Ostranauts Guides
From your first undock at K-Leg to paying off the mortgage with salvage
Blue Bottle Games released Ostranauts 1.0 on Steam in August 2026 after years in Early Access. The campaign drops you into a hardcore noir space-sim where debt, Newtonian flight, and failing life support matter as much as any combat encounter. This hub collects the walkthrough-style guides we recommend reading in order — or jumping to when a specific system starts killing your captain.
Where new captains should begin
If you have never played before, start with Getting Started. It covers character launch at OKLG, reading your PDA objectives, boarding your mortgaged hull, and the first concepts behind undocking without drifting into the boneyard. Pair it with Character Creation if you are still on the launch screen deciding careers, traits, and whether to take on ship debt.
Flight is the skill gate for almost everything else. How to Fly and Dock walks through RCS burns, COMMS clearance, alignment rings, and clamping — the same loop you will repeat for salvage runs and station visits. Keep the keybinds reference and nav console notes open while you practice.
Earning money and staying alive
Salvage pays the bills. How to Salvage explains daily permits around $5000, surveying derelicts in the OKLG boneyard, uninstalling valuable parts, and hauling wrecks before the mortgage clock hits your next six-hour shift. Read the salvage economy overview for pricing context and the salvage tools checklist before your first EVA.
Atmosphere failures kill quietly. Manage Atmosphere covers O2 targets near 20 kPa, pumps, scrubbers, airtight hull checks, and EVA suit discipline. Use the atmosphere checklist tool when you add rooms or reroute conduits.
Crew, builds, and emergencies
Once you can fly and breathe reliably, Hire Crew teaches death pay contracts, befriending, roster duties, and suit assignments. The crew AI notes explain how hired hands behave when you are not micromanaging every order.
Ship Building is the long game: install orders, room zoning, power conduits, and expanding an airtight hull without venting the bridge. Compare starter careers, ship mortgage options, and the fusion torch drive path on the Builds hub before you commit credits to refits.
When fuel, power, or a bad dock leaves you stuck, Rescue When Stranded covers PASS/taxi options, nav Rescue contacts, and recovery etiquette — with debug commands mentioned only as a last resort.
Combat, mining, and bounties (mid-game)
Fire in the Hold and the 1.0 launch added systemic layers beyond OKLG salvage — optional until you can fly and breathe reliably, mandatory if you chase Ceres story closure.
Ship Combat documents point defense arcs, mass throwers and railguns, missiles, Polaris decoys, Whipple cladding, faction reputation gates at BCER and BCRS, and the power or ammo logistics that keep weapons firing. Pair it with the Ceres conflict zone map before you undock armed.
Asteroid Mining covers tether approaches to clusters, handheld tools and explosives, ore grades from iron through platinum and hydrates, cargo mass limits, EVA safety, and selling at Port Mojave or Zhonghuamen. Mining hardware overlaps combat — treat shaped charges like ammunition.
Bounty Hunting is new in 1.0: dead-or-alive warrants, brig thinking, combat-capable hull prep, and income that spikes higher than salvage with more repair variance. Not a day-one loop — start after OKLG solvency and a tested loadout.
Cross-read Fire and Smoke when combat or mining accidents vent compartments, and Fusion Torch Drive when Ceres commutes outgrow starter remass.
Related hubs
Guides explain how to play; other sections document what exists in the solar system. Browse Controls for input and console workflows, Systems for economy and life-support parts, the Map for OKLG and outbound routes, Tools for checklists and planners, the Review for 1.0 impressions, and Updates for patch tracking after launch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers for spacers who want to stay alive.
Which guide should I read first in Ostranauts?
Read Getting Started first, then How to Fly and Dock and How to Salvage. Character creation choices matter before you launch — see Character Creation if you have not left the launch screen.
Do these guides cover the 1.0 Steam release?
Yes. They assume the August 2026 1.0 launch on Steam (AppID 1022980), single-player only, with OKLG as the home station and English as the only official interface language.
Where do I learn controls without rereading entire guides?
Use the Controls hub for keybinds and nav console pages. Guides focus on workflows; Controls pages are quick reference while you play.
When should I start ship combat or mining guides?
After Getting Started, How to Fly and Dock, and reliable OKLG salvage income. Read Ship Combat and Asteroid Mining before Ceres runs; Bounty Hunting is mid-game.