What if survival meant climbing skyward, one floor at a time? Indie studio Stargate Games is reimagining the city-building genre with Stario: Haven Tower, a vertical survival-builder launching into Steam Early Access on September 25, at 8:00 PM PDT. Priced at $13.99 USD (with a launch discount of $12.59 for the first two weeks), this unique take on urban strategy challenges players to construct towering civilizations in a world where climbing is surviving.
A Tower of Hope in a Broken World
Set after a cataclysm that nearly destroyed humanity, Stario: Haven Tower casts players as leaders of the last survivors—known as Towertizens. Guided by prophecy, these survivors must build a colossal tower reaching toward the heavens, facing hostile skies, shifting biomes, and devastating natural disasters. Each layer of the tower introduces new challenges, requiring players to balance survival, resource management, and citizen morale.
Vertical City-Building Redefined
Unlike traditional city builders that expand outward, Stario focuses entirely on vertical growth. Each floor stores resources independently, forcing players to design smart logistics systems and unlock advanced technologies to sustain life across the tower. From lush Mist Zones filled with Jellyfish Quartz to dangerous Sandstorm levels, every biome has its own ecosystem, resources, and aesthetics. The Early Access build also introduces Miracle Towers, monumental wonders that serve as both symbols of resilience and game-changing structