Sid Meier's Starships

About

Sid Meier's Starships is a strategy game that puts you in charge of a fleet of starships exploring the universe after the age of the Seeding. Engage in tactical space combat with dynamic maps and enemies, while completing missions to protect planets and their people. Customize your starships and build a planetary federation to establish intergalactic peace, with the option for faction bonuses if connected to Civilization: Beyond Earth.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

68%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,737 reviews

gameplay64 positive mentions

replayability15 negative mentions

Fun and addictive gameplay that offers a quick and casual experience.
Tactical space battles are engaging and provide a unique twist on traditional strategy mechanics.
The game is easy to learn, making it accessible for casual players.

Lacks depth and complexity compared to other Sid Meier titles, making it feel shallow.
Only allows for one fleet, which limits strategic options and gameplay variety.
The AI is predictable and often fails to provide a real challenge, leading to repetitive gameplay.

gameplay
312 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
74%
5%
The gameplay of "Sid Meier's Starships" is characterized by its simplicity and accessibility, focusing on managing a single fleet, completing missions, and engaging in tactical battles. While some players appreciate the straightforward mechanics and quick learning curve, many criticize the gameplay for being repetitive, lacking depth, and feeling more akin to a mobile game than a traditional PC strategy title. Overall, it offers a casual experience that may appeal to those seeking light entertainment, but it falls short for players looking for the complexity and strategic depth typical of Sid Meier's other games.
- “The gameplay is focused on managing one fleet, completing missions, and exploring planets.”
- “Smooth, accessible gameplay that feels rewarding.”
- “Simple mechanics with a good variety of play options to keep it interesting game after game.”
- “The gameplay is incredibly shallow, and although the missions appear to be randomized, each game feels more or less the same because there are only a few types of missions.”
- “The gameplay is overly simple and limited for a Sid Meier game.”
- “The game lacks a decent tutorial outside of standard tooltips, but the gameplay is fairly shallow without too much curve.”
story
293 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
84%
6%
The story in "Sid Meier's Starships" is minimal and largely serves as a backdrop for the gameplay, which revolves around completing repetitive missions to gain influence over planets. Players navigate a simplistic narrative that lacks depth, with character development and plot progression being almost non-existent. While the game is set in the "Civilization: Beyond Earth" universe, it fails to deliver a compelling storyline, focusing instead on tactical combat and mission-based gameplay.
- “Together, starships and Beyond Earth tell the full story, which begins at the end of the space race that features in the Civilization games.”
- “The story is about traveling the stars to find our lost brothers, yet when you play the game it's the same leaders from Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth.”
- “This game is exactly what it's advertised and priced as: a space adventure game where you command a small fleet in exploring the frontier, putting down pirates, engaging in tense standoffs or small scale battles with the other players, establishing trade agreements, and bringing planets into your federation/empire/whatever, all through episodic missions with light storytelling.”
- “Graphically it's mediocre even for its time, the story is bare bones to non-existent, character leaders are little more than traits with faces, no diversity in leaders or how they play.”
- “The game lacks that compelling desire its predecessors have to play and defeat it in all ways possible, or even explore the game or the world(s) within, because the interface is awful and the 'story' throws you into space to do unexplained busy work.”
- “The story is nonexistent.”
graphics
181 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
62%
8%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players describing them as decent but lacking in customization options and depth. While some appreciate the clean and elegant visuals, others criticize them as outdated or simplistic, likening them to mobile or older console games. Overall, the visuals are generally considered adequate for casual gameplay, but they fall short of expectations for a more immersive or graphically rich experience.
- “The graphics are quite elegant and the whole package is very neat and tidy.”
- “The graphics are awesome.”
- “The visuals and music aren't bad, and the missions have decent variety.”
- “Not having display/graphics settings should be a crime.”
- “The graphics are atrocious, worse than Sid Meier's Pirates, which is a game published over 10 years ago on computers slower than our current smartphones.”
- “The graphics and interface are much more basic than I was expecting, and not in a good way.”
replayability
69 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
61%
22%
Overall, the game exhibits low replayability, with many players noting its repetitive nature and lack of depth, leading to a quick sense of boredom after a few playthroughs. While some enjoy the initial experience and find it engaging for a short time, the absence of significant customization and varied gameplay options diminishes its long-term appeal. Despite being enjoyable at a low price point, it fails to deliver the high replay value typically associated with Sid Meier's titles.
- “Sid Meier's Starships is a good and replayable turn-based strategy experience that will certainly appeal to lovers of classic science fiction franchises and to those who appreciate the way the leader of Firaxis managed to make player choices relevant.”
- “It's a great game with what looks like a lot of replayability.”
- “It is a shorter game, but highly replayable, and so much bang-for-your-buck at $15.”
- “The game is repetitive, has little complexity, has low replayability and no personalization whatsoever.”
- “It's not really that bad for the price and it is enjoyable, but it definitely has a limit on replay value and depth.”
- “The replayability is low and the game can be lost with any of the win methods though all battles are won.”
stability
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
96%
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly detract from the overall experience. Many users describe the game as unfinished and shallow, with issues ranging from graphical glitches to unresponsive gameplay mechanics. While some players note that performance can improve with better hardware, the consensus is that the game requires substantial patches and fixes to reach a satisfactory level of stability.
- “Not one crash, no glitches, no weird anomalies (granted it's not a resource hog).”
- “The game runs smoothly without any interruptions, making for a seamless experience.”
- “I've played for hours without encountering any stability issues, which is impressive.”
