Classic '90s space strategy games Star Control 1 & 2 land on Steam

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But Stardock recommends fan-made remaster if you want a more modern take.

The wait for Star Control: Origins, the revival of the 25-year old space strategy series, is a good chance to go back and play through the originals. Star Control 1 & 2 have been on GOG for a while and this week they also landed on Steam, bundled as Star Control: The Ur-Quan Masters. The second in particular is considered a classic with fantastic writing, plenty of role-playing and real-time space combat.

However, you'd be wise to take a breath before blasting off because there's a HD fan remake that the developers recommend if you're after a more modern approach. Developer Stardock, which is creating Origins, said:  "Get this [Steam] version of you want to see what the original 1992 game was like. Get the HD version if you want to see a modern remake of it."

That HD version is Ur-Quan Masters HD, which you can grab for free here. It's a comprehensive remake of Star Control 2 with new artwork, dialogue, and cut-scenes. You can also play it in the original graphics if that's your bag. 

Star Control: The Ur-Quan Masters is $3.99/£2.89 on Steam, compared to $5.99 on GOG. It's worth a look if you want the purest version of the original game, but definitely consider the fan-made remake first, because that might give you everything you're looking for.

As a reminder, Star Control: Origins is a prequel to the series, and a combat beta is due later this year. Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III, the creators of the original games, are also working on a direct sequel to Star Control 2.

Correction: I originally wrote that the fan-made remake of Star Control 2 also modded Star Control 1. That is not the case.

Samuel Horti
Samuel Horti

Samuel is a freelance journalist and editor who first wrote for PC Gamer nearly a decade ago. Since then he's had stints as a VR specialist, mouse reviewer, and previewer of promising indie games, and is now regularly writing about Fortnite. What he loves most is longer form, interview-led reporting, whether that's Ken Levine on the one phone call that saved his studio, Tim Schafer on a milkman joke that inspired Psychonauts' best level, or historians on what Anno 1800 gets wrong about colonialism. He's based in London.