New space game combines Starfield and Satisfactory, actually has seamless travel

For want of a better phrase, before it was released, I was firmly Team Starfield. A Bethesda RPG, in space? I'm in. And even when Bethesda said that seamless space-to-planet travel would be impossible, I didn't care. I didn't think it would be a big deal. But it does make a difference. All those loading screens break the rhythm of the gameplay. Moreover, they make Starfield's ostensibly boundless universe feel broken up and staccato, essentially a series of large, patched-together rooms. Spacecraft, from the developer behind Wartales and Northgard, has seamless travel. It also has the mining and mass-production focus of Satisfactory. All told, if Bethesda's could-have-been space opera let you down, this may be the ideal replacement.

As well as Wartales and Northgard, Shiro Games is the team behind Dune Spice Wars - it's a studio with a good track record. Spacecraft is expected to arrive in early access later in 2025. In the meantime, it looks like the combination of some of the strongest parts of the best space games on PC. Like No Man's Sky, you begin in your space station, cross the galaxy in a ship, and can then explore planets on foot - vibrant and colorful, some of the environments could come from Hello Games itself. But compared to NMS, Spacecraft is even more focused on extraction and manufacturing, and not dissimilar to the production-line simulator that is Satisfactory.

You need to find raw resources, transport them between bases and factory hubs, and then convert them into finished products that you can either sell or use to upgrade your own base and ship. Build thrusters, attach turret guns, boost your shields - Spacecraft's highly modular customization system is seemingly just as expansive as Starfield's, and, as well as personal vehicles, you can also construct giant transport tankers.

Best of all, there are no loading screens between open space and the planet's surface. While Spacecraft is a building game as opposed to an RPG, you can still be attacked by hostile factions, and key locations are inhabited by NPCs. You can also play online - Spacecraft is an MMO, so you can band together with some friends or, alternatively, wage war on rival players. There is currently no set date for Spacecraft's early access launch, but you can wishlist it right here.

Otherwise, you might want to try some of the best games like Starfield, or maybe the best multiplayer games available now.

You can follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides. We've also got a vibrant community Discord server, where you can chat about this story with members of the team and fellow readers.