Screenshots
Watch trailer on Steam ↗Launch Window
gumptiongames · Published by gumptiongames
Last updated 28 Sept 2026
Launch Window is a single player physics-based automation game where you establish supply chains across an entire solar system using orbital mechanics.
Simulation, Early Access · More free games
Design efficient routes through the cosmos in Launch Window, a single player game where you master orbital mechanics for seamless automation.
About this game
Launch Window is a physics-based automation game. Establish supply chains across a procedurally generated star system. Build infrastructure. Construct ships. Open new routes.
Your first launch may carry a handful of colonists to a barren moon. Years later, you command thousands of ships, each following a trajectory you planned, bound for a colony you designed. This is how the colony grows.
Start with a lone planetary outpost, and develop into a full star system-wide colony
Coordinate fleets of 1,000+ physics-based spaceships
Automate orbital shipping lanes, plotting routes rather than individual burns
Build across entire spherical worlds, placing structures anywhere on a planet's surface
Craft logistical networks on-surface and between different planetary bodies
Research and unlock more advanced technology, manoeuvres, and buildings to improve your colony and extend your reach
You command 1,000+ ships simultaneously, not calculating every burn yourself. Plot and automate orbital shipping lanes, setting up the routes and letting the physics do the work.
As there are only certain times efficiently reaching planetary bodies is possible (the Launch Window), you will have to plan carefully what resources are needed at which colonies, how long they will take to get there, how long they will take to be resupplied. This logistical puzzle is the basis of the game.
You can build across the entire surface on each planet you inhabit. Build solar panels to extract sunlight, build drills to extract resources, and build factory networks to construct your fleet. The reach of the colony depends on the infrastructure that feeds it.
Each planetary body offers different resources and challenges. Ice-rich moons provide water for fuel production. Metal-rich rocky bodies feed your factories. Outer planets offer rare resources but longer transit times. Where you expand, and in what order, shapes the logistics of everything that follows.
Once the trajectory is planned, the ships are built, and the cargo is loaded, it's time to light the candle. Launch when the windows align.
Timing is everything.
Use flagships to lead your convoys across the system rather than managing every vessel individually. Built for scale, so even at very high time warp your fleet's physics run reliably and at full performance.
Your colony isn’t the only presence in this system, and the same physics you'll harness to expand your reach can be used against you. Defend your infrastructure and fleet with physics-based projectiles, and prepare for what’s lurking in the outer reaches…
EARLY ACCESS
Launch Window is in active development. The core game mechanics - orbital physics, automation systems, and planetary production will be playable on early access release. Your feedback will directly shape what comes next as the star system expands.
Major planned features include:
Terraforming (atmosphere/water/temperature)
Asteroid/comet redirection and mining
Celestial dangers (e.g., solar flares)
Megastructures, both orbital and terrestrial
Also expect regular updates adding new technology, buildings, ships, and more.
ABOUT THE STUDIO
gumptiongames consists of 1 dev, Fred (that's me, hello). Motivated through a love of sci-fi, physics sims, and space in general, I want to create games that capture the vastness of space, have satisfying orbital mechanics, and give the joy of expanding logistics networks. My hope is to bring this ideal to life through Launch Window, and I am eager for thoughts and feedback. Please do get in touch!
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: TBA
- Graphics: TBA
- Sound Card: TBA
- VR Support: No
- Additional Notes: All system requirements will be announced further in development
Supported Languages
*languages with full audio support
Latest news
AnnouncementsOfficial
Space Stations: a new way to expand the fleet
Hello Launchers!Apologies for the lack of recent updates, there has been a lot going on behind the scenes and this has slipped down my list of priorities. Now's a good time to give a little look at something I've been working on: Space Stations.Space stations are going to be a crucial game mechanic in Launch Window, serving many purposes for your colony including refuelling, defence, habitation, and eventually even orbital ship construction. Currently, I've only implemented refuelling and I must say it's feeling pretty cool, so here's a little more about that, and how you'll design and build space stations.Space Station Design & ConstructionYou'll be able to design space stations from an assortment of modules, each with their own abilities and specifications (kind of like the VAB in KSP, but restricted to cells rather than free build). Currently I only have a small selection of parts for testing, but I'm planning more expanded module categories so you'll be free to specialise your stations for whichever purpose you like.The station blueprint you design will then need to be constructed in-orbit, requiring cargo ships to transport the relevant resources off-world to the station hub. Currently this system is still being worked on, but I can show a quick timelapse of a station being constructed for free with debug tools in space:RendezvousWhat good is a space station if your fleet doesn't know how to reach it? You don't need to worry about that, because your fleet can.Ships launching from the body the station also orbits will wait for the perfect moment (the Launch Window if you will) to launch, intercepting the station at the perfect moment to queue at its docking port. If your ship is coming from elsewhere (e.g., the moon), it will adjust its orbit to phase into a rendezvous with the station. This means that once you have your routes set up, you won't have to worry about constantly realigning things to match.UsageAs mentioned above, stations can currently only be used...Read full article on Community Announcements (gumptiongames)AnnouncementsOfficial
Launch Window Reaches 25,000 Wishlists!
