With Stars Reach, an ambitious sandbox MMORPG launched in Early Access on August 18, 2026, on Steam. As so often, the expectations of genre fans collide with the reality on the servers.
How was the launch? Stars Reach went live punctually in the late afternoon of August 18, 2026 and immediately showed its previously communicated alpha side. The sandbox universe still feels quite raw in all areas. After 2 hours, for example, I hadn’t even seen my character model because it is buggy.
No matter whether it’s the UI, sound, animations, player guidance, graphics, movement through the world … there is still a lot of work ahead for the developers, and we haven’t even touched on the many contents that are not yet in alpha.
However, I found the weak performance of Stars Reach to be the biggest fun spoiler. Even at reduced settings, the MMORPG was constantly lagging. Normally, I can play current AAA blockbusters on my computer with maximum details. Yet, there wasn’t even that much happening on the servers.
“Don’t believe the game was ready to go into Early Access”
How is the community reacting? Although Raph Koster’s team (Ultima Online, Star Wars Galaxies) emphasized several times before the launch that Early Access would be an unfinished alpha version, many players are still surprised at how unfinished and raw Stars Reach actually is. Only 42 percent positive reviews on Steam and 697 simultaneous active players at peak (source: steamdb.info) underline this.
Our reader T4nnenhirsch writes, for example, under my news about the EA launch: “I’ve been following the game on Twitch… and what can I say? That was probably nothing! Early Access or not. I have no idea how they can release something like this to the public…”
The disappointment of players is also reflected in various current discussions on Reddit. One player asked, for example, why Stars Reach is currently being punished with a “review bombing”. He gets clear answers:
- Krandor1 explains on Reddit: “Are the reviews incorrect? I supported the project on Kickstarter and do not believe that the game was ready to go into Early Access. Once you switch to EA, you must meet a certain minimum quality for the game’s status.”
- Thaonnor agrees on Reddit as well: “The reviews are quite justified given the state of the game. Not that they had any other choice but to go into EA, but the game is not in a state where one could charge money for it.”
In another discussion on Reddit, a supporter of Stars Reach shares his playtest feedback, which he wrote to the developers before the EA launch. In it, he implores the team: “Please, don’t bring this to Early Access too soon, it will fail.” Apparently, nothing has changed regarding the issues observed during the playtest by the time of Early Access.
What is the problem with an early EA launch? I had already addressed this after the playtest of Scars of Honor: You only have one chance to make a strong “first impression,” and this is immensely important if you want to convince the community of your game.
Especially in the MMO sector, Early Access launches are never a PR gag that one might use to explain a few bugs, but in reality, one is finished. In this genre, fans encounter patchy alpha constructions. Potential may be recognizable, but games in this state often aren’t fun. Accordingly, many MMORPGs have been harshly criticized for their Early Access state in recent years.
Why do developers take this step? In most cases, the answer is: The studio needs new revenue sources. The development of MMORPGs is expensive and lengthy. Most attempts, however, never cross the finish line because eventually the money runs out.
By going into Early Access too early, you may risk the first impression, but at least you have the chance to turn the alpha into a beta and perhaps eventually even experience the final release.
Is everything bad with Stars Reach? Absolutely not. The potential is enormous. The complex simulations under the sandbox shell are fascinating. Even now, in this early form, it is appealing to explore the different planets, float through space, and play around with the terraforming tool and other instruments. If you want to learn more about what Stars Reach is ultimately supposed to offer, check here: The creators of Star Wars Galaxies want to reinvent MMOs, their new game impresses us mainly with one thing
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