- Patch 1.2.1: fixes from your reports - 10 October 2026
A small patch built from your reports of the past few days. Thank you! Fixes Gear you drop from the hold is no longer pulled straight back by the loot magnet (fly over it to take it back). The magnet also keeps hold of its catch at full boost. Pirate dens: once their captain is dealt with, the den's turrets go silent right away. ARIA now tells you how to take a den: through the contracts on its captain, posted on station boards. Kessa's Grapple can no longer jump away with your cargo during her contract. A failed captain contract comes back on the same station's board. Docking at a station or answering a distress call or a raid no longer abandons your current mission. A station under raid opens as soon as the raid ends, without flying out and back in. Asteroids could stop appearing for the rest of a session. Hiding the interface (H) no longer freezes the radio or leaves the game paused…
- Patch 1.2: Co-op, living portraits and a big round of polish - 9 October 2026
Patch 1.2 is out: a local co-op mode, animated portraits and backdrops, and plenty of polish from your feedback. Thank you all! New: local co-op Up to four pilots on the same screen: ariend takes the controls of one of your wingmen, on a second gamepad or on keyboard and mouse. Turn it on from the Options menu. New: a living game Portraits, radio faces and station backdrops now move gently (can be turned off in Options). A new "Contemplate" button (H, or Y on a pad) hides the interface. Pilot portraits have been redrawn in a different style. The narrator now reads every page of the expeditions. Also Crew size depends on your rank, and wingman gear is easier to handle. Balance: less frequent enemy jamming, sturdier Titans, adjusted clock on urgent contracts. World map and Crew tab playable on a pad, select sound in menus. Chinese translation revised by Jonni (thank you!) The demo gets th…
- Patch 1.1.6: Veteran mode and a big round of polish - 7 October 2026
Patch 1.1.6 is out. It comes from your feedback on Steam and Discord, and from a long playtest of the whole campaign. Thank you all! New Veteran mode: when you start a new game, choose Standard or Veteran. A Veteran game is locked on Hard, with no Rescue Pod, and a wingman's ship that gets shot down is lost with its gear. Your game wears a crimson emblem, and new achievements await. The saved games screen reads like a list of games: ship, rank, act, missions, play time and how long ago. Your last game comes first. Gear can be taken from your other ships straight from a slot ("Take"), and buying a ship lets you choose: fly the new one or keep yours. Reticle size and colour options (Options > Controls). New achievements, including Kessa, Dorn and the expeditions. Gameplay Pirate raids reworked: raiders now really attack the station and only turn on you when you come close. The station's g…
- Act IV — Kepler: the story continues on October 26, for free - 6 October 2026
Many of you asked me what comes next. Here it is: on October 26, Space Defender grows by a whole act. Kepler Everyone talks about it, nobody ever went back. Kepler, the mining world where the Swarm programme began in 2231. The colony has been abandoned for twenty years, and its mining wells were left open. And down there, cores are waking up. What's coming A fourth galaxy, with its own stations, its own port and its own music. A new act of the story, fully voiced in 6 languages, which opens once you have finished the campaign. New ways to fight, which I'll reveal one by one, every week until release. Free for everyone who owns the game. If you haven't finished the campaign yet, now is a good time: you'll be ready for Kepler on the 26th. Before everyone else Discord members will be able to play it a few days before release. Join us here: https://discord.com/invite/AUMtECDCx8 Thank you fo…
- Patch 1.1.5: your feedback in the game - 5 October 2026
Patch 1.1.5 is out. It brings in a good part of this week's feedback: videos, Steam reviews, mails and Discord messages. Thank you all! New Hangar ships can be fitted straight from the Ship tab: a row of tabs at the top (LB/RB on a gamepad) shows each ship with its slots, just like yours. Squadron orders are easier to discover: the chip shows the keys (1-4), the orders unfold at takeoff, ARIA explains them once and the Codex keeps a "Wing orders" card. Energy: when your shots keep stopping for lack of energy, ARIA suggests a better generator, and stations that sell one tell you so. Horizon always sells one, and generators are more common in Aquarii. New "Interface size" option (Options > Controls): enlarges everything, menus included. Set to 1.2 by default on Steam Deck. The smallest texts are also bigger for everyone. Buying a ship now shows a window explaining where your gear stayed,…
- Patch 1.1.4: fixes and a clearer radio - 4 October 2026
Patch 1.1.4 is out, with fixes found right after 1.1.3 and a few clarity touches suggested by players. Changes Pirates who speak on the radio now carry a "Pirate" tag after their name, so you know the voice comes from their ships. Story contracts between the orders now play a short scene on screen. New option in Options > Sound: Voice language. Keep the voices in the text language, or pick any of the 6 voiced languages. Russian: voices reworked after your feedback on DTF (lighter radio effect), and keys now show as WASD on a Russian keyboard. Fixes Bounties bought from a rumor in a spaceport no longer stay on the mission board for good, where they could hide the station's own contracts. A pirate band hit from far away (zoomed out, torpedo, mine) now reveals itself properly: ARIA's first contact plays and the pirate captain contracts are no longer stuck. Floating loot no longer dims the…
