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Watch trailer on Steam ↗Astro Protocol
Null Vector Studios · Published by Null Vector Studios · Official site ↗
Very Positive — 94% positive (70 reviews) · 45 achievements
Last updated 10 Oct 2026
Astro Protocol is a high-stakes, turn-based 4X space strategy game distilled into intense one-hour matches. Six factions, randomized maps, tech trees, and anomalies ensure every run is unique. Victories are earned against challenging opponents that play to win.
£6.99
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Price history
Strategy · 2026 · More £5 - £15 games
Explore vast randomized maps as one of six factions in Astro Protocol, a high-stakes turn-based 4X space strategy experience from Null Vector Studios. Each match is an intense one-hour battle with tech trees and anomalies adding to the challenge.
About this game
Astro Protocol is a high-stakes, turn-based 4X space strategy game distilled into intense one-hour matches.
Built for players who want tactical depth without mid-game bloat, every session delivers a new strategic challenge against AI opponents who don't just participate but play to win.
Lead one of the six cosmic factions for galactic dominance, but be prepared: the space is unforgivable and victories must be earned.
Expand Your Empire Across the Galaxy
Establish your empire by constructing space stations and extending your network through planetary colonization.
Build stations to harvest resources from asteroids, gas giants, and stars. Improve their efficiency with refinery stations or by terraforming planets to support industry, research, or logistics. Every placement shapes the future of your empire.
Tactical One-Unit-Per-Tile Combat
Combat takes place on a one-unit-per-tile hex grid where positioning is everything. Each ship has distinct roles, attack profiles, shields, armor, and abilities.
Assemble fleets, upgrade ships, and exploit enemy weaknesses to gain the upper hand against rival factions and a capable AI that actively competes for victory.
Research, Adapt, and Replay
Research new technologies across three branches to unlock ships, stations, terraforming options, and upgrades. Technology choices are randomized each run, forcing you to adapt rather than follow fixed build orders.
Choose from six playable factions with distinct mechanics and strategic strengths or build your own from ground up. Combined with randomized maps, minor factions, technologies, anomalies, and victory conditions, every match presents a new strategic situation to navigate.
Explore anomalies scattered across the galaxy, each offering unpredictable rewards from abandoned vessels to powerful technologies that can reshape your plans.
Race for Victory
Each match is a race toward victory under changing conditions. Win by completing randomized victory objectives through expansion, combat, or exploration or by destroying your rivals.
Astro Protocol features a smart, assertive AI developed in close collaboration with Xilmi, known for AI overhauls for OpenXCOM and Remnants of the Precursors. Expect opponents that play to win and force you to adapt.
Replayability in Numbers
6 premade factions
97 custom faction traits
12 minor factions
26 ship types
12 planet types
100+ technologies
100+ anomalies
9 victory conditions
4 map generators
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
- OS: Windows 10 or later (64-bit)
- Processor: Dual-core 2.0 GHz
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: Direct3D 12 GPU (GTX 900 / RX 400 / Intel HD 500)
- Storage: 550 MB available space
Recommended
- OS: Windows 10 or later (64-bit)
- Processor: Quad-core 2.5 GHz or better
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: Direct3D 12 GPU (GTX 1050 / RX 560)
- Storage: 550 MB available space
Supported Languages
Latest news
AnnouncementsOfficial
Help needed for testing translations
The translations beta is open, and anyone who owns the game can try it. Along with English, you can now play in:FrenchGermanPolishSpanish (Spain)Brazilian PortugueseItalianTurkishUkrainianRussianSimplified ChineseJapaneseKoreanHow to get the translationsThe translations are on a separate beta branch on Steam. It has no password.In your Steam Library, right-click Astro Protocol and choose Properties.Open the Betas tab.Pick translations from the Beta Participation dropdown.Wait for Steam to finish the update, then start the game.In the main menu, go to Options and choose your language.To go back to the regular version, pick None in the same dropdown. Your saves work on both branches.Made with an LLM, polished by playersAs we wrote in our earlier post, a two-person studio can't afford professional translation into twelve languages. So we had an LLM do the first pass, working from written rules and a shared vocabulary for each language. The results are decent, but they aren't what a native speaker would write. You'll find awkward phrasing and the wrong word for a game term. Fixing that is where we need you.How to report a bad translationIn the game: hover the mouse over the text and press Insert. (You can bind a different key in Options → Controls.) A small form opens with that line already filled in. Mark it as good or bad, suggest a better wording if you have one, and send it. Your report goes straight to our review system, so you don't need to note anything down or take screenshots. On our website: you can also go through the translations line by line, whether or not you are playing: nullvectorstudios.com/games/astro-protocol/translations The site shows you the lines nobody has reviewed yet first, so even ten minutes there helps a lot. Every review counts, including a quick "this one is fine". Knowing which lines are already right is as useful to us as knowing which ones are wrong. French is coming for real, thanks to youPlayers have now reviewed every line of the Fr...Read full article on Community Announcements (Zeikko)AnnouncementsOfficial
Should we translate Astro Protocol with an LLM?
I am running an experiment, and I would like the community's help with it and the community's verdict on it. The question is this: can an AI translation, corrected by the players who speak the language, be good enough to put in the game? There is now a test build on Steam where you can try it, and a new section on the website where you can tell me what is wrong with it. Depending on what comes back, this either becomes part of Astro Protocol or it does not. Why this is an experiment and not a featureAstro Protocol was built in English and translating it was never part of the plan. It started as a side project, and a professionally made localization would cost more than the game has earned. So this is something that only exists because a new way of doing it appeared. What is in the test buildEvery line of the game: menus, tooltips, faction and ship names, the anomaly stories in seven languages: FrenchGermanPolishSpanishPortuguese (Brazilian)ItalianTurkishThey were not produced by dumping the game's text into a chatbot. Each language was translated against written rules: how formally the game should address you, how buttons are phrased, what the factions are called so their names stay consistent everywhere they appear, and a long list of decisions about the game's own vocabulary and lore. What all of that still cannot give me is a native speaker's ear. The rules keep everything consistent. Whether a sentence actually sounds like something a person would say in Polish, in Turkish, in Italian is not something I can judge, and not something the AI can be trusted to judge about itself. That is the part where I ask for your help. How to try itThe test build is on a public Steam beta branch called translations. It is opt-in, and switching back takes ten seconds. Right-click Astro Protocol in your Steam library and choose Properties.Open the Betas tab.Pick translations from the dropdown. No code needed.Let Steam update, start the game, and choose your language in Options → G...Read full article on Community Announcements (Zeikko)Patch NotesOfficial
Update 1.2.17
Features Show release dates in the changelog Prefill the bug report form with build and platform details Fixes Fix duplicate tech name Fix non-square tech/upgrade/faction icons overflowingRead full article on Community Announcements (Zeikko)AnnouncementsOfficial
Developer Stream
I will streaming in 18.30 UTC. Just playing some Astro Protocol and hanging out. Come join if you have any questions or just want to see me lose to the AI. 😄 Watch on Twtich: -ZeikkoRead full article on Community Announcements (Zeikko)Patch NotesOfficial
Update 1.2.16
Fixes Fixed an issue that caused the AI to waste resourcesRead full article on Community Announcements (Zeikko)
