Hades' Star: DARK NEBULA
Build a massive space Empire
Ratings
Age
4+
Category
Strategy
Languages
English
Fri Dec 05 2025
Performance and interface fixes. For a complete list of changes, see blog.hadesstar.com
Hades' Star: Dark Nebula is the next evolution of the persistent space strategy game. Players start in their own stable Yellow Star system to build an economy and expand their empire. The game features cooperative PvE in Red Stars, fast-paced PvP in Blue Stars, and massive 20-player Corporation battles in White Stars. With a focus on long-term strategy, diplomacy, and a unique 'Time Machine' for planning moves, Dark Nebula offers a deep and refined space simulation that constantly evolves.
Dinsun Expert Review
Our Expert Score
Hades' Star: Dark Nebula is the masterful evolution of one of the most unique space strategy games ever made. For the uninitiated, Hades' Star is a persistent galaxy where time moves slowly and cooperation is as important as combat. Dark Nebula refreshes the experience with a more approachable interface and refined activities that make managing your space empire feel more rewarding than ever.
The game excels at offering different 'tempos' of play. You have your permanent Yellow Star system for long-term economy, 10-minute cooperative PvE Red Star runs for artifacts, and the intense, week-long tactical White Star battles for corporations. The 'Time Machine' feature is a stroke of genius, allowing you to plan out complex maneuvers and see potential outcomes before committing. It’s a game of patience and diplomacy that respects your time, avoiding the 'pay-to-win' pitfalls of other mobile empire builders. Whether you're a returning veteran or a new explorer, this is the definitive space sim on mobile.
Features
Persistent galaxy that evolves over time
Cooperative PvE and competitive PvP modes
Unique 'Time Machine' for planning future moves
Deep diplomatic and corporation systems
Optimized for both short and long-term play
Tips & Walkthrough
In the early game, focus on upgrading your mining ships to maximize hydrogen collection in your Yellow Star. Hydrogen is the lifeblood of your empire, fueling every jump to distant stars.
Gameplays
Since White Star matches last 5 days, use the Time Machine to coordinate with your Corporation members. Communication is more important than raw power in these long-term tactical battles.
Screenshot
Q&A
Yes, Dark Nebula allows you to continue guiding the Empire you started in the original Hades' Star.
Ratings & Reviews
Requested changes
Wed Mar 06 2024 Phanatikk1. Update the game so the text when you click on transports shows the % of artifacts, so players can see in stride during red stars which artifacts have been boosted. 2. also change the UI to show which have been boosted (glowing color instead of flat color for those artifacts which have been boosted? Something like that) 3. Artifact salvage value. Because red stars are no longer able to be done infinitely (hydro farming isn’t a thing anymore) make artifacts worth more to salvage. This gives players the choice of using hydro for more red stars, using it to transpo trades between planets, or literally spending it within seconds to empty planets with trade relay. 4. Update transpo trade boosts to actually be usable- at RS8 level, transpo trade boosts are NOT worth it, as trade relay eclipses their use completely. Make it a trade-off, more work to conduct the trade routes and use the boosts, but more reward for that work. Trade relay gives decent boost but it should be for casual gamer not wanting to take the time to trade
Update wasn’t executed well.
Tue Jan 16 2024 Totes goats manI do appreciate the ad free game, this game is not a cash grabbing game at all. I so overall love this game. I mostly want to write this review to address some complaints about the recent dark nebula update. My main complaints is that red stars are much less exciting now. Where I used to have 3 battle ships, 5 transports, and 4 miners all doing separate things causing me to multi task and over watch lots of areas of the map, which I found very exciting. It gave a fun slow paced strategical feel to the game. As compared to post update I only have 1 miner, and 2 transports cause anything more then that costs way to much hydrogen (fuel) to run. I have a fleet of 14 ships but really could get by with 6. (3 battleships, 2 transports, 1 miner). It totally killed the feeling of progressing as a fleet. Also I think it’s to fast paced now. Now I don’t have to multi task at all, watch the clock to make sure I have the time to make a risky move, or stress about an entire fleet staying safe, and efficient. Red Stars are to easy now, and don’t yield much benefit. Salvaging artifacts barely pays anything at all. Not worth the hydrogen it costs to obtain them. And with the limits they put on hydrogen production I am now limited to how much I can play each day. I used to be able to burn up more time then I’d like to admit running Red Stars and could gather hydrogen as long as I put the time and effort in, I could play as much as I wanted. Now I get to do one red star every 6 hours when my research station has some open slots, which a RS takes me like 8 min. So I get 8min of play time every 6hours… even less then that if I do spend the hydrogen to run more then 2 transports. But I will admit Blue Stars are way more fun, and rewarding. They did a great job on the blue star rework.
Great game!!
Mon Nov 25 2024 Leg4567All around a great game almost everything about it is amazing, I do have one complaint that I don’t see anyone talk about the “ranked” matches for blue stars isn’t really “ranked” at all rank matches are supposed to put you up against people of your skill level but it ends up putting you in matches where you have one person around your level and the others are like level 300+ and have a buffed out ship then they just bully you and the other guy so in the end you get almost nothing except a few hundred hydrogen, and the only way you can get close to winning is if the guys with the big ships decide to take mercy on you then at the end they bully you and you still don’t get enough to get you what you want and you have to do the process again and again.
