Star Birds news & patch notes

Patch 0.3.9

☀️ Fixes & Improvements Based on Community Feedback

• ☀️ Fixed a bug that could block critical progression quests after reloading a save, particularly in Level 11.

• ☀️ Fixed a progression blocker in Level 10 that could occur when placing a Yumberry before advancing the dialogue.

• ☀️ Fixed invisible excavation quests and stuck tutorial dialogue in older saves.

• Fixed scores displaying values above 100%. Scores now update dynamically, including when discovering secret resources.

• ☀️ Fixed empty or broken station module quest offers.

• ☀️ Fixed phantom or broken pipe connections blocking building functionality. These connections now repair themselves when loading a save or reconnecting pipes.

• Fixed ramps being recallable while a rover was still on them.

• ☀️ Fixed ramps not being recallable because phantom paths or pipes were still occupying them.

• Fixed pebbles not appearing around artificial craters when placing explosives on an asteroid loaded from a save.

• Fixed artificial craters created by explosives not being highlighted automatically.

• Fixed stale explosives not being removed when quitting immediately after placing them.

• ☀️ Fixed the Continue button not working after switching save profiles.

• Improved error handling and diagnostics for save files that are incompatible with the current game version.

• ☀️ Minor localization fixes.

• ☀️ Finally fixed global achievements resetting on game start.

• ☀️ Fixed a small camera-window appearing on the bottom-left when quickly switching asteroids via arrow-hotkeys.

• Fixed the music player not always correctly selecting music tracks.

• ☀️ Fixed a bug that allowed quest rewards to be collected multiple times.

• Fixed several issues caused by performing actions while an unlock popup was open.

• ☀️ Fixed a progression blocker in Level 13 that could occur when completing the trader quest before advancing the route connection dialogue.

• ☀️ Improved grabbing pipe and path ends. The end piece closest to the cursor is now picked up.

• Routes dragged to an asteroid or trader with a free input slot on the star map now connect automatically, even if they have not snapped into place.

• Energy requirements are no longer displayed during building placement before an energy building becomes available, avoiding unnecessary confusion.

• ☀️ Fixed completed Strange Nests incorrectly displaying the requirements of another, incomplete nest.

The best place to give feedback is our Discord server. There, we are running a Smart Ticketing System: Leave feedback, vote up change requests and bug reports from other users, and help us to prioritize tasks in the further development of Star Birds.

🙏Thanks to everyone in the community who already shared such prompt and constructive feedback on Discord today! We really appreciate it and want to send you a big THANK YOU!🙏

Patch Notes 0.3.8

☀️ Fixes & Improvements Based on Community Feedback

Steam Deck & Controller Support

• Added a floating keyboard for entering text with a controller.

• Added UI scaling for building-button tooltips.

Improvements

• Added sunray visual effects when placing solar panels in areas with high sunlight intensity.

• Improved visuals for high sunlight intensity spots.

• Improved error handling in the bug reporting tool.

• Pressing Esc now cancels building placement before opening the in-game menu.

• Improved the visuals of slime areas.

• Implemented several additional visual-effect fixes and improvements.

• Added visual feedback to working energy producers (i.e. Solar Panels).

• ☀️Added special visual effect on the star map for asteroids that have a strange object.

Bugfixes

• ☀️Added several potential fixes for Free Mode challenge progress being reset after restarting the game, including the Prime Slime and Crater Caterer challenges.

• Fixed a game-breaking issue that could occur when starting the game offline before connecting to a Steam leaderboard for the first time.

• Fixed an issue in Free Play where Ice Extractor research could request resources that themselves required an Ice Extractor to obtain.

• ☀️Fixed Cinnakeet factory upgrade perk (Reshaper) not being obtainable in Perk Shop.

• ☀️No longer displaying unavailable free play mode challenge in UI.

• ☀️Made savegame functionality more robust and added more logging for failure cases.

The best place to give feedback is our Discord server. There, we are running a Smart Ticketing System: Leave feedback, vote up change requests and bug reports from other users, and help us to prioritize tasks in the further development of Star Birds.

As you may have noticed, we’ve been working over the past few weeks to make a few Steam Bundles possible for the Star Birds community. One that feels like a particularly good match is our bundle with Modulus: a peaceful factory builder that fits wonderfully alongside Star Birds.

The bundle comes with a 10% discount on both games.

What Is Modulus?

In Modulus, you build, automate, & optimize production lines across sky islands with real spatial constraints. Every production line is an open-ended puzzle: which operators to use, how to route your belts and how to fit your factory into the landscape.

Is It a Cozy Game? Is It a Puzzler?

Modulus is a calm, meditative take on factory automation where you do more than design production lines: you create the very building blocks they produce. Cut, paint, stamp, and assemble 3D modules, then use them to construct intricate structures piece by piece.

What especially speaks to us, is the peaceful focus of it all: no enemies, no timers. Just you, your machines, and the quiet satisfaction of building something beautifully efficient.

10% Off for Star Birds Players

As always, our brief bundle disclaimer: This is a Complete-the-Set bundle. That means if you already own Star Birds, you won’t have to buy it again and can still grab our partner games with a 10% discount. Think of it as a special deal for our community. ✌️

We’ll continue working to bring you bundles with indie games that share a similar genre and spirit. We hope to occasionally offer you discounts on other titles we enjoy and think you might like as well.

Download Star Birds & Join Our Newsletter

Star Birds is an indie project by Toukana Interactive and kurzgesagt. We are over the moon to have such an amazing community. You are the reason why this project exists.

If you want to support us, download the game here on Steam, and tell your friends about it.

If you would like to be the first to read content like this, we recommend our newsletter – once a month, no spam. Sign up at toukana.com/starbirds.

Mini Motorways and Mini Metro are now available in a Bundle with Star Birds. Picking up the games together gives you 10% off. You already own Star Birds? The 10% community discount for the Mini Worlds games is still available to you.

What Is Mini Motorways?

Mini Motorways is a strategy simulation game about designing the road map for a growing city. Build a traffic network, one road at a time, to create a bustling metropolis. Redesign your roads and place your motorways to get everyone where they need to go.

What Is Mini Metro?

In Mini Metro, you design a subway map for your growing city. Draw lines between stations and start your trains running. As new stations open, redraw your lines to keep them efficient. Decide where to use your limited resources. How long can you keep the city moving?

Simplicity in Perfection

Both games of the Mini Worlds Series are made by Dinosaur Polo Club. Dinosaur Polo Club is an indie game development studio based in beautiful Wellington, New Zealand. A handful of lovely humans creating games with relatable simplicity.

We truly appreciate the work of their indie team and think they’re doing an amazing job. We especially connect with the minimalist style of their games, which resonates with our own love for clean, thoughtful design.

We hope the strategic thinkers in our community will enjoy this bundle and have a great time discovering these games together!

10% Off for Star Birds Players

This is a Complete-the-Set bundle. That means if you already own Star Birds, you won’t have to buy it again and can still grab our partner games with a 10% discount. Think of it as a special deal for our community. ✌️

Download Star Birds & Join Our Newsletter

Star Birds is an indie project by Toukana Interactive and kurzgesagt. We are over the moon to have such an amazing community. You are the reason why this project exists.

If you want to support us, download the game here on Steam, and tell your friends about it.

If you would like to be the first to read content like this, we recommend our newsletter – once a month, no spam. Sign up at toukana.com/starbirds.

Patch Notes 0.3.7

☀️ Fixes & Improvements Based on Community Feedback

Free Play Mode

• Overhauled the Free Play Mode configuration UI.

• Preset buttons now also randomize level features, Kardashev Scale values, and star systems.

• ☀️ Added new visualizations and tooltips to explain the effects of different Kardashev Scale levels.

• ☀️ Added an info overlay showing the overall complexity of the current configuration and the maximum reachable score. Overall complexity is affected by all configuration settings.

• Added a randomize toggle for the seed. When enabled, changing any setting will automatically randomize the seed.

• Removed Free Play Mode from the campaign level selection.

Improvements

• Updated localization and added many missing terms.

• Save Game Screen: The last played game is now highlighted with a yellow outline.

• Save Game Screen: Hovering over a save game now displays its star system.

• ☀️ Added an error message when the disk is full, preventing the game from being saved.

• Asteroids can now be rotated with Space Bar + Left Click.

• Added support for two-finger trackpad swipe input.

Bugfixes

• ☀️ Sector 03: Fixed an issue where dialogues and the tutorial could stop progressing after quitting and reloading the game while the solar panel dialogue was active.

• ☀️ Fixed an issue that could prevent quest bubbles from appearing.

• ☀️ Fixed an issue where tutorials and dialogues could get stuck after quitting and reloading the game during the level intro screen.

• ☀️ Fixed UI issues when renaming asteroids.

• Removed an outdated Component Lab → Super Conductor recipe.

• ☀️ Removed two unobtainable resources from the max score calculation in some sectors, which made it impossible to reach 100%.

