The factory automation genre is getting a major addition with StarRupture. Creepy Jar's game not only offers logistical and production line challenges, but also focuses on co-op, exploration, survival and combat on an alien planet that is regularly swept by devastating fire storms.
Following their survival adventure game Green Hell, StarRupture is Creepy Jar's second game and remains firmly rooted in the survival genre, focusing on factory automation from a first-person perspective. Drawing inspiration from Factorio, Satisfactory, shapez 2 and Planet Crafter, StarRupture offers more exploration and combat on the dynamic alien planet Arcadia-7. Players and their factories must be adequately prepared to survive recurring disasters, such as all-consuming sun and fire storms, which repeatedly wipe out vegetation and everything else on the resource-rich planet.
In the game, players are prisoners serving their sentences on a distant planet. They must build a factory and gather resources for global corporations to send into space. Although it can be played in single-player mode, the game is essentially a cooperative base builder, with the option to play with up to three other players.
StarRupture © Creepy Jar
After landing on the planet, players select a character. This only affects the conversations with other characters and does not represent a class. They then collect the things they need to survive, explore the immediate surroundings, gather initial resources, and place an energy shield structure to protect their future base and surrounding buildings from firestorms. The habitat is conveniently available in prefabricated form, so there is no need to build it wall by wall; only airlocks, windows, and ladders for multi-level buildings are required. There are already many useful quality of life (QoL) features. For example, storage boxes can be placed in walls, boxes can be named, and two adjacent windows merge into one large window. Speaking of QoL, there is still a lot of potential for improvement in this regard. For example, the game currently lacks crafting-from-storage and store similar features, as well as some basic customisation options for the base. The tutorial also doesn't go far enough.
Everything is kept comfortable and convenient during construction. Essential panels and machines are then placed in the habitat, such as a printer to produce the first components needed to construct further items and a scanner to analyse alien artefacts and earn research points. These research points can be spent on five factions to unlock new processing buildings, machines, equipment, weapons, and medical equipment.
StarRupture © Creepy Jar
Next, it's time to exploit resources on an industrial scale. Extractors can be placed on resource fields to mine ore from the ground. This ore is then transported by drones on narrow transport belts, similar to conveyor belts, to other buildings. The grid-based construction system with snapping and height functions is useful here, especially on uneven terrain. These drone lines can be split via junctions, which work smartly given that processing buildings can request resources at three different priority levels. As in Satisfactory or Factorio, simple production chains are initially created which quickly become more complex and require different resources or intermediate products in varying quantities. However, StarRupture deals with much more futuristic materials than the other games, although gases and liquids are currently absent.
It is extremely convenient that electricity is transmitted via ground platforms or drone lines. Later on, players can unlock a controllable flying construction drone that provides an overview from lofty heights, giving them a better view when building their base. Players can also build remotely, away from their current position. New production recipes can be unlocked by spending resources and producing items at another terminal. Much of StarRupture is very well thought out, not least when it comes to connecting resource outposts to the logistics network. But, of course, don't forget the shield against the firestorms to protect them from damage or destruction — and players must also seek shelter from these impressive-looking storms.
StarRupture © Creepy Jar
Obviously, such a fire storm gives players advance warning, allowing them to react in time. Once the storm has passed, the formerly green environment is burned and no plants can be collected there for water or calories – this must be done beforehand. Conversely, new (fiery) resources become available temporarily after the fire, which also changes the surface of the planet. It takes time for the flora to recover and the area to become green again. This makes the game world dynamic. However, these are not the only dangers on Arcadia-7. The planet is also home to aggressive alien creatures that attack new arrivals as the base expands. Automatic base defence systems can be built to address this threat.
Yet players can also create their own weapons and customise them according to their preferred shooting style. In this respect, the game goes much further than well-known automation games. The same applies to exploring the planet, which is fairly straightforward thanks to radar towers that can be captured and reveal the immediate surroundings. However, the visibility of bases and teammates could be better, especially before the map has been unlocked in the tech tree. There are many raw materials and resource deposits to be found, as well as numerous corpses and remnants of failed expeditions, dark caves and gigantic landmark structures that invite exploration and offer rewards in the form of blueprints, story fragments or items. Although the game is essentially a base builder with a focus on factory automation, there is also a small survival element alongside the major exploration and combat elements. Players must supply themselves with water and food (plants at first, and processed food later on) and also combat toxicity arising from combat or consuming alien plants.
StarRupture is being developed and published by Creepy Jar, which is based in Warsaw, Poland. Founded in 2016, the studio comprises seasoned developers and creators who have worked at studios such as Techland, Flying Wild Hog, and 11 bit studios. Green Hell, the company's debut game, was an international success, with over eight million copies sold and widespread critical acclaim. However, Green Hell is not a racing game set on the Nürburgring Nordschleife; it is an open-world survival simulation set in the extreme conditions of the uncharted Amazon jungle. It left Early Access in September 2019, and over 20 content updates have been published since then, including an online co-op mode and an additional storyline. New mechanics have also been added, such as animal husbandry and regrowing trees. The game is available on PC, PlayStation, Switch, Xbox and in VR. Even in the third quarter of 2025, Green Hell continued to sell well. On PC, the PlayStation Store and the Microsoft Store, the versions of the game for which Creepy Jar holds the publishing rights amounted to 464,000 sales, with 57,000 on PlayStation and Xbox consoles. StarRupture is the studio's second game.
StarRupture © Creepy Jar
In the run-up to Early Access, Creepy Jar hosted two dedicated playtests – one for solo players and one for co-op crews – using player feedback to fine-tune the experience. Over 158,000 players took part in the solo test in August (92.4% positive rating from playtesters), with the co-op test due to follow in December. Currently, the game has over 600,000 wishlist entries. 'We're extremely pleased with the reception to the first open playtest of StarRupture. Our concept for this game is a unique blend of base building, exploration, combat and survival and players clearly enjoyed it. We're thrilled that players noticed and appreciated this fresh take on the genre and mechanics they know and love", said Krzysztof Kwiatek, the CEO of Creepy Jar, after the playtest in August.
StarRupture © Creepy Jar
StarRupture was released via Early Access on 6 January 2026, priced at $19.99 / €19.99 / £16.99 / 64.99 PLN. A 20% discount applies during launch week. Early Access is planned to last for approximately one year. "We want to use the Early Access stage to cooperate with the Community on the feedback, fine-tune and polish the gameplay experience and - when we're certain that we've achieved the best version of the game possible - leave Early Access," writes the studio. The Early Access roadmap includes a larger map, wildlife, a custom game mode, dedicated servers, a new way to travel between bases, controller support, and enhancements to various aspects of the core gameplay, such as buildings, exploration, combat, resources, and story elements — as well as many general improvements. Version 1.0 will feature a new biome along with frost waves as a new catastrophic event and an endgame.
StarRupture is an exciting co-op base builder already available in Early Access. It offers good, convenient factory automation and a dynamic game world with high exploration value and combat. The excellent foundation will continue to grow in Early Access.
