Once Human: Starry Studios’s new open-world game is spooky and free to play.
A new survival game released Tuesday for PC is already proving popular, with more than 125,000 Steam players checking it out concurrently after its release. Once Human, which is free to play, is described by its publisher, Starry Studios, as a “post-apocalyptic open world survival game” in which players can “unite with friends to fight monstrous enemies, uncover secret plots, compete for resources, and build your own territory.”
Survival games are popular on PC platforms like Steam and this one joins titles such as Rust, Palworld, 7 Days to Die and Don’t Starve Together, some of which still draw close to 100,000 players at a time.
While user reviews are mixed so far on the multiplayer game, Once Human was much anticipated before launch, with about 15 million users preregistering for the PC version. A mobile version is in development as well.
What’s it about?
Once Human is a futuristic adventure game where a “cosmic invasion has transformed our world into a twisted nightmare.” A substance called Stardust has changed all living beings on Earth. As a Meta-Human, your character is bonded with the alien substance, giving you powers as you venture out alongside other survivors. Your mission is to “reclaim the old world” and give life to a dying world as humanity’s last hope.
The game’s vibe is haunting and surreal, with umbrella-headed creatures, bloody atriums, buses with giant spidery legs and a very spooky soundtrack.
How do I get started?
After you’ve started the game and adjusted your game settings, you can choose Enter Game or Select a Server, which takes you to the same menu of scenarios across a global menu of servers. The Novice servers offer two main options: Joint Construction, which is player versus enemy, or PvP — player versus player.
After a brief and creepy video introduction, you create a character with elaborate settings for face, hair and makeup, and body, and name your creation. When your game begins, you can start exploring, collecting resources and figuring out how to navigate each scenario. In addition to weapons, you have a melee attack, a flashlight, the ability to roll-dive and, after completing a task, access to a function wheel. A bar with your survival stats shows when you need water, food and other necessities.
By default, the F key is how you use items or investigate your surroundings. A yellow diamond points you to objectives you need to accomplish. The F6 key shows you a detailed Survival Manual that includes a World Map, a Building Wiki and tips for things like using your Gear Backpack and driving vehicles in the game.
The game’s developers say its structure will be season-based, in the same vein as other free-to-play hits like Fortnite.
“Each server only exists for a single season, and only has a single scenario,” the game’s launch FAQ says. “The content available on the server depends on its scenario. Every scenario offers different rules, environments, and stories to diversify your experience.”
At the end of a season, you can keep your resources, including blueprints, cosmetics, furniture formulas and weapon accessories.
Where is it available?
Once Human is available on Steam, Loading Bay and on the Epic Game Store, and its website has links and a QR code to preregister for mobile iOS and Android versions of the free-to-play game. The listed release date for the iOS version is Sept. 26, but that may change.
The PC version is about a 40.5 gigabyte download and as of this writing requires an additional 1.7GB patch download and a restart after you launch the game. It’s available in English, German, French, Japanese, Korean and traditional Chinese at launch, with plans to add Russian and Spanish by September.
Is the game cross-platform?
According to the game’s launch FAQ, Once Human is cross-platform, which means you’d presumably be able to use the same characters you create on future platforms such as iOS or consoles. However, the FAQ also says that, “cross-platform support is not available for some account types, such as Steam accounts, due to their inherent limitations.”
What are the PC requirements?
Minimum requirements for 1080p play:
OS: Windows 10 (64-bit)
CPU: Intel Core i5-4460
RAM: 8GB RAM
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 750 Ti, 4GB or AMD Radeon R9 270
DirectX: Version 11
Available storage space: 55GB
Recommended:
OS: Windows 10 (64-bit)
CPU: Intel Core i7-7700
RAM: 16GB RAM
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060, 6GB or AMD Radeon RX 580
DirectX: Version 11
Available storage space: 55GB solid-state drive
For 60fps performance:
OS: Windows 10 (64-bit)
CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F
RAM: 16GB RAM
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 3060 or AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT
DirectX: Version 11
Available storage space: 55GB SSD
