In-game event5 Sep 2026Filtered Noise (v0.8.1)In the push to finish multiplayer, I've been putting off some quality-of-life requests that needed more work on the user interface. Now that I've had a little time, I think it's about time a loot-heavy shooter like ours had some proper loot sorting tools and a way to test weapons and compare their actual DPS. A wave of new players has also uncovered a wave of new bugs. You'll find the fixes bel…
I've never put as much testing and work into a single update as I have this one. The last couple of weeks really did feel like the quiet before the storm, but the storm is finally here. Star Vortex now has full online multiplayer support . A huge thank you to everyone who helped test, both in real life and on Discord. This update is a lot more solid because of you guys. Alongside multiplayer, t…
Testing of the new multiplayer mode continues behind the scenes. While that's going on, I've been checking off a load more QoL requests that were on my list. A lot of these came from the Steam Community, but I read everything, wherever you may post it... Assembler Hangar Bay The Assembler now has a Hangar Bay in its first tab that can store up to 10 ship designs. Each design includes your full…
The graphics are finally getting to where I want them. For the first time I didn't need to create custom artwork for a news post... the header image is just a screenshot taken in-game with the new dynamic lighting effects. More on that below! New Difficulty Slider: Enemies Making enemies tougher is one thing, but what about simply having more of them? Thanks to a series of performance improveme…
This began as a hotfix, but then I started messing around with some new weapon ideas. So alongside the bug fixes, there are now a load of quality-of-life improvements and some new toys to play with. Ice Fabricator The Ice Fabricator is a new utility weapon that sprays walls of ice into space. You can box in enemies, block off an approach, or build yourself some cover to hide behind. It creates…
Ok, so we don’t have actual zombies. Not like the amazing Space Pirates and Zombies . If you haven’t played it, you absolutely should... just don’t ask about the sequel. Anyway, I’m adding a few fun new weapons to keep you entertained while most of the work continues behind the scenes on Multiplayer Mode. August 27th. Put it in your calendar. Reanimated Ships We don’t have a Necromancer class,…
Not many visible changes in this update, but there's a huge amount of work happening behind the scenes. As a result, don't be too surprised if a few strange bugs pop up in single-player... And yes, I just called it single-player , because all of those behind-the-scenes changes are laying the groundwork for the new Multiplayer mode ! On August 27th 2026 , the multiplayer update will go live. Rig…
The Summer Sale is in full swing, and with it has come a wave of feedback from players discovering the game for the first time. This update is almost entirely driven by suggestions from the Steam Community. Conduits Conduits can now drop from enemies. These are auto-special slot items that link to other equipment, adding extra damage types and debuffs. For example, attach a Thermal Conduit to y…
This... is a big update. The main feature is Close Combat, a completely new playstyle built around giant space swords, energy torches and aura weapons that reward diving in to groups of enemies. To support it, there's a brand new Gladiator secondary class, 13 new close-combat weapons, new legendary variants, a new starting ship, major drone and beacon improvements, and a much better radar/navig…
Just wanted to give a quick update on progress. The next major update is the Close Combat Update , introducing an entirely new playstyle built around getting up close and personal with enemies. The update adds a variety of new close-range weapon types, including massive space swords, short-range Torch weapons, and Halo weapons that continuously damage nearby enemies. M-炮艇 by cccsennn ( ) Most o…
Another pretty large update for the class system this time. I've posted this as a regular update though, as I don't want to become one of those games that thinks everything is a major update. The Science Vessel has joined the fleet, and the grapple guns have finally received their long-awaited overhaul. More details on both are below. I also finally managed to fix the Steam Deck framerate issue…
I don't usually post news for hotfixes but yesterday's update broke a few player builds. So, after some reflection and discussion, I've made a couple of changes listed below. Gravity Well Black Holes can be fun, but they ended up being more frustrating than enjoyable as a reaction effect. Due to that, the Corroding (Corrosive) + Disabled (Electric) reaction has been replaced with a Gravity Well…
I've decided to split this next update into two parts, this being the first. Simply because Early Access games can lose trust quickly if they don't get regular updates, so I didn't want to delay this when the second part is likely to take a bit longer. The purpose of this update as a whole is to give more depth to build decisions and add more synergy between certain weapon setups. Reactions Bur…
Finally got this thing working so thought I'd throw it out in a quick update. The game now has a built-in Glossary that lets you look up factions, ships, items, and legendary weapons. Glossary In both the main menu and pause menu you'll now find a link to the Glossary. Inside, you can browse every item, legendary, ship, and faction you've discovered. It shouldn't spoil anything, and it will bac…
Sector 4 is finally here. Well, the first phase of it. I wanted to get as much content into the final part of the storyline as possible, so it has been split into three phases focused on charging the Singularity Key. This phase brings new ships, weapons, enemies, achievements (one hidden), and a couple of bosses waiting for you when you arrive. Alongside the new sector, this update includes a s…
This update was supposed to be a hotfix, but I ended up adding so much to it that it’s basically become a set of balance overhauls based on some recent feedback. The abridged version is that you’re no longer allowed to die in less than 320ms, and when you reach the end of the content and start hitting New Game+, enemies are tankier but deal less damage. Enemy Refactor Enemies get stronger at hi…
Ok, as mentioned in the last post... I kind of lost track of my plans over the last few weeks. It started when I was trying to figure out how I was ever going to follow through on adding mod support. Once I actually started though, I couldn’t stop... so here it is, much earlier than intended. Along with a bunch of other stuff that probably would’ve been out a couple of weeks ago if not for this…
Ok, so I know I said the next update would be Sector 4... One of the perks of being a solo dev is complete control over my priorities. One of the downsides is that I have complete control over my priorities... Good news though, I hope! Instead of more content, I ended up doing a full rework of the Nebula system. It’s no longer just "can’t see anything." It now has volumetric clouds you can acti…
Star Vortex is currently 15% off for the week-end! If you missed the Spring Sale, there’s a short window to grab it again at a 15% discount. You’ve got 48 hours to pick it up before it’s gone.
