StarRupture First Impressions – The Next Big Survival Game of 2025?

Introduction

Creepy Jar, the studio behind the acclaimed survival title Green Hell, is venturing into the sci-fi genre with their ambitious new project: StarRupture. Recently, players were given a first look at the game through a single player playtest, offering a glimpse into its factory automation, survival systems, and exploration on the alien planet Arcadia-7.

While StarRupture is being developed with co-op gameplay in mind, this test focused on the solo experience—a crucial step to ensure the game holds up for players who prefer going it alone. Here’s what we learned from the first hands-on session.


A First Look at Arcadia-7 – Beautiful Yet Dangerous

The playtest begins with a character selection screen featuring four classes, though only the Scientist was available. Immediately, the player is dropped into Arcadia-7, a lush yet hostile alien world.

Despite being in early access with placeholder visuals, the Unreal Engine 5 presentation is striking. Dense vegetation, towering derelict structures, and mysterious beacons scattered across the landscape create an atmosphere of awe and unease. If this is only a placeholder, the final visuals promise to be stunning.

StarRupture First Impressions – The Next Big Survival Game of 2025


Gameplay – Survival Meets Automation

StarRupture’s gameplay loop combines the survival mechanics of Green Hell with the factory automation systems of Factorio and Satisfactory.

  • Base Building & Automation – Early crafting feels intuitive, and automation systems quickly become the core. Mining resources, smelting ore, and shipping materials to corporations establish a satisfying loop.

  • Undo-Friendly Design – Mistakes aren’t punishing—press F to dismantle a structure and regain your resources, encouraging experimentation.

  • Survival Systems – Just like Green Hell, calorie and hydration management are essential. You’ll forage for plants, eat and drink to survive, and analyze specimens to unlock new technologies.

  • Exploration Rewards – The world hides secrets like beacons, caves, and lootable corpses that provide rare items and incentives to explore.

By the end of the guided tutorial, the game sets you free to continue resource gathering, expanding your base, and uncovering Arcadia-7’s mysteries.


Exploration Without Combat… For Now

Interestingly, this playtest had no combat encounters and no visible wildlife, though large derelicts and alien beacons hinted at what’s to come. The absence of enemies shifted the focus toward survival, resource management, and curiosity-driven exploration, but one can imagine combat being integrated in future builds.

This restraint may be intentional: letting players learn the factory systems and survival mechanics before introducing hostile threats.


Performance & Technical Notes

Performance during the playtest was good but not flawless. On a PC with an RTX 3080 Super, the game averaged 40–60 FPS, with noticeable stutters when loading new areas. Once the world was fully streamed in, performance stabilized.

This is typical for early access titles, especially ones as ambitious as StarRupture, and optimization will likely improve leading up to release.


Early Verdict – A Promising Sci-Fi Survival Sandbox

Even in this early state, StarRupture shows incredible promise.

  • The core loop of survival + automation is already rewarding.

  • Arcadia-7 feels rich with mystery and potential.

  • Creepy Jar’s pedigree with Green Hell ensures survival systems are well-designed.

  • Performance issues exist but are expected for a game this early in development.

If Creepy Jar can expand on exploration, integrate combat and wildlife, and polish performance, StarRupture could become one of the standout survival games of 2025.

Release Date: StarRupture is expected to launch in Early Access on Steam in Fall 2025 (US).

Final Impression: 8.5/10 – A Strong Foundation for Sci-Fi Survival Fans.


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