Three custom gaming PCs are up for grabs, and all it takes is one match a day.
Starlance Studios has turned the ZeroSpace Steam Next Fest demo into something worth paying attention to beyond the usual "try before you buy" routine. From now through June 22, any player who downloads the free demo and completes one game per day in the Galactic War mode earns a daily entry into a prize draw. Win enough days, and you could walk away with a custom ZeroSpace gaming PC, a hand-painted Titan statue, a limited animated Steam profile picture and frame, and a medal.
What the Galactic War mode actually involves
The Galactic War mini-season is the centerpiece of this Next Fest showing. Players pledge loyalty to one of three alliances fighting across a shared galaxy map, defending territory and pushing into neighboring planets alongside real players from around the world. The three factions each have a commander leading the charge: Vynthra of the Grell leads The Eden Accord, Galavax of the Legion commands The Obsidian Order, and Prefect Aster of the Protectorate heads The Keeper Council.
Here's the thing: prizes are tied to all three factions. One player per alliance wins a custom PC, so picking a side that suits your playstyle isn't just a flavor choice. The separate top-leaderboard prize for most Galactic War victories is also worth chasing, and Starlance has confirmed a mid-week bonus prize announcement on the Steam page.
Five modes, one demo, no paywall
The demo itself is more generous than most. Five distinct modes are available:
- Campaign: 3 story missions to get a feel for the narrative
- Galactic War: the Next Fest mini-season with 3 Commanders and 6 missions
- Versus: ranked 1v1 ladder pulling from 3 Factions, 5 Mercenaries, and 11 Heroes
- Custom: open play with friends or AI
- Survival: hold off waves of Grell for as long as possible
That Versus mode ladder also feeds directly into the competitive side of the event.
A $5,000 tournament running at the same time
For players who want to go beyond the giveaway, the ZeroSpace Next Fest Masters tournament runs concurrently. The top 8 players on the Ranked 1v1 Ladder at 12 p.m. PDT on June 20 advance to a single-elimination playoff bracket on June 21, with $5,000 in total prize money split as follows:
The grand final is Best of 5. One notable rule: competitors cannot reuse a faction or mercenary faction after winning a series with it, which should keep the bracket from collapsing into a single dominant strategy.
What comes after Next Fest
Starlance also dropped an updated development roadmap alongside the demo launch. The Early Access release is set for July 20, 2026, and it brings a significant content jump: 13 campaign missions, the reveal of a fourth main faction called the Xol, and a sixth mercenary faction called the Endari. The full 1.0 launch is mapped out beyond that, though specific dates for post-Early Access milestones haven't been confirmed yet.
ZeroSpace is shaping up as a genuine attempt to bring cinematic RTS back into the spotlight. Starlance Studios was founded in 2022 specifically to reignite the genre, and the demo's scope suggests they're not hedging on that ambition.
The demo is free on Steam right now. If you want to read up on gaming guides covering competitive strategy before diving into Versus mode, that's worth doing before the ladder snapshot on June 20.
