The Last Starship Update 16: Custom Paints & Tougher Survival

There’s nothing more satisfying for space game enthusiasts than seeing their personal touches racing across the void. With The Last Starship’s Update 16, you can finally splatter custom paint jobs, insignias, and lettering on your vessel—while bracing for the crueller, more tactical Survival Mode. Let’s break down what this release means for shipwrights and starship captains alike.

Paint Your Legacy: External Customisation Arrives

Until now, The Last Starship focused on internal layouts and functional modules. Update 16 changes that by unlocking hull paints, logos, and text you can apply directly in-game or download via the Steam Workshop. Whether you’re homage-dropping a “NCC-1701” or slapping on a custom pirate emblem, these options let builders show off creativity and boost community sharing. Expect jaw-dropping designs hitting the Workshop within days.

Jump Gate Negotiations: A Survival Mode Overhaul

Before this patch, sector transitions felt risk-light: press the jump button and carry on. Now, jump gates serve as tactical choke points. You may face broken gate repairs, pirate tolls, or sneaky boarding parties. Each decision—pay up, fight, or reroute—carries real consequences. Resources become scarcer, and you’ll need to balance credits, firepower, and crew safety at every hop. For players craving persistent, high-stakes tension, this transforms a breezy run into a true gauntlet.

Gameplay Impact and Strategic Depth

• Resource Management: Toll demands and gate repairs force you to weigh immediate risk versus long-term fuel and credit reserves.
• Combat Planning: Upgraded railguns and defensive modules gain new importance when pirates disrupt your path.
• Base Upgrades: Furniture and crew-comfort items like space sofas boost morale, offering subtle benefits during prolonged voyages.
• Asteroid Harvesting: Improved mining tools mean faster resource gathering—but watch for rogue debris fields testing your load-balance skills.

These tweaks encourage adaptive playstyles. Do you risk a pirate skirmish for a shorter route, or detour through safer sectors to conserve ammo? Every choice now shapes your ongoing story.

Key Specifications at a Glance

Feature	Details
Publisher	Introversion Software
Release Plan	Early Access now; full v1.0 expected Spring 2026
Genres	Space Simulation, Strategy, Sandbox
Platforms	PC (Steam, Linux, Mac)

Early Access Roadmap and Community Support

Introversion Software has delivered free updates roughly every 2–3 months, keeping community feedback at the core of development. Update 16 continues this pattern and coincides with a 40% off Steam Summer Sale discount. The transparent roadmap points to steady iteration through Spring 2026, building confidence that The Last Starship will reach a polished 1.0 launch driven by player input.

Final Thoughts

Update 16 marries astrofashion with meaningful, risk-reward gameplay. External customisation and jump-gate negotiations both deepen immersion and strategy, giving veterans fresh goals and newcomers plenty to explore. If you’ve been waiting for the perfect moment to chart your own course among the stars, this patch delivers both flair and peril in equal measure.