• ☀️ Fixed a crash that could occur when exploring circular dependencies in the crafting tree.

• ☀️ Fixed an issue where star system-exclusive music could sometimes play in the wrong star system.

The best place to give feedback is our Discord server. There, we are running a Smart Ticketing System: Leave feedback, vote up change requests and bug reports from other users, and help us to prioritize tasks in the further development of Star Birds.

Star Birds and shapez 2 are now available in a Steam Bundle. Picking up both games together gives you 10% off. If you own Star Birds already, you’ll still save 10% on shapez 2 (and the other way round!).

What Is shapez 2?

shapez 2 is a 3D factory-building game where you automate the extraction, production and delivery of geometric shapes. Each shape is its own set of building blocks that your factories can take apart, stack, paint and put back together in near-infinite different ways.

In shapez 2, you dive into a factory-building game with the focus on just that – building huge space factories! Design sprawling multi-level factories and satisfying production lines. Tackle progressively challenging automation goals at your own pace, without the threat of enemies.

Brilliant Minimalism

We love playing shapez (and its successor, shapez 2) ourselves, and we know the developer behind these fantastic factory-building games. So it was about time for a shared Steam bundle.

What we especially admire about shapez is its brilliant minimalism: geometric shapes and colors are all it takes to create a complex automation game.

It’s an honor to now be part of a bundle with this amazing genre-shaping game!

10% Off for Star Birds Players

This is a Complete-the-Set bundle. That means if you already own Star Birds, you won’t have to buy it again and can still grab our partner game with a 10% discount. Think of it as a special deal for our community. ✌️

Download Star Birds & Join Our Newsletter

Star Birds is an indie project by Toukana Interactive and kurzgesagt. We are over the moon to have such an amazing community. You are the reason why this project exists.

If you want to support us, download the game here on Steam, and tell your friends about it.

If you would like to be the first to read content like this, we recommend our newsletter – once a month, no spam. Sign up at toukana.com/starbirds.

Patch 0.3.5 & 0.3.6

• Fixed a critical save/load bug

• Improved diagnostics for save/load issues

• Fixed bug with Steam auto cloud implementation that could result in new save data since the patch release to not be synced onto a different device

• Fixed analytics confirmation screen not closing when opened via Settings menu

• Fixed an issue causing crashes when interacting with the crafting tree

• Mac: Defaulted VSync to Off and maximum frame rate to 60 to prevent unnecessary high performance costs

• Mac: Added a precaution to prevent an issue causing audio crashes

• Mac: Fixed flickering on loading screen when switching between asteroids and map

• Mac: Fixed save games not creating and displaying screenshots for the save game overview screen

The best place to give feedback is our Discord server. There, we are running a Smart Ticketing System: Leave feedback, vote up change requests and bug reports from other users, and help us to prioritize tasks in the further development of Star Birds.

🙏Thanks to everyone in the community who already shared such prompt and constructive feedback on Discord today! We really appreciate it and want to send you a big THANK YOU!🙏

Play Star Birds. Share a screenshot. Take the chance to win a key!

Let's celebrate the launch of our new Major Content Update! With your impressions from Cinnakeet! The asteroids in Star Birds are sometimes extraordinary, beautiful or unexpectedly funny. Imagine you’re sending a postcard back home. Its cover features a beautiful snapshot from our new lava-filled star system, Cinnakeet! Which motif would you choose?

Where to Share?

You took a screenshot that shows a Cinnakeet asteroid in all its beauty? Share it

• here on Steam 👉 Screenshots Tab

• or on Discord 👈

To make sure we can find your asteroid shot, please keep the following in mind:

• If you are taking part in the community event, please use the hashtag #StarBirdsAsteroids.

• When uploading your asteroids on Discord, please use the "Star Birds Showroom" Channel for this purpose.

Thanks so much! 🙏

(Please note: With your participation you allow us to re-upload your screenshot on our socials and share it with the wider community.)

Win Keys!

Event period: May 26, 2026 - May 31, 2026.

Among all the extraordinary asteroids, we’ll be giving away a bundle consisting of a Star Birds key (PC) & a Dorfromantik key (PC).

Only screenshot uploads during the event period will be considered.

Thank you to everyone who is participating in this Star Birds Community Event. 🪐

Download Star Birds & Join Our Newsletter

Star Birds is an indie project by Toukana Interactive and kurzgesagt. We are over the moon to have such an amazing community. You are the reason why this project exists.

If you want to support us, download the game here on Steam, and tell your friends about it.

If you would like to be the first to read content like this, we recommend our newsletter – once a month, no spam. Sign up at toukana.com/starbirds.

Patch Notes 0.3

(version 0.3.4, including Beta Patches 0.3, 0.3.1, 0.3.2, 0.3.3)

☀️ Fixes & Improvements Based on Community Feedback

Cinnakeet & New Levels

• Added campaign sectors 12, 13, and 14 with new story and dialogue

• Introduced a new star system: Cinnakeet

• Added new feature: Lava

• Added new feature: Cooling overheated buildings

• Added new feature: Alien Trader

• Added new energy generation methods: Bio Energy Reactor and Geothermic Reactor

• ☀️ Added new logistics building: Resource Filter, obtainable from the Alien Trader

• Added 8 new buildings

• Added 2 new alien plants

• Added 7 new resources

• Added 8 new hidden resources with secret crafting recipes

• Implemented 3 new cutscenes

• Added alien trader dialogue character, speaking in alien language

Free Play Mode

• Moved Free Play mode to the main menu

• ☀️ Added many features to Free Play mode: Plateaus, Ice, Plants, Seedlings, Spider Ducks, Wigglers, Alien Trader, Slime, Lava, and Heat

• Added the Kardashev Scale to configure advancement state, available energy generators and production buildings

• ☀️ Added 15 Free Play mode challenges

• All star systems, features, buildings, and crafting recipes can now be unlocked in Free Play mode without playing the campaign

• Improved goal complexity calculation

• Some craftable resources, such as Carbon and Quartz, can now appear as natural resources

• ☀️ Stats and victory screens in Free Play mode now display more relevant information

☀️Controller Support

• Star Birds can now be played with controller

• Added controller navigation for asteroid view, building placement, and pipe drawing via a 3D cursor

• Added controller navigation and interaction for the star system map

• Added switching between UI and Game Layer with Y, using quick jump or radial menu

• Added D-Pad hotkeys for quick access to important UI sections

• Added X button support to move or recall buildings

• Added left and right shoulder buttons to switch directly between asteroids

• Added priority-based quest selection to quickly collect quest rewards or accept new quests

• Added controller support for menu, level selection, and UI navigation

• Added gamepad input labels for some less obvious shortcuts

• Added UI scaling to parts of the UI, more will follow in upcoming updates

☀️ Mac Support

• Star Birds is now playable on Mac with Apple Silicon processors

☀️ Total Score & Leaderboards

• Added new Total Score display in the main menu

• Added Total Score leaderboard: the sum of all stars collected across all levels

• Added Campaign Highscore leaderboard: the sum of highscores across all campaign levels

• Added in-game leaderboard display with a Friends Only filter

• Improved calculation of the maximum achievable score in campaign levels

New Achievements & Perks

• Added 21 new achievements

• Added 7 new perks

Visuals

• Added new star system visuals, color scheme, and star design for Cinnakeet

• Added new level selection area and main menu visuals for Cinnakeet

• Overhauled the look and feel of the star system map

• Added icons for new buildings, resources, Free Play mode features, and achievements

• ☀️ Different resource entities in pipes now have different colors

• Space station and star system map colors now differ per star system

• Added new dialogue backgrounds

• Added many new VFX for new features and improved some existing VFX

Audio

• Implemented new music track that only plays in Cinnakeet

• Implemented new and improved sound effects for many gameplay actions

• ☀️ Added sound effects for many gameplay actions that did not have sound yet

• Improved the general audio mix

Improvements

• Rover now drives faster on ice and slower on slime

• ☀️ Added an experimental resource crafting tree, accessible via the Wiki

• Resource and building icons embedded in dialogues now have a light blue backdrop for better readability

• Launch Pads and Landing Pads can now always be placed on unscanned plateaus, if allowed in the sector, and will trigger scanning of those plateaus

• Energy and cooling requirements are now previewed while placing buildings

• ☀️ Rover nuggets no longer respawn immediately when all nuggets on an asteroid are collected; instead, they reduce the timer of one random spawner to 10 seconds

• Improved random position calculation for landmarks, pre-placed buildings, and plants. It is now more performant and should no longer prevent spawning when enough space is available

• Reduced unnecessary memory allocations in asteroid generation

• ☀️ Massively improved asteroid generation performance through more optimized algorithms

• Launch Pads can now send rockets to Landing Pads on the same asteroid

• When more than 9 production buildings are available in one level, they are split into Production and Advanced Production categories

• Improved building hover UI positioning, so the speech bubble pointer now points to the building instead of overlapping it or pointing away when the bubble becomes too large

• Buildings that cannot be purchased, such as plants, are considered locked until they are discovered or received in the inventory. For example, quests asking for fruit now only appear after the player has access to plants that produce fruit

• ☀️ Wiki building section now only displays buildings available in the current level, not all buildings

• Added a confirmation screen before quitting the game

• ☀️ Wall-mounted buildings, such as Geothermic Reactor and Ramp, can now be placed when the pointer is close to the wall instead of only directly on it

• Unlock effects are now queued, so they no longer overlap when multiple unlocks trigger at once

• Reduced collider size of Small Explosive, allowing placement closer to other obstacles

• ☀️ Ramps now have fixed lanes for pipes, always allowing 4 pipes per ramp

• Default zoom level in the star system map is now based on UI scale, starting closer when UI scale is higher

• ☀️ Quest bar on the left now fills the full screen height when no excavation or Alien Trader quest is present

• UI scale is now initialized according to device: 1.5x on Steam Deck, otherwise 1x. UI scale remains fully configurable in the settings menu

• Sector 05: Rust’s explosive comment now triggers after the explosion, not when placing the explosive

• ☀️ Sector 05: Small Explosive research sequence can now be started before the first excavation quest, hopefully reducing confusion about missing small craters.

