Minima Space Rex
Build a small star empire in a big, cosy galaxy. Explore, settle new worlds and write your folk's story among the stars.
Grow a star system from a seed
In the game, a seed grows a whole galaxy, and the same seed always grows the same one. Share a good seed and your friends explore it too.
What you'll do
Minima Space Rex is real-time space strategy you can pause at any moment, made small enough to learn in an evening.
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Every galaxy grows from a seed
Type any words or roll a seed like COSY-OTTER-4821. Stars, starways and planets all grow from it, up to 400 systems.
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Make your own folk
Pick from ten kinds of folk, from furry critters and mushroom folk to rock folk and robots. Choose their traits, values, backstory and flag, or start as one of eight ready-made empires.
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Colonies you can read at a glance
Build districts and buildings, give your folk jobs and keep them happy. Hover over any number to see exactly where it comes from.
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Research by the card
Each time you choose research, you pick one of three cards. Rare finds turn up now and then, so no two games take the same path.
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Stories between the stars
Surveys turn up strange anomalies, events ask you to choose, and space is home to comet-moths, star-snails and one very territorial lantern jelly.
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Rivals and friends Being built
Other empires with their own personalities. Trade with them, form alliances, or send your fleets to settle things.
- Play
- Single-player, real time with pause
- Platform
- PC (Windows), with Mac and Linux planned
- Release
- Steam Early Access, date to come
- Mods
- Built to be mod-friendly from day one
How far along it is
Minima Space Rex is being built in the open. Five of the eight stages before Early Access are done.
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DoneFoundations
Crisp pixel scaling, the palette and fonts, and mod-ready content files.
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Done
The galaxy
Seeds, stars, starways and hand-shaded planets, drawn fresh for every galaxy.
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Done
Your empire
Colonies, ships, surveying and settling: the first playable loop.
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Done
Making your folk
Species, traits, values, backstories, flags and leaders.
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Done
Progress and stories
Research cards, heritage books, events, anomalies and space creatures.
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Up nextRivals
Other empires, diplomacy, fleets and battles.
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LaterEndgame and polish
Saving, victory, a late-game crisis, art and sound, then a public demo.
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Later
Early Access
Launch on Steam, then keep building with players.
Last updated 26 September 2026.
Hear when the demo lands
Get an email when there's something to play, plus the odd update along the way. No spam, and you can leave whenever you like.
We only use your email to send news about Minima Space Rex. See the privacy notice.
Questions
When can I play it?
There's no date yet. The plan is a free demo first, then Steam Early Access. Join the mailing list and you'll hear as soon as there's something to play.
Which platforms will it be on?
PC (Windows) first, on Steam. Mac and Linux builds are planned, and GOG and the Epic Games Store after the full release. Controller and Steam Deck support are planned after launch.
Is there multiplayer?
No, Minima Space Rex is single-player. That keeps it relaxed: pause whenever you like and play at your own pace.
Can I mod it?
Yes, that's the plan. The game's content lives in plain data files built to be modded, with a mods menu planned for Early Access and Steam Workshop support later.
Will there be a Kickstarter?
Possibly, once there's a playable demo to show. Mailing list members will hear about it first.
Is AI used to make it?
Yes, and we'd rather say so up front. The game is designed and directed by one developer, and the code is written with help from Claude, an AI coding assistant. The planets are drawn by code, the fonts and palette are open-licensed work by human artists, and there's no AI-generated art in the game.
Who's making it?
Deus Ludi, a one-person indie studio in the UK.