Review: Is Spacelords Worth Playing?

Game Overview.

Single Player Content.

Players can play any mission solo; however, they are unable to level their character or learn new blueprints, making it an entirely fruitless endeavour for those who are looking for more than the ability to play the game and learn more about the world through pre-mission cutscenes and in-game dialogue.

Spacelords FAQ

Spacelords is a free-to-play first person shooter game developed and published by MercurySteam, it released on 22 September 2017, and is available on PC, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.

Are The Developers Active?

As of October 2023, the developers have maintained near-complete radio silence since December 2021, and it’s possible that Spacelords will receive no further updates.

How Many People Play Spacelords?

Spacelords’ one saving grace is full crossplay between PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, and while each of these platforms only has a small player base combined, it does allow matchmaking to perform “adequately” at peak times and “better than nothing” at off-peak times.

While PlayStation and Xbox do not give players online statistics, it would be reasonable to assume Spacelords fares a little better on console, with console communities generally faring better than their PC counterparts.

Still, even if we are talking about a combined console community that is ten times the size of the PC player base, we are talking about very low numbers, with off-peak lows of 50–75 and peak highs of 300–500 players online.

Is Spacelords Dead?

While we don’t know how many people are playing on console, the PC community is dead without crossplay being enabled, with an average active user count of just five players for much of the day.

Is Cross-Platform Multiplayer Supported?

Spacelords supports:

• ☑ Cross-Platform Multiplayer
• ☑ Cross-Platform Parties
• ☑ Cross-Generational Multiplayer
• ☑ Cross-Generational Parties
• ☑ Cross-Platform Progression

Is There Group Finding/Matchmaking Support?

Spacelords offers the following matchmaking options:

• ☑ Region-Based Matchmaking
• ☑ Solo Matchmaking
• ☑ Group Matchmaking

Are There In-Game Microtransactions?

The Spacelords in-game store sells:

• ☑ Cosmetic Items
• ☑ Cosmetic Item Bundles
• ☑ Premium Currency Bundles
• ☑ Pay for Convenience Items

What Peripherals Are Supported?

Spacelords supports the following peripherals:

• ☑ Console - Controller
• ☑ PC - Controller
• ☑ PC - Mouse and Keyboard

Is There Any Mature Content?

Spacelords is rated PEGI 16+ and contains:

• ☑ Bad Language
• ☑ Partial Nudity
• ☑ Sexual Content
• ☑ Violence

Final Verdict.

Not really? Spacelords is genuinely odd; despite combat being an essential element of gameplay, it feels rushed and unrewarding and could be easily assumed to be the by-product of a title where more developer attention was given to creating bizarrely sexualised player characters with overly defined glutes than actually creating a game that people want to play.

Both male and female player characters have very revealing or skin-tight outfits that go beyond sexy into the territory of entirely tasteless, especially when you consider the nightmarish “Bleeding Edge” style aesthetic that makes all characters look like leftovers from a 1970s adult animation.

I understand the developers wanting to try something different, but with both male and female characters being well-endowed, it makes what should be an exciting sci-fi experience into a cringe-inducing one.

If the gameplay loop or combat mechanics were engaging, then I could overlook the visual and design faux pas that plague Spacelords; unfortunately, this is not the case, and as a result, I cannot recommend Spacelords.

Is Spacelords Worth Playing?

We found Spacelords to be a poor game, meaning that while it has some redeeming qualities, it's ultimately disappointing and not recommended for most gamers.