• Added selection and hover outline to supply quest icons

• ☀️ Pipe hub now tries to alternate between inputs when input and output connections are jammed; previously, it always preferred the input from the same pipe

• Camera now focuses on the selected asteroid when switching to the star system map

• Added 0.3 player survey, accessible via the news section

• Sector 2.1: Natural resources are no longer selected randomly, so the maximum reachable score stays consistent.

• Sector 2.1: Changed the score achievement to require 75% of the maximum reachable score instead of 100%.

• Added bird buffet Seed → Fertilizer recipe.

• All secret resources are now previewed on the Rewards screen.

• ☀️ Rover can now be controlled directly via Left Stick on Gamepad or WASD on keyboard as an alternative to rover path drawing.

• Added ambience volume slider.

• Rover now ignores pipes when being placed, and pipes ignore rover when being drawn, making the behavior consistent with actual rover movement ignoring pipes.

• With every new free play mode game, if there is any secret resource craftable with the current settings, one is made available, displaying its crafting recipe in the Wiki. It can be selected as goal resource and discovered in the sector.

• Slightly increased goal complexity values for medium and high complexity in free play mode.

• Changed crafting recipes of bird buffet recipes that turn more complex food into Fertilizer to produce two units instead of one, output into the same pipe.

• Building level is now shown in the screen edge tooltip when hovering over a building.

• Reduced default quest icon size to 80% of the original.

• Added star system map panning with WASD.

• Minor improvements for sector 02 and sector 04

• Ramps can now be placed on Ice and Slime.

• Stats screen and victory screen now also display level achievements that were completed before the level started

• Added save game backups as a fallback for when save files are corrupted.

• ☀️ Save data is now stored in a directory that includes the Steam User ID, allowing multiple Steam profiles to keep separate save files on the same device.

• Note: On the first launch with a new profile, existing save data in the general directory will be copied into the user directory. This may take a few seconds.

Bugfixes

• ☀️ Fixed Solar Panels sometimes no longer producing energy when cycling through asteroids

• ☀️ Fixed infinite money glitch when two nugget spawners are very close to each other

• Fixed small plateau bridges appearing between plateaus with very narrow gaps

• Fixed perks in the Perk Screen being unavailable when a building is locked in the current run, even though it is unlocked globally

• ☀️ Fixed asteroid scanning probe visually getting stuck while scanning an asteroid

• ☀️ Fixed Continue button breaking when deleting the last savegame

• ☀️ Fixed pressing Esc while loading a savegame causing the main menu to load on top of the running game

• Fixed tooltip not anchoring correctly to its UI element when displayed for the first time

• ☀️ Fixed rover driving backwards in loading screen animation

• Fixed rover mistakenly connecting to launch pad and playing an old sound effect when doing so.

• ☀️ Removed outdated crafting recipes that caused non-craftable resources to be counted in the maximum score calculation.

• ☀️ Fixed Launch Pad level 03 upgrade not changing rocket capacity.

• ☀️ Fixed bug in pipe drawing that could cause other systems to break as a consequence, resulting in asteroids not being unloaded and multiple asteroids appearing merged with each other.

• ☀️ Fixed some resources being considered as potential module quest resources twice, resulting in the game displaying a missing module quest but not actually generating one when clicked, displaying an empty speech bubble.

• ☀️ Fixed bird buffet Fruit → Fertilizer recipe crafting speed not being affected by building upgrades.

• It is now possible to land on double-elevated plateaus in Free Play Mode.

• Fixed the radial progress bar occasionally showing floating end pieces.

• The rover no longer scans parts of higher plateau layers when driving over craters.

• ☀️ Fixed birds overlapping dialogue box borders at resolutions other than 16:9.

• Improved error handling for corrupted objects in save data.

• Fixed issues caused by switching asteroid while drawing pipes.

The best place to give feedback is our Discord server. There, we are running a Smart Ticketing System: Leave feedback, vote up change requests and bug reports from other users, and help us to prioritize tasks in the further development of Star Birds.

🙏 A special thanks to everyone who joined the Beta Test during the last few weeks. 🙏

Our hottest update before full release is here! With the new Lava & Logistics Update, Star Birds is getting a brand-new star system, official controller support, Mac compatibility, new leaderboards, and (drumroll...) the Resource Filter Building you've been waiting for!

Whether you want to dive deeper into the campaign and meet the Alien Trader, unlock achievements in Free Play Mode, or take the game with you on your Steam Deck, this update brings a huge number of new possibilities to Star Birds.

The Lava & Logistics Update is available now as a free update for all players.

Highlights of the Update

Here’s a quick overview of what’s new:

• New star system: Cinnakeet | Featuring campaign sectors 12, 13, and 14, new story content, and brand-new animated kurzgesagt cutscenes

• Lava, heat, and cooling systems | Introducing fresh production challenges alongside new energy generation methods, including the Bio Energy Reactor and Geothermic Reactor

• Mysterious Alien Trader | Offering unique trading goods and speaking an even more unique language

• Resource Filter Building | Finally! It's here! A long-standing community request, arriving alongside 8 new buildings, 7 new resources, and 2 new alien plants

• Official Free Play Mode rollout | Including 15 new Free Play challenges and achievements

• In-game leaderboards | Integrated directly into the main menu for more competitive play

• Mac support & controller support | Play Star Birds on your Steam Deck!

Geothermic Reactors & Cooling System

Cinnakeet Star Map (Improved UI)

Explore a New Star System: Cinnakeet

The center of this update is Cinnakeet, a brand-new star system. It introduces three new campaign sectors (12, 13, and 14) continuing the journey of our bird crew with new story beats and hand-crafted kurzgesagt cutscenes.

Cinnakeet is also home to a major new environmental challenge: lava. Building factories around lava pools and in extreme heat is far more demanding than in earlier systems. Overheated buildings now need to be cooled, adding a fresh layer of logistical planning to your production chains.

To help you tackle these new conditions, the update adds new energy generation options, including the Bio Energy Reactor and the Geothermic Reactor, alongside 8 new buildings in total.

One of the standout additions is the Resource Filter Building. Advanced resource splitting was one of the most requested community features and gives you much more precise control over resource flow in larger factory setups.

Cinnakeet also introduces 7 new resources + 8 hidden resources with secret crafting recipes (🤫), 2 new alien plants, and a mysterious Alien Trader, who appears on the star map and speaks in an alien language created specifically for the game.

Alien Trader

Resource Filter Building

Free Play Mode: Official Roll-out

If you enjoy building beyond the campaign, this one is for you: Free Play Mode has received a major upgrade!

Free Play is now accessible directly from the main menu, and it includes a much wider set of gameplay options and environmental features. You can now generate your customized levels with elements such as Plateaus and Ice, Plants and Seedlings, Spider Ducks and Wigglers, Slime and Lava.

A new Kardashev Scale setting allows you to configure your advancement state, including available energy generators and production buildings. This makes it much easier to shape your very individual kind of sandbox experience.

We’ve also added 15 new Free Play challenges and achievements. Plus, you can now unlock all star systems, features, buildings, and crafting recipes in Free Play Mode, even without playing through the campaign.

Free Play Mode (Play Sandbox-Style!)

Full Controller Support & Mac Support!

With the Lava & Logistics Update, Star Birds can now be fully played with a controller. And you know what this means: official Steam Deck support is here!

We also added several controller-specific improvements to make gameplay smoother:

• Switching between UI and Game Layer with Y

• D-Pad shortcuts for important UI sections

• X button support to move or recall buildings

• Shoulder buttons to switch directly between asteroids

... you'll figure out the rest. We hope it turned out quite intuitive.

