From Starfield to No Man’s Sky and beyond, if you’re in the mood for an interstellar adventure, there’s no shortage of ways to do so. But while the grandiose machinations of Elite Dangerous and Star Citizen can be bold, the best space games are often those smaller-scale strategy games and roguelikes such as FTL and the upcoming Breachway. If that sounds up your alley, then Space Crew might be just what you’re after – we labeled it a “compact, confident, bite-sized roguelite” in our review, and now it’s yours as a free Steam game if you’re quick.
As it prepares to launch its new Mad Max style adventure Badlands Crew, developer Runner Duck is offering Space Crew for absolutely nothing to give you a chance to try out its brand of compact, decision-driven strategy games – that means there’s never been a better time to give it a look, as it’s currently available for the magical 100% off, making it a free Steam game you can keep forever.
A starship captain in the United Defense Force, it’s up to you to defend Earth against a deadly alien threat, the Phasmids. Space Crew follows much in the mold set by the likes of FTL, where you must make tough decisions about how best to use your crew’s abilities, and those of the ship they’re helming, as you travel across the galaxy dealing with all manner of problems from space battles and planetary attacks to ship invasions and bounty hunts.
Moment to moment, this essentially means putting out a series of ever more troublesome fires by moving your crew around the ship as you engage enemy forces in combat. Shields down? Get your engineer to divert power from less essential systems while you send your security officer in to restore them, all while your captain adopts a defensive flight path to stay out of trouble during a vulnerable moment.
That seems simple enough, until the oxygen systems go down, the engines start leaking radiation, and enemy Phasmids board your ship all at once. Fortunately, you’ll be able to upgrade your ship’s equipment, weapons, and systems between missions, making sure you’re as well-equipped as possible to deal with whatever situation crops up next.
Even better, you’ll actually get the full Space Crew Legendary Edition for free, giving you all the additional content including the Android Ambush campaign. This army of rogue androids brings an entirely different set of challenges to the table than the base game’s Phasmid foes, but you’ll also get access to special one-of-a-kind legendary crew members that can give your squad the edge it needs to overcome this new opponent. You’ll also be able to take your crew on Star Trek style ‘away team’ missions where you venture onto outposts and other vessels, bringing a new strategic wrinkle to this delightfully chaotic space game.
Space Crew Legendary Edition is a free game to keep on Steam until Thursday March 14. Be sure to claim your copy before then – and you’ll want to move fast, as Steam notes that the offer is only available while supplies last.
Looking for even more of the best free PC games? We’ve got all the essentials for you, along with the best roguelike games if you can’t get enough of that moreish run-based format.
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