Star Conflict: Burrownauts Mixes Space Mining With Bullet-Heaven Base Defence
Star Conflict: Burrownauts has been revealed as a new action roguelite that sends the long-running space-combat series beneath the surface of ancient planetoids.
Developed and published by Targem Games, Burrownauts exchanges the large-scale fleet battles associated with Star Conflict for a single-player loop built around mining expeditions, ship upgrades and bullet-heaven base defence.
Players take the role of a space miner in a future where humanity has left Earth and depends on resources extracted from distant worlds. Each expedition begins by burrowing into a planetoid in search of rare materials, but getting the cargo out safely is only part of the job.
Once back on the surface, players will have to protect their base from waves of space bandits while keeping their ship’s key systems operational. The announcement trailer moves between comparatively methodical underground mining and much busier top-down battles, with enemies and projectiles rapidly filling the area around the player’s vessel.
That contrast appears to be the central idea behind Burrownauts. Time spent exploring and extracting resources feeds directly into the equipment needed to survive the next attack, while every successful return creates another opportunity to improve the operation.
Materials recovered during expeditions can be sold and invested in upgrades. Targem says players will be able to improve both their drilling rig and combat ship, as well as unlock new options for processing resources. Stronger equipment will then allow miners to take on increasingly dangerous missions and push farther into unexplored territory.
The roguelite structure means those expeditions are intended to form a repeatable cycle rather than a linear trip through fixed stages. Players will mine, defend, upgrade and set out again, gradually reaching tougher locations and uncovering traces of forgotten civilizations.
Although the format is substantially different, the new game remains connected to the wider Star Conflict universe. Familiar ships and technologies will return, but the perspective has shifted away from pilots fighting in open-space battles and towards the workers responsible for securing the resources that keep humanity’s colonies alive.
It is an interesting direction for the setting, especially after Targem announced the shutdown of the original Star Conflict earlier this year. Rather than attempting to recreate the MMO action game on a smaller scale, Burrownauts is using recognizable technology and lore as the foundation for a different genre.
The project also combines several systems that do not often share the same cockpit. Mining and resource management introduce a slower planning layer, while the surface encounters lean into the escalating enemy counts and automated firepower associated with bullet-heaven games. Monitoring damaged systems and protecting the base should prevent those battles from becoming purely an exercise in circling a horde.
Targem Games has not yet shown the full range of ships, upgrades or mission types, so it remains to be seen how much variety the expedition loop will support. The initial reveal nevertheless gives the game a clear identity: part mining run, part extraction challenge and part top-down survival battle.
Players will have an opportunity to see how those pieces fit together before release. Sign-ups are open for an upcoming Steam playtest, and the developer says participants will be free to publish reviews, videos and livestreams of their time with the game. Steam will notify selected players when Targem is ready to admit more testers.
Star Conflict: Burrownauts is in development for PC and is currently listed by Targem Games for release in 2027. Steam still marks the release date as “Coming soon,” so a more specific window has not yet been announced.
The game can be wishlisted and playtest access can be requested through its Steam page. Additional information is available from the official Targem Games website.