As a plus, Star Birds is now also available on Mac. We hope this is good news for many of you. Little side note here: Star Birds is only available for Apple Silicon devices (M1 2020 and newer). As always, if you’re a Mac user, please send us your feedback!

Official Steam Deck Support

Controller Support

New Total Score and Leaderboards

This update also introduces new ways to measure your progress and compete with other Star Birds players. We added in-game leaderboards to the main menu! Check your score in the worldwide ranking or toggle on the Friends Only filter if you want to keep it more personal.

In your main menu, you will now find a "Campaign Highscore" leaderboard, based on the combined highscores across all campaign levels. As well as a "Total Score" leaderboard, based on the sum of all stars collected across all levels.

Leaderboards

Keep a Cool Head When the Heat Is On

Star Map, Ramps, Crafting Tree, and SO. MUCH. MORE.

There is so much more we could tell you. We overhauled the Star Map and integrated new sound effects, fixed several save/load issues, polished rover movement, improved the performance during asteroid generation, finetuned the UI and the handling of the ramps. We even integrated an experimental resource crafting tree which you can access via the Wiki!

Crafting Tree (Still Experimental - Happy to Hear Your Feedback!)

But since Star Birds is all about exploration: Go check it out for yourself! And if you're looking for more detailed patch notes, you can find them here:

The Lava & Logistics Update is available now to download for all Star Birds players. If you haven’t joined the flock yet, Star Birds is available at 25% off until June 9, 2026.

Thank you so much for playing, sharing feedback, and helping us shape Star Birds during Early Access. We hope you enjoy exploring Cinnakeet, experimenting in the expanded Free Play Mode, and taking your space factories to the next level.

See you among the stars!

Download Star Birds & Join Our Newsletter

Star Birds is an indie project by Toukana Interactive and kurzgesagt. We are over the moon to have such an amazing community. You are the reason why this project exists.

If you want to support us, download the game here on Steam, and tell your friends about it.

If you would like to be the first to read content like this, we recommend our newsletter – once a month, no spam. Sign up at toukana.com/starbirds.

Public Beta Patch Notes 0.3.3

☀️ = Fixes & Improvements Based on Community Feedback

New:

• Implemented two new cutscenes (Visitor and Clue).

• Added new localization for most languages.

• Implemented building animations for Filter Building, Alien Trader spaceship, Super Factory, Slime Extractor.

Improvements:

• Improved direct rover controls with WASD or the left joystick.

• Added UI scaling for Quest Bubbles, New Quest Icons, and Quit Confirmation.

• Building level is now shown in the screen edge tooltip when hovering over a building.

• Component Lab, Electronics Factory, Forge, Nuclear Lab, and Bakery now require cooling in Cinnakeet.

• The Free Play Mode trader no longer offers purchasable buildings as rewards - it now prefers rewards that are limited but still available (e.g. plants).

• Improved edge rotation when driving the rover.

• Reduced default quest icon size to 80% of the original.

• Added star system map panning with WASD.

• Added save game backups as a fallback for when save files are corrupted.

• ☀️ Save data is now stored in a directory that includes the Steam User ID, allowing multiple Steam profiles to keep separate save files on the same device.

Note: On the first launch with a new profile, existing save data in the general directory will be copied into the user directory. This may take a few seconds.

Bugfixes:

• It is now possible to land on double-elevated plateaus in Free Play Mode.

• Fixed the radial progress bar occasionally showing floating end pieces.

• The rover no longer scans parts of higher plateau layers when driving over craters.

• The Alien Trader return tooltip is no longer shown when navigating to the trader while they are already present.

• ☀️ Fixed birds overlapping dialogue box borders at resolutions other than 16:9.

• ☀️ Fixed audio staying muted after cutscenes finish playing.

• Geothermal Generator and Bio Energy Generator are now only available in Free Play Mode at Kardashev Scale level 0.8 or higher.

• Fixed faulty resource highlighting in fullscreen dialogue texts.

• Improved error handling for corrupted objects in save data.

• ☀️ Fixed an issue causing bug reporting to fail on Mac.

• Fixed rover colliding with seeds while it already carries one.

• Fixed issues caused by switching asteroid while drawing pipes.

The best place to give feedback is our Discord server. There, we are running a Smart Ticketing System: Leave feedback, vote up change requests and bug reports from other users, and help us to prioritize tasks in the further development of Star Birds.

🙏Thank you so much for your feedback, comments and bug reports! This helps us a lot to prioritize and identify issues with the game. We're trying to address the most critical issues as soon as we can. Please be patient though, since we're a small team and might take a while to address specific issues you're experiencing!🙏

Public Beta Patch Notes 0.3.1 + 0.3.2

☀️ = Fixes & Improvements Based on Community Feedback

Public Beta Patch 0.3.2

Audio:

• Implemented and improved more sound effects.

Improvements:

• ☀️ Total Score is now initialized once with the sum of all existing savegame scores.

• Sector 2.1: Natural resources are no longer selected randomly, so the maximum reachable score stays consistent.

• Sector 2.1: Changed the score achievement to require 75% of the maximum reachable score instead of 100%.

• Improved Gamepad UI navigation in some places.

• Discovering & entering asteroid now works with X on Gamepad, A is only used to draw interplanetary connections.

• Added bird restaurant Seed → Fertilizer recipe.

• Bio Energy Reactor is now placeable on Slime.

• Nuclear Reactor no longer requires Cooling.

• Improved edge rotation when placing a building or drawing a pipe with Gamepad.

• All secret resources are now previewed on the Rewards screen.

• Updated and improved English texts and dialogues.

• Sector 14: Added some new dialogues.

• ☀️ Added UI to display how many quests need to be completed before the Alien Trader returns.

• ☀️ Rover can now be controlled directly via Left Stick on Gamepad or WASD on keyboard as an alternative to rover path drawing.

• Added ambience volume slider.

• Rover now ignores pipes when being placed, and pipes ignore rover when being drawn, making the behavior consistent with actual rover movement ignoring pipes.

• With every new free play mode game, if there is any secret resource craftable with the current settings, one is made available, displaying its crafting recipe in the Wiki. It can be selected as goal resource and discovered in the sector.

• Slightly increased goal complexity values for medium and high complexity in free play mode.

• ☀️ Changed Alien Trader reward generation to prioritize rewards that have been given out less often than others.

• Alien Trader no longer offers two quests that give the same reward.

• Changed crafting recipes of bird buffet recipes that turn more complex food into Fertilizer to produce two units instead of one, output into the same pipe.

Fixes:

• ☀️ Fixed asteroid ambience sound not stopping when leaving an asteroid. This caused layered ambience sound and also caused general sound and music to cut off after some time.

• Asteroid now rotates in the star system map when cycling between launch pad and landing pad nodes with Gamepad.

• Fixed rover mistakenly connecting to launch pad and playing an old sound effect when doing so.

• ☀️ Removed outdated crafting recipes that caused non-craftable resources to be counted in the maximum score calculation.

• Fixed interplanetary connection drawing behavior while the camera zooms or auto-pans to the selected asteroid with Gamepad input.

• ☀️ Fixed Launch Pad level 03 upgrade not changing rocket capacity.

• ☀️ Fixed Alien Trader always requesting the same resources after all potential Alien Trader resources had been requested once.

• ☀️ Fixed bug in pipe drawing that could cause other systems to break as a consequence, resulting in asteroids not being unloaded and multiple asteroids appearing merged with each other.

• ☀️ Wigglers in free play mode no longer request secret resources with unknown crafting recipes.

• Fixed bug causing free play mode potential goal resources to exclude resources originating from plant products.

• ☀️ Fixed some resources being considered as potential module quest resources twice, resulting in the game displaying a missing module quest but not actually generating one when clicked, displaying an empty speech bubble.

• ☀️ Fixed bird buffet Fruit → Fertilizer recipe crafting speed not being affected by building upgrades.

• ☀️ Wiggler eyes in free play mode can no longer spawn in lava, removing the lava in the process and causing unreachable surface where the lava was before.

• Fixed Geothermal Reactor and Cooling Tower displaying wrong hover UI info while being placed.

Public Beta Hotfix Patch 0.3.1

• Fixed bug reporting tool blocking UI interactions when opened and therefore being unusable

• Minor improvements for sector 02 and sector 04

• More save/load fixes for old savegames

• Sector 13: Alien Trader now keeps on appearing after victory was reached, giving access to more tradable plants and buildings

• Stats screen and victory screen now also display level achievements that were completed before the level started

• Gamepad: Fixed bug creating duplicate 3D pointers when switching to Mouse input in asteroid view

• Gamepad: Added LB/RB input to switch between star systems in Level Selection

• Gamepad: Navigating to "Skip dialogue" toggle in Level Selection now doesn't happen when navigating down from Continue, but when navigating Right from Start New

The best place to give feedback is our Discord server. There, we are running a Smart Ticketing System: Leave feedback, vote up change requests and bug reports from other users, and help us to prioritize tasks in the further development of Star Birds.

