Forever Skies Review (2026): Airship Building, Survival, Co-op & Verdict

Forever Skies has one of the more appealing premises in modern survival games: instead of constructing a permanent base on hostile ground, you build a home aboard an airship and take it with you. The abandoned skyscrapers below serve as scavenging grounds, while a thick layer of toxic dust hides what remains of Earth’s surface.

Developed and published by Polish studio Far From Home, Forever Skies entered Steam Early Access in June 2023 before reaching version 1.0 on April 14, 2025. The game combines first-person exploration, crafting, survival management, scientific research, and a story about finding a cure for a disease threatening humanity’s survivors.

Its greatest strength is the relationship between the player and their flying base. Every new room, piece of equipment, and technological upgrade makes the airship more useful. However, the wider game has not always matched the quality of that central idea. Repeated scavenging trips, limited variety in some locations, and straightforward combat have been recurring criticisms.

The free Echoes updates, culminating in The Final Echoes in July 2026, have addressed several of these shortcomings with additional locations, quests, enemies, and more involved airship systems. These additions make the current version a substantially better point of reference than the original 2025 release.

What Is Forever Skies?

Forever Skies is a first-person post-apocalyptic survival game set hundreds of years after an ecological catastrophe made Earth largely uninhabitable. Humanity’s remaining population survives in orbit, while the planet below is covered by a massive layer of toxic dust.

You play as a scientist sent back to Earth to investigate its transformed environment and locate viral pathogens that could help develop a cure for a mysterious illness.

Your main means of transportation is a customizable airship. It functions as a home, laboratory, workshop, storage facility, and platform for exploring the remains of civilization. Rather than repeatedly returning to a fixed settlement, you bring much of your equipment and collected resources with you.

The game supports single-player exploration and online cooperative play for up to four people. Its structure combines a story-driven objective with the familiar survival cycle of gathering supplies, researching technology, crafting equipment, and upgrading a base.

Setting and Story

The environmental disaster is more than background fiction. Ruined buildings extend above the dust, abandoned facilities contain evidence of humanity’s past, and unfamiliar organisms have adapted to the conditions beneath the polluted atmosphere.

Exploration gradually reveals what happened to the planet and why its new biological environment matters to the search for a cure.

Much of the storytelling comes through locations, records, research findings, and the contrast between the old world and the life forms now occupying it. This suits the game’s relatively isolated atmosphere: the ruins communicate the consequences of the disaster without requiring a large cast of characters.

The central mission gives direction to resource gathering and technological progression. Nevertheless, Forever Skies is more focused on exploration and environmental storytelling than complex dialogue systems, political decisions, or branching character relationships.

The story provides a reason to keep moving, but players expecting a dialogue-heavy RPG will find that the airship, research systems, and survival mechanics receive considerably more attention.

Gameplay: Survival, Research, and Progression

The core gameplay follows a recognizable pattern. You travel to an abandoned location, assess which resources and research materials are available, collect what you need, and return to your airship to produce equipment or improve its capabilities.

The basic activities remain closely connected:

• Scavenging: Collect materials, food, water, and useful objects from abandoned structures.
• Research: Scan and analyze findings to gain access to new technologies and crafting options.
• Crafting: Produce tools, equipment, and devices required for exploration and survival.
• Airship upgrades: Expand and equip the flying base to support more ambitious expeditions.
• Story progression: Complete objectives that lead toward new areas, environments, and scientific findings.

The relationship between research and construction gives progression a practical purpose. New equipment is valuable because it expands what you can do, not simply because it raises a character statistic.

The downside is that gathering materials can become repetitive, particularly when multiple improvements require additional trips to similar locations. Progress may feel slower than expected when the immediate objective is straightforward but the necessary resources are spread across several scavenging stops.

This creates an important distinction between Forever Skies and more demanding survival sandboxes. Its progression is strongly connected to exploration and technology rather than character classes, specialized builds, or complex RPG skill trees.

Survival Mechanics and Resource Management

Food, water, health, environmental exposure, and equipment condition all contribute to the survival experience. Preparing supplies before leaving the airship is important, especially when a mission takes you away from its safety.

The game regularly asks players to divide attention between immediate survival needs and longer-term projects. Materials used for new construction may also be useful for keeping equipment operational, while research expeditions require adequate supplies and the right tools.

These systems establish a steady routine, although their depth has received mixed assessments. Some critics consider the survival requirements relatively light compared with the more elaborate systems found in other games in the genre.

