Star Solo – Roadmap for 2026

I wanted to give a snapshot update as to where I am at with Star Solo development, what my goals are, and what to expect over the next 12-18 months.

As an FYI – you can get Star Solo specific updates by joining the Star Solo newsletter here.

First, a huge thank you! As of writing this article, the free version of Star Solo has been downloaded a total of 786 times, and raised a donation total of $15.50. That’s absolutely incredible, especially since it’s an unfinished game that is honestly a bit sloppy, and hasn’t even been publicly available yet for a full year!

I am so thankful that people are having fun with this game (31 downloads in the last week alone), and I want to make the game the best possible version of itself.

So – with that, here are my Star Solo updates.

Star Solo Free Version

As of now, the Star Solo free version is available, for free of course, at itch.io. The free version will always be available for anyone who wants it, for free. I’m viewing the free version as a demo of the game – it has a lot of the parts of the game so you get a feel of how it will play, but it doesn’t have all the parts or content included.

Currently included in the free version of Star Solo is a rulebook, a ship sheet (with homemade and very mediocre art by me), and a system guide which includes:

5 Main Planetary Starports
1 Additional Planetary Location (which includes unique gameplay mechanics to the location)
4 Possible Ship Upgrades
5 Unique Space News Entries
4 Unique Space Events
6 Different types of Cargo
30 Unique Job Opportunities
1 Complete Game-Changing Planetary Track (Kote Revolution)

This is just a small slice of what the full game will include, but I think it’s a good slice that can entertain a few hours of gameplay.

Also, that’s not all! I will be adding more content to the free version. I would like to add a few more planetary locations, a few more jobs, mechanics for getting caught when doing an illegal job, and some more space news and events.

I’m anticipating these updates to come in 2025, but I don’t know exactly when yet. I’m working on some other game designs at the moment, and will swing my attention back to Star Solo when those go into playtesting.

Star Solo – The Future

Eventually, I’ll release Star Solo as a full, paid game. On my roadmap as of now, the system guide upon paid release will include:

6 Main Planetary Starports
6 Non-Starport Planetary Locations
8 Additional Planetary Locations
8 Ship Upgrades
18 Unique Space News Entries
22 Unique Space Events
At least 10 different types of Cargo
2 New Mechanics
60 Unique Job Opportunities
6 Game-Changing Planetary Tracks
Fringe Space Added

In short, I’m looking to double or triple (depending on how you count) the amount of content in the game. This will get me closer to my end vision of what Star Solo is.

In addition to adding content, I’ll be adding:

Professional art for the planetary starports
Awesome cover art (maybe, depending on budget)
I’ll be working with a designer to create a professional-looking ship sheet
I will also improve the overall graphic design

The biggest constraint I have right now is time. So I need to be efficient.

Star Solo Roadmap

Before I get into the roadmap, I have the usual caveat that Star Solo and Paper Dice Games are a part time hobby for me, and at any given moment something may come up that is more important. However, given smooth sailing, I’ll be working on the following roadmap:

Early 2025 – Rules Updates and Graphic Design Updates

Mid 2025 – Fill Content Gaps for Free Release

Mid 2025 – Intensive Playtest Sessions

Mid to Late 2025 – Start adding content for Paid Release

Late 2025 – Final Free Release

Late 2025 – Continue adding content for Paid Release

2026 – Order Art and Design

2026 – Finish adding content for Paid Release

2026 – Paid Release

Why this order?

Like I said above – because I need to be efficient with my time. The rules updates and graphic design, while boring and my least favorite part of game design, are necessary to do now. The more content I add to Star Solo, the more changes I’ll have to make to existing content once the rules and graphic design are updated. So that’s why I’m doing the boring stuff now – so I can streamline my design work later.

Now, what does this all mean for you?

First, if you haven’t played Star Solo – you can download it right now, for free, from itch.io.

Second, if you are interested in keeping up to date with all my updates, please subscribe to my Star Solo specific newsletter. I will be sending messages out whenever I have news to update around Star Solo.

Finally, if you are interested in any of my other games, please consider subscribing to my regular newsletter. I send messages out the first week of the month recapping game updates across all my games, highlighting content, and giving discounts.

I appreciate all of you, especially if you are still reading. I am excited for the future of Star Solo, and I hope you are too.