🙏Thank you so much for your feedback, comments and bug reports! This helps us a lot to prioritize and identify issues with the game. We're trying to address the most critical issues as soon as we can. Please be patient though, since we're a small team and might take a while to address specific issues you're experiencing!🙏

In a few weeks, Star Birds will receive its final major content update before the full release. But you don’t have to wait that long. You can try the new update already on the Public Beta Branch! TODAY!

Lava, Mac & Filter Building! 🔥

The next Star Birds update takes you to Cinnakeet, a brand-new star system with three additional levels. Lava pools make building trickier, and you'll need to install a cooling systems to keep production running.

Look forward to new encounters and meet the Alien Trader! We just wish we could understand this cryptic language… can you? 👀

The Trader also introduces a Filter Building. Water left, sulfur right? Easily done! 🙌 Thanks to everyone in the community who sparked the idea for this new logistics building!

Included are also some changes that reach beyond the new star system. The update expands Free Play Mode, and as a plus, we also added in-game leaderboards. So from now on you can compare your score directly from the main menu with the best Star Birds players in the world!

Last but not least, there are two more major additions we’d love to hear your feedback on! First: We added full controller support. That means you can play more comfortably from your couch or on Steam Deck. And second: Star Birds is coming to Mac! Try it out and let us know if the controls and UI already feel intuitive. 👌

Thank you for being part of the Early Access journey. Your feedback helps us make Star Birds better with every update.

See you among the asteroids,

Team Toukana

Switching to Beta Branch (How-To)

Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that content on the Beta Branch does not represent the final game. The best place to give feedback is our Discord server.

To access the Beta Branch, go to your Steam Library > right-click Star Birds > open Properties > select the Betas menu. Thanks for playtesting! 🙏

P.S.: After playing, don’t forget to switch back to the Main Branch.

Public Beta Patch Notes 0.3

Listing in detail what we added and improved on the Beta Branch. Approved changes will come to the official Main Branch in a couple of weeks.

☀️ = Fixes & Improvements Based on Community Feedback

Cinnakeet & New Levels

• Added campaign sectors 12, 13, and 14 with new story and dialogue

• Introduced a new star system: Cinnakeet

• Added new feature: Lava

• Added new feature: Cooling overheated buildings

• Added new feature: Alien Trader, speaking in an alien language

• Added new energy generation methods: Bio Energy Reactor and Geothermic Reactor

• ☀️Added new logistics building: Resource Filter, obtainable from the Alien Trader

• Added 8 new buildings

• Added 2 new alien plants

• Added 7 new resources

• Added 8 new hidden resources with secret crafting recipes

Free Play Mode

• Moved Free Play mode to the main menu

• ☀️Added many features to Free Play mode: Plateaus, Ice, Plants, Seedlings, Spider Ducks, Wigglers, Alien Trader, Slime, Lava, and Heat

• Added the Kardashev Scale to configure advancement state, available energy generators, and production buildings

• ☀️Added 15 Free Play mode challenges and achievements

• All star systems, features, buildings, and crafting recipes can now be unlocked in Free Play mode without playing the campaign

• Improved goal complexity calculation

• Some craftable resources, such as Carbon and Quartz, can now appear as natural resources

• ☀️Stats and victory screens in Free Play mode now display more relevant information

☀️Controller Support

• Star Birds can now be fully played with controller

• Added controller navigation for asteroid view, building placement, and pipe drawing via a 3D cursor

• Added controller navigation and interaction for the star system map

• Added switching between UI and Game Layer with Y, using quick jump or radial menu

• Added D-Pad hotkeys for quick access to important UI sections

• Added X button support to move or recall buildings

• Added left and right shoulder buttons to switch directly between asteroids

• Added priority-based quest selection to quickly collect quest rewards or accept new quests

• Added controller support for menu, level selection, and UI navigation

• Added gamepad input labels for some less obvious shortcuts

• Added UI scaling to some UI elements, which we will continue to improve in upcoming updates

☀️Mac Support

• Star Birds is now playable on Mac Silicon

☀️Total Score & Leaderboards

• Added new Total Score display in the main menu

• Added Total Score leaderboard: the sum of all stars collected across all levels

• Added Campaign Highscore leaderboard: the sum of highscores across all campaign levels

• Added in-game leaderboard display with a Friends Only filter

• Improved calculation of the maximum achievable score in campaign levels

• Maximum achievable score is now calculated for Free Play mode levels

New Perks

• Added new perks to increase starting credits, tech points, and strange points

• Added new perks for reactor upgrades: Nuclear Reactor and Bio Energy Reactor

• Added new perks for building upgrades for new production buildings

Visuals

• Added new star system visuals, color scheme, and star design for Cinnakeet

• Added new level selection area and main menu visuals for Cinnakeet

• Overhauled the look and feel of the star system map

• Added icons for new resources, Free Play mode features, and achievements

• Added new VFX for Geothermic Reactor and Lava

• Added placeholder icons for new buildings

• Added placeholder alien dialogue character and cutscenes

• ☀️Different resource entities in pipes now have different colors

• Space station and star system map colors now differ per star system

• Added new dialogue backgrounds

Audio

• Improved sound effects for many gameplay actions

• ☀️Added new sound effects for gameplay actions that did not have sound yet

• Improved the general audio mix

Improvements

• Rover now drives faster on ice and slower on slime

• ☀️Added an experimental resource crafting tree, accessible via the Wiki

• Resource and building icons embedded in dialogues now have a light blue backdrop for better readability

• Launch Pads and Landing Pads can now always be placed on unscanned plateaus, if allowed in the sector, and will trigger scanning of those plateaus

• Energy and cooling requirements are now previewed while placing buildings

• ☀️Rover nuggets no longer respawn immediately when all nuggets on an asteroid are collected; instead, they reduce the timer of one random spawner to 10 seconds

• Improved random position calculation for landmarks, pre-placed buildings, and plants. It is now more performant and should no longer prevent spawning when enough space is available

• Reduced unnecessary memory allocations in asteroid generation

• ☀️Massively improved asteroid generation performance through more optimized algorithms

• Launch Pads can now send rockets to Landing Pads on the same asteroid

• When more than 9 production buildings are available in one level, they are split into Production and Advanced Production categories

• Improved building hover UI positioning, so the speech bubble pointer now points to the building instead of overlapping it or pointing away when the bubble becomes too large

• Buildings that cannot be purchased, such as plants, are considered locked until they are discovered or received in the inventory. For example, quests asking for fruit now only appear after the player has access to plants that produce fruit

• ☀️Wiki building section now only displays buildings available in the current level, not all buildings

• Added a confirmation screen before quitting the game

• ☀️Wall-mounted buildings, such as Geothermic Reactor and Ramp, can now be placed when the pointer is close to the wall instead of only directly on it

• Unlock effects are now queued, so they no longer overlap when multiple unlocks trigger at once

• Reduced collider size of Small Explosive, allowing placement closer to other obstacles

• ☀️Ramps now have fixed lanes for pipes, always allowing 4 pipes per ramp

• Default zoom level in the star system map is now based on UI scale, starting closer when UI scale is higher

• ☀️Quest bar on the left now fills the full screen height when no excavation or Alien Trader quest is present

• UI scale is now initialized according to device: 1.5x on Steam Deck, otherwise 1x. UI scale remains fully configurable in the settings menu

• Sector 05: Rust’s explosive comment now triggers after the explosion, not when placing the explosive

• ☀️Sector 05: Small Explosive research sequence can now be started before the first excavation quest, hopefully reducing confusion about missing small craters

• Added selection and hover outline to supply quest icons

• ☀️Pipe hub now tries to alternate between inputs when input and output connections are jammed; previously, it always preferred the input from the same pipe

• Camera now focuses on the selected asteroid when switching to the star system map

• Added 0.3 player survey, accessible via the news section

Fixes

• ☀️Fixed Solar Panels sometimes no longer producing energy when cycling through asteroids

• ☀️Fixed infinite money glitch when two nugget spawners are very close to each other

• ☀️Fixed some save/load issues

• Fixed small plateau bridges appearing between plateaus with very narrow gaps

• Fixed perks in the Perk Screen being unavailable when a building is locked in the current run, even though it is unlocked globally

• ☀️Fixed asteroid scanning probe visually getting stuck while scanning an asteroid

• ☀️Fixed Continue button breaking when deleting the last savegame

• ☀️Fixed pressing Esc while loading a savegame causing the main menu to load on top of the running game

• Fixed tooltip not anchoring correctly to its UI element when displayed for the first time

• ☀️Fixed rover driving backwards in loading screen animation

Phew, yeah, that’s a lot… so let’s dive in! Have fun in Cinnakeet! 🚀

Play Star Birds. Share a screenshot. Take the chance to win a key!

We've seen some very impressive space factories in Star Birds. And we think it's time to pay tribute to your wonderful production monstrosities. Show us your mega factories and win keys!

Where to Share?

