Screenshots
Watch trailer on Steam ↗Free Stars: The Ur-Quan Masters
Pistol Shrimp · Published by Pistol Shrimp · Official site ↗
Content notice: Game contains some audio and text descriptions implying sexual conduct.
Very Positive — 95% positive (407 reviews)
Last updated 27 Sept 2026
Experience the award-winning space saga. Travel to hyperspace, discover alien worlds, and meet an eclectic cast of characters. Find out what happened after the Ur-Quan invasion. And if the war still rages, fight for Earth and the Alliance of Free Stars!
Free to PlayDJCTQ 12PvP
Free
Action, Adventure, Indie, RPG · 2024 · More free games
Explore the aftermath of the Ur-Quan invasion as you travel through space and meet diverse characters. Experience Free Stars' award-winning saga in an action-packed adventure.
About this game
You are the captain
Free Stars: The Ur-Quan Masters® is a classic space game that captures the charm of retro science-fiction, space combat, and high adventure. Your story begins as the captain of the last human starship, with Earth trapped under a hostile forcefield. You are the last hope for humanity in a fight for control of the galaxy, as you explore thousands of unknown worlds and get dozens of quirky aliens to help.Meet fascinating alien characters
The galaxy is thriving with alien species, each with unique mysteries and motives. Meet an eclectic cast of characters, brought to life with full English voiceover. Ask sharp questions, make new friends, and exchange colorful insults.
Adventure through HyperSpace
Discover a vibrant galaxy filled with wonder, terror, and absurdity. Explore thousands of uncharted worlds across hundreds of stars, and gather important resources and technology.
Battle your rivals in starship combat
Build your fleet and battle enemy starships, facing off against friends or the computer-controlled AI. Play action-packed Super Melee as its own mode, or as part of the single-player adventure – or choose automated combat to stay focused on the story.
Experience a sci-fi classic – for free!
As a celebrated piece of gaming history, Free Stars: The Ur-Quan Masters® has also received wide acclaim for its story, characters, and setting. It was created as a love letter to classic science fiction like Douglas Adams, David Brin, and Jack Vance. In turn, its setting inspired a new wave of game creators, including the visionaries behind Mass Effect, No Man’s Sky, Subnautica, Starfield, Fallout, and Stellaris – to name just a few.
In 2002, the game was released under an open source license thanks to the generosity of Paul Reiche and Fred Ford. It continues to be available to play as a free download, for game historians and fans to enjoy.
Game features
- Experience an open-world adventure, venturing through space to defeat the invading Ur-Quan and its hierarchy of battle thralls.
- Travel through extra-dimensional HyperSpace and discover nearly 500 unknown star systems filled with alien worlds.
- Fight enemies in fast-paced space battles with 25 different starships, each with its own unique attacks and powers.
- Befriend, threaten, or fight a diverse cast of aliens with unique personalities, from scary, to funny, to just plain weird.
- Explore thousands of planets, collecting resources and technology to upgrade your flagship and grow your fleet.
- Play standalone Super Melee to practice space combat against AI opponents or to duel against a friend.
- Mod and tinker with freely available, open-source code and content.
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
Minimum:
- OS *: Windows XP/7/8/10 or higher
- Processor: Intel Pentium or equivalent
- Graphics: Integrated or better
- Storage: 150 MB available space
- Sound Card: Any
Supported Languages
English*
*languages with full audio support
*languages with full audio support
Latest news
Patch NotesOfficial
Release Notes for June 20th, 2025
The following pieces of music have been removed from Free Stars: The Ur-Quan Masters: Hyperspace ThemeIntro ThemeCommander Hayes ThemeMycon ThemeThraddash ThemeYehat Theme These changes were made at the request of the composer who retains their rights to the music.Read full article on Community Announcements (Pistol Shrimp Games)AnnouncementsOfficial
Steam Cloud and MacOS Build Added
We're excited to announce an update for Free Stars: The Ur-Quan Masters: MacOS build added to Steam. Steam Cloud enabled with automatic cloud saves. Please note that cloud saves are platform specific, with Windows/Deck save data separate from MacOS save data.Read full article on Community Announcements (Pistol Shrimp Games)AnnouncementsOfficial
Kickstarter for Free Stars: Children of Infinity Surpasses Goals!
Happy Days and Jubilation! On April 16th, we launched our Kickstarter for Free Stars: Children of Infinity, and within just over 3 hours, it was fully funded! Our Kickstarter still has several stretch goals to go, from adding voice acting all the way up to completely open-sourcing the entire game and engine. Along the way, there are plenty of digital and physical collectors' goodies for fans of The Ur-Quan Masters to enjoy. If you haven't already, check out our Kickstarter and help us make the sequel to Free Stars: The Ur-Quan Masters the best it can be! Thank you, and don't forget to *enjoy the sauce*.Read full article on Community Announcements (Pistol Shrimp Games)AnnouncementsOfficial
Free Stars: Children of Infinity Kickstarter
Launch Fighters! On April 16th at 7am PT, we are excited to launch our Kickstarter for Free Stars: Children of Infinity. Haven’t gotten a good look at the game in a while? Be sure to check out our Kickstarter trailer. We’re using Kickstarter to raise funds which will help us see our game to completion and create the sequel to The Ur-Quan Masters that we dream of. There might even be a few things in it for you too… Backer Rewards Beyond some unique digital rewards, we’re also creating some cool physical collectibles. Whether you want to immerse yourself in our handmade art and stories, long for a beautiful starmap to hang on your wall, or simply wish to don your Captain’s regalia with pride, we have a variety of treats we think you’ll enjoy. https://i0.wp.com/pistolshrimpgames.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/physical_rewards_arrangement.png We’ve entered full production mode only with the confidence that we can finish what we started and that we think we have something really cool. After nearly three years of self-funding, along with the help of our Patreon community we’ve assembled, we are asking for your support to take this project across the finish line and make it the best it can be. We are grateful for all of you helping to keep the Free Stars universe alive all these years. We hope you’re as excited for this as we are, and we can’t wait to launch our campaign on the 16th. Hope to see you all on Kickstarter! https://i0.wp.com/pistolshrimpgames.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/6meleeships_optimized.gif?resize=700%2C394&ssl=1Read full article on Community Announcements (Pistol Shrimp Games)AnnouncementsOfficial
Free Stars: Children of Infinity Trailer and Kickstarter
We are excited to finally unveil our Kickstarter trailer for the sequel to Free Stars: The Ur-Quan Masters! Free Stars: Children of Infinity will be coming to Kickstarter on April 16th. To get more information and be notified when the Kickstarter is live, follow us here. Stay tuned for more, and don't forget to *enjoy the sauce*.Read full article on Community Announcements (Pistol Shrimp Games)