25k Wishlists!I'm incredibly grateful to each one of you for helping the game hit this level of wishfulness. I remember when I first launched the store page being chuffed at getting 500, feeling like maybe making this game was a good idea. So to hit this milestone is at once exciting and humbling.The word is slowly being spread through social media, being picked up by IndieGameJoe, Biffmatic, and OrbitalPotato. If you see a creator talking about Launch Window (or any other cool indie game for that matter) in the wild, please do engage to appease the algo gods, as they are fickle!And for any new launchers coming across the game for the first time, come and check out the Discord channel, where I'm usually active and responding to any questions or suggestions :)I must return to dutifully work on the playtest... more info coming soon!Best,FredgumptiongamesRead full article on Community Announcements (gumptiongames)AnnouncementsOfficial
Conveyors, Magnets, and Sci Fi
Earlier this week I posted an early look at a new conveyor concept I had on Reddit \link], to mostly enthusiastic though some sceptical responses (I appreciate both!). This concept basically went through these stages:"I like conveyor belts""Every logistics game has conveyor belts""This game is sci fi, can I make something more fitting than standard conveyor belts?"Now, don't get me wrong. I think conveyor belts are great and need no improvement, there is a reason why they are the goat of logistics. But in this futuristic universe I'm building where spaceships operate like clockwork with enormous amounts of resources being transported between worlds, I feel there is room for extra science fiction. Yet I do want this fiction to be grounded, so here's my WIP concept and rationale for the MagBelt Conveyor:How It WorksIn a world where magnetic superconductor technology is far beyond our understanding, the MagBelt Conveyor is possible. This system is comprised of a continuous line of Magnetic Base Plates each with their own accompanying Magnetic Hover Plate.When not in use, the hover plates passively float above the base, drawing no energy from the system.When a container is present over the hover plate, its weight compresses the plate closer to the base which charges up the plate behind to become active, flipping it 45 degrees and pushing the container from behind.The container will then in turn compress the next inactive plate, causing the container to smoothly move along the track as if carried by a frictionless wave.This results in a pretty satisfying visual, as you can watch the containers float along and see the magnetic plates ripple as they do:This also has broader gameplay implications, as there is a lot of room for interesting inter-belt interactions, but I don't want to get ahead of myself.This system is early in development, but I've gotta say, does feel pretty satisfying to build and watch! Please do share your thoughts, ideas, criticisms, whatever! Any feedb...Read full article on Community Announcements (gumptiongames)AnnouncementsOfficial
Quick Dive: Interplanetary Transfers and Porkchop Plots
A star system is a big place, and getting between planets is no easy feat. The bones of Launch Window makes this feat a little easier, so I'm glad to be able to share with you a bit about how this works!A classic interplanetary transfer requires planetary alignments to enable a Hohmann Transfer. It's the most efficient, graceful, and friendly way to get from one body to another. You yeet on an escape trajectory from Planet A in such a way as to intercept Planet B at exactly the right time, needing the least amount of fuel to escape Planet A and capture around Planet B.Here's a handy graphic to show what I mean:Now, it wouldn't be much fun if you could only do this single optimal transfer. What if Planet B needs supplies sooner? What if your fleet won't be ready in time and you need to depart later? What if you simply don't care about efficient fuel use because your reserves are overflowing? What if you love efficiency, and want that perfect transfer after all?Well, you're in luck. Because you are in control, because this is a game...Through the wonders of Porkchop Plots, you can assess a whole range of departure dates (X axis), times of flight (Y axis), and required delta-v (blue = less, red = more). With this graph you gain an understanding of your options and can choose the right transfer for you (don't worry this visual is a WIP, I will make it more pretty):Please note, no animals were harmed during the making of these porkchops.It's clear to see the two upcoming Launch Windows in the above example, with a whole range of transfers to choose from depending on your colony's circumstances.I hope you enjoyed this quick dive, please let me know if you have any questions, or if you'd like to hear more about other aspects of the game!FredgumptiongamesRead full article on Community Announcements (gumptiongames)AnnouncementsOfficial
New Launch Window Teaser!
New Trailer!After a lot of work on updating the visuals, I'm happy to be able to share the new teaser trailer for Launch Window! I've also updated the store page description and screenshots so it's more reflective of the current state of the game. I hope you enjoy :)Read full article on Community Announcements (gumptiongames)
