Star Trek has had its fair share of ups and downs in gaming, but Voyager – Across the Unknown may well be one of the boldest attempts yet. Rather than sticking to action or space combat alone, it blends survival strategy, rogue-lite design, and narrative choice into a single package, putting the fate of the iconic starship into the player’s hands. Developed by Gamexcite and published by Daedalic, this upcoming title aims to let fans not just relive Voyager’s seven-year journey, but reshape it entirely. At Gamescom, we had the chance to see an early build, and it quickly became one of the most memorable sessions of the show.
What we know
Across the Unknown casts players as the one responsible for guiding the U.S.S. Voyager home from the Delta Quadrant. It’s a survival strategy experience that mixes deep ship management, tactical combat, away missions, and exploration with heavy narrative choice. Players can repair and expand the ship, research new technologies, and decide whether to embrace or reject risky advancements such as Borg systems. The game embraces “what if?” storytelling, asking players to consider alternative decisions that could change the series’ iconic arcs – whether through diplomacy, combat, or even the fate of specific crew members.
Each run unfolds differently thanks to rogue-lite elements, where events, resources, and outcomes shift between playthroughs. Exploration is central, with players scanning systems, plotting courses, and deciding how to approach anomalies or threats. Away missions use crew talents to balance risk and reward, while ship combat plays out with tactical positioning and the smart assignment of officers to battle stations. Launching first on PC, the game is planned for later release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles as well.
What we saw
At Gamescom, we sat down with the Gamexcite team, who guided us through an early build of the game. The team leaned into the roleplay aspect of Star Trek itself, walking us through shipboard crises and branching choices as if they were crew on the Voyager. Over the course of the demo we jumped between management sequences, away missions, and combat encounters, gaining a strong sense of how the different systems interlock.
What we thought
It was immediately clear why the presentation stood out among the crowd: Voyager – Across the Unknown doesn’t just show you systems, it lets you feel like you’re captaining a starship under constant duress. The FTL-inspired structure works surprisingly well in the Star Trek universe, marrying resource scarcity and hard choices with a familiar sense of exploration. Being able to rethink pivotal moments of Voyager’s story – whether to take a risky deal with the Borg, or to prioritize crew safety over ship efficiency – opens the door for compelling fan-driven narratives. For longtime Trek fans, the appeal of rewriting or extending familiar arcs will be hard to resist.
Mechanically, the blend of survival management and branching decisions feels promising. Repairing and expanding the ship isn’t just cosmetic, but directly ties into crew morale and effectiveness, which then feeds into combat and mission outcomes. Away missions in particular highlight the importance of crew selection, since their varied talents change how scenarios play out. This makes it feel less like managing numbers and more like making command decisions with real consequences.
Visually, the demo was still in flux, but the ship interiors and interface already carried the clean, functional aesthetic of Starfleet technology. The combat sequences (especially in the trailer) looked cinematic, even if not final, with phasers cutting across the void and ships maneuvering in ways that captured the essence of Trek battles. The audio features effects and music that instantly placed us in Voyager’s world – though in a narrative-driven world you’d ideally have fully-voice characters as well. Having said that, there’s a lot of potential here to deliver the kind of atmosphere Trek fans expect.
Most encouraging of all, the game seems to be in the hands of a team that understands both the lore and the design inspirations they’re drawing from. The mix of FTL’s tension with Star Trek’s idealism is not only intriguing, but feels like a fresh take on what a Trek game can be. While there are still plenty of unknowns – fitting for the title – the concept already stands out as one of the most exciting directions the franchise has taken in gaming in years.