Nova Drift

About this game

- SURVIVE - EVOLVE - DOMINATE -

Nova Drift is a 'rogue-lite' space shooter that melds a classic arcade experience with modern action-RPG elements, emphasizing build-crafting and deep customization. Your ship rapidly evolves as you defeat enemies, allowing you to take a build from inception to execution in a single, captivating game session.

Build to play how you want, creating a unique build every game. Runs are quick, allowing for rapid experimentation and iteration.

DEFINE YOUR BUILD, combining dozens of choices of Weapon, Shield, and Body GEAR, including:

• Weapon - Thermal Lance: Channel a focused lance of heat that makes targets vulnerable to further damage.
  
• Weapon - Swords: Wield a pair of monomolecular double-edged swords that parry projectiles.
  
• Shield - Warp: Teleport when your shield breaks, creating an entry and exit blast.
  
• Shield - Halo: Burn targets within your shields radius.
  
• Body - Carrier: Command a legion of Swarm Constructs.
  
• Body - Leviathan: Become an ever-growing serpent that shreds with its body.
  
• Body - Firefly: Sear targets with massive thrusters.

Unlock an arsenal of over 200 MODULAR UPGRADES:

Transform your build, choosing from dozens of SUPER MODS:

• Charged Mines: Your mines charge, unleashing your weapon on detonation.
  
• Dying Star: Take constant damage, but burn nearby targets based on proximity and how damaged you are.
  
• Barrage: Transform any weapon into a bullet hose.
  
• Singular Strike: Fuse all of your projectiles into one giant projectile.
  
• Ataraxia: Gain powerful passive buffs for each unspent upgrade point.
  
• Antimatter Rounds: Your weapon can punch through hostile projectiles.
  
• Void Slice: Teleport, slicing through anything in your path.
  
• Warp Strike: Your projectiles can screen-wrap.
  
• Sanctuary: Convert your shield into a massive roving bubble and gain power while within it.

Enjoy varied GAME MODES:

• Endless: Find out just how far you can push your build after victory.
  
• Draft: Jump deep into enemy territory with a pre-constructed build.
  
• Wild Metamorphosis: Enjoy a challenging "rogue-like" experience that offers powerful, transformative mods.

Unlock MODULAR CHALLENGE MODES as your skills grow. Greater risk means greater rewards!

EXAMPLE BUILD - Celestial Striker:

This unconventional build defeats enemies by slamming right through them, detonating its shields, and burning anything nearby.

• Hullbreaker is the cornerstone of our build, fast, resilient, and able to deal massive crash damage based on its velocity.
  
• Amp Shield increases our velocity and damage, which results in massive crash damage.
  
• Volatile Shields ensures that when our Amp Shield breaks on impact, nearby enemies receive a devastating explosion.
  
• Flash Shielding lets us get our shield back quickly.
  
• Celestial Lance converts our speed into a burning aura, letting us crowd control as we soar.
  
• Celestial Surge lets us convert our aura into a massive burning projectile on demand, igniting anything in its path.

Nova Drift is a decade-long labor of love developed by Jeffrey Nielson (Chimeric) in collaboration with its community, featuring music and audio by Miles Tilmann (Pixeljam).

