There is a certain kind of ambition that comes with building a game in space, and it is clear that Apog Labs is aiming high. For players who have spent hours tinkering in Space Engineers, wandering colorful alien landscapes in Astroneer, or charting distant systems in No Man’s Sky, the premise will feel familiar. Atmosfar is about exploration, engineering, and survival, but with its own twist, trading deep space for open skies and floating horizons. The best part is that we’ll be able to experience it soon during Steam Next Fest.

Atmosfar invites players to uncover the fate of humanity’s final outpost in an open world set on the alien world of Tycos. The game blends survival and exploration as players scavenge scrap, engineer flying vessels, and carry their base of operations through the skies. The world itself is shaped by its airborne geography, with strange flora and looming creatures adapted to life among the clouds, and players gradually improve their piloting skills as they navigate shifting winds and dangerous weather.

Central to the experience is a fleet of customizable aircraft known as Wasps, agile vessels that can zip forward at speed or hover. Each Wasp is built in one of four classes designed for specific roles, giving players flexibility in how they approach exploration. The Utility Wasp can deploy a foldable camp to establish a foothold in remote areas, while the Cargo Wasp is built to airlift heavy scrap needed for crafting. The Scout Wasp encourages discovery of new terrain, and the Fighter Wasp offers combat capabilities that can stun hostile threats in the skies.

Supporting these smaller craft is the Cloud Cruiser, a large and slower mobile airbase that serves as a traveling home. The Cruiser houses Wasps and their fuel in its hangar, provides a customizable lounge area for downtime, and can be piloted directly from the helm, allowing players to bring their entire operation with them as they journey across Tycos.

Up to four players can take part in cooperative multiplayer, camping together, flying in formation, or managing and upgrading the shared Cruiser as a team. Survival in Atmosfar revolves around extracting scrap from the environment and converting salvaged junk into usable parts for tools, modules, and consumables such as fuel. Gamers can expand their arsenal by manufacturing new equipment and enhancing vessel sections with the help of rare artifacts.

Customization plays a major role, as engines, hover components, hulls, decals, and paint jobs can all be swapped to suit different playstyles and aesthetic tastes. Resource management is equally important, with a life support system built into the player’s backpack that powers both character and tools, while machines must be fueled, maintained, and repaired to ensure readiness. Dynamic weather systems, ranging from harsh jet streams to violent rainstorms, turn every journey across the floating world into a calculated risk.

Developers are going to give players an early taste of Atmosfar with a downloadable demo that introduces the opening chapter. Players will be able to explore floating islands, deploy camps to create a temporary base of operations, and begin laying the groundwork for interstellar exploration. The demo will be available on Steam on February 23rd.