Made a slightly impressive screenshot? Share it

• here on Steam 👉 Screenshots Tab

• or on Discord 👈

To make sure we can find your factory, please keep the following in mind:

• To let us know you’re taking part in the community event, please use the hashtag #StarBirdsFactory.

• When uploading your factories on Discord, please use the "Star Birds Showroom" Channel for this purpose.

Thanks so much! 🙏

(Please note: With your participation you allow us to re-upload your screenshot on our socials and share it with the wider community.)

Win Keys!

Event period: April 30, 2026 - May 3, 2026 CEST.

Among all the epic factories, we’ll be giving away 3 bundles consisting of a Star Birds key (PC) & a Dorfromantik key (PC).

Only screenshot uploads during the event period will be considered.

Thank you to everyone who is participating in this Star Birds Community Event! 🏭

Download Star Birds & Join Our Newsletter

Star Birds is an indie project by Toukana Interactive and kurzgesagt. We are over the moon to have such an amazing community. You are the reason why this project exists.

If you want to support us, download the game here on Steam, and tell your friends about it.

If you would like to be the first to read content like this, we recommend our newsletter – once a month, no spam. Sign up at toukana.com/starbirds.

Patch Notes 0.2 (Part 2)

(Patch 0.2.8 including beta patches 0.2.5, 0.2.6, 0.2.7)

• Added sector 11: Tiny Footprints.

• Added a new alien species: Spider Ducks.

• Added two new buildings: Nest, Strange Nest.

• Added a new connection type that can cross pipes and cables: Spider Duck Path, with Spider Ducks carrying resources on it.

• Added a new cutscene after level 11.

• Added decorative plants (grass and bushes) to most asteroids in Paradeira.

• Added 3 new achievements for level 11.

• Improved plant colors in Paradeira.

• Added localization in all languages for new content.

• Implemented new icons.

• Changed "Star Bird X" achievement names to various bird species.

Beta Patches 0.2.5 + 0.2.6

Beta Patch 0.2.7

The best place to give feedback is our Discord server. There, we are running a Smart Ticketing System: Leave feedback, vote up change requests and bug reports from other users, and help us to prioritize tasks in the further development of Star Birds.

🙏 A special thanks to everyone who joined the Beta Test during the last few weeks. Your feedback helped us turn Level 11 into a well-rounded experience. Yesterday we started internal testing for Level 12, and if everything goes smoothly, we’ll also be able to introduce a new QoL feature with the next level ... one many of you have been asking for. More on that soon.

For now, have fun with the Spider Ducks!

Today, we officially released Level 11. With the new level comes a new species: the Spider Ducks. Supply them with a nonstop flow of resources — and woohoo! — you can finally cross pipes (well… the Spider Ducks can).

One of the most requested features from our community has been the ability to cross pipes. At the same time, many of you pointed out that not being able to cross pipes is a core part of the Star Birds puzzle experience. It forces creative planning, creates meaningful challenges, and defines how the game feels. Both sides had a point. So: what’s the right solution?

With today’s release of Level 11, we believe we’ve found a good middle ground.

Meet the Spider Ducks

Say hello to the Spider Ducks. They are a new species. Small, fast and very busy. Like ants, they collect everything they can find and carry it back to their nests. Including ... a Strangelet!

Your pipes won’t stop the Spider Ducks. And if you treat them well, they might help you transport resources.

A New Gameplay Mechanic

With the Spider Ducks, we also introduce a new mechanic for more advanced levels. They expect a constant supply of resources. Keep your production rate high, the flow steady, and maybe, they’ll hand over their Strangelet.

We hope you enjoy Level 11! Have fun discovering the Spider Ducks. Fingers ... eh ... pipes crossed!

Download Star Birds & Join Our Newsletter

Star Birds is an indie project by Toukana Interactive and kurzgesagt. We are over the moon to have such an amazing community. You are the reason why this project exists.

If you want to support us, download the game here on Steam, and tell your friends about it.

If you would like to be the first to read content like this, we recommend our newsletter – once a month, no spam. Sign up at toukana.com/starbirds.

Public Beta Patch Notes 0.2.7

☀️ Fixes & Improvements Based on Community Feedback

• Added localization for the new content in all languages.

• Added challenge badge "On the shoulders of dwarves" for sector 11.

• Improved sector 11 dialogues.

• Moved crafting recipe for battery from Electronics Factory to Component Lab.

• Rebalanced Star Bird 11 / Cuckoo achievement.

• Implemented new icons.

• Added dialogue when discovering the second strange nest in sector 11.

• Changed "Star Bird X" achievement names to various bird species.

• ☀️ Changed launch pad setup duration from 3s to 4s to be in better sync with other production buildings.

• ☀️ Added a resource buffer to launch pad, so that resources can be entered into it while it's currently launching a rocket.

• ☀️ Fixed inconsistency in rocket launch & delivery speed, causing rockets to arrive on a landing pad slightly slower than they are being sent.

The best place to give feedback is our Discord server. There, we are running a Smart Ticketing System: Leave feedback, vote up change requests and bug reports from other users, and help us to prioritize tasks in the further development of Star Birds.

🙏Thank you so much everyone for the overwhelming response, all your feedback, comments and bug reports! This helps us a lot to prioritize and identify issues with the game. We're trying to address the most critical issues as soon as we can. Please be patient though, since we're a small team and might take a while to address specific issues you're experiencing!🙏

The next chapter of Star Birds is on the horizon, and we’re excited to show you what’s coming next. From a brand-new star system to controller support and significant updates for Free Play Mode, the months ahead are packed with new content.

Here comes our roadmap! We already have big plans for Star System 4, and things are about to heat up. The new star system is called Cinnakeet and will orbit a hypergiant star. Watch out, everyone! The ground is lava!

But first, the Spider Ducks are getting ready for their official release. Thank you for testing Level 11 with us over the past weeks, we’re now almost ready to launch!

Level 11: Meet the Spider Ducks

The Spider Ducks are our answer to one of the most popular community requests: crossing pipes. Thanks to this new species, you can now route their “ant trails” underneath your pipes, opening up new possibilities for smarter and more flexible layouts. 

Level 11 is currently available for testing on the beta branch and hasn’t been officially released yet. If you’re feeling adventurous and want to try it early, here’s how to join: Right-click Star Birds in your Steam Library > Select Properties > Open the Betas tab > Choose Public Beta from the drop-down menu.

Check it out and let us know what you think.

New Features: Resource Flow, Controller Support, Free Play Mode

With the next major content update, we want to answer the community’s wish for better control over resource flow in your factories. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be testing different approaches, and if one proves fun and engaging, you’ll see it in action in the next update.

We’re also starting work on controller support, so you’ll be able to enjoy Star Birds comfortably from your couch soon. With that, we’re also diving into Steam Deck optimization, with first results coming in the next update.

Good news for all Free Play Mode fans (playing without the campaign): the basic level generator we're testing in the current update is well received. That’s why Free Play is soon getting new features and its own reward system.

Full Release: Content and Timeline

And now for the biggest news: we can finally share a timeline for the Full Release. According to our current plans, the upcoming update will be the last major content update before launch. The Full Release will introduce another star system (Star System 5) and bring the story of the bird crew and the Strangelets to a grand finale.

We’re aiming for a Full Release in Fall 2026.

Download Star Birds & Join Our Newsletter

Star Birds is an indie project by Toukana Interactive and kurzgesagt. We are over the moon to have such an amazing community. You are the reason why this project exists. If you want to support us, download the game here on Steam, and tell your friends about it. If you would like to be the first to read content like this and are looking for more in-depth insights, we recommend our newsletter – sign up at toukana.com/starbirds.

Welcome to all our new Star Birds players! 💜

Over the past weekend, with the release of the Flora & Fauna Update, we’ve seen our player numbers grow, and it’s been incredibly nice to welcome so many new faces into the game.

We hope you’ve had a smooth landing in the Star Birds universe and are starting to feel at home.

• If you ever have questions, feedback, or just want to share your experience, feel free to reach out here in the Community Hub or on Discord. Other players are usually happy to help, and our team is listening, too.

• Found a bug? We’ve integrated a bug reporting tool directly into the game. Just click the button that looks like a little bug (aka beetle), and you’ll send a message straight to our development backend. We take every report seriously.

• And once you’ve had some time to explore Star Birds and form your own impression, we’d love to kindly ask you to consider leaving a 👉Steam Review👈. If you enjoyed the game, leaving a positive review is an amazing help. Every review counts.

Thank you for being here and for being part of this growing community.

Why Steam Reviews Matter So Much to Us

We’re an indie development team, and Steam reviews play a crucial role in improving our visibility and helping future players make an informed decision about the game. Reviews also directly support the game’s continued development. The more people play and share feedback, the better we can make it.