Latest news

• Patch Notes·4 Jun 2026Official

  June Developer Update

  Hey, all! I've got a few updates for you. Games For Waves First, the WDC's World Ocean Day Steam Sale just hit and runs for a week from today. There are a lot of games, including Nova Drift, running deep sales, and a % of the profits from each title goes to whale and dolphin conservation! You can view the Steam Sale here: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41670686-Whale-and-Dolphin-Conservation/ Buy a great game, tell your friends, help a cetacean. Everyone wins! If you'd like to read more about WDC, and the good work they do, you can do so here: https://uk.whales.org/ Utopia Must Fall ESCALATION Update Nova Drift's cousin-in-law Utopia Must Fall (originally designed by ND's musician Miles Tilmann) just got its biggest update ever, titled the Escalation Update. They just added a new meta-progression, new enemies & bosses, and a lot of other new's that we don't need to get into here. It's also in a bundle with ND, so check it out? {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33285787/56d9cb5738ca4909fa7baf2552dbab882edeabb6.gif Nova Drift on consoles We're working on it! Really, it's going well. We have dev kits and everything. We're hoping this launches around Q4 this year, around the time our first DLC comes out. Nova Drift: Weapon Mutations DLC If you haven't heard, Nova Drift's first DLC is underway, and it's coming along very well! Currently there is at least a rough-draft of an alternate version of each Nova Drift weapon and about half of them are in an alpha state. Some of them are crazier than anything we did in vanilla Nova Drift, and a few are based on concepts you may have seen shared on the blog or Discord as early as 7 years ago. When the time comes to start beta testing the update, I'll make some noise. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33285787/507eb006938e2c4e9347c8aee464369cf8029d82.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33285787/2ab6f3fd1694f59beaf45a4081537dbe1cc93fe2.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33285787/88a81ca8b25c26dc68d3b6b29dd1db2cccfa80ba.png That's all for now. Have fun, Drifters -Jeffrey
  Read full article on Community Announcements (Chimeric)

• Patch Notes·27 Mar 2026Official

  - Save And Quit Feature is Live - // - Many Tweaks + Balance Pass + Bug Fixes -

  Hello all,Today we are launching not one but TWO major versions that have been brewing in the beta branches for months: 1.2.37 : Save and Quit Feature + minor fixes 1.2.35 : A huge amount of fixes, tweaks, and a balance pass But of course this is all rolled into 1.2.37, which you should now have access to in the default branch. Read the entire patch notes here.Here are the highlights:- Added a Save and Quit feature: Resume your game-in-progress anytime!Note that when using Resume, your score will not be submitted to online leaderboards.Added settings for the Save and Quit / Resume run feature which allows you to toggle when your run should be auto-saved. Note: In resumed runs, your final score won't be shared to online leaderboards- A slew of bug fixes- Major balance changes touching but not limited to:Saturation FireBastion ShieldConstructsAlso a reminder that these changes are reflected in the newly launched Mobile Versions as well: iOS App StoreGoogle PlayItch.io (Android APK with no Googly features)There is more on the horizon, Nova Drift continues to evolve across space and time it seems...Miles @ Pixeljam
  Read full article on Community Announcements (Pixeljam Games)

• Announcements·10 Mar 2026Official

  - Nova Drift Mobile Out Now // Upcoming Features & DLC -

  Hello all, It's been a while since we dropped any news, and as usual there is a lot going on: Nova Drift Mobile - Now AvailableThe mobile version features a highly customizable touch-control scheme, mobile gamepad support, optimized performance, and all features from the PC version.You can buy the Premium version or try out the free, but limited Lite version. The Premium version is the full game, and the Lite version is a free demo that lets you play until wave 60 and limits unlocks.Neither have any ads or IAP. There's even itch.io build for Android if you don't use the Play store.🔹iOS Premium: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nova-drift/id6744329971🔹iOS Lite: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nova-drift-lite/id6746450915🔹Android Premium: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.chimeric.novadrift🔹Android Lite: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.chimeric.novadriftdemo🔹Android (Itch) https://pixeljam.itch.io/nova-drift-androidTransferring Your Save Data From PC to MobileIn case you need to do this, here's how:There's a feature in the mobile version's settings that lets you PASTE your save data from your phone's clipboard. The Nova Drift save file is just plain text. So to get it on your clipboard you could do one of two things-1) Email the contents of save.ini to yourself and then copy it on your mobile. Here is where the save file is located:PC: C:\\Users\\USER\\AppData\\Local\\NovaDrift\\MAC: ~/Library/Application Support/com.pixeljam.stardriftmacFor the PC path, just change "USER" to your username.2) Alternatively, you could use a USB / charging cable to connect your phone to your computer and transfer the file that way, then copy the contents of the file.Finally, go to Settings -> Account -> Paste Settings From Clipboard. What's Coming Up? Save & Quit FeatureBetter late than never right??We're already testing this feature on the Steam beta, and it works great. You can freely leave your game and pick it up whenever. The enemy wave you're facing wi...
  Read full article on Community Announcements (Pixeljam Games)

• Announcements·8 Sept 2025Official

  Nova Drift news, Chimeric's next game, and Pixeljam's DINO RUN 2!