- Patch 1.1.3: a new first mission and a clearer frontier - 3 October 2026
Patch 1.1.3 is out. It fills the gap between the tutorial and The Relay, and makes a lot of things easier to read, thanks to your reports on Steam, Discord and YouTube. New New story mission, Ilse's Ears: right after the tutorial, lay listening buoys for Ilse and find out why the convoys keep falling into ambushes. It leads straight into The Relay. 10 optional story contracts between the story orders, so the plot keeps moving between the big missions. Spaceport interiors reworked, and now voiced in every language. Planet expeditions: a narrator sets the scene as each one begins. Weapon cards show how the weapon fires (spread, range, piercing, homing...). Clearer Floating equipment now glows inside a ring in its tier colour, and picking something up tells you what it was. The hold message names what came in. The station's purse is shown in Trade, and a sale it can't afford tells you why.…
- Patch 1.1.2: fixes from your reports - 2 October 2026
Patch 1.1.2 is out, with fixes for issues you reported on Discord and in the forums. Thank you, Oji and everyone! Fixes The third pirate captain contract is no longer abandoned as "too far" the moment you accept it, and a failed contract is now replaced on the mission board. Coming back to a planet you already scanned shows its "Details" button again. Pressing 1-4 without any wingman now tells you why no order is given. Russian: the crew sheet texts are fixed. Large ships keep proper spacing with their wingmen in formation. Defense missions: enemy waves no longer stop on ultrawide (21:9) screens. A missile salvo now fires in full when your energy exactly covers it. Weapon bar labels follow a language change. Player mines spin and blink again. The update downloads automatically through Steam, and the demo gets the same fixes. Good hunting, pilots!
- Patch 1.1.1: fairer fights, smarter missile salvos, redrawn stations - 2 October 2026
Patch 1.1.1 is out, a few hours after 1.1. Thanks for all the feedback! Balance Enemies no longer appear on top of you or inside your view: always at least 24 u away, off screen. Patrols and pirate raids wait for the current fight to end before they join in. The Rescue Pod now steps in before a wingman can be kidnapped. Medium threat now starts after 10 missions, and the difficulty walls in Perseus and Orionis are softer. Your turrets hit twice as hard, and wingmen are sturdier. Weapons A missile salvo that costs more than your whole energy bar now fires the launchers your energy covers, instead of nothing at all. The energy bar flashes for the rest. Controls and menus Gamepad: the selected button now has a white ring, and main buttons light up only when selected. The target box stays centred on large ships and relays (searchlight beams used to pull it off). The ship picture in the menu…
- Update 1.1 "The Frontier Fights Back": pirates, three endings, expeditions - 1 October 2026
Update 1.1 is out, and it is a massive one: by far the biggest update since launch: more than 400 changes in a week. Thank you to everyone who played, streamed, reported bugs and shared ideas on the forum, on Discord and by mail. A lot of what follows comes straight from you. At a glance Pirates: a third faction with dens, raids, kidnappings and three captains to hunt down A new story, told in flight, with a choice at the Threshold and three endings Spaceport interiors: the bar, Command and the shipyard of three spaceports Planetary expeditions: send your crew down to the planets you scan The front: stations fall if nobody defends them, and you can take them back Squadron orders: command your wingmen in the middle of a fight One signature mission per galaxy, 3 save slots, a reworked economy and much more Pirates Pirates now roam every galaxy: one den per galaxy, a danger zone on the map…
- Patch 1.0.4: voice acting, a new intro, Russian and Chinese - 30 September 2026
Patch 1.0.4 is out. Thanks again to everyone who reported bugs and shared feedback, on Steam, on Discord and by mail: several changes below come straight from you. Voice acting The key moments of the story are now voiced: ARIA, Admiral Voss, Ilse, the station operators, galaxy arrivals, the tutorial, alerts, the ending, and mission radio (convoy leads, VIP passengers, rescued captains). Voices are available in English, French, German, Spanish, Russian and Chinese. New Voice slider in Options > Sound. A new intro New games open on a narrated intro, from the frontier planets to a Drone squadron and the stations, until your ship jumps in. New languages Russian and Simplified Chinese are now available (AI translation, with an in-game notice asking native speakers for corrections). A tighter start The Falcon now starts with a basic Standard Shield and no turret: your first upgrades matter mo…
- Patch 1.0.3: crew, mines and torpedoes, a fairer start, German - 29 September 2026
Patch 1.0.3 is out, and it is the biggest update since launch. Thanks to everyone who reported bugs and shared feedback: a lot of this patch comes straight from you. Crew Stations now hire pilots, each with one of 20 traits. Place your crew in any of your hangar ships, including the one you fly. A pilot flying a wingman ship gives their full bonus; crew aboard, and everyone in your own ship, give half. Seats depend on the hull, from 2 on fighters to 5 on cruisers and capital ships. A wingman is now a spare hangar ship with a pilot at the controls. The new Crew tab shows your wing, your hangar seats and your recruits. New secondary weapons Mine Layers: proximity mines thrown ahead of you that drift, arm and blow up enemy hulls. Heavy torpedoes (zones 2 and 3): Nova (huge blast), Pulse (knocks shields down) and Stasis (freezes enemies). Hold the missile button and release to detonate. The…
