March 19, 2026 – Become a fearless defender of the skies as The Wandering Band’s Airborne Empire takes flight with a full Steam launch next month on PC and Mac.
On April 17, Airborne Empire soars out of Early Access and into 1.0. Over the past year, carefully crafted updates shaped by player feedback have added depth, creativity, and meaning to its world.
These updates have included a massive biome expansion, Hard Mode that amps up difficulty, an enemy-free Pacifist Mode, and a Creative Mode with all resources and buildings unlocked, among others. Tomorrow, March 20, an additional update brings a fast-paced twist and a 20-stage campaign via the new Survival Mode. For the 1.0 release, players can explore an all-new snowcapped, wintry biome filled with quests, a challenging boss battle, and exciting new upgrades like the jet engine that gives the city a burst of flying speed.
1.0 Release Date Trailer: https://youtu.be/wLohUEm1xXU
The aerial RPG and citybuilder Airborne Empire blends role-playing, building, and open-world exploration in the clouds. Explore dynamic biomes, encounter a vibrant cast of feathered characters, and unlock a slate of upgrades to steadily improve your ship. But be careful, as threats are imminent: sky pirates threaten to shoot down your colony and endanger your people. Only the most daring leaders can reforge a harmonious world between the land and the skies.
Airborne Empire is the follow-up to The Wandering Band’s BAFTA-nominated Airborne Kingdom. This new experience brings expanded world exploration, deeper role-playing mechanics, and colorful characters, as well as all-new combat.
Airborne Empire is currently available in Steam Early Access for $29.99, and 1.0 will arrive on PC and Mac via Steam on April 17, 2026. Visit airborneempire.com for more information, and follow The Wandering Band on X and Instagram for the latest updates.
About The Wandering Band
The Wandering Band is an indie games studio focused on creating unique, high-quality interactive experiences that challenge genre boundaries and explore new topics through game mechanics. It was founded by industry veterans Frederik Gareau and Zachary Mumbach in 2018. The founders have decades of combined AAA experience, with work spanning multiple hit franchises like Dead Space, Battlefield, and Star Wars. In 2020, they released their first title Airborne Kingdom, which received a BAFTA nomination for "Best Debut Game."
About Stray Fawn Studio
Stray Fawn Studio is a ten-person indie game studio based in Zurich, Switzerland and the publisher of Airborne Empire. The company focuses on developing their own projects which are often situated in the simulation game genre. Procedural content generation and the simulation of living worlds form the core of the studio’s creations. Stray Fawn was founded by Micha Stettler, a space enthusiastic software engineer and Philomena Schwab, a biology loving game designer. In 2023 the studio expanded into indie game publishing and is now supporting other developers on their journey.
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