Stranded: Alien Dawn — Everything We Know

True to its word, Haemimont Games will be bringing Stranded: Alien Dawn, its upcoming RTS “planet survival sim” game, out of early access on April 25th—roughly six months after bringing it to alpha users over on Steam back in October.

So, what’s new with the intergalactic strategy title, and how will it compare to others of its kind? Or, more importantly, what is it, and what do newcomers need to know before tackling its spacey shores? Well, here’s everything we currently know on the subject, from its story to its gameplay, the platforms to its launch editions.

What Is Stranded: Alien Dawn?

Stranded: Alien Dawn is an upcoming real-time strategy and planet survival simulation game by Haemimont Games. In a similar style to 11 Bit Studios’ Frostpunk, players are invited to govern a small community in a seemingly hostile biome that’s starved of resources and, what’s more, a plan to help survive its natural horrors. To this end, budding rulers will need to adapt to the alien planet, build the amenities needed to keep its remaining citizens alive, and fortify a base to fend off invading armies.

In Haemimont Games’ words: “Brave a new world in Stranded: Alien Dawn, a planet survival sim placing the fate of a small marooned group in your hands. Forge your story through compelling and immersive strategic gameplay as you make vital decisions to protect your survivors.”

Story

Stranded: Alien Dawn will plant you and a troupe of marooned survivors on a hostile alien planet—a world in which “limited resources, unpredictable weather, illness and hostile alien creatures make it hard to establish a foothold.” Your duty, as the overseer of the barren land, is to build a fortified home in the alloted time, and survive the trials that gravitate towards you and your ill-fated collective. How you survive the day-to-day, of course, will depend on not only the actions you take, but the sacrifices you are willing to make.

According to the blurb, each play-through will provide an entirely different experience, allowing for you to develop and trial new strategies each time you embark on a new journey. How you come to build your haven, of course, will boil down to your ability to study, learn, and adapt.

“Experience a journey driven by random story events, alien wildlife threats and adverse weather,” the blurb reads in part. “There will be setbacks; devise your own innovative solutions to problems and manage multiple crises at the same time. However, actions have consequences and as you strive to plan ahead, you must make difficult choices to shape the story of your survivors, balancing short and long-term outcomes with risk and reward.”

Gameplay

Going by the in-game screenshots that Haemimont Games has already provided, it’s safe to assume that Stranded: Alien Dawn will adopt a traditional management simulation-type suite for players to indulge in. Between building homes, barracks, and farmlands, tasks will also include scouting out new areas, tackling neighbouring alien communities, and making choices that will carve the future of your home and its people.

It goes without saying that, being responsible for the remaining survivors, it will be your solemn duty to keep everyone happy and in one piece. But, in order to do this, you will need to harvest resources, construct a fortress, and serve as a counselor for each of those who look to you for guidance. Quite the lofty responsibility, then.

Development

Haemimont Games first announced its plans to bring Stranded: Alien Dawn to its early access state back in 2022. Since October of last year, the alpha game has garnered a global backing, receiving “very positive” reviews on its Steam handle and, in turn, a formal announcement to bring it to consoles and PC on April 25, 2023.

For the time being, there isn’t any word on it coming to Game Pass or PlayStation Plus. Although, as with any game that comes to either of the two respective consoles, there is a chance that it will plant roots in one (or both) in the future. At this time, though, who knows.

Trailer

Ready for more? If so, then you’ll be pleased to know that the devs did, in fact, release a preview trailer of the game a fair ways back. Granted, it failed to bring any sort of gameplay to the table, but it did however provide some nifty CGI footage and a general overview of the setting and story. You can check it out for yourself in the video above. Alternatively, you can check in with Haemimont Games’ streaming handle for additional footage, interviews, and updates here.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Stranded: Alien Dawn will be exiting its early access state and heading to Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store on April 25, 2023. Will there be a Switch port to boot? In short, no. Or at least, nothing suggests that there will be at the time of writing, anyway.

At present, there are no special or deluxe editions outside of the basic version on consoles and PC. According to the vast majority of retail outlets, Stranded: Alien Dawn will be available for $34.99. You can go ahead and add it to your wishlist over on Steam here.

For more information on the Stranded: Alien Dawn launch, you can follow the official social feed here. If anything changes ahead of its April 25th release, we’ll be sure to let you know all of the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Stranded: Alien Dawn when it drops? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.