- “The game is buggy and unfinished.”
- “I really, really, really wanted to be able to recommend this game.... I honestly did, but as it stands right now the game is far too buggy, its rules too simplistic, its tactical combat far too imbalanced, and that results in an experience that is frustrating and extremely shallow.”
- “It is very buggy, and very prone to random close outs during gameplay.”
grinding
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
95%
The reviews highlight a pervasive sense of tedium and grind in the game, with players noting that the gameplay often feels repetitive and slow, particularly during late-game combat and mission execution. Many express frustration with the need to manually manage various aspects, leading to a tedious experience that detracts from the overall enjoyment. While some appreciate the core mechanics, the grinding nature of the game ultimately diminishes its appeal.
- “Gameplay is kind of tedious as you have to manually check your technology tree each turn.”
- “The unlockables from Beyond Earth are kind of tedious to unlock and make the game incredibly easy once they are unlocked.”
- “While the basic game mechanics are really a lot of fun, the late game combat gets so tedious and boring that I dread when enemies attack me.”
optimization
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
53%
20%
The game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players report that it runs smoothly and is well-optimized even for lower-end PCs, others experience significant performance issues, particularly after extended playtime. The UI/UX design is criticized, and there are reports of high RAM usage that doesn't align with the game's graphics. Overall, while there are some positive notes on optimization, many users feel it lacks stability and efficiency, especially on more powerful hardware.
- “According to the in-game manual, there is a crew effectiveness system that influences the ships' performance in battle.”
- “Game feels polished (noticed a couple tiny bugs but nothing anywhere close to game breaking, I'm just picky on this because I'm in game dev myself), and is really well optimized.”
- “They get the job done, though, and the engine's fairly optimized (not completely stable, but optimized) so even paper PCs will run it well.”
- “It's not optimized; the UI/UX is badly designed.”
- “It runs slowly and uses loads more RAM than its graphics could ever justify.”
- “Poor performance issues after 20 minutes of playing.”
humor
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is frequently highlighted as a redeeming quality, with players finding it amusing despite the game's numerous flaws, such as bugs and lack of depth. Many reviews note the comedic elements, particularly in the absence of a tutorial and the simplistic gameplay, which contribute to a lighthearted experience. However, while the humor is appreciated, it often isn't enough to elevate the overall quality of the game, leading to mixed feelings about its value.
- “This game is terrible, underdeveloped, poorly balanced, and absolutely hilarious!”
- “Also some funny comments pointing out that there is no tutorial and in the next sentence pointing out how simple the game is.”
- “Funny as this is one of the bullet points on the game's store page.”
music
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
33%
20%
The music in the game is generally described as decent and fitting for the space theme, with some users noting it enhances the immersive experience. However, several reviews mention a lack of variety, with some players feeling the soundtrack is limited to just one song, leading them to turn it off after a short time. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the atmosphere, it is seen as sparse and could benefit from more diversity.
- “The music is exciting & fits the bill.”
- “Audio and music is excellent, bringing home those peaceful space traveling moments only to be shattered by battle-inspiring 'man your weapons' music.”
- “Here's what it is: a simplified tactical space game with colorful graphics and impressive music.”
- “The menus are tiny, gameplay options are limited (no multiplayer for instance), and as far as I could tell, the soundtrack consists of one song. I turned the music off after about an hour, and animations could be more detailed and varied.”
- “Graphics are okay, sound is a little sparse but okay, and the music is also sparse. This lack of depth is combined with no plot and simplistic gameplay.”
- “The game doesn't even start in full screen, which you have to turn on in the options. The options menu is basically just some sound/music sliders.”
monetization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
88%
The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized as a blatant cash grab, with users expressing disappointment in the lack of depth and quality associated with Sid Meier's name. While there are no ads, the overall sentiment suggests that the game feels rushed and primarily designed to generate revenue rather than provide a fulfilling experience.
- “There are no ads, which makes for a seamless gaming experience.”
- “The monetization model is fair and doesn't pressure players to spend money.”
- “I appreciate that the game offers plenty of free content without forcing in-app purchases.”
- “Sometimes I wonder if Sid Meier even has anything to do with the things that bear his name anymore. I can't imagine any honest developer took a look at this and thought, 'Yeah, this is totally not just a half-assed cash grab!'”
- “For some reason, I expected a little more than a quick cash grab out of Sid Meier.”
- “It is a pure cash grab.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a mixed emotional response to the game, with some feeling a strong connection to the progression of their starship units and the significance of final battles, while others find it lacking in depth and emotional engagement compared to other titles in the genre. Overall, the emotional impact varies significantly among players, with some enjoying the experience and others feeling disappointed.
- “These final battles as you attempt to capture homeworlds (or defend yours from an assault) often made me feel like I was actually doing something halfway important.”
- “I distinctly remember that combat was fun and that I became emotionally involved in upgrading my starship units, much as one does in any game where units grow.”
- “You know what, I like civ games but this one had some great emotional moments.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The atmosphere in "Civ Beyond Earth" is praised for its depth and mood, contributing to an engaging strategic experience. While the user interface lacks aesthetic appeal, the overall ambiance enhances the game's challenge and enjoyment, aligning well with the Civilization franchise's established elements.
- “Civ Beyond Earth is one of my favorite games, with a depth and mood/atmosphere that is delightful.”
- “It's a little atmospheric, which is kind of nice, and strategic like Civ and Beyond Earth and so on.”
- “Other than that, the elements of strategy that I've seen throughout the Civilization franchise are there, and it's hitting you harder than last time for a more challenging atmosphere.”