Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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Colony Ship is a turn-based, party-based role-playing game set aboard a generation ship launched to Proxima Centauri. The game features a detailed skill-based character system, multiple ways to handle quests, choices & consequences, and branching dialogue trees.
Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game is a turn-based, tactical rpg and choices matter game
developed and published by Iron Tower Studio.
Released on November 09th 2023 is available in English only on Windows.
It has received 3,230 reviews of which 2,833 were positive and 397 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.4 out of 10. 😎
The game is currently priced at 39.99€ on Steam.
The Steam community has classified Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game into these genres:
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System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS *: Windows 7/Windows 8/Windows 10
- Processor: 2 GHz Processor or better
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia Geforce GTS 450 / Radeon HD 4870 or better
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 17 GB available space
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Meh It took me 12 hours to complete and candidly I think this is a very mixed bag. It's pretty novel in it's setting - a dying spaceship - and the narrative of trying to get to a new world was also well-done. There's some decent skill trees and the overall story is original. That was enough to keep me going but I don't have any desire to go through it again. The game systems have been done before and better by other games and the narrative wasn't particularly clear or compelling. Let's start out with one of the bigger issues - the story isn't well presented and I honest to God didn't understand even the basic factions until a number of hours in the game. They're just so generic sounding - Brotherhood, Protectors, Church - that they never really registered as separate factions. I was completing quests without really understanding who/what I was completing them for. This really hurt my enjoyment of the game. I honestly was going from quest to quest in the log to complete them without any real understanding of why I was trying to do those things. I'd get more out of the story the 2nd time around but the game needs a far better summary or a primer to fundamentally understand the player's place in this universe. These factions aren't well written either as they're mostly one-note and boring. They each have an entirely superficial theme but their goal of accumulating power is the exact same. There's very little to separate them when they essentially do the same things and they're just all about faction politics. It makes for a boring choice in deciding who to align with and I ultimately sided with a 4th late-game faction simply because I knew less about them. That's just bad world-building as compared to factions in something like New Vegas, where there were significant differences in the batch of bad choices. Even Fallout 4's factions are miles better than these. Maps can be hard to traverse with doors you have to clock on to enter or crates to click on to hurdle, so you just can't walk across the map. There's no mini-map in the game though thankfully there's an instant-travel to many points. That's also a bit of a problem because sometimes the graphics aren't clear as to what is a "real" path you can take and what is just fluff. On the plus side, each area is distinctly different which adds visual variety. There are difficulty spikes that are very challenging but I'll give major props that there's usually multiple ways to solve a problem. I used lockpicking and electronics a LOT because I didn't find combat satisfying (more on that later). There's a lot of loot but most of it is totally meaningless with few truly substantial upgrades. There's not even really decent descriptions of systems (ex ex. armor goes from 4 to 5 - what does that even mean?). If it sounds a bit janky, that's because it is. Combat is quite difficult at times there's a scarcity of certain ammo types, meaning you're often having to use your backup weapons. I don't find that challenging, I find it annoying. Some quests have vague descriptions and a ran into a couple of quests that I somehow apparently broke. Your companions are 100% faceless - they're there to be bullet sponges. I think I'd like combat better if the systems were better explained and the combat arena environments more varied. As it was, in most situations it seemed the enemy had boxes to hide behind and we started combat in an open area. Like almost every time. I didn't have any characters that used stealth (it was the one skill tree I didn't have someone focusing on) and maybe that would change things up. But I didn't find combat all that inspiring. Visuals are not good. You don't buy this game for the visuals. Textures are muddy and lighting isn't good. I've already mentioned the maps can be confusing as well. Nor do you buy it for the audio as the music is pretty annoying and there aren't voices. Production values aren't the thing here. So when it comes down to it, for me this just wasn't a memorable experience because the unclear start left me guessing for much of it. By the time I got it, I was too far into the game and so my choices felt like they didn't matter. The visuals, combat, systems and environments aren't enough to make up for the unclear narrative. The systems have all been done before and far better by other games. The writing isn't amazing, it's competent. That left the setting, which is interesting enough to be compelling. If you're going to buy this, either you're a massive old-school RPG fan (in which case you already have it) or you're better off waiting for a very steep sale (50% or greater).
