Whoever misses the original Minecraft should absolutely try this new survival game on steam

On June 8, 2026, survival fans can find a new game on steam: Solarpunk is finally releasing. MeinMMO editor Sophia Weiss has played the game and says: It feels like the OG Minecraft.

During my time as a gamer, I have played quite a few Punk games: For example, I have roamed the gloomy Night City in Cyberpunk 2077 and sliced my way through steampunk horror worlds in Alice: Madness Returns. Over the last few days, I was able to play a significantly less gloomy Punk representative: Solarpunk.

The game is released today, June 8, for PC via Steam and Epic, Xbox X/S, PS5, and for Nintendo Switch 2. The survival game comes from the German game studio Cyberware and is published by rokaplay and Metaroot.

While Cyberpunk, Steampunk, Dieselpunk, and co. are all rather dark, (post-)apocalyptic and also somewhat spooky, Solarpunk is an incredibly optimistic genre. But can a real survival game work in such a setting? Yes, it can. Is Solarpunk – the game – already the perfect representative of this genre mix? Well, it’s complicated.

Solarpunk is Zelda, but Link never left the tutorial

In Solarpunk you start – as is tradition – with almost empty inventory on an abandoned island and begin to explore. What follows is the classic survival routine: collect stones and sticks, craft an axe, chop down trees, make more tools, grow berries, set up your first house…

Just like a real survival game.

Then comes the unique setting: The spawn island does not simply float in the sea but flies in a vast blue sky. There is simply no ground to be seen. In the distance, you can spy more floating chunks of earth. There are also no human NPCs, but so far within my current run, only a silent robot with whom I can trade.

All in all, the first few hours of Solarpunk remind me a lot of the tutorial of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. If Link had just settled on the floating islands, he probably would have done similar things to what I am doing now in Solarpunk.

The first elements of the titular genre appear as soon as you repair your first airship and fly around with it. With blueprints, you unlock a special workbench that allows you to craft technology. Included: solar panels.

These replace the wooden furnaces with which you had previously operated sprinklers, ore drills, and co. Later in the game, according to the trailer, flying wind turbines will be added. This way, you can power your entire farm with green, infinite energy. And those who want to ensure that grinding continues automatically at night can simply connect a battery that provides the necessary energy when the sun is not shining.

Building and decorating your own house is also a lot of fun! I love that I can craft, place, and even hang various potted plants. All the furniture looks very comfortable. You can also create various decorations, such as said plants or bowls of fruit and pictures.

Overall, Solarpunk offers a well-rounded gameplay experience with a fundamentally normal survival loop, including the standard wood-chopping grind at the start. Just with seemingly endless optimism.

For an impression of the mentioned optimism, just click on the pictures:

Survival like in OG Minecraft – But without teeth

I have invested a little over 12 hours in Solarpunk. Recently, I unlocked animal husbandry and breeding, and the third upgrade for my airship is imminent. According to the Steam page, the majority of the content and unlockable crafting recipes should be reachable in about 20 hours, so I don’t have much longer.

However, I miss something that every survival game actually needs: Teeth.

Traditionally, I also have to eat and quench my thirst in Solarpunk. There is also a health indicator. In my opinion, it is superfluous as there are no opportunities to take damage. There are no monsters. There are not even vicious wild animals. The only damage I have taken so far is fall damage.

The gameplay loop is basically: explore a new island, farm newly discovered resources, unlock crafting recipes, trade with the robot, unlock new items for automation, and then upgrade the airship to visit new islands. Rinse and Repeat.

Solarpunk doesn’t want to be more than that – the developers even write this in a very clear Before you Buy section on Steam. The focus is on gentle survival with a lot of creative freedom within the sandbox. A true cozy game that I have been enjoying on my balcony thanks to a very good Steam Deck version over the last few evenings.

Overall, it actually reminds me a lot of the original Minecraft: Back then, I also built, explored, and farmed resources during the day. Because I dutifully went to bed in-game at night, I also never saw monsters, unless I wanted to actively farm their drops.

A Bit of Complaining at a High Level, Please!

With no external threats in that sense, aside from harvest-destroying thunderstorms, I would wish for a bit more depth elsewhere. For example, more complexity in the in-game technology.

In lengthy discussions with my friends from Live Action Role Playing, we have intensely explored mobile solar panels. They produce the most energy when they are perfectly aligned with the sun. In cloudy weather or indirect sunlight, performance decreases.

In Solarpunk, solar panels generate the same amount of energy as long as it is day – no matter how they are oriented. This makes the game easier, but my biased brain initially had a hard time believing it.

So don’t expect a game that allows you to min-max. I did try to fit as many square beds as possible into the round watering areas that the sprinklers cover, but whether I always got the most out of it, like I would try to do in Factorio or Stardew Valley, I don’t know.

I also see missed potential in terms of education: With a bit more complexity than just put the necessary resources in and I will spit out your finished device, many things could be explained: How exactly do solar panels work, electric circuits, or batteries?

But that’s complaining at a high level.

Solarpunk is ultimately exactly what it wants to be: a relaxed survival game with a cheerful setting. Those who miss the original Minecraft and, like me, usually skip the night will feel very comfortable here. Those who have been put off by the mine in Stardew Valley will feel the same.

Those who need mechanical depth, a dark setting, or even a story should skip this. Not every game has to be for everyone. Perhaps the latest game tested by editorial colleague Benedict Grothaus is something for those gamers: Romestead looks like a pixelated survival game, after 15 hours I now know: it’s much more