Space and astronomy games for kids
Kids who love space want to go there. A good space game lets them fly between real stars, learn what makes each one special, and make their own decisions as captain. That's the game we built.
Starhopper: fly to real stars
A free space explorer for Roku, iPhone and iPad. Start at Sol with a small ship, take delivery and passenger jobs to earn credits, and fly out to the stars. No ads, no purchases.
Real places kids visit
- Our neighbours: Alpha Centauri, Barnard's Star, Wolf 359, Lalande 21185, Sirius, Procyon, Epsilon Eridani, Tau Ceti, Epsilon Indi and 61 Cygni.
- Famous stars: Vega, Fomalhaut, Aldebaran, the Pleiades, Betelgeuse, Rigel, Antares and the TRAPPIST-1 system.
- The giants: UY Scuti, Stephenson 2-18 and the RSGC1 cluster, and Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way.
- The Orion Nebula: the Trapezium star nursery, the belt stars Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka, Bellatrix and Sigma Orionis.
What kids learn along the way
- Each planet, station and star has a fact card with real facts and a public-domain photo.
- Quiz signals pay credits for a right answer and teach the fact on a wrong one.
- Planning routes, fuel and cargo is gentle maths and budgeting: credits are the only currency.
- Easy mode adds hints from Ada, the ship's guide, so younger captains don't get stuck.
Questions families ask
Is there a space game for kids that uses real stars?
Yes. In Starhopper, kids captain a starship to real stars such as Alpha Centauri, Barnard's Star, Sirius, Tau Ceti, TRAPPIST-1, Betelgeuse and Rigel, and to the black hole Sagittarius A* and the Orion Nebula. Each place has a fact card with real facts and a public-domain photo.
What age is Starhopper for?
Kids 9 and up, and it plays well with a parent alongside. It is rated 9+ on the App Store for mild cartoon space battles and listed for all ages on Roku.
Is Starhopper educational?
It is an adventure first, with real astronomy along the way: real star names and positions, fact cards, and quiz signals that pay for a right answer and explain a wrong one. The stations, aliens and jobs are made up for the game.
Is Starhopper free?
Yes, on Roku, iPhone and iPad, with no ads and no in-app purchases.