A lot of testing for Star Vortex happens on Steam Deck, and I recently noticed the framerate taking a dive. This update improves performance there, along with gains on all lower-end systems. This is ongoing work, so if you notice FPS drops during specific fights or when using certain weapons, please let me know. Patch Notes Balance Changes • Shield Recharge upgrade increased from +5% to +10% pe…
Star Vortex is currently 15% off for the Spring Sale! Sector 4 - Phase 1 Development on Sector 4 - Phase 1 is nearly complete, bringing 5 new levels, fresh loot, expanded story content, and two new bosses. New Game+ is also now available, giving you something to push into while the final story arcs are being built. More to come soon. Enjoy!
This update marks the longest gap we've had between updates since Star Vortex launched into Early Access, so I’ll start by apologizing for that. The reason is a bit strange. I’ve made a lot of changes recently, and many of them are good / requested improvements, but none of them felt like big features on their own. Last weekend I held off pushing the update hoping to bundle it with something mo…
This one hits a lot of systems. I’ve been moving across the project, revisiting older feature requests and fixing things that have quietly annoyed me for a while. Broodnests Main highlight from the roadmap this update is Broodnests. I love Species-XI invasions, but I wanted some of them to turn up mid-encounter to add to the chaos. Broodnests will now jump into encounters while you’re already f…
This update is here a little earlier than planned. Once the performance gains started stacking up and the visual upgrades came together, it felt wrong to delay it though. Nebulas They’ve been on the roadmap for a long time and you'll now occasionally encounter them while exploring. They’re not common, but when you do find one, visibility drops hard hopefully giving a very different feel to comb…
Nothing massive this time, but this build includes some visual upgrades, meaningful performance improvements, and a handful of quality of life features. Thermal Lance A new spinal weapon has entered the loot tables: the Thermal Lance . It functions similarly to the Cryo Lance, but deals Thermal damage instead. Like all spinal weapons, it can be equipped with a fixed firing direction. Navigation…
This update took a bit of an unexpected turn. While working on the new spinal weapons for Sector 4, it became obvious that ship explosions just weren’t as satisfying as they should be. That’s now been fixed. Ship Destruction Previously, ship destruction simply ejected parts from a central point, added a few smoke trails, and played an explosion animation. The new system pushes parts outward fro…
Star Vortex is currently 15% off for the next two weeks. New Game+ has also landed, so you can keep progressing and playing indefinitely once you reach the current end of content. Sector 4: Work In Progress Development on Sector 4 is underway. I’m currently working on Spinal Weapons: extra-large fixed-mount weapons used by certain enemies and sold by the Admiral’s flagship in Sector 4. They don…
This is a quick hotfix for some recent bugs. The experience bars have been displaying incorrectly above level 80 since a couple of updates ago. They should now always show correct numbers as it was using an old equation. It jumps two versions because the brief v0.6.15 update dropped some players levels incorrectly but that has now been resolved. Also, there is a fix for players with lots and lo…
This has been requested before, and I was hesitant to add a New Game+ mode because it was never part of my original end-game plan. It turns out my assumption that players would finish Sector 3 and simply wait for more content was… optimistic. Instead, many of you kept repeating Sector 3, grinding slowly until you got bored. New Game+ So, credit goes to LegoMaster on Discord for finally convinci…
Announcements are the developer’s own posts to the game’s Steam news feed: updates and their patch notes, in-game events, releases and sales. The important ones are marked on the players chart.