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Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game is a dense, unforgiving descent into a future where humanity’s last remnants cling to survival inside a colossal generation ship drifting between stars. Iron Tower Studio approaches this world with a stark, almost oppressive realism. There are no grand vistas, no hopeful utopias, and no guiding hand meant to steer you toward victory. Instead, the game thrusts you into the narrow corridors, rusted bulkheads, and suffocating political tensions of a society that has been trapped in metal for centuries. Its world feels authentically worn: every settlement, faction, and corridor is weighed down by decaying machinery, inherited grudges, failed rebellions, and the dreadful realization that most inhabitants will never live to see landfall on another world. This bleak backdrop becomes the stage for a story that prioritizes nuance over spectacle, forcing the player to navigate moral ambiguity and existential despair as part of everyday survival. The game’s character system is intricate and deeply old-school, inviting players to build not a power fantasy but a fragile, flawed human whose skills matter significantly more than their gear. Every point invested in attributes or proficiencies results in real consequences, shaping how conversations unfold, how exploration feels, and whether combat becomes survivable or nearly impossible. True to Iron Tower’s design philosophy, there is no universal build that performs well in all situations. A silver-tongued diplomat may talk their way out of conflicts but crumble instantly in combat, while a hardened fighter might win battles but struggle to unlock safer or more subtle solutions. Even outside combat, the ship’s harsh environment ensures that choices made during character creation reverberate throughout the entire playthrough, adding a weight and permanence rarely found in modern RPGs. Combat itself is tense, tactical, and unforgiving. The turn-based battles emphasize positioning, cover, and careful resource management far more than brute aggression. Mistakes are punished quickly, sometimes fatally, reinforcing the idea that every hostile encounter is dangerous rather than routine. Success in combat often hinges less on luck and more on preparation, thoughtful use of party synergies, and a deep understanding of the game’s systems. When things go well, the satisfaction is immense; when things go wrong, it feels like a natural result of the ship’s hostile environment rather than unfair design. Yet the game never confines the player to violence as the only path. Many situations encourage alternative solutions—diplomacy, stealth, manipulation, or alliance-building—though none are guaranteed to work smoothly, underscoring the unpredictability of dealing with desperate people in a closed, failing ecosystem. Exploration reinforces this feeling of danger and discovery. The ship is divided into regions that each carry their own identity, scars, and history. Walking through the Pit, the Habitat, the Factory, or the remnants of destroyed sections reveals a society fragmented into isolated pockets of survival, each with its own power players and agendas. The lack of a rotatable camera and minimalist presentation might initially seem like limitations, but they serve the atmosphere: every map layout feels deliberate, funneling you through tight corridors, chokepoints, and derelict areas that make the world feel claustrophobic and lived-in. As you traverse these environments, you encounter remnants of past conflicts, decaying technology, and ongoing factional struggles that speak to centuries of desperation. The setting itself gradually becomes a character—one that is unforgiving, indifferent, and filled with stories that weren’t meant to have happy endings. The narrative and faction dynamics form the heart of the experience. Colony Ship does not rely on cinematic flair or voice acting to convey its story; instead, it excels in evocative writing, morally complex characters, and difficult choices that rarely offer clean resolutions. Every faction is shaped by deeply held philosophies rooted in the circumstances of life aboard the ship. Whether dealing with zealots, rebels, technocrats, or opportunists, you are constantly reminded that every group has its own justification born from the same struggle to survive. The quests often present multiple viable approaches, but each solution feels like a trade-off—gaining someone’s trust might alienate another, and a peaceful resolution might foreclose future tactical opportunities. The complexity of the political landscape ensures that your decisions feel consequential, not because the game promises sweeping, cinematic results, but because every choice subtly shifts alliances, opportunities, and future paths. While the game’s design is ambitious and thoughtfully implemented, it does come with limitations that reflect its niche, hardcore focus. The static camera and utilitarian visuals can feel outdated, and those who expect modern presentation or accessibility features may find the experience harsh or unpolished. Stealth, while present, is inconsistent and not as fluid as other systems, sometimes leading to situations where a stealth-oriented approach