Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions enters Early Access

System Era Softworks has launched Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions into Early Access on the Switch 2 eShop. The title is available now for $29.99 / £26.99 and replaces the series’ open sandbox with cooperative, timed extraction runs that last about 30 minutes. Players gather at the ESS Starseeker hub to accept tasks, upgrade gear and join other explorers before boarding dropships for planet excursions.

Each expedition is governed by an O2 meter that acts as a countdown. Crews complete research objectives and collect resources that must be returned to the hub to craft improved tools and equipment. Expeditions can be attempted solo, but the game’s encounters and design encourage group play. System Era described Starseeker as a live-service game built around cooperative sessions.

The game’s core loop involves choosing field operations, descending to handcrafted planets, harvesting materials and returning items to the hub for crafting. Planets are designed rather than procedurally generated and include distinct biomes such as large mountain ranges and dense forests. Terrain deformation and resource vacuuming from previous Astroneer titles remain in place. Starseeker adds more environmental hazards and hostile fauna, and combat encounters can pose higher risk for solo players.

Early Access testers reported bugs and some progress-blocking issues that in cases required restarting and losing progress. System Era has issued regular patches since launch and is addressing stability and balance. Server populations were low at times, which increased the frequency of solo runs for some players. The ESS Starseeker hub has shown lag and occasional frame drops when populated, while planetary exploration generally ran smoothly in both docked and handheld modes.

The hub contains a cosmetics shop where items can be purchased with in-game currency earned from missions. The game also offers paid microtransactions for cosmetic items; the developer had previously stated the game would not include such purchases. Core gameplay does not require real-money purchases, and many cosmetic items are obtainable through play while real-money options are available.

System Era positions Starseeker as a spin-off of Astroneer rather than a direct sequel. The title retains the franchise’s colorful aesthetic and terrain-manipulation mechanics but replaces persistent base-building with timed, repeatable runs and added combat elements. Early Access updates are planned to refine matchmaking, fix bugs and expand content.