Star Trek Online

About

Star Trek Online is a multiplayer tactical role playing game with warfare and science fiction themes. It was developed by Cryptic Studios and was released on September 6, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

"Star Trek Online" is a free-to-play, massively multiplayer warfare role-playing game set in the Star Trek universe. Experience being a starship captain, upgrading your ship's weapons and shields, and interacting with characters from the TV show. Explore planets, complete missions, and upgrade your character with new abilities, weapons, and stats. However, be prepared for a grindy and buggy experience.

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76%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,584 reviews

story192 positive mentions

grinding120 negative mentions

Great space combat that captures the essence of Star Trek.
Rich storytelling with many missions featuring original series actors.
Free-to-play model allows access to most content without spending money.

Ground combat is clunky and less engaging compared to space battles.
Heavy reliance on microtransactions and lockboxes can feel exploitative.
Endgame content can be grindy and lacks variety, leading to repetitive gameplay.

story
790 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
69%
7%
The story in Star Trek Online is generally well-received, with many players appreciating the engaging narrative arcs and the inclusion of original series voice actors, which enhances immersion. However, some critiques highlight issues with mission repetitiveness, bugs, and a lack of depth in certain storylines, particularly in ground missions. Overall, while the game offers a rich tapestry of Star Trek lore and episodic content, it can feel grindy and occasionally suffers from poor execution in mission design.
- “Overall for someone who loves Trek, this is great at storytelling, cameo appearances, and it's even canon to a certain degree (STO ships have appeared on the most recent season of Picard).”
- “This game has a constantly growing storyline which is both interesting and engaging.”
- “Great game and storytelling that puts you right smack center of the Star Trek universe.”
- “The plot is a joke now and you see the woke writers and agenda all over the place.”
- “Levelling a federation character from level one to max was a slog of grinding missions, meaningless combat, and poorly written missions.”
- “The writing has greatly improved in recent years, although the storylines are still a bit over-the-top (or maybe that's just the current Star Trek style these days, looking at you Discovery!).”
gameplay
176 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
63%
14%
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, featuring engaging space combat that many players enjoy, while the ground combat is often criticized for being clunky and outdated. Players appreciate the variety of gameplay options and customization, but some find the mechanics confusing and the endgame repetitive. Overall, while the game offers a rich narrative and a vibrant community, it struggles with technical issues and a reliance on monetization that can detract from the experience.
- “The game's mechanics are top-notch, with intuitive controls and a wide range of customization options that allow you to tailor your gameplay experience to your liking.”
- “The gameplay is fun and the missions are very diverse and innovative, and one of my favorite mechanics is the foundry mode where you can create and upload your own custom missions which are super fun to play.”
- “Overall it's a good game, I like the variety of gameplay options the game offers, space combat & ground combat missions, which are quite fun and the game storyline is great.”
- “As someone that loves the series, it's a solid 7/10 for me; however, if I were to review based solely on gameplay and mechanics, it's unfortunately about a 4/10.”
- “The shooting mechanic is just poorly designed and poorly implemented; your camera will snap all over the place and you can't aim.”
- “Confusing mechanics, broken systems, and constant server issues make this mess one of the worst things to come out of Cryptic.”
grinding
122 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized, with many players finding it tedious and time-consuming, particularly at endgame where repetitive missions and resource farming dominate gameplay. While some appreciate the complexity and depth that grinding can offer, others feel it detracts from enjoyment, often leading to a pay-to-win dynamic where significant time investment or real money is required to progress. Overall, the consensus is that while grinding is a staple of many MMOs, this game takes it to an excessive level, making it a major point of frustration for players.
- “Hours and hours of gameplay with no grindy feeling.”
- “Levelling a federation character from level one to max was a slog of grinding missions, meaningless combat, and poorly written missions.”
- “Too much grinding for far too little reward.”
- “Generally speaking: the endgame is grinding, grinding and more grinding.”
graphics
116 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
58%
9%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that while space visuals are impressive and have seen significant updates over the years, ground graphics remain dated and in need of improvement. Some users appreciate the overall aesthetic and effects, particularly in space combat, but others criticize the outdated character models and performance issues. Overall, the game's graphics are considered decent for its age, but there is a consensus that further enhancements are necessary to keep up with modern standards.
- “The graphics are great considering the age of the game (and if you put it on ultra).”
- “The graphics are brilliant in this realm of the game, and overall, good throughout the game as a whole.”
- “Totally underrated game, gorgeous graphics, really feels like playing through TV episodes.”
- “When STO launched in 2010, it had its problems; the Klingon faction was entirely PvP oriented, the graphics were poor, and the missions were bland and boring.”
- “The graphics of the early content are more reminiscent of the PS2 era; missions and quests are so bugged they frequently have to be replayed multiple times in order to complete, several cutscenes are either missing or distorted beyond all recognition.”
- “The graphics engine is in dire need of improvement.”
monetization
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
47%
38%
The monetization in the game has drawn mixed reviews, with many players labeling it as a "cash grab" due to the prevalence of overpriced microtransactions, loot boxes, and in-game purchases. While some users appreciate the ability to grind for resources without spending real money, others feel that the emphasis on monetization detracts from the overall enjoyment and creates a gambling-like atmosphere. Despite these criticisms, some players still find the game enjoyable, particularly for its free-to-play model and occasional free events.
- “Free to play, acceptable monetization, what's not to like.”
- “Pretty fair monetization; zen prices are a bit high, but it is pretty easy to get lots of dilithium and they have lots of free ship events.”
