Old Light FAQ

Old Light is a slow, asynchronous strategy game set in one galaxy shared by every player. You begin with a single star system and grow it, over real days and weeks, into an empire of more systems, a bigger economy, and a fleet to defend what's yours or take what isn't. It runs in your browser with nothing to install, and the galaxy keeps moving while you are logged off.

Yes. Old Light is free to play in your browser, with nothing to buy and nothing locked behind a paywall.

No. There is nothing for sale that makes your empire stronger. You cannot buy resources, a premium currency, faster builds, or better ships. Every empire on the map runs on the same clock and the same rules, so the only edge is the one you earn by playing well.

No. Old Light plays entirely in a web browser, with nothing to install and no app to grab from a store. You make an empire and start on your first system straight away.

Very little. It is built to be checked twice a day, around twenty minutes in total, and often less early on. Builds take minutes to hours and run in real time, so you queue what you want, close the tab, and come back to find it done. There is no stamina meter and no live event you have to show up for.

It keeps running. Your economy accrues and your fleets keep moving whether the tab is open or not, because the server keeps the world going on its own. Nothing expires while you are away and there is no login streak to maintain.

Yes. Old Light runs in any modern browser, including on a phone or tablet, with no app to install. The slow, short-session pace suits picking it up between other things.

Both. The galaxy is shared by every human player at once, and computer-controlled empires settle it alongside you. The AI empires play by the exact same rules you do, so a neighbour is a real challenge whether a person or the computer is running it.

No. New empires get a window of beginner protection before anyone can attack them, so you have room to learn the game and grow. You can read how it works in the guide.

It comes from the same family as OGame and Travian, with the borders-and-fleets feel of a space 4X like Stellaris underneath. It is lighter and free in a browser, and no one can buy their way past you.

It is live and playable right now, and still young. The galaxy is smaller and thinner than a game that has run for a decade, and new features land regularly.