❕Star Birds is a collaboration between Toukana Interactive and kurzgesagt. We first met a few years ago at Gamescom and decided to develop this game together. We’ve found a good way to share responsibilities, which is why you’ll usually meet members of the Toukana team here in the Community Hub. We’re moderating discussions, sharing development news, and collecting your bug reports in the Bugs sub-forum. Toukana currently consists of nine people and two dogs, we’re based in Berlin.

Photo: kurzgesagt and Toukana at gamescom 2025

Star Birds Is in Early Access

Star Birds is currently in Early Access, and the game evolves significantly with every update. New levels, mechanics, environments, and improvements are added regularly.

Because of this, we especially encourage recent Reviews that reflect the current state of the game. If your Review mentions new levels or content from recent updates like "Flora & Fauna", it helps keep other players informed and gives them a more accurate picture of what Star Birds offers today.

(A special note for anyone who ran into an endless loading screen right after the update: This bug gives us a pretty tough time, but we’re hopeful that the aliens will let you back into the star system, soon. Thanks to everyone who shared their saves!)

How to Write a Steam Review (Quick Guide)

If you’ve never written a Steam Review before, it’s easy:

Public Beta Patch Notes 0.2.5 + 0.2.6

Public Beta Patch 0.2.5

• Added sector 11: Tiny Footprints.

• Added a new alien species: Spider Ducks.

• Added two new buildings: Nest, Strange Nest.

• Added a new connection type that can cross pipes and cables: Spider Duck Path, with Spider Ducks carrying resources on it.

• Added a new cutscene after level 11.

• Added localization for all languages for sectors 08-10 (same as public patch 0.2.4).

Public Beta Patch 0.2.6

• Added decorative plants (grass and bushes) to most asteroids in Paradeira.

• Improved plant colors in Paraeira.

• Included all bugfixes from patches 0.2.4c and 0.2.4d.

Patch 0.2.4c

• Fixed bug that could that could sometimes cause the "Travel to next sector" button to fail.

• Replaced Nuclear Spaceship cutscene to fix voice-over error.

• Improved German and English localization.

• Fixed an error in Korean localization.

Patch 0.2.4d

• Fixed a bug that could cause saving to fail.

• Fixed melter upgrades not being initialized properly when loading old savegames.

• Fixed moving buildings via Alt + Click refunding cost, allowing players to generate infinite credits.

• While asteroid is being generated, it's no longer visible at a wrong spot during generation.

The best place to give feedback is our Discord server. There, we are running a Smart Ticketing System: Leave feedback, vote up change requests and bug reports from other users, and help us to prioritize tasks in the further development of Star Birds.

🙏Thank you so much everyone for the overwhelming response, all your feedback, comments and bug reports! This helps us a lot to prioritize and identify issues with the game. We're trying to address the most critical issues as soon as we can. Please be patient though, since we're a small team and might take a while to address specific issues you're experiencing!🙏

Patch 0.2.4d (default branch)

• Fixed a bug that could cause saving to fail.

• Fixed melter upgrades not being initialized properly when loading old savegames.

• Fixed moving buildings via Alt + Click refunding cost, allowing players to generate infinite credits.

• While asteroid is being generated, it's no longer visible at a wrong spot during generation.

The best place to give feedback is our Discord server. There, we are running a Smart Ticketing System: Leave feedback, vote up change requests and bug reports from other users, and help us to prioritize tasks in the further development of Star Birds.

🙏Thanks to everyone in the community who already shared such prompt and constructive feedback on Discord today! We really appreciate it and want to send you a big THANK YOU!🙏

Patch 0.2.4c (default branch)

• Fixed bug that could that could sometimes cause the "Travel to next sector" button to fail.

• Replaced Nuclear Spaceship cutscene to fix voice-over error.

• Improved German and English localization.

• Fixed an error in Korean localization.

The best place to give feedback is our Discord server. There, we are running a Smart Ticketing System: Leave feedback, vote up change requests and bug reports from other users, and help us to prioritize tasks in the further development of Star Birds.

🙏Thanks to everyone in the community who already shared such prompt and constructive feedback on Discord today! We really appreciate it and want to send you a big THANK YOU!🙏

Patch 0.2.4b (default branch)

• Fixed melter and ice extractor missing from building inventory when loading old Ravsicle save games and the plateau ramp missing when loading sectors with plateaus.

• Fixed bug that caused ice or plateau generation occasionally covering the whole asteroid.

• Failed surface generation no longer leaves the game in a locked state. When the generation fails, asteroid discovery can be retried.

• Small localization fixes for Brazilian Portuguese and Japanese

Patch 0.2.5b (public beta branch)

• All fixes from patch 0.2.4b

• Fixed Star Birds 10 achievement being displayed in the wrong section on the rewards screen.

• Fixed Star Birds 10 and Star Birds 11 achievement having swapped ingame display images.

The best place to give feedback is our Discord server. There, we are running a Smart Ticketing System: Leave feedback, vote up change requests and bug reports from other users, and help us to prioritize tasks in the further development of Star Birds.

🙏Thanks to everyone in the community who already shared such prompt and constructive feedback on Discord today! We really appreciate it and want to send you a big THANK YOU!🙏

Steam offered us a Weekend Deal, and we said YES! From January 22 to February 5, you can fly to space with a 25% discount.

This couldn’t come at a better time: our Flora & Fauna Update has just hatched. It introduces three brand-new levels and takes you on a journey to a new star system, where you’ll encounter aliens, grow plants, and set up food production. And for everyone who prefers freedom over campaigns, our brand-new Level Generator lets you create your own challenges and jump straight into Free Play.

We hope you enjoy the deal and the update - have fun out there! Happy weekend, everyone! 😁🥳

Download Star Birds & Join Our Newsletter

Star Birds is an indie project by Toukana Interactive and kurzgesagt. We are over the moon to have such an amazing community. You are the reason why this project exists. If you want to support us, download the game here on Steam, and tell your friends about it. If you would like to be the first to read content like this and are looking for more in-depth insights, we recommend our newsletter – sign up at toukana.com/starbirds.

Patch Notes 0.2

(Public Patch 0.2.4 including Beta Patches 0.2, 0.2.1, 0.2.2, 0.2.3)

☀️ Fixes & Improvements Based on Community Feedback

New Content:

• Added sectors 08, 09, and 10.

• Introduced a new star system: Paradeira.

• Added a new star, new color palette, and new asteroid shapes for Paradeira.

• Added 7 new buildings.

• Added 15 new resources.

• Added 3 new alien plants.

• Added 9 new achievements.

• Added a new cutscene.

• Added alien tentacles (“Wigglers”) and an alien eye.

Free Play Mode:

• ☀️ Added the first iteration of a Free Play Mode / level generator.

Improvements:

• ☀️ Sector 02: Receiver dialogue no longer progresses when placing the receiver on the wrong asteroid.

• ☀️The upgrade button now displays a lock icon as long as the perk required to upgrade the building further is not unlocked.

• Non-purchasable buildings (such as Volt Shroom or Strangelet Detector) are now previewed in the building inventory before they are obtained.

• When discovering a plant for the first time, a “Plant Discovered” effect now spawns.

• Added a system for obtaining Strange Points via Module Quest progression in Sectors 08–10 and in generated sectors.

• ☀️ The Melter building now only respawns resources it actually melted when deleted.

• ☀️ The target framerate setting is now disabled when VSync is enabled.

• Added missing building LODs in the Map view.

• Improved distribution of resources across asteroids.

• The Wiki no longer opens when left-clicking the building inventory button; it now only opens via right-click.

• Save files are now compressed and have a much smaller file size.

• Removed solar panel upgrades for balancing reasons.

• Added notification dot to Rewards button in main menu, ingame menu and on victory screen that is enabled when there are unspent Perk points and Perks that haven't been purchased.

• ☀️ Resource Supply tooltip now also displays what rate is required to maintain 3 stars when 3 stars have been reached.

• ☀️ Plateau Ramp now displays its actual size while being previewed.

• ☀️ Made Plateau Ramp width more consistent for different plateau setups.

• Added VFX for Volt Shroom that is connected to an energy network.

• ☀️ Unlock all locally achieved Steam achievements when starting the game.

Bugfixes:

• ☀️ Fixed asteroids being generated without resources.

• ☀️ Fixed the Small Explosive unlock being available in Level 04 by mistake.

• ☀️Fixed Map ambient sound not being affected by the volume slider.

• Fixed asteroid plateaus being counted as connected despite being separated by a gap.

• ☀️Fixed several issues that could cause holes to appear in the asteroid surface.

• ☀️Fixed errors in Asteroid Generation that caused asteroids to be stuck in "Out of Reach", making it impossible to claim.

• ☀️Fixed plateau ramp sometimes not being deletable despite having no pipes or paths on it.

• Ramps can no longer be placed on top of pipes.

• ☀️ When SkipDialogues is enabled, UI highlights no longer show up.

• Fixed preplaced plants & buildings spawning at the edge of a plateau and overlapping that edge.