  Dear Drifters, I know I've been pretty quiet lately, but there's been a lot going on behind the scenes. I'll catch you up, and then I'd like to tell you about the next Pixeljam game, Dino Run 2, which I was a big part of way back before Nova Drift!Chimeric News:If you're not already aware, Nova Drift was built in GameMaker. This often surprises people. I think this is partially because of how far we've pushed its capabilities, but also because people don't realize how far GameMaker has come since its early days when it was known as more of a hobbyist's tool. It's powerful now! Still, as we work on porting for mobile and consoles, we're starting to see its limitations, and as my next project approaches, I'm thinking it's time for a change. I continue to believe it is the best tool for rapid prototyping, and perhaps the easiest engine to pick up, especially for people with a more creative than technical background, and so it will always hold a special place in my heart. Unfortunately, unless they improve its compatibility, UI support, and the porting experience, I feel like it's something that most serious game developers will eventually "grow out of".So, I've weighed all of my options carefully, and Unity eventually came out on top for building my future games. I can already hear people groaning. Listen, it's like this: All game engines are bad; The question is, which one is the right kind of bad for you... It's been a crazy adjustment for me as I've been practicing with it, since I'm learning not just a new environment, but also a new programming language, AND at the same time brushing up on my 3D art and vfx. It definitely feels like a power tool compared to GM, but also feels complex and bloated compared to Gamemaker's light-weight simplicity. Anyway, I'm certain that once I'm comfortable with it, I'm going to love having the wealth of tools, support, and visual tech that it offers. In other news, the mobile port for Nova Drift is nearing its final phases, and aft...
  Read full article on Community Announcements (Pixeljam Games)

• Community & Events·5 Jun 2025Official

  Nova Drift 1.2 Is Out: Daily Challenge Mode // World Ocean Day Charity Event

  Nova Drift's new game mode, Daily Challenge is now included as a free update! But before I get into the details, I'd like to remind everyone that the World Ocean Day Steam Sale is live now. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33285787/f06c2d5fd9425bd87d5cbd72b784fe4124de7607.png 100+ other games are participating, and any of your purchases will support vital conservation work to create safer seas for whales and dolphins, as well as fund a brand-new project to retrieve lost ocean fishing gear. Also, there are some amazing titles in the mix! See what's for sale: World Ocean Day Steam Sale 2025 One week left to claim your Nova Drift OST on Vinyl! Also, our Campaign to bring the Nova Original Soundtrack to Vinyl is more than halfway over but only just barely halfway to it's funding goal. Even if you don't want a record, there are a lot of digital-only rewards for those that just want to support the project, including steam keys for the game (that one could give to friends) at almost half price ($10). {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33285787/62c4a4b4c0a8c635c7b1e27759f4e26321336a7c.png The campaign ends June 12th: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/milestilmann/nova-drift-soundtrack-on-vinyl-and-cd Without further ado, New Game Mode: Daily Challenge {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33285787/90dba02c7a51d555e3d6a59a319977b6b0ca2e92.png Take on a new seeded challenge each day, competing with players globally. All together, there are 10 main Daily Challenges, and 23 modifiers that can be applied to them to in different combinations. This results in an enormous number of unique challenges that cycle daily. Here are the main Challenge Modes: Super Nova Brothers Begin your journey alongside a unique and powerful Ally construct. You and the Ally share a portion of damage taken. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33285787/0174d5f7384414c1a3ed86a36ea2177365fb9957.jpg 20-Point Draft / 45-Point Draft Begin your journey in Draft Mode with a different number of upgrade points. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33285787/0fc216be1f186a31772b521424c1d7557748...
  Read full article on Community Announcements (Pixeljam Games)