Don’t Believe The Review Bombing
Mon Jan 01 2024 Kleenex!?I’ve been playing Hades since its inception, and put many hours into the original game. Took a break, and picked it up again with Dark Nebula. The game is still very much a work of art in a sea of mobile cash grab games, poorly thought out mechanics, and developers who do not have a long term vision. Dark Nebula makes the game more approachable, and enticing for newer players. Veterans of the game may need to relearn, or change their investment of time - but the game is not broken. It’s changing. I think it’s amazing what this small team puts into the game, and I am hoping to see more regular updates and events - my only complaint, and it’s not even really a complaint this early, but I just want to play more hours, and right now it’s very capped on how much you can do in a day. Keep up the awesome work, and looking forward to years of longevity for the Hades universe. Cheers!
Find players who enjoy the game
Thu Aug 15 2024 HangryHippo.__.My honest opinion yes maybe before the update it was better because you could have multiple different accounts and really level up fast, now you may have to pay to do that.. but just play the game, find an active corp other players will help you level faster, its all about teamwork and trading/gifting arts now. This is not a fast pace game it shouldn’t be.. as you play through the red star levels you learn more and also unlock more, then you use that to defeat enemy players in white stars/ blue stars, slowly building your galactic empire. Which would take years.. its better than completing a game within a day and being like alright whats next..** I do believe we need a Corp vs Corp bls speed WS but multiple teams make the WS a tiny bit bigger, but keep original WS **
A game I’ve loved and played on/off for years
Sun Oct 26 2025 retrovertoThe only mobile game that has held my interest for over nearly a decade. Really satisfies the long term progression itch and there’s nothing else quite like the strategic 5-day team vs team matches (called “white stars”) out there. Great game for people who are fans of strategy, and the developer has been very principled about finding ways to generate revenue without micro transactions / pay to win / ads. I just wish content updates were more frequent.
Go elsewhere
Fri Nov 24 2023 jawsguyThe dark nebula update made this game go from a 10/10 to a 1/10. The graphics seem retro to a quasi 16bit hybrid between an Atari 2600 and a 1st gen Nintendo then again the game and the play is so screwy that it is easier in some respects like it’s using cheat codes but way more demanding in others. I appreciate the auto upgrade for the planets (thank you) but hate that all the other changes, and a lot of my previous achievements are now downgraded. It took year or more to get to some of these levels and now those achievements are mostly gone. They say the play will be better but it isn’t. It feels like it is now set up to make you pay if you want to have an decent game. It used to be a fun and relaxing game, now it’s a demanding spouse that wants unachievable levels of attention. There are better things out there I’m sure. Go find them!!!
Hades Star Downgraded.
Tue Mar 12 2024 NyequilHades Star was an excellent mobile game, you could play virtually endlessly working towards your goals, limited only by your upgrade timers. Then Dark Nebula released, which took the original experience and improved on a couple ideas but introduced way more bad ones changing the entire dynamic of how players interact with Hades Star. Before the update you could gather as much hydrogen as you needed, farm for credits as much as you wanted. However since the update released your progression is severely limited. Essentially the game became pay to play. You are limited to the hydrogen you gather in your yellow star which means you will get hydrogen slowly throughout the day and a burst of hydrogen once a day. This limits you to only being able to get maybe an hour or less of playtime each day. You can run maybe 2 red stars before you need to wait for more hydrogen which is a terrible idea because red stars are supposed to be a cooperative experience. However far fewer players are doing a red star at any given moment due to the lack of access to hydrogen. Now of course none of this is a problem, if you’re willing to use your hard earned cash to keep playing. It just doesn’t make any sense to me. They released this game on consoles and thought it’d be a good idea to severely reduce progression AND playtime for all players. If I’m playing this game on a console I’m gonna want to play for more than 15-30 minutes. They make red stars more difficult but reduced the frequency players can cooperatively do red stars. I understand they want to maintain the sustainability of the game but they can’t tell us the only way you do that is by asking us for more money to play the game we already had for free. Surely you could’ve added skins for your battleships and planets and such that costed money or maybe a battlepass but didn’t impact the player experience. The console release was a step in the right direction but ultimately ruined by this terrible update. If you’re new to the game you might enjoy it since you never experienced original Hades Star, but I totally understand why the original player-base feels disappointed by the dark nebula update.
Some Youtube Videos found!
Hades' Star: DARK NEBULA (by Parallel Space) - space strategy game for Android and iOS - gameplay. - YouTube
Hades Star : Dark Nebula || Android - iOS Gameplay ( HD - 4K ) - YouTube
Hades' Star: DARK NEBULA (by Parallel Space) - space strategy game for Android and iOS - gameplay. - YouTube
Hades' Star : DARK NEBULA - Android Gameplay - YouTube
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