Austerity
Tighten the belt. Spend less, waste less, and make what you have last.
Dying Star
The empire is collapsing. Your job is to make it take as long as possible.
Coming soon to Google PlayAn idle game that runs downhill
Most idle games are about growing forever. Dying Star is about the opposite.
Your star was once the centre of a galactic empire. Now it's swelling, flickering and burning out, and the economy that grew around it is quietly falling apart. You can't save it. What you can do is keep the lights on a little longer, squeeze out as much as possible before the end, and come back stronger in the next era.
It's free to play, there's nothing to buy that makes you stronger, and you only ever see an ad when you choose to watch one.
How it plays
You earn Credits from a chain of imperial institutions. Each one runs a production cycle: when the cycle finishes, you collect its Credits and it starts again. Buy more of an institution to earn more per cycle, and hit unit milestones to make its cycles faster.
Early on you'll be tapping to collect. Later, managers take that job off your hands.
- Tax OutpostsCollecting what's left from people who've already left.
- Legacy MinesDigging up what previous generations buried, and selling it back.
- Propaganda RelaysBroadcasting good news, whether or not there is any.
- Shadow SenatesGoverning efficiently, mostly by not telling anyone.
- Cryo-ArchivesFreezing the best of the empire for a future that may not come.
- Black Budget MinistriesNobody knows what they do. They earn a fortune doing it.
Everything wears out
Decay is the heart of Dying Star, and it works on two levels.
Stellar Integrity
The star itself is failing. Stellar Integrity drops steadily for the whole empire while you play. When it runs out, the empire enters a Terminal state. Nothing stops dead, but output slowly winds down, and that's your signal that a collapse is coming.
Wear on each institution
Every institution wears down as it runs, and a worn-down institution earns less. Pay to refurbish it and it's back to full output. Keeping up with refurbishing is where most of your decisions come from.
TerminalStellar Integrity
- Close the game, the star waits. Stellar Integrity only drains while you're playing.
- Wear is capped while you're away. Institutions only wear down for up to 24 hours of absence, so you're never punished for taking a break.
- First-time hints. The game nudges you the first time something needs attention, like your first refurbish, then leaves you to it.
Hire someone to worry for you
Each institution can be given a manager. Once hired, a manager collects its Credits and restarts the cycle automatically, so it keeps earning without you tapping.
Managers also handle refurbishing. You choose one setting for all of them: refurbish when wear reaches 50%, 65% or 80%.
- Managers charge a small admin fee on top of the normal refurbish cost. Bureaucracy isn't free.
- They won't spend more than a set share of your balance on one refurbish. If they can't afford it, the institution shows Awaiting funding.
- They keep working while you're offline, and the welcome-back report shows what they did.
- Managers are dismissed when the empire collapses, but rehiring them in the next era is cheap.
Choose how the empire falls
From your second era onwards, you pick a Directive at the start of each era. It changes how your whole empire behaves. There's no single right answer, and the choice is locked in until the next collapse, so choose carefully.
Expansion
Build faster than it can fall. Grow hard and outrun the decay for as long as you can.
Extraction
Strip your own institutions for a fast return. Big rewards now, rebuilding later.
Your first era runs with no Directive, so you can learn the basics first.
Collapse and start again
Eventually you'll want to let it all fall apart on purpose. Once your lifetime earnings pass a threshold, you can trigger a collapse: the empire ends, and a new era begins.
Collapsing earns you Legacy Writs, which build up your Legacy Power. Legacy Power carries over between eras and makes every future empire stronger. As it grows, so does the earnings threshold for your next collapse.
Continuity Chits
A second, rarer currency, earned as your numbers cross big milestones and through optional rewards. Spend Chits in the shop on permanent upgrades. Each one can be bought several times, and the benefits stack.
Chits are never sold for real money.
Badges, titles and frames
Dying Star has a large collection of badges for reaching milestones, many with tiers. Hit a milestone once, then three times, then a hundred times, and the badge upgrades to a grander version. Each tier also gives a small permanent boost.
Some awards are limited, with only a set number ever given out. You can also earn titles and avatar frames, and choose from a range of player avatars.
Leaderboards and friends
Pick a display name and you'll appear on the global leaderboard, where other players can see your badges, title and frame. Add friends to compare progress.
The community fund
The empire's communications network is failing, so it can only carry small transfers. Players can make a small daily contribution to a shared weekly fund. Contributors share in the dividends and earn cosmetics, and the whole community can fund network upgrades to raise the daily limit.
Seasonal events
Several times a year, a limited-time event runs alongside your main empire. Events are shorter, condensed versions of the game with their own currency and milestones, and the rewards carry back to your main empire when the event ends.
Christmas and New Year
Festival of Diminishing Returns
Earn Goodwill in a festive mini-empire, with a choice of a summer or winter look.
First week of October
The Architect's Jubilee
A celebration of the empire's founder. Attendance is compulsory.
More events are planned throughout the year.
Ads, on your terms
Every ad in Dying Star is optional. You'll never see one unless you tap to watch it, and each one gives you something in return.
| Reward | What you get |
|---|---|
| 2× speed | Four hours of double speed per ad. Stack up to 24 hours, with up to six ads per boost. |
| Welcome back | Double what your empire earned while you were away. |
| Collapse boost | A bigger reward when you collapse your empire. |
| Supply crates | Two timed crates a day. |
| Continuity Chits | Two extra Chit rewards a day. |
| Login streak | A bonus on your daily login streak. |
Watching ads also counts toward a badge that permanently improves your ad rewards, up to +50%.
Questions
Is Dying Star free?
Yes, completely. There are no purchases that give you an advantage.
Do I need an account?
No. The game creates an anonymous player ID the first time you play. You just choose a display name for the leaderboard.
What happens if I don't play for a while?
Stellar Integrity pauses while the game is closed, and institutions only wear down for up to 24 hours of absence. Managers keep earning while you're away.
Which devices can I play on?
Dying Star is coming to Android through Google Play first.
Who is it for?
Players aged 13 and over.
How do I report a bug or delete my data?
Email [email protected] with your display name and player ID, which you'll find in the game's settings. See the privacy policy for what's collected.