We may earn a commission when you buy through links in our articles. Learn more.

StarVaders melds deckbuilding and tactics, and you can try it now

StarVaders is a new game that combines turn-based tactics and Slay the Spire's deckbuilding, and it has a new demo coming to Steam soon.

Card games have been prevalent for a while now, the last few years giving us everything from Balatro to Marvel Snap and deckbuilding forming a design basis for games ranging from the superhero combat of Marvel’s Midnight Suns to the eerie, constantly twisting narrative of Inscryption. This doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon, with the latest example of a card based project coming in the form of StarVaders, a roguelike tactics game endorsed by Balatro creator LocalThunk that’s set to follow up its existing demo with a brand new one in the very near future.

Presented through punchy cartoon visuals and driving, arcade-style music, StarVaders is a card game that sees a group of heroes piloting mechs to fight off an alien invasion. The combat takes the form of turn-based tactical battles fought on a grid, players using abilities from their deck to face off against enemies.

It includes an array of different mechs and mech pilots, each with their own selection of cards and their own mechanics, a ton of cards to unlock and use to modify the game from run to run, as well as a time-rewinding feature reminiscent of fellow robots versus aliens tactics game Into the Breach. StarVaders’ existing demo is already grabbing attention, too, with the game’s Steam page quoting Balatro maker LocalThunk as saying its full version will be “a must-play” and urging players to “keep your eyes on this one!”

YouTube Thumbnail

A StarVaders demo is currently available on Steam, with a new sampling of the game set to launch on October 7. You can find its page right here.

In the meantime, you can also head over to our favorite turn-based strategy games and roguelike games on PC for other options.

For daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, follow us on Google News, and download the PCGN deals tracker so you don’t miss out on any PC gaming deals.