- Patch 1.0.2: gamepad overhaul, finer aiming, a longer tutorial - 27 September 2026
Patch 1.0.2 is out, with a big pass on gamepad play and ship handling, plus a longer tutorial. Gamepad New button icons (A green, B red, X blue, Y yellow) on menus, prompts, the tutorial, docking and the map. Menus: LB/RB switch tabs and LT/RT switch sub-tabs. The stick no longer jumps to the wrong row, and focus is no longer lost after switching between keyboard and gamepad. Docked shortcuts: Y missions, X trade, LT hangar, RT repair, B take off. Items: X buys or sells, Y equips or removes. Empty slots can be selected to equip something. Fixed: A did not always dock, and the gamepad stopped responding after a progress reset. Piloting Sharper turns, a gentle brake when you let go, and less sideways drift when you change direction. Heavy hulls now turn with real inertia: a Bastion swings round slowly and eases to a stop, while light fighters stay nimble. Finer aiming on the right stick:…
- Patch 1.0.1: hangar fixed, a new hyperspace jump - 26 September 2026
Thank you all for the first days of the 1.0, and for your reports on the forum: most of this patch comes straight from them. Fixed Hangar: ships can be bought and switched with the mouse again (the ship cards ignored hover and clicks). Rescue pods: bringing a rescued wingman back to a station no longer puts you in their ship. If it already happened to you, switch back to your own ship in the hangar. Wingmen flying one of your hangar ships now use that ship's own turret range and size. Wingmen no longer ram you: they don't collide with your ship or your shield anymore. Docking: no more collisions or collision damage while docking, from the dock order until you are clear of the station. World map: no more error when it is opened while a zone is still loading. New & improved Hyperspace jump redone: your ship brakes, charges up and jumps in a flash of star lines, without the stutter of the…
- Space Defender: Frontier Squadron 1.0 is out - 25 September 2026
Commanders,Steam fixed my account issue, so 1.0 is out a few days before Monday's deadline. After sixteen months of Early Access, Space Defender: Frontier Squadron is now a full release. If you already own the game, the update is free and should already be downloading.What 1.0 bringsA full campaign. 13 story missions in three acts with Admiral Voss, Ilse Marin and ARIA, up to the battle against the Nexus.Wingmen. Recruit pilots at stations, give them a ship from your hangar and fly with up to three of them.13 contract types with modifiers, and Drones that each fight their own way.Ships, weapons and research. 13 ships to fly, over 60 pieces of equipment, a redesigned research tree and ranks from Recruit to Admiral.The full story of what changed (and why it took longer than promised) is in the 1.0 announcement.New since that announcementA new look. 2D lighting on every ship, station and p…
- 1.0 launch delayed to Monday at the latest - 24 September 2026
Commanders,Space Defender: Frontier Squadron 1.0 was supposed to launch tonight. It's delayed, and I'm sorry about that.The game itself is ready: the final 1.0 build is uploaded to Steam. To put it live, Steam asks for a security code sent by text message, and that code never arrives on my phone. Steam Support is looking into it. Until it's fixed, I can't publish the update.I could launch 1.0 tonight with the older build, but it doesn't have the last fixes from this week, and I'd rather you play the real version.New date: Monday, September 28 at 7 pm Paris time (10 am PT) at the latest. If Steam fixes it sooner, 1.0 will come out sooner, and I'll announce it here.What this means for you:If you own the game, nothing changes. Early Access still works, and your saves are safe.1.0 will be a free update for everyone who owns the game.If you have the game on your wishlist, Steam will email yo…
- Space Defender leaves Early Access on September 24 - 16 September 2026
Commanders,On Thursday, September 24 at 10am PT / 7pm CEST, Space Defender leaves Early Access and becomes Space Defender: Frontier Squadron.First, an honest wordWhen Early Access opened in May 2025, I wrote that it would last about six months. It lasted sixteen. Space Defender is my first game, I make it alone, alongside a full-time job and a family, and I underestimated how much work the promised features really meant. I would rather ship them properly than ship them on time and half done. Thank you to everyone who bought the game early, reported bugs and left a review: you kept this project alive.What we promised, and what 1.0 deliversA real ending. Early Access promised a final mission. 1.0 brings a full campaign: 13 story missions in three acts, with Admiral Voss, Ilse Marin and ARIA, leading to the battle against the Nexus.Massive battles and more mission variety. From 4 mission t…
- Added support for MacOS - 26 March 2026
- Added support for MacOS - Fixed minor bugs
- UI bug fix - 22 December 2025
ui bug fix & minor tweaks
- Steam Deck Compatibility - 26 November 2025
The game should work great on Steam Deck! I don’t have one to test personally yet, so if you’re playing on Deck, please let me know in the comments how it runs for you. Appreciate the feedback!
