Stationeers

About

"Stationeers is a hardcore Science Fiction Simulation game that allows 2-players or more to cooperatively build and manage a space station's complex systems, such as atmospherics, electrical, and gravity. With stunning graphics but high grinding, it offers a stellar atmosphere and hilarious moments, despite occasional bugs. Your survival and optimization of these systems will require knowledge, practice, and resource management."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

+18

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 4,383 reviews

gameplay161 positive mentions

grinding157 negative mentions

Stationeers offers a unique and complex survival experience that challenges players to master intricate systems like atmospherics, power management, and resource gathering.
The game encourages creativity and problem-solving, allowing players to engineer their own solutions to various challenges, which can be incredibly rewarding.
Frequent updates from the developers show a commitment to improving the game and adding new content, keeping the experience fresh and engaging.

The steep learning curve and lack of functional tutorials can be overwhelming for new players, making it difficult to get started without external resources like YouTube videos.
The user interface and inventory management system are clunky and unintuitive, leading to frustration when trying to manage tools and resources.
Multiplayer functionality is often buggy and unreliable, which can detract from the overall experience when playing with friends.

gameplay
712 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
76%
2%
The gameplay of Stationeers is characterized by its complex mechanics and steep learning curve, appealing primarily to players who enjoy intricate resource management, crafting, and base-building in a survival context. While the game offers a rich and rewarding experience for those willing to invest time in mastering its systems, many players find the lack of clear tutorials and the cumbersome inventory management frustrating. Overall, the game is praised for its depth and realism, but it may not be suitable for casual gamers or those seeking a more straightforward experience.
- “The core gameplay loop revolves around resource management, crafting, and base building.”
- “The intricate interplay of various systems creates a challenging but rewarding experience for those who enjoy mastering complex mechanics.”
- “Overall, Stationeers is a fantastic journey for those who love complex, rewarding gameplay with a hint of existential dread every time your suit beeps at you.”
- “In its current state, the game feels very empty with overly complicated mechanics that seem to add fluff rather than depth.”
- “The core gameplay loop is just mindless tasks created to take up your time, instead of incentivizing research or other means of gameplay progression.”
- “The tutorial is relatively limited and many of the mechanics are not well explained in-game, which can be frustrating for new players.”
atmosphere
436 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
40%
2%
The atmosphere in Stationeers is highly detailed and complex, requiring players to manage various factors such as pressure, temperature, and gas composition to create a habitable environment. The game's robust atmospheric simulation mechanics challenge players to engineer solutions for survival in diverse planetary conditions, making it a deeply immersive experience. While the steep learning curve can be daunting, the satisfaction of successfully managing these systems adds to the game's appeal for fans of engineering and survival simulations.
- “Stationeers is a deeply engaging and intricately detailed space simulation that pushes players to master complex systems like engineering, atmospheric management, and automation.”
- “The complex systems, from power management to atmospheric composition, are a true testament to the developer's commitment to realism and immersion.”
- “The atmosphere and temperature feature adds to the immersion of surviving on a different planet (or in space).”
- “The immersion is out of this atmosphere.”
- “Every 15 to 30 seconds the game just makes the breathable atmosphere in a room disappear for a second and then returns it.”
- “This boggles my mind because they've begun adding in more advanced content and apparently forgotten that players are still having to stuff a square peg into a round hole for the purposes of solving the problem of 'how do I keep my atmosphere a healthy mix of nitrogen and oxygen while also pulling out the CO2 without gradually reducing the oxygen-to-nitrogen ratio to the point that it's no longer breathable when the developers haven't finished implementing the round peg for this problem.'”
graphics
164 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
57%
10%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that while the art style is simplistic and somewhat cartoonish, it effectively serves the game's immersive and technical gameplay. Some users appreciate the aesthetic choices and find the visuals pleasing, while others criticize the graphics for being outdated or lacking detail. Overall, the consensus suggests that while improvements are needed, the graphics are functional and contribute to the game's unique atmosphere.
- “The graphics and atmospheric effects in Stationeers contribute to the immersive space environment.”
- “Graphically, Stationeers delivers a stunning and immersive experience.”
- “The graphics are surprisingly pleasing in their simplicity, especially when combined with the satisfaction of watching your freshly made system work.”
