StarMade combines elements of Minecraft, EVE and Elite for voxel-based space adventure

StarMade combines two of the more notable trends in PC gaming this year: voxels and game titles containing the word "Star". Like the similarly named Star Citizen, it aims to give the player a big chunk of space to explore, mine and fight through. But instead of incredibly detailed designs, it uses chunky, Minecraftian cubes - giving the player a set of space Lego with which to build ships and create space stations.

Much like Minecraft, the worlds are procedurally generated - with the flat planets each appearing to be a different biome. The game also supports multiplayer servers, where players can collaborate on projects, do battle, or share control of their ships. AI can also be created, using special blocks to define behaviour.

StarMade is currently in alpha, and can be downloaded for free . The Steam Greenlight page is available here . Not that there's any pressing need to vote - it's already been greenlit by the community.

Thanks, RPS .

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.