The best place to give feedback is our Discord server. There, we are running a Smart Ticketing System: Leave feedback, vote up change requests and bug reports from other users, and help us to prioritize tasks in the further development of Star Birds.

🙏 A special thanks to everyone who joined the Beta Test during the last few weeks. You helped us improve QoL features and fix bugs - a lot! We added a new level to the beta branch today: Level 11 is now ready for testing - if you like: Check it out! 🙏

The Flora & Fauna Content Update is here! Travel to a new star system. Meet aliens, grow plants, kick off food production, and look forward to our brand new level generator!

The journey of our bird crew continues, on the hunt for the Strangelets! Compared to Ravsicle, the star system Paradeira is a far more life-affirming place. Volt Shrooms grow on asteroid surfaces as powerful energy sources. And in the craters meant for construction, eerie tentacles emerge. Ever fed an alien pizza? Now’s the moment!

We’ve added a new set of buildings, including the Bakery and the Bird Restaurant, to boost your food production. And if you’re ready to break out of the campaign, you can now switch to Free Play mode with our brand-new level generator.

New Features: Content Update "Flora & Fauna"

• Farewell, Ravsicle! | Away with the wool socks. Move on to Star System 3! From cold and frosty to lush and green.

• Advanced Star Travel | New starship construction quests! Paradeira has unique conditions and requires its own solutions to travel onwards.

• Alien Plants | Explore the home of the Volt Shrooms. You might even grow a plant of your own! Put your gardening skills to the test, using seeds, plant pots, and fertilizer.

• New Buildings | Bakery, Bio Lab, Bird Restaurant, and many more!

• Unexpected Inhabitants | Tentacles are emerging from the craters scattered across the asteroids. What they want is unclear, but as always, when in doubt, there’s only one reliable solution: good food!

• Basic Level Generator | Generate levels of your own in free playing mode!

This content update brings three new levels filled with tons of new resources: produce pizza, popcorn and rocket fuel for the long voyage in the birds' cryo eggs. Each level is longer and more complex than the intro levels from earlier star systems. Expect the classic puzzle-focused gameplay, but for those craving variety, plant cultivation and food production add lots of new depth and opportunities to boost your Star Score.

With aliens severely limiting your building space, your skills as a factory builder (or alien whisperer, depending on your style) will be put to the test. And for those who like to customize the challenge, you can generate levels now to match your playstyle.

The Flora & Fauna Update is available for everyone TODAY! Just head to your Steam Library, update Star Birds, and let’s gooooo! You can read more detailed Patch Notes describing all additions, changes and fixes here:

One More Thing! Additional Level Now in Beta

With the launch of this update, we want to say a huge thank you to everyone who showed early interest and joint the Beta Test during the last weeks. We’ve been incredibly happy to see you help shape Star Birds. Many of your ideas and suggestions for QoL and bug fixes have made their way into level 8, 9 and 10. And since your feedback has been a true boost to the game’s development, we’ve pushed a new level to the beta branch already. Check it out, if you like!

LOOKING AHEAD: We’re currently working on Level 11 and a new species you’ll encounter there, featuring new gameplay mechanics and charming animations by kurzgesagt. To access Level 11 (be aware: it's work in progress!), go to your Steam Library > Right click on Star Birds > Properties > Betas > Select Public Beta branch. We're looking forward to your feedback!

And with that, we’ll leave you to our new alien friends. Have fun, everyone! Get the Flora & Fauna Update now, and start exploring a new star system! 🦑

Download Star Birds & Join Our Newsletter

Star Birds is an indie project by Toukana Interactive and kurzgesagt. We are over the moon to have such an amazing community. You are the reason why this project exists. If you want to support us, download the game here on Steam, and tell your friends about it. If you would like to be the first to read content like this and are looking for more in-depth insights, we recommend our newsletter – sign up at toukana.com/starbirds.

Public Beta Patch Notes 0.2.3

Improvements:

• Added German localization.

• Added new icons for different plants.

• Added animations to plants that weren't animated yet.

• Improved some dialogues & the birds behaviour during these dialogues.

• Added some LOD versions for buildings and plants to be visible in the Map view.

• Improved visuals of Wiggler holding Strangelet.

• Further improved placement of Plateau Ramp.

Bugfixes:

• Undiscovered buildings & plants are no longer displayed in the Map.

• Fixed some buildings (e.g. plants) not being movable via Alt + Click.

• Fixed preplaced plants & buildings spawning at the edge of a plateau and overlapping that edge.

• Fixed Wiggler Feeder not having the correct rotation for the Wiggler feeding animation.

Thank you to everyone who has taken part in the Beta Test for the “Flora & Fauna” Update. We are ready for liftoff - Update Launch: TOMORROW! 🚀

Whether you discovered Star Birds through the Kurzgesagt channels or found it on your own journey, we’re thrilled you’re here. Many of you have asked where to find more dev content, behind-the-scenes insights, and updates about our the game. Below, you’ll find a quick guide to all the places where Toukana Interactive shares news, stories, and fresh Star Birds goodness.

At Toukana, we’re a indie game studio of nine humans and two dogs, working together in the heart of Berlin. We’re passionate about charming design and wholesome games, and sometimes we capture small moments from our everyday studio life on our phones. Whenever that happens, you’ll usually find these little glimpses shared in our newsletter, on Discord, or across our social media channels.

Info: Star Birds is a collaboration between Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell and Toukana Interactive. We met a few years ago at gamescom and have been working on our joint project ever since.

Monthly Newsletter

If you’d like a curated, once-per-month overview of everything happening at Toukana, our monthly newsletter is for you. It offers development insights from Star Birds, updates about our other game Dorfromantik, and a look into what inspires us during everyday studio life. From early ideas to small anecdotes from the team, the newsletter collects everything in one cozy package. It’s the easiest way to stay connected with what we’re building, experimenting with, and excited about behind the scenes.

Discord

Our Discord server is the heart of our communit, a place designed primarily for you. Here, players exchange strategies, discuss the latest Star Birds topics, and celebrate each other’s achievements. Whether you’re sharing high scores, offering tips to newcomers, or asking us questions directly, Discord gives you a welcoming space to connect. We love seeing your creativity and enthusiasm unfold there. It’s also the best spot for real-time conversation, feedback, and community-driven discoveries.

Social Media

Instagram / Bluesky / TikTok / YouTube

You can also find us across Instagram (@toukana_interactive), Bluesky (@toukana.bsky.social), TikTok (@toukana_interactive), and YouTube (@toukana). On our social channels, we regularly share gameplay clips, fun collaborations, development snippets, and occasional behind-the-scenes impressions from the team. Whether it’s a quirky game mechanic, a sketch from the art pipeline, or an announcement you won’t want to miss, these platforms keep you in the loop. Make yourself comfortable in our digital bird’s nest.

And finally, we want to leave you with a warm recommendation for the YouTube channel of our collaboration partner, Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell (@kurzgesagt), for anyone who hasn’t discovered it yet. You won’t find much game dev content there, but you will find some of the most beautifully crafted and truly fascinating science videos on the internet. Their work has inspired million - and us as well. So if you’re curious, love learning, or just enjoy stunning animation, definitely give their channel a look!

Download Star Birds

Star Birds is an indie project by Toukana Interactive and kurzgesagt. We are over the moon to have such an amazing community. You are the reason why this project exists. If you want to support us, download the game here on Steam, and tell your friends about it.

Public Beta Patch Notes 0.2.2

☀️ Fixes & Improvements Based on Community Feedback

Improvements:

• ☀️ Improved plateau ramp consistency and placement UX.

• ☀️ Plateau ramp now has the same width at the top and the bottom.

• ☀️ Rebalanced level 08 score achievement.

• Pipes can now be plugged into the plant pot before a seed is planted.

• Implemented new Wiggler animations.

• Implemented new visuals for different plants (Yumberry Bulb and Wire Vine) and new animations for Wire Vine.

• Alien eye now blinks randomly or when clicked.

• Reduced scale of mango asteroid shape to improve consistency - this might result in asteroids with floating objects in savegames created on previous beta versions.

• Added particle effect to excavation hub.

• Sector 09: Outro dialogue now displays the robot while the robot is speaking.

Bugfixes:

• Ramps can no longer be placed on top of pipes.

• ☀️ Sector 09: Fixed silicon resource deposits not generating when saving & reloading the level and then revealing an asteroid with silicon on it.

• Fixed different types of plant seeds looking the same while on the same asteroid.

• Fixed size of alien eye collider.

• When SkipDialogues is enabled, UI highlights no longer show up.

Thank you to everyone who has already taken part in the Beta Test for the “Flora & Fauna” Update. If you haven't: You can still jump in and share your feedback with us. Just go to your Steam Library, right click on Star Birds and in the Properties > Betas Menu, select the beta branch from the drop-down options.

The best place to give feedback is our Discord server. There, we are running a Smart Ticketing System: Leave feedback, vote up change requests and bug reports from other users, and help us to prioritize tasks in the further development of Star Birds.