- “Graphics are poor, and there is no music during tutorial missions.”
- “The graphics are okay; although personally, I cannot stand the character models.”
- “The visuals are subpar and nothing special.”
grinding
162 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
2%
97%
The grinding aspect of the game is frequently described as tedious and cumbersome, with players noting that the inventory management and tool-switching mechanics can detract from the overall enjoyment. While some find satisfaction in the complexity and depth of the systems, many agree that the repetitive nature of tasks like mining, building, and farming can feel unnecessarily prolonged and frustrating. Overall, the game offers a challenging experience, but the grind can be a significant barrier to enjoyment for some players.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The game is hard, has no tutorial or onboarding to speak of and is often tedious.”
- “The controls and construction processes in its current state are beyond tedious.”
- “The problem is that at the time of this review, the game is wall-to-wall anti-fun that gets you bogged down in tedious, repetitious activities.”
optimization
136 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
64%
15%
The optimization of Stationeers has been a mixed bag, with many players experiencing significant performance issues, particularly in large or complex bases, even on high-end systems. While developers have made strides in improving performance through regular updates and optimizations, the game still suffers from stuttering and frame rate drops, especially as base complexity increases. Overall, while some users report satisfactory performance, many feel that further optimization is necessary for a smoother experience.
- “The developers have also continued to add new and interesting content throughout the early access phase and have also increased the performance and fixed many bugs in the game. I plan to play this for a long while and I'm happy to own a copy of it.”
- “Progress over the last year has been great with a lot of depth added and a slew of performance improvements.”
- “The devs have gone through a major internal rewrite to improve performance.”
- “Performance: even on high-end systems, Stationeers can suffer from performance issues, especially in large or complex bases.”
- “Performance of the game has been declining as well, to the point that running the game on an RTX 4090, with a Core i9 CPU and 64 GB of RAM to match, gives us only 30-40 FPS in basic scenes with just a few dozen pipes present; the game will stutter as you pan your camera while the sun sets and casts shadows at certain angles on the pipes as it drops down to less than 15 FPS until it just goes back to its usual 30-40 FPS.”
- “It's a fun little space game, but at the moment the optimization needs serious work.”
stability
117 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
91%
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous users reporting a variety of bugs and glitches, particularly in multiplayer mode. While some players find the game enjoyable and appreciate its potential, many express frustration with the buggy tutorials and frequent technical issues that detract from the overall experience. Overall, it is seen as a challenging early access title that requires patience and troubleshooting skills, but it shows promise for future improvements.
- “The game is well made and runs great!”
- “The game isn't buggy, and is great value for money.”
- “For an early access game, it is relatively bug free; systems mostly work as intended.”
- “It's a buggy mess and only gets buggier with every bug fix, and the de-sync is horrendous.”
- “The multiplayer is a buggy mess that hasn't been properly fixed in a very long time now and is virtually unplayable.”
- “Just an ugly buggy mess with no real content and no clear vision on what they intend for this.”
story
79 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
78%
13%
The game's story aspect is currently lacking, with many users noting the absence of a structured narrative, quests, or mission objectives. While players appreciate the sandbox elements and potential for creativity, they express a strong desire for more defined goals and challenges, such as missions or a storyline, to enhance the gameplay experience. Developers are actively working on updates, and there is hope that future content will introduce more engaging story elements.
- “This early access feels like a never-ending story, but it's a good story.”
- “Great game, tons of potential; all it needs is multiplayer improvements, some kind of story mode, and a few more planets.”
- “The things you can do already in alpha are almost limitless, and when the survival, mission, and ship-building elements are introduced, this will be an absolute gem.”
- “There is no story, there are no quests.”
- “Most of the content is more about 'I want to' rather than 'I have to' because you can build a tiny self-sustaining base in a few hours and be done with the game; there isn't any story, quests, or missions driving you forward yet.”
- “At the moment, there is no storyline or goals, but I assume this will be added when the developers release version 1.0.”
humor
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
95%
5%
The humor in the game is described as complex and often hilariously frustrating, with players experiencing comedic moments stemming from their own incompetence and the game's unforgiving mechanics. Many reviews highlight the fun of multiplayer interactions, where unexpected disasters lead to laughter, while the quirky design choices and humorous world-building elements add to the overall comedic experience. Despite some frustrations with the game's systems, players find joy in the absurdity of their failures and the chaotic scenarios that unfold.