That makes Forever Skies particularly suitable for players interested in building and exploration without constantly managing extreme hunger, hostile human factions, or competitive multiplayer threats.

Airship Building and Customization

Airship construction is the defining mechanic of Forever Skies and the strongest reason to consider playing it.

The vessel starts as a limited survival platform but gradually becomes a more capable mobile base. Players can expand its structure, arrange rooms, install equipment, organize storage, and personalize its appearance.

Unlike conventional base-building games, improvements do not remain attached to a single location. Your laboratory, crafting stations, supplies, and living space travel together, making the airship an essential part of exploration rather than a separate construction activity.

This mobility changes the value of every upgrade. A larger interior provides room for additional equipment, while better technology supports expeditions that would have been impractical earlier in the game.

Building a Functional Flying Base

Airship construction requires balancing practical needs with available space and materials.

Storage becomes increasingly important as the number of collected resources grows. Research and crafting equipment must remain accessible, and expanding the structure requires continued scavenging.

A carefully arranged ship can reduce the inconvenience of repeated crafting and inventory management. Players who enjoy organizing workshops, designing interiors, and gradually improving a single persistent base will find plenty to engage with.

Customization is not limited to appearance. The airship’s layout and installed systems directly affect how convenient it is to use as an exploration headquarters.

However, building progression is still tied to resource availability. Large construction projects can require repeated scavenging, and the process may feel restrictive to players who primarily want unrestricted creative building.

Electricity and Airship Damage

The Final Echoes update, released on July 27, 2026, added a more involved electricity system and reworked how airship damage is managed.

Electrical generation and consumption now form part of maintaining an operational vessel. Players must provide power for onboard devices, making the arrangement and operation of equipment more consequential.

The update introduced multiple power generator tiers and additional devices, including a lightning rod and a weather control device.

These systems give the airship a stronger mechanical identity. Earlier versions were often criticized for making the vessel more interesting to build than to manage. Electricity and revised damage mechanics add practical responsibilities beyond collecting materials and expanding rooms.

They also introduce another consideration when designing the vessel: new equipment may improve functionality, but it contributes to the ship’s overall power requirements.

The result is a more involved mobile-base system without turning Forever Skies into a full engineering simulator.

Exploration and Scavenging

Forever Skies divides exploration between the ruined structures above the dust and the unfamiliar environments beneath it.

Above the toxic layer, abandoned towers and other remnants of civilization provide materials, equipment, research opportunities, and environmental storytelling. The airship allows players to travel between these locations and approach them from the air.

This vertical structure is the game’s most recognizable visual and mechanical feature. Instead of traveling through roads, forests, or conventional settlements, you navigate a ruined urban landscape where upper floors and rooftops remain accessible above an otherwise hostile world.

Exploring Above the Dust

Scavenging locations serve several purposes. They provide resources for survival, objects to research, and clues that lead toward further objectives.

The atmosphere is effective because familiar buildings appear in an unfamiliar setting. Structures that once supported ordinary life have become isolated remnants surrounded by polluted skies.

However, the game’s environmental design has attracted criticism for repeated layouts and insufficient variety between some scavenging stops.

When the same kinds of buildings and resources appear frequently, travel can begin to feel like a routine collection process rather than a series of meaningful discoveries.

This matters because exploration supplies much of Forever Skies’ momentum. If a new destination offers little beyond familiar materials, the journey loses some of its appeal.

Descending Beneath the Dust

The areas beneath the toxic atmosphere provide an important change of pace.

Here, the environment is no longer defined primarily by abandoned human structures. Earth’s altered ecosystem contains dangerous organisms, unusual vegetation, and biological materials connected to the central research mission.

These regions give the survival mechanics greater relevance. Preparation, equipment, and awareness of environmental threats become more important when operating away from the relative safety of the airship.

The contrast between the deserted structures above and the transformed life below also reinforces the game’s central science-fiction premise.

How the Echoes Updates Changed Exploration

The post-launch Echoes updates expanded the game’s environments and added more activities beyond the original progression route.

By July 2026, Far From Home had introduced additional landmarks, enemy encounters, and more than 30 side quests across the game’s three biomes.

The Final Echoes update also brought new locations, including Thunderhead Terminal, and continued the studio’s effort to increase environmental variety.

These additions directly address one of the most common complaints about the initial release: the limited rewards for exploring locations after players had learned the basic scavenging routine.

