Welcome to Bandestar
Trade, fight, and drift through a galaxy that remembers something you don't.
A single-player space trading and combat game in the spirit of Escape Velocity. Run cargo, pick fights, court three rival factions, and pull at the threads of a civilization that left in a hurry — and sealed something behind it.
macOS note: Gatekeeper may block the standalone build — installing via the itch.io app avoids the warning.
You start with a small ship and a smaller bank balance. What you become — honest hauler, faction privateer, pirate, or the fool who goes looking for the quiet at the center of the map — is up to you. The galaxy is procedurally generated, persistent, and indifferent to your survival.
What you can do
Trade across a living economy— every sector has its own prices, shortages, and contraband. Buy low in a mining belt, sell high in a research outpost, run blockades when it pays.
- Fight or talk your way through — hail patrols, hire muscle, broker intel, or let your guns do the negotiating. Reputation with the three factions opens doors and closes others.
- Three factions, real consequences — the Merchants Guild, Frontier Corps, and Freebooters each remember what you've done. Ally with one and the rivals notice.
- Build your ship — weapons, shields, engines, mining rigs, and stranger tech, slotted to your playstyle.
- Take on missions and bosses — escort runs, salvage, assassinations, scientific recoveries, and capital-ship fights for those who go looking for trouble.
- Uncover the mystery — scattered logs, a half-translated ancient letter, and five linguists who each hold a fragment of it. Some questions are better left sealed.
- Free, and actively developed — regular updates, full changelog, no cost.
Get the game
Bandestar is currently free on itch.io. Play instantly in your browser, or — recommended — grab a native build for Windows, macOS, or Linux for the smoothest experience (music, faster load, controller support).
FAQ
What platforms? Windows, macOS, Linux, and browser.
Controller support? Yes — full gamepad controls.
Is it multiplayer? No, single-player.
Does my progress save? Yes — auto-saves on dock, undock, warp, and landing.
Is it finished? No, It's in active development with regular updates
What's it built with? DragonRuby GTK.