- “Just remember to bring a sense of humor – and maybe a fire extinguisher or two.”
- “The greatest enemy of the game is your own incompetence, which can lead to some hilarious moments.”
- “It's a fun, immersive semi-sim with a cool voxel world, based physics, and it can be incredibly funny when you're playing with friends and you have no idea why the inside of your base is burning and a hole has randomly burst open in one of your frames...”
- “The harder planets are cranked to the max. I've died so many times in the game, it's not funny.”
- “Two toolbelts instead of a hotbar has to just be an unfunny joke, right?”
replayability
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
45%
10%
The game is praised for its high replayability, with many players noting its limitless potential due to procedurally generated landscapes, diverse environments, and extensive customization options. Frequent updates and a supportive community further enhance the experience, allowing players to learn from past mistakes and explore new challenges. However, some users mention that once certain challenges are solved, the replay value diminishes, indicating a mixed perspective on long-term engagement.
- “Highly recommend this game for I almost have 500 hours in this and will have to start over when the new landscape update comes out... which is okay by me, because this game has limitless replayability and is extremely fun!”
- “Hundreds of hours of content, nearly infinite replayability, deep and intricate game systems, heaps of skills to master, and more features yet to come.”
- “The availability of player-created mods enhances the game's replayability, introducing new challenges and opportunities for customization.”
- “The replay value is non-existent, as you can't come back and re-solve challenges that you have already solved.”
- “This means that the game has almost no replay value, because if you start a new base, you have to set up all those systems again, which takes hours.”
- “It can be a bit challenging and is best played with friends, but has lots of potential for replayability with the vast amount of customization options.”
music
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the subtle and effective soundtrack that enhances the atmosphere, while others criticize the lack of background music and soundscapes, particularly during tutorial missions. Many users suggest that the game would benefit from a more engaging musical experience, similar to other titles, as the current sound design feels sparse and can lead to an empty feeling in the game world. Overall, while the music has potential, it currently falls short of expectations, prompting players to seek external music sources for a more immersive experience.
- “I like the background music in the game as well.”
- “The soundtrack and sound effects are subtle yet effective, creating an atmosphere of unease and triumph as one makes progress.”
- “Music and sound (6/10) [gets the job done; nice touch how sound changes based on the atmospheric pressure.]”
- “Graphics are poor, and there is no music during tutorial missions.”
- “The worlds feel kind of empty; there's no real music playing in the background. I guess I could put on some myself, but that just ruins the fun.”
- “There's also a complete lack of any soundscape - you'll find yourself wondering if your sound is still working until you weld something, because there's no breathing, footsteps, ambiance music, nothing.”
monetization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
86%
The monetization strategy of the game has been widely criticized as a cash grab, particularly due to the presence of DLC in an early access title priced at $30. Many users express frustration over the game's reliance on advertising and microtransactions, questioning the developers' commitment to delivering a polished product. Overall, the sentiment suggests a lack of trust in the game's development and a perception of low production value.
- “I'm normally against microtransactions, but to be honest, I'd happily pay like a fiver to have, say, TotalBiscuit as my suit voice.”
- “As long as the devs listen to the community, are active, and don't incorporate lots of microtransactions, this game is a sure gem in the making.”
- “What I thought was going to be a genuine attempt at a love letter to SS13 has turned into an obvious cash grab. DLC should not exist for an early access game, cosmetic or not, especially a $30 early access game.”
- “A game with DLC (not against proper DLC when the game launches) and is still in early access makes you wonder if we can trust it or if the game is just a cash grab.”
- “An early access cash grab with low production value, vague promises, and the worst user interface ever invented for a video game.”
emotional
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of "Stationeers" is described as deeply impactful, evoking strong feelings of heartbreak and nostalgia, with some players expressing that it made them cry. However, frustrations with gameplay mechanics, such as the lack of tutorials and restrictive building options, can detract from the overall emotional experience. Despite these challenges, the game is seen as a wholesome contribution to the gaming world.
- “It is a wholesome gift to the world.”
- “At $33 USD, Stationeers is heartbreaking.”
- “The game made me cry.”