More destinations and side objectives give the world additional substance, although they do not fundamentally change the fact that repeated resource gathering remains a central part of the experience.

Combat and Environmental Threats

Combat exists in Forever Skies, but it is not the game’s main attraction.

Threats include hostile drones, robotic enemies, and dangerous creatures adapted to the transformed world. Lightning storms and environmental hazards also threaten the player and their airship.

This is a different kind of survival experience from games built around large-scale firefights, competitive raids, or battles between player-controlled factions.

Weapons and Enemy Encounters

Combat equipment includes a crossbow and a knife, with additional ammunition types and weapon adjustments introduced through updates.

The Final Echoes update expanded enemy encounters and made changes to existing combat tools, including light and heavy knife attacks and revised crossbow bolt tiers.

These improvements give players additional options, but the combat remains relatively straightforward compared with dedicated action games.

The strongest reason to engage with hostile areas is usually to continue exploring, collect valuable resources, or advance an objective rather than to pursue combat for its own sake.

Criticism of Forever Skies has frequently focused on the simplicity of its encounters. Players seeking elaborate enemy behavior, advanced weapon customization, or demanding tactical combat may find this aspect less satisfying than the construction and exploration systems.

Difficulty Settings

The July 2026 update introduced customizable difficulty options that allow players to adjust several aspects of the survival experience.

These include enemy health, damage, and spawn frequency, along with settings that determine what is lost after death.

The flexibility is useful because Forever Skies appeals to audiences with different priorities. Some players want additional danger during expeditions, while others prefer a more relaxed experience centered on building and exploration.

Custom difficulty settings can also be changed during play without disabling achievements.

Single-Player and Co-op Gameplay

Forever Skies can be played alone or through online cooperative multiplayer for up to four players.

In single-player, the experience emphasizes isolation, personal planning, and the gradual development of an airship under one player’s control.

Co-op shifts the focus toward coordinating expeditions, gathering supplies, and working together on construction and research objectives.

The underlying activities remain similar, but sharing tasks can make a substantial difference to the rhythm of resource collection and preparation.

Players looking for a cooperative survival game built around a shared mobile base will find this one of Forever Skies’ most attractive features.

There are, however, limitations to platform compatibility. As of the developer’s July 2026 FAQ update, Forever Skies does not support cross-play between platforms.

For groups planning to purchase the game together, platform compatibility is worth checking before choosing a version.

Graphics, Atmosphere, and World Design

Forever Skies is visually defined by its ruined skyline and the contrast between industrial structures, open air, and the enormous dust layer covering Earth.

Abandoned towers, exposed platforms, and remnants of infrastructure create a distinctive environment for exploration. The airship gives players a moving viewpoint over the landscape, making the world feel different from the ground-based environments common in survival games.

The strongest visual moments come from that sense of scale: an airship moving between the remains of enormous buildings, with most of the planet hidden beneath polluted clouds.

The environmental art supports the story without relying entirely on dialogue or cinematics. Much of the game’s identity comes from seeing the consequences of the ecological disaster.

The weakness is environmental repetition. Although the atmosphere is distinctive, recurring architectural elements can make individual scavenging locations less memorable over time.

The additional landmarks and biome improvements introduced after launch help broaden the range of environments, but the original visual concept remains the main attraction.

Performance and System Requirements

Forever Skies is available on Windows PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

The PC version supports DirectX 12 and requires a 64-bit installation of Windows 10 or Windows 11.

Official PC System Requirements

These are the official published requirements, not independently measured performance benchmarks.

The recommended hardware specification is a more sensible starting point for players who want additional headroom, particularly when using higher visual settings.

Performance cannot be reduced to a single reliable FPS figure across all platforms and configurations. Resolution, graphics settings, hardware, and game version affect the results, while larger constructed airships and visually complex locations can introduce additional demands.

The developers have also acknowledged performance and optimization as areas requiring attention following the original full release.

Players comparing versions should distinguish the official PC hardware requirements from independently benchmarked performance rather than assuming a fixed frame rate from the specification alone.

Forever Skies Updates: What Changed After Launch?

Forever Skies had a difficult transition out of Early Access.

Although the original concept attracted considerable attention, the April 2025 full release received mixed responses from players who wanted deeper exploration, more varied activities, and stronger survival systems.

Far From Home publicly acknowledged this criticism and committed to improving the game.

The subsequent Echoes update series concentrated on expanding the existing experience rather than replacing its central mechanics.

