Chris InglisAstronomics is a space exploration and automation game developed by Numizmatic and launched on Steam early access on February 11, 2025. This is a wonderfully chill, yet surprisingly engaging experience centered around automated asteroid mining. It starts off manually intensive but you soon start to think, how can I automate this, and then work towards those goals which is very fulfilling.
From the moment you launch your freighter, you’re greeted with a beautifully stylised universe. The game’s aesthetic is calming and reminded me of the puzzle game Filament, and the soundtrack perfectly complements the serene atmosphere. The gameplay loop is deceptively simple: fly to asteroids, deploy your shuttle, and mine resources. But it’s the execution that makes Astronomics shine.
The physics-based flying from base to asteroids is a delightful touch. Navigating your shuttle through swarms of smaller asteroids, carefully adjusting your trajectory to avoid collisions before settling onto a larger rock, is genuinely enjoyable. Once you land on an asteroid, you have a time limit to collect as many resources as you can and get back to the ship before the asteroid leaves your orbit.
Initially, you’ll be doing a lot of the exploration and mining work manually as you break large nodes into smaller blocks that you need to trail back to the ship’s cargo hold. You’ll learn the hard way about the limitations of your robots’ battery life, the efficiency of your mining tools, and watching the clock. Those first few runs get you familiar with the controls, learning what the various resources look like so you can prioritise, and learning to use smaller worker bots to aid in collection.
You can complete contracts to earn currency, but there’s a balancing between fulfilling contracts and saving the resources to buy vital upgrades to your robots and your ship. After a few asteroid runs and you have upgraded some components, this is where Astronomics progression really comes into play. As you gather resources and experiment with different strategies, you start to see the potential for automation. You begin to map out upgrade paths, identify critical resources, and plan your mining operations with increasing efficiency.
The transition from manual labour and racing to get as many resources as you can but leaving some behind, to running an automated resource machine is incredibly satisfying as your plans come to fruition. Watching your carefully planned systems efficiently extract and transport resources is a testament to your strategic thinking. Each successful run feels like a small victory, a step closer to your ultimate goal of buying a ticket to Earth. The game is still in early access and currently contains the first three regions to explore which includes 12 asteroid classes. There are seven total regions planned, and new regions will be opened up over the early access period, so this is a game definitely worth following.
Despite being in early access, Astronomics has a unique blend of automation, exploration, and a calming atmosphere that makes it a gem to play and an easy recommend. If you’re looking for a game that allows you to relax, engage your analytical mind, and build a thriving resource empire, Astronomics is the perfect cosmic getaway.
This review utilised a key provided by Evolve PR and Astronomics is available now on Steam early access.
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