Starhopper
A space explorer for families on Roku, iPhone and iPad
Captain a small starship from Earth to the heart of the galaxy. Starhopper takes you through real stars, from Alpha Centauri and Sirius out to giant Betelgeuse, the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way and the star nursery of the Orion Nebula. Take jobs, answer strange signals, meet alien civilizations and outfly pirates.
Quick facts
- Platforms
- Roku TVs and streaming players; iPhone and iPad
- Ages
- Families and kids 9 and up; App Store 9+, all ages on Roku
- Price
- Free: no ads, no in-app purchases
- Stars
- 29 real star systems in three sectors
- Ships
- 32 ships and 77 parts to buy and fit
- Privacy
- No accounts, no chat, no tracking, no data collected
- Internet
- iPhone and iPad play offline; Roku downloads some sectors
- Made by
- Aurric Studios
Fly to real stars
- Start at Sol with a small ship and fly to 19 nearby stars, including Alpha Centauri, Barnard's Star, Wolf 359, Sirius, Procyon, Tau Ceti, Epsilon Eridani and TRAPPIST-1.
- Reach the giants of the Scutum sector, among them UY Scuti and the black hole Sagittarius A*, through the gate at Antares.
- Earn the rank of Fleet Admiral to open the gate at Rigel into the Orion Nebula: the Trapezium, Orion's Belt and Sigma Orionis.
- Scan planets, stations and stars for fact cards with real facts and public-domain photos.
How Starhopper plays
- Jobs: deliveries, cargo runs, passengers, bounties, escorts and surveys, each paid in credits, the game's only currency.
- Stories: 19 questlines and 91 signal events, some of them quizzes that pay for a right answer and teach the fact on a wrong one. Ada, the ship's guide, leads four story chapters.
- Civilizations: meet five, from the Starlight Survey to the Lumen who tend the Orion star nursery.
- Ships: trade up through 32 hulls, from the little Wren scout to civilization ships, and fit lasers, shields and engines.
- Battles: turn-based, with up to two wingmates, shield walls and hazards. Rise through seven ranks, from Cadet to Star Legend.
- Easy or Normal: Easy pays 10% more for jobs, gives free tows and turns on Ada's hints.
Questions families ask
What age is Starhopper for?
Starhopper is made for families and kids 9 and up who like space. It is rated 9+ on the App Store for mild cartoon space battles, and listed for all ages on Roku. Easy mode gives extra job pay, free tows and hints from Ada, the ship's guide.
Is Starhopper free?
Yes. Starhopper is free on Roku, iPhone and iPad, with no ads and no in-app purchases.
Are the stars real?
Yes. You fly to real stars and places such as Alpha Centauri, Barnard's Star, Sirius, Tau Ceti, TRAPPIST-1, Betelgeuse, Rigel, the black hole Sagittarius A* and the Orion Nebula. Planets, stations and stars have fact cards with real facts and public-domain photos. The stations, aliens and jobs are invented for the game.
Does Starhopper need the internet?
On iPhone and iPad it plays offline. On Roku, some star sectors download when you first reach them.
Does Starhopper have ads or collect data?
No ads, no accounts, no chat and no tracking, and no personal data is collected. Progress stays on the device. See our privacy policy.
Can more than one person play?
Up to four captains can each keep their own saved game on one device.
More for families: space and astronomy games for kids · kids games with no ads. Support: support@aurricstudios.com