feels underdeveloped compared to combat or dialogue. The lack of voice acting and reliance on text-driven storytelling may not appeal to players accustomed to fully voiced narratives. Yet these choices are less flaws than they are intentional design decisions: the game prioritizes depth, agency, and consequence over spectacle, leaning fully into the identity of a demanding CRPG built for players who value complexity over convenience. For those willing to embrace its unforgiving nature, Colony Ship becomes immensely rewarding. Its world feels cohesive, its challenges meaningful, and its narrative grounded in the human struggle for purpose in a place where purpose is difficult to find. Few RPGs capture the feeling of being trapped in a failing society as effectively as this one, and fewer still provide the freedom to carve out your own identity within it. Each playthrough offers new possibilities, new alliances, and new failures, creating a cycle of exploration and discovery that encourages experimentation and replayability. By the time you finish, the experience leaves a lingering impression—not of triumph, but of survival, compromise, and the understanding that in a harsh world, victories are often narrow and hard-earned. Colony Ship stands as a rare example of a role-playing game that refuses to coddle its players, rewarding those who meet its challenges with a rich, thoughtful, and engrossing journey through humanity’s bleak future. Rating: 8/10
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A very well made CRPG in the age of very few CRPGS being released. It clearly samples from sci-fi pop-culture, including the glorious Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, making it a good pick for anyone who's a fan of that genre. Set on a generational colony ship, you deal with less than ideal conditions - You weren't there for the launch, for the age when the ship ran properly, and you weren't there for the mutiny. You were born after society on the ship collapsed, and rely on a marginalised community that salvages what limited supplies were brought on the trip merely to survive on a daily basis. The game features a multitude of factions that you can side with, sabotage, and make use of, each of which stems from past conflicts and successes. The factions tend to represent interpretations of stagnant and hypocritical versions of themselves, which is an interesting take on tropes that otherwise would have been common. Can someone be considered a revolutionary when they no longer revolt against anything? Can they be considered dedicated to a mission they've never contributed to? All of the ideologies are jaded, and matters of faith, even in the church-specific faction, tend to be cynical. This all creates for an interesting narrative dynamic where your usual RPG actions serve a delicate balance between serving yourself, sabotaging the very limited ecosystem you rely upon (it is just a space ship after all, not an entire planet), and protecting that very same ecosystem and the goal it serves. Mechanically, the game's skill system is similar to skyrim's in that you can only level up skills by tutor, or by using the skill itself. This becomes an issue due to how few opportunities there are to do this, because it means that, in order to reach higher levels with the skill, you have to use it every single opportunity you get. If you plan to use the steal skill even once in the later game, you *must* act as a horrific kleptomaniac for the entire game up until that point. This creates an ongoing issue where you really kind of need to pick your style of play through and limit your role-play opportunities, because it extends to combat skills as well. Every time you solve an issue with speech, you've lost out on combat stats and vice versa. There are ways to work around this, but it can become a brutal slippery slope, especially considering that at least one fight in the later game becomes mandatory if you have a team, since the only way to avoid it is to stealth passed it (not feasible for four characters). That said, despite this issue detracting from the role-playing experience, the game still plays very well, and it can be mitigated by deciding on a character type before beginning a play through. If I had any other complaints/nitpicks, it would probably just be that despite Christianity being a central theme of the space station, there isn't really a single instance of faith, making it come across as a purely secular interpretation of the religion - lots of inappropriate out-of-context quotes of scripture, dogmatism, and confident ravings, but no faith - it's as if every character has tongue-in-cheek agreed to quietly not believe in the central religion of the station. It's odd, because the setting is a fantastic opportunity for it - a setting of absolute hardship with little to no material hope offered. Overall, I'd still highly recommend this game if you're a fan of RPGs. It manages to be both fun and engaging, with a great deal to explore, and in my opinion, also manages to be a beautiful game overall.
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The only good Fallout game that neither Avellone nor Cain worked on. If you're reading this and you're a crypto millionaire, buy 40000 copies so I can get a sequel.
