A real-time strategy game built around one gesture

Star Cluster Conquest is a real-time strategy (RTS) game for phones. You do not build bases or queue units. Stars make ships on their own, and your job is to decide where those ships go and when.

Updated 2026-10-23

Why this is real-time and not turn-based

Every star produces ships continuously, at a rate set by its size. Nobody waits for a turn. While you plan an attack, the AI opponents are already sending fleets, and the stars you own keep filling up. That is the whole tension of the game: ships you do not use are ships you are wasting, and ships you spend on a bad attack are ships you will miss in thirty seconds.

Classic RTS games ask you to manage an economy, a tech tree and dozens of units. We cut all of that. There is one resource (ships), one action (send a fleet) and a map you can read at a glance. The depth comes from timing, geometry and the abilities each faction brings.

How a match plays out

A match is usually a few minutes and tends to follow the same arc.

• Opening. You start with one or a few stars and neutral stars around you. Neutral stars defend themselves and regenerate, so the first decision is which one to take and with how many ships.
• Expansion. Each star you capture adds production. The goal here is to grow faster than your rivals without leaving your home stars empty.
• Contact. Sooner or later your fleets meet an opponent's. Fleets that arrive at your own stars add to them. Fleets that arrive at an enemy star fight its defenders ship by ship, and whoever brings the defender to zero takes the star.
• Endgame. You win by taking every enemy star. By this point terrain, special stars and abilities usually decide who breaks through.

One-finger controls

Everything important happens with your thumb.

• Drag from one of your stars to another star to send a fleet.
• Hold a star to choose how many ships to send: 25, 50, 75 or 100%.
• Swipe across several of your stars to select them and attack one target at the same time.
• Use two fingers to pan and zoom on large maps.
• While you drag, a preview shows the route, so you can see hazards on the way before you commit.

If you want the full walkthrough, read how to play.

What makes each map different

Maps are generated from a seed and are built to be fair, so the same seed always gives the same map. Terrain changes how you play it: special stars give an edge to whoever holds them, black holes destroy fleets that pass through, and cosmic storms wear ships down along the way. See stars and terrain for each type.

Factions and AI opponents

Each faction has its own ship shape, color and abilities, with five upgrade levels. Opponents are AIs with three play styles (aggressive, defensive and hoarder) and three difficulty levels, and they use abilities and coordinate attacks from several stars. Details are in factions and in the strategy guide.

Built for short sessions

Matches run entirely on the device, so the game works offline. It is free with ads and optional purchases. There is no online multiplayer: you play against the AI, in the campaign or in game modes. Star Cluster Conquest is on Google Play (Android), and on the iPhone App Store.

We are working to make this the best real-time strategy experience we can build for a touchscreen. If something feels slow, unclear or unfair, tell us.