The Final Echoes — July 27, 2026

The Final Echoes was the third and final installment in the major free Echoes update series. It launched alongside the Xbox Series X|S release.

Its most important changes included:

• An electricity generation and consumption system for the airship.
• Reworked airship damage and maintenance.
• Additional enemy types and combat encounters.
• More than 30 new side quests across the Echoes updates.
• New landmarks and expanded environmental variety across three biomes.
• Custom difficulty options, including combat and death penalties.
• Improvements to exploration and progression.

The update also introduced new equipment and locations, giving players additional reasons to develop their airship and revisit the game’s survival systems.

These changes are particularly significant because they address criticisms raised after version 1.0. More activities make exploration less dependent on collecting familiar materials, while electricity and revised damage management give airship maintenance a more active role.

The updates improve the overall package, though the game’s appeal still depends heavily on whether players enjoy scavenging, construction, and relatively measured progression.

What Makes Forever Skies Different From Other Survival Games?

The central distinction is its mobile airship base.

In most survival games, players establish a home in one location and travel away from it to collect resources. Forever Skies instead makes the home itself part of the journey.

This gives building a different purpose. A new workshop or storage area does not simply improve a settlement; it changes the capabilities of the vehicle that carries everything needed for the next expedition.

Forever Skies vs. Subnautica

Subnautica is the most natural comparison because both games combine environmental mystery, scientific research, survival, and exploration of a world that has become hostile to humans.

Both also use equipment progression to expand access to dangerous environments.

The key difference is the central base concept. Subnautica places greater emphasis on underwater exploration and the tension of entering unfamiliar depths. Forever Skies shifts that relationship toward an airship that acts as a permanent mobile headquarters.

Subnautica offers a stronger reference point for players primarily interested in ecological mystery and environmental danger. Forever Skies is especially appealing to those who want substantial control over the structure and appearance of their traveling base.

Forever Skies vs. Raft

Raft offers another useful comparison because the player’s base is also a moving structure.

Both games involve gathering resources and steadily expanding a home that travels through the environment. However, their settings and exploration methods are different.

Raft uses ocean travel and multiplayer survival as its foundation. Forever Skies uses vertical exploration, ruined urban locations, scientific equipment, and the contrast between the skies and the toxic world below.

Players who enjoy the satisfaction of expanding a mobile base in Raft may appreciate Forever Skies’ airship construction, although the overall progression and atmosphere are considerably different.

Forever Skies: Pros and Cons

Strengths

A distinctive mobile-base concept. Building and expanding an airship gives construction a practical connection to exploration. The vessel is central to both the game’s visual identity and its progression.

Strong environmental atmosphere. The ruined skyline, toxic dust, and transformed ecosystems create a memorable post-apocalyptic setting.

Research-driven progression. Scanning objects and developing technology provides a clear purpose for exploring abandoned locations.

Flexible solo and cooperative play. Up to four players can work together, while the single-player experience preserves the quieter atmosphere of exploring an abandoned world.

Meaningful post-launch improvements. The Echoes updates expanded exploration and gave airship maintenance additional depth.

Weaknesses

Repetitive resource gathering. Construction and crafting frequently require further scavenging, which can interrupt the pace of exploration.

Uneven location variety. Some environments share enough visual and structural similarities that visiting them becomes less rewarding.

Relatively simple combat. Even with additional enemies and weapon adjustments, fighting is not as developed as the building systems.

Survival systems may feel light to genre veterans. Players looking for complex simulation or especially punishing survival mechanics may prefer a more demanding game.

No cross-play. Cooperative groups using different gaming platforms cannot play together through native cross-platform multiplayer.

Price, Editions, and Available Platforms

Forever Skies is sold on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

On Xbox, the standard game is listed at $34.99 in the US store, while the Deluxe Edition is listed at $39.99. Regional prices and temporary sales may change the amount paid.

The Xbox Deluxe Edition includes the base game and the Supporter Pack, rather than a Season Pass or additional story campaign.

The Supporter Pack contains an airship paint scheme, decorative items, and a tribute poster. Its additions are primarily cosmetic.

On Steam, the standalone game has a listed US base price of $29.99. Steam also offers a Deluxe Edition bundle that includes the game, Supporter Pack, and soundtrack.

The standard edition contains the core survival adventure. Players primarily interested in gameplay do not need the cosmetic extras to access its main systems.

Is the Deluxe Edition Worth It?

