Arrowhead Games managed to do something truly special with Helldivers 2, taking its incredible, top-down original space shooter and transforming it into a full-scale epic that retained what made it great to begin with. Now, however, it’s looking to have some serious competition courtesy of new FPS Jump Ship. Already boasting more than 700,000 wishlists, the co-op space shooter has held onto a place as one of the biggest Steam Next Fest demos through the past week, and it’s set for launch this year.
Jump Ship bears a lot of similarities to the general loop of Helldivers, or even the likes of Deep Rock Galactic; drop onto a planet, scour it in search of new weapons, parts, and loot, and get back to your ship in time to extract. All of this while blasting your way through enemy hordes, which can get particularly relentless if you aren’t covering each other’s backs. Where this FPS truly comes into its own, however, is when you prepare for takeoff.
Rather than a simple loading screen and a lobby to the next map, you (and your teammates if you’re playing in co-op) must fly the ship across the stars, dealing with random encounters as you head to your next destination. The whole process is seamless, giving Jump Ship a bit more of a No Man’s Sky vibe, and encapsulating that true sense of scale and spectacle that makes the best space games shine.
While one player takes the wheel, steering you carefully through an asteroid field, others might sit in the turret seats to defend against raiders, or grab an extinguisher and deal with troublesome fires after a fierce encounter. The more materials you gather out on the ground, the more you’ll be able to customize your ship to withstand greater impacts, deal out heavier damage, and navigate the various challenges space hurls your way.
The result is a sublime fusion of coordinated chaos, and gives Jump Ship the more personal vibe that Helldivers deliberately eschews in favor of its brash military-industrial complex. Securing itself the third-highest spot on Valve’s Steam Next fest charts, the demo is clearly clicking with people eager for more intergalactic co-op games. It offers the tutorial prologue and a few missions in the first region, so it’s only a small taste of the final game, but there’s full multiplayer functionality for up to four people.
Jump Ship is set to launch in 2025. The demo is still live until Monday June 16, so if you’re reading this soon after I’m writing it you may have time to sneak in for yourself and find out what all the fuss is about.
Curious what else to watch out for? Here are the biggest upcoming PC games you need to know about. If you’d rather find something to enjoy today, we’ve picked out the best action games in 2025.
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