A guided missile is closing in. A starbase is filling your escape route with fire. Somewhere in that mess is an opening — and you only need one good shot.
That’s the kind of moment we’ve been building toward. AstroKicker 1.0 is now available on Steam, marking the game’s full release out of Early Access. It brings together renewed combat encounters, updated Modern and Retro presentation, story films, configurable controls, and new reasons to return to a field you thought you had mastered.
At its heart, this is still a top-down arcade space shooter: you, the Mk19, and a dangerous route through 100 fields. But the most satisfying way through isn’t always to keep firing. Sometimes it’s to change your angle, turn an enemy’s weapon into a liability, or save your strongest attack for the moment the whole field opens up.
READ THE FIELD. MAKE YOUR MOVE.
A different kind of dogfight.
Starbases are more than something to circle while holding down the trigger. Take out a relay to expose a core. Silence a weapon turret. Shoot down an incoming missile before it reaches you. A pocket of mines can be a hazard, or the start of a chain reaction that carries your attack toward a turret.
Your fighter grows through the campaign as you collect weapons and upgrades. A well-timed Nova can clear a crowded fight, but spending it now means making the next approach without it. The best moments come when movement, timing, and the equipment you’ve earned work together.
50 SECONDS IN THE MK19
See the fight for yourself.
Our launch gameplay trailer gets straight to it: a Modern station attack, Retro crossfire, a Towline encounter, alternate weapons, and the pressure of an Insane-difficulty fighter swarm. This is the game in motion, with its HUD and recorded gameplay audio.
Trailer description
A Modern fighter passes through purple station fire and destroys the station. The action switches to Retro Level 95, then returns to a Towline snag and evasive flight. Spray Shot and V-Shot attacks cut across turrets and a ringed-planet backdrop. Retro firing lanes give way to a Modern fighter swarm on Insane difficulty. A final starbase explosion leads to the AstroKicker title and Play on Steam card. The soundtrack is recorded game music and combat effects; there is no added narration.
MODERN OR RETRO
Two ways to fly. One long fight.
Modern mode pairs detailed 3D ships with free-direction flight. Retro snaps your turns to eight directions and brings the battle into arcade pixels. Both take you through the 100-field campaign, with four difficulty settings to match the challenge you want.
The 1.0 release refreshes both sides of the game, including encounters, scenery, interface artwork, and mode-specific story scenes. You can watch or skip the films as you progress, then revisit the records and films you’ve earned in the Intel archive. There’s a story behind the mission; we’ll leave its discoveries to you.
THE CAMPAIGN’S CLOSING TEST
Six fields that ask more of you.
The final six fields put pursuit, interception, and demolition under pressure. Read the gaps in a barrage, deal with seekers, and decide where a Nova will do the most good. Getting there is an achievement; learning to make a cleaner run is another reason to come back.
Level 99 adds a particularly personal rival. Set a clean time, return in the same mode and difficulty, and race the ghost of your own run. The target is one you set yourself.
ANOTHER REASON TO TAKE OFF
24 new Flight Challenges.
The new Steam achievements encourage you to try something deliberate, risky, or just satisfying. Bring down two fighters with one Titanium shot. Bait a guided missile into an asteroid. Finish the final six fields on a single ship, or clear Level 100 without taking damage.
These are invitations to experiment with the combat, not just count your kills. Pick a challenge, choose your approach, and see what the Mk19 can do in your hands.
TO OUR EARLY ACCESS PILOTS
Welcome back to the cockpit.
If you already own AstroKicker, the 1.0 release is an update to the game in your Steam library. Returning pilots will find revised station fights and final-field encounters, refreshed presentation, replayable story material, and the new Flight Challenges.
Settle in with Gunslinger or Legacy controls, or make your own bindings with Custom. Then choose your mode, pick your difficulty, and take another run at the campaign.
Thank you to everyone who stuck with AstroKicker through Early Access. Reaching 1.0 is a milestone we’re excited to share with you. We’ll be watching the Steam discussions; if you hit a problem, tell us your game version, mode, control device, and what happened.
ASTROKICKER 1.0 / OUT NOW
Your ship is ready.
Take the Mk19 into the full release on Steam. The store widget below shows the current price and any active offer, so you can head straight to your next mission.
Visit AstroKicker on Steam