases from 2016
168 Action titles launched in 2016 — top 6 by review volume.
Position in Action
| Metric | This title | Genre position |
|---|---|---|
| Review volume | 164.9k Steam reviews | Top 4% in Action |
| Positive rating | 92% positive | Genre average: 83% — this title sits in top 28% |
| Metacritic | 81/100 | Genre average 77 — top 36% of Action titles |
| Concurrent peak | 894 players | Top 10% in Action by live player count |
| Engagement hours | 59 h average | Top 6% for session depth among Action |
Community Tag Signals
Tag weights reflect how many Steam users voted each descriptor — larger pills = stronger consensus.
- Open World Survival Craft · 5.4k
- Sandbox · 4.8k
- Survival · 3.4k
- Space · 3.2k
- Adventure · 3.2k
- Crafting · 3.0k
- Pixel Graphics · 3.0k
- Online Co-Op · 3.0k
- Multiplayer · 2.9k
- Open World · 2.9k
- Exploration · 2.8k
- Relaxing · 2.8k
- Indie · 2.8k
- 2D · 2.6k
- Action · 2.5k
Peer Action titles
Comparable titles in the same genre and review-volume band — ranked by Steam positive percentage.
Reception Metrics
Steam community
92%Very Positive · 164.9k reviews
151.7k positive · 13.2k negative
Metacritic
81/100 critic aggregate
Metacritic user score
7.3/10
Curator recommendations
120.4k
Peak concurrent players
894
Features & Capabilities
Multiplayer
- Multi-player
- PvP
- Online PvP
- Co-op
- Online Co-op
- Cross-Platform Multiplayer
Community
- Steam Achievements
- Steam Trading Cards
- Steam Workshop
Other
- Single-player
- Family Sharing
Press Quotes
“Each time I beamed down from my personal starship into the 2D sidescrolling craft-em-up that is Starbound, I found an experience that shoots for the stars and lands squarely among them.” 9.1/10 – IGN “If you’re a fan of games like Minecraft and Terraria, Starbound is not to be missed. It can keep you enchanted for hours, whether you’re playing solo or on a server with friends.” 8.5/10 – Game Informer “A charming space sandbox that will keep you busy…
Engagement Profile
All-time avg
59h
substantial (40–100 hours)
Median
19h
Typical completion time
2-week avg
8h
Current engagement
Achievements
51
Steam unlocks available
Release & Availability
| Release date | Jul 22, 2016 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Chucklefish |
| Base price | $4.49 |
| DLC / Add-ons | 1 released |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Estimated owners | 1M–10M |
| External links | Official site · Metacritic page · Support |
Editions & Packages
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