The Deluxe Edition is best viewed as an optional purchase for players who want to support the developer or add decorative content to their airship.

It should not be confused with a gameplay expansion containing additional story chapters, exclusive factions, or mechanical advantages.

For most first-time buyers, the standard edition is the more straightforward choice.

Is Forever Skies Worth Playing in 2026?

Forever Skies is easiest to recommend to players who enjoy constructing a personal base, improving technology, and exploring atmospheric environments at a relatively measured pace.

Its airship remains the strongest part of the experience. The ability to build a functional home and carry it across a ruined landscape gives familiar survival activities a distinctive structure.

The game’s weaker elements are also clear. Resource collection can become repetitive, combat is relatively simple, and the quality of exploration depends heavily on how much interest players find in individual locations.

These issues contributed to the mixed response to its original full release.

The Echoes updates have since expanded the game with additional quests, locations, threats, and more involved airship maintenance. The July 2026 version therefore offers more activities and stronger mechanical support for the airship concept than the launch build.

Still, Forever Skies is not a replacement for every type of survival experience. It does not deliver the depth of a hardcore survival simulator, the combat focus of an action RPG, or the social competition of a PvP sandbox.

Its main appeal is the relationship between exploration and construction: each expedition helps improve the airship, and each improvement makes the next journey more practical.

Verdict: Forever Skies is a worthwhile choice for fans of atmospheric survival adventures and mobile-base building, particularly after the Echoes updates. Players who prioritize challenging combat, highly varied locations, or complex survival simulation should approach it with more modest expectations.

The airship is the reason to play. The quality of the surrounding adventure depends on how much you enjoy the work required to keep it flying.

FAQ

Is Forever Skies worth playing in 2026?

Forever Skies is worth playing if you enjoy exploration, crafting, and building a mobile base. Its customizable airship and ruined-world atmosphere are its strongest features. The 2026 Echoes updates added new locations, side quests, enemies, and more detailed airship management. However, repetitive scavenging and relatively simple combat remain drawbacks for players seeking a more demanding survival experience.

Can you play Forever Skies with friends?

Yes. Forever Skies supports online co-op for up to four players. You can explore abandoned structures, gather resources, research technology, and build an airship together. The game also supports single-player mode. Cross-platform multiplayer is not supported, so players on different gaming platforms cannot join the same session.

Is Forever Skies a fully released game?

Yes. Forever Skies left Early Access and launched its full 1.0 version on April 14, 2025. Developer Far From Home continued expanding the game through free Echoes updates. The third and final major update in that series, The Final Echoes, arrived on July 27, 2026, introducing additional quests, environments, enemies, and airship systems.

What is the main objective in Forever Skies?

You play as a scientist returning to Earth hundreds of years after an ecological catastrophe. The main mission is to investigate the planet’s transformed environment and find biological materials needed to develop a cure for a disease threatening humanity’s survivors. Progression involves exploring abandoned structures, researching technology, crafting equipment, and upgrading your airship to reach new areas.

Can you build and customize your own airship in Forever Skies?

Yes. Airship construction is the central feature of Forever Skies. You can expand its structure, arrange interior rooms, install crafting and research equipment, manage storage, and customize its appearance. The Final Echoes update added electricity management and reworked airship damage, making power generation and maintenance more important to the flying base.

Does Forever Skies have combat and enemies?

Yes, although combat is secondary to exploration and survival. Players encounter hostile drones, robotic enemies, and dangerous creatures adapted to Earth’s altered environment. Weapons include a crossbow and knife. The 2026 updates expanded enemy variety and combat options, but Forever Skies remains more focused on scavenging, research, and airship construction than action-heavy combat.

What platforms is Forever Skies available on?

Forever Skies is available on Windows PC through Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The full PC and PlayStation 5 versions launched on April 14, 2025, followed by the Xbox Series X|S release on July 27, 2026. The PC version requires Windows 10 or 11, at least 12 GB of RAM, a compatible DirectX 12 graphics card, and 31 GB of available storage.

Is Forever Skies similar to Subnautica or Raft?

Forever Skies shares Subnautica’s emphasis on environmental exploration, scientific research, and survival in an unfamiliar ecosystem. Its mobile-base construction is closer to Raft, although the setting replaces ocean travel with an airship flying between ruined skyscrapers. Compared with both games, Forever Skies places particular emphasis on customizing a flying home and exploring the world above and beneath a toxic dust layer.