Is Beyond These Stars a sequel to Before We Leave?
Balancing Monkey Games made both games. The studio presskit describes Beyond These Stars as its second game and a follow-up to Before We Leave. Saving Content’s launch review calls it a great continuation of the first game.
The official material does not number it as Before We Leave 2. Treat it as a spiritual successor in the same universe of ideas rather than a direct story continuation you must play in order. You can start with Beyond These Stars without owning the earlier game.
What carries over
Both games center on Peeps, a cozy non-violent tone and rebuilding a civilization through production chains. Before We Leave already let players settle new lands and other planets. Its Steam description also warns players to avoid hungry Space Whales.
Returning players will recognize the relaxed pacing, resource logistics and focus on care for the environment. Saving Content says the new game keeps the first game’s cozy nature. Production planning and adjacency remain central skills.
What changes in Beyond These Stars
The biggest change is the setting: your settlement lives on Kewa, a sentient Space Whale traveling through space. Kewa has health and happiness, and your pollution and dialogue choices affect them. In Before We Leave, Space Whales were a threat to avoid rather than your home.
Beyond These Stars adds a Galaxy Map, settleable planets, alien species and trade. Reviewers also note deeper pollution pressure and a steeper learning curve. Our Kewa care and outposts guides cover these new systems.
Release history side by side
Before We Leave first launched on the Epic Games Store in May 2020 and reached Steam on May 13, 2021, published by Team17. The developer page now links it on Steam, Epic, Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. Beyond These Stars launched on Steam on October 16, 2026, published by Hooded Horse.
Beyond These Stars is listed for Windows PC only at launch. No console version has been announced in the sources checked here. Do not assume the earlier game’s console releases apply to the new one.
Which one should you play?
Choose Before We Leave for a gentler, lower-pressure city builder. Choose Beyond These Stars if you want the same cozy style with more systems to manage and a living home to look after. The free Beyond These Stars demo on Steam is the easiest way to compare.
If you are moving from the first game, start the new one in Story Mode. It introduces Kewa, pollution and travel gradually. Our beginner guide covers the first settlement step by step.
Sources & research scope
Game information on this page comes from the sources recorded in the dated research. Publisher-hosted wiki entries are community-maintained, and review judgments remain attributed to their writers. Planning advice applies those documented systems and does not claim personal playtesting.
- Balancing Monkey Games: Beyond These Stars presskitDescribes the game as the studio’s second game and a follow-up to Before We Leave.
- Before We Leave on SteamSteam release May 13, 2021; developer Balancing Monkey Games, publisher Team17.
- Balancing Monkey Games: Before We LeaveDeveloper page and store links for the earlier game.
- Saving Content: Beyond These Stars reviewCalls the game a continuation of Before We Leave; opinions belong to the reviewer.