Beyond These Stars is a sci-fi city-builder from Balancing Monkey Games, published by Hooded Horse, set to launch in October on PC. A demo is live on Steam ahead of release.
Beyond These Stars builds a city on the back of a giant space whale. The premise, established across three Yomimono stories, is that players manage survivors called Peeps who live on a sentient whale with its own will. The whale's condition and the residents' happiness pull against each other, and the city-builder turns that tension into its core loop.
The release plan has been consistent since the publisher announced it on August 21: an October 15 launch worldwide, with Japan getting the game October 16 because of time zone differences. It arrives on PC through Steam, the Epic Games Store, GOG.com, and the Microsoft Store, and it is included with PC Game Pass. Japanese interface and text support are confirmed, and a demo is already live on Steam.
Coverage of the game has focused on its central mechanic. Factory pollution damages the whale's health, while the whale's preference for freezing regions hurts crops, so players balance resident happiness against its condition. One preview describes managing the material needs of the Peeps and the ecological health of the living landmass, including terrain terraforming and resource balance. The whale is named Kewa in one story and Kiwa in the others.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself
sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every
fact links the story it came from.
Facts
- Release
- game · 2026-10-19 · global · 2026-10-19
- Release
- game · October 17 · Japan · 2026-10-16
- Release
- game · October 15 · 2026-09-05
- Release
- game · 2026-10-16 · 2026-09-02
- Release
- game · October 15, 2026 · 2026-08-21
- Release
- game · October 16, 2026 · Japan · 2026-08-21
- Noted
- Out on Steam, GOG.com, Epic Games Store, and Microsoft Store at 2,980 yen, with a 20 percent launch sale running two weeks and PC Game Pass support. · 2026-10-19
- Noted
- Japanese interface and text support are confirmed · 2026-09-02
- Noted
- a demo is live on Steam · 2026-09-02
- Noted
- available on PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG.com, and Microsoft Store, plus PC Game Pass · 2026-08-21
- Noted
- A demo is on Steam · 2026-08-21
- Licensed by
- Steam (Japan) · 2026-10-16
- Announced
- more than 250,000 wishlist registrations · 2026-10-16
Connections
Structured graph also available as JSON at /public/entities/beyond-these-stars.
CC BY 4.0.
3d ago
A review of Beyond These Stars, a city builder set on the back of a space whale. Players manage resource flow, shape terrain through irrigation and afforestation to expand the livable atmosphere, and relocate the town. The review says the game shares a world with Before We Leave and reworks that game's shortcomings around ecology, planet colonization, and no combat. The review build was provided by the manufacturer, and the piece flags a mid-game slump.
5d ago
Hooded Horse and Balancing Monkey Games have released Beyond These Stars, a sci-fi city builder set on the back of a giant space whale named Kiwa. It is out on Steam, GOG.com, Epic Games Store, and Microsoft Store at 2,980 yen, with a 20 percent launch sale running two weeks and PC Game Pass support. Players manage the Peeps, secure resources from Kiwa, and reconcile the whale's demands with their own.
Oct 16
Balancing Monkey Games is developing and Hooded Horse is publishing Beyond These Stars, a city-building game set on the back of a giant space-traveling whale named Kewa. It launches for PC via Steam at 3 AM Japan time on October 17, with Japanese supported. The developer's X account reported more than 250,000 wishlist registrations ahead of launch, and a free demo is available on Steam.
Sep 5
Game Spark previewed Beyond These Stars at gamescom and interviewed its developers. The sci-fi city-builder from Balancing Monkey Games launches October 15 and asks players to settle the back of a giant space whale named Kewa. City management involves terrain terraforming, resource balance, and keeping the symbiotic relationship with Kewa healthy.
Sep 2
Balancing Monkey Games' sci-fi city builder Beyond These Stars launches October 16 on PC through Hooded Horse. Players guide survivors called Peeps who live on the back of Kiwa, a sentient space whale with its own will. The whale prefers freezing regions that hurt crops, while factory pollution damages its health, forcing players to balance resident happiness against the whale's condition. Japanese interface and text support are confirmed, and a demo is live on Steam.
Aug 21
Publisher Hooded Horse announced on August 21 that Balancing Monkey Games' sci-fi city-builder Beyond These Stars launches October 15, with Japan getting it October 16 due to time zone differences. Players build a city on the back of Kiwa, a giant whale traveling through space, balancing the Peeps' needs against the whale's mood. The game supports Japanese display and is available on PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG.com, and Microsoft Store, plus PC Game Pass. A demo is on Steam.