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A short memorable experience with an amazing setting, interesting gameplay and a lot of replayability <3 The Colony Ship, as well as the other games from Iron Tower, seems to be born of conflict. Every time I play them, I feel like their developers are Disco Elysium-tier writers who are willingly "trapped" making gameplay-first RPGs. Colony Ship has an amazingly imaginative setting the type I've never seen before; gripping and succinct prose; and a fascinatingly cynical "author voice" that colours every political or religious interaction. However, Colony Ship also very much feels like it tries to distance itself from these positives - by focusing on quite hardcore stat-based combat, instead of characters and plot itself. The main 4 party members are very much underwritten and kind of boring (aside from my boy Evans - he's always hilarious in his simplicity). The plot seems to run out of budget at the last 5 % of the game and becomes really dull around that time (while introducing amazingly intriguing factions and "lore"). In addition - I played this game as a talking/no implant character that largely tried to avoid fighting - and the "talking-jutsu" gameplay looked hilarious, especially closer to the end. And that was the most compelling part for me in this experience - why does this persuasion-style gameplay exists in this form? Or in the game at all? It seems like the devs clearly want it to be an option (and many advertise it as an "easy mode"), but in-game it looks hilarious. "Hey, I must warn you, I'm not much of a fighter" - the dialogue option will say, and the important, serious character will answer: "Don't worry - go and do some slightly related errand/small talk while we kill the antagonist we hyped up before" . Aside from the Black Hand one, all conversation boss fights felt somewhat ridiculous - like they were put in as a joke. And if persuasion-style gameplay is as viable as the incredible combat, why is it like 1000 times less complex? It is ALWAYS the same: pick one of the options with the highest possible number in brackets next to it, and then pick it again. It would be fine in a usual RPG, but here - in a game that has multiple achievements like "Didn't fight anyone in this chapter" - I expected something more. Because the devs of this game like to read feedback, I'll even throw my hat into the ring as a writer and a tabletop game designer with these 3,5 proven solutions if Persuasion gameplay is to stay in the future games: 1.) Wrath of the Righteous and Pillars of Eternity way of hiding skill checks' names in the dialogue options. Some dialogue options just don't appear if your skill is not high enough, and every dialogue has some weak options that raise the disposition just a bit; 2.) Disco Elysium and Pentiment way of far, far more disposition modifiers with some successful skill checks actually lowering disposition. If it is possible, also have multiple dialogue options for every skill. After all - writing is the cheapest (and for many - the most important) part of gamedev, and writing arguments tends to be pretty easy in my experience; 3.) Make conversations harder to "win" and add partial successes . The "all or nothing" approach is really unrealistic and frankly - boring/savescum provoking. What about concessions - the meat and potatoes in most arguments? Some dialogues in the first part of the game have opportunities to compromise, but only if you actually fail to raise the disposition and it is far too rare. I know that adding new outcomes puts strain on the budget, but they can be very small. Like the character might not send his forces to support you, but instead give you some supplies. Maybe, instead of giving something, they will sell it to you or just throw some info your way. And this is the only budgetary-conscious way - it can be so much more. 4.) And a bonus option: actually gamify the process of persuasion . Maybe a deckbuilding minigame, in which your skills determine how many cards of certain persuasion styles your character can use to raise the disposition and counter the opponents' arguments. Maybe a simpler final percentage-based style roll (hidden disposition) that you use at any point of the conversation that depends on how well you argued beforehand and how much time you spent on the argument. Sorry for being vague; I'm sure it can be designed far more in depth. Sorry for this "intermission" that took more than half of the review <3 Overall, I liked the game a lot and will replay it as a basic SMG-wielding fighter at the first opportunity. It is charming (for anyone from a post-Soviet background), well-written for the most part, and very thought-provoking. I hope that one day Iron Tower's games can break the "cult classic" glass sealing and shine into the CRPG mainstream - Colony Ship is a great step on this journey <3
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Frequently Asked Questions
Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game is currently priced at 39.99€ on Steam.
Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 39.99€ on Steam.
Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game received 2,833 positive votes out of a total of 3,230 achieving a rating of 8.44.
😎
Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game was developed and published by Iron Tower Studio.
Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game is playable and fully supported on Windows.
Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game is not playable on MacOS.
Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game is not playable on Linux.
Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game is a single-player game.
Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game does not currently offer any DLC.
Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game does not support Steam Remote Play.
Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.
You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game.
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Last Updates| Steam data | 14 April 2026 03:18 |
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| SteamSpy data | 21 April 2026 09:23 |
| Steam price | 21 April 2026 12:45 |
| Steam reviews | 21 April 2026 12:00 |
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- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game
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Game modes
Features
Online players
29
Developer
Iron Tower Studio
Publisher
Iron Tower Studio
Release
09 Nov 2023
Platforms