- “Beyond some issues with the microtransactions, this is a very good free-to-play game.”
- “This game is nothing more than a cash grab.”
- “The growing emphasis on monetization has really started hurting the game, making it less fun to play and leading to more of a 'gambling' feeling that really does not fit in with Star Trek at all.”
- “There's a psychology behind these recurrent microtransactions - and the way they affect this game in particular - that I just can't condone.”
stability
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is widely criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, graphical glitches, and connection issues that create a frustrating experience. While some aspects, particularly space gameplay, function adequately, the overall performance is marred by lag and unfinished content, leading many to feel it resembles a pre-alpha build. Despite being playable as a free-to-play title, the persistent instability and lack of significant updates over the years have left players disappointed.
- “Launcher is a complete mess. I thought I would go back into it after playing it a few years ago, but it's the same buggy mess: unable to patch, unable to connect to the account server, the client quit unexpectedly. Bah... I'm off, better things to do.”
- “The game is still rather buggy even after several years of its existence.”
- “This is in stark contrast to the game's early and mid content, in which first-time users can immerse themselves into an experience so laden with bugs, graphical glitches, and popping artifacts that one could be forgiven for believing they were playing a pre-alpha build.”
optimization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
65%
21%
Overall, the game's optimization is criticized for requiring significant improvements, particularly in character performances and mission relevance. While it runs smoothly on lower-end systems and offers a variety of options that apply without negative impact, the graphics and performance are deemed passable but not impressive. Players express a need for better balancing in PvP aspects and a more engaging experience to enhance overall enjoyment.
- “Good gameplay, great content and storyline, runs smoothly on lower laptop specs, micro-transaction purchases available to advance quickly in-game, extensive interactions that can prove tricky for new players wanting to get into the game the first time, continuous updates make the game interesting; however, there is a need to invest time for grinding credits in order to get the best ships and equipment.”
- “While the graphics and performance are passable, the amount of options, and the way they're instantly applied without any negative impact, is very nice.”
- “Players are forced into missions which revolve entirely around these characters, the most significant example being the Dominion player opening quest line which features a who's who of characters both main and reoccurring from the television series Deep Space Nine. Most of these characters feature little relevance to the plot other than to deliver exposition to the player, and many are clearly phoning in their performances.”
- “Special credit must be made to LeVar Burton, whose ham-fisted performance, where he delivers each line of dialogue in such a monotone way, makes you feel as if he is genuinely on the other end of a phone reading off a card.”
- “With the above issue being the main one for me, I cannot recommend this game until it goes through massive optimization.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
49%
13%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding the early tracks and voice acting cringeworthy. However, many appreciate the sublime quality of the overall soundtrack, noting that it enhances the atmosphere of the missions, and some opt to play their own ambient or epic music to improve their experience.
- “The soundtrack is sublime.”
- “The music really makes the feel of the missions.”
- “But I usually play my own soundtrack of ambient, sci-fi, epic music.”
- “Towards the beginning, the music and voice acting can be very cringeworthy.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is often criticized for being overly juvenile and distracting, with references to absurd elements like bikini-clad NPCs and bizarre creatures that detract from the overall experience. While some players appreciate the nostalgic and chaotic nature of the humor, many feel it undermines the game's potential and contributes to a sense of decline in its quality. Overall, the humor is seen as a mixed bag, eliciting both frustration and amusement among players.
- “Players with Federation captains have big-breasted female bridge officer NPCs in bikinis, plasma-coiled targs, and pink energy beam-throwing crystals everywhere... and Elachi walkers... and space tornadoes... and black cats. If Star Trek Online was a promising suburb once, it is now a rundown part of the city where you live, because there is no alternative.”
- “This game tries to draw you in, holding you hostage in tense battles for hours at a time, but it also returns a nostalgic feeling, one I last felt on the launch of old school RuneScape, and a feeling I long to continue experiencing as I delve further into the fabric of this formerly forecasted foothold, frequented by funny but frustrated friendly men.”
- “The humor in the game is a mix of absurdity and nostalgia, creating moments that are both entertaining and frustrating, making it a unique experience.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players highlight the game's emotional depth, particularly in its well-crafted story arcs that evoke strong feelings, especially during pivotal moments like character deaths. However, there is a sense of disappointment as recent content shifts focus from these engaging narratives to repetitive exploration zones, diminishing the emotional impact and sense of progression.
- “Show me a game that can be so emotional, especially when one of the characters dies.”
- “The story arcs are well written and especially some of the more recent content is even touching.”
- “What made the game good was its stories, which made me feel like I was in an interactive Star Trek episode.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere of the game is praised for its fantastic storytelling and engaging environment, contributing to an enjoyable gameplay experience. However, some players feel less connected to the social aspects of the online community.
- “Fantastic stories, great atmosphere, and fun gameplay.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game features over 20 distinct species across 3.5 factions, each with unique in-game traits and character design options, allowing for diverse character development and customization.
- “Over 20 different species, spread over 3.5 factions, with each species having their own unique in-game traits and character design options.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game offers high replayability, allowing players to easily jump online and explore the Star Trek universe, making it a refreshing escape from daily routines.
- “The replayability is high; being able to pop online and fly a ship around the Star Trek universe for a bit provides a nice break from the daily grind.”