While Star Trek: Strange New Worlds prepares for its final seasons and the franchise's streaming future navigates a period of transition, the final frontier is finding a vibrant new life in gaming.
During Sunday’s PC Gaming Show, publisher Playstack and developer Magic Fuel Games officially revealed Star Trek: Outposts Unknown. Described as a narrative-driven outpost builder, the upcoming title blends complex colony simulation with deep exploration and adventure.
Magic Fuel Games was sure to point out that this isn't your typical sandbox builder. There's an actual original Star Trek story set in the 23rd century, the same era depicted in Strange New Worlds.
Players will explore the X’Lehari System to navigate diverse environments, meet new characters, and utilize iconic Starfleet technology to aid a fragile civilization facing an impending catastrophe. A brief glimpse of this crisis appears early in the announcement trailer, which shows a peaceful, prospering outpost disrupted by a massive cosmic anomaly known as "the Rift."
While specific plot points remain under wraps, the gameplay loop clearly tasks players with establishing a base of operations on the affected planet to manage the fallout. The official description promises a mix of tactical and narrative elements, instructing players to "research, explore, and build as you face a mysterious cosmic force that threatens a new ally."
The trailer also teases some up-close danger. At one point you can see crew members shooting phasers into a creepy purple mist coming from the anomaly.
So it sounds like you'll need to juggle long-term base building with moments where things go sideways fast. And the name "Outposts Unknown" has me thinking you might be hopping between different planets, each with their own hazards, setting up multiple outposts as you go.
Star Trek: Outposts Unknown is set to come out in 2026, but there's actually a demo you can try right now. It runs about three hours and walks you through the early stages of getting your outpost up and running.
You start on the U.S.S. Resonant, where you get your first look at the mysterious anomaly causing all the trouble. Then you head down to a planet called Daegus, where you start building out your base, setting up resources, and doing some basic planning. You also get to pick your crew and assign officers across the six Starfleet divisions: Command, Engineering, Medical, Navigation, Science, and Security.
Star Trek: Outposts Unknown was the second Star Trek game to be announced during Summer Game Fest. Earlier this weekend, Paramount Game Studios and Bloober Team revealed Star Trek: Shadow Frontier, a psychological thriller that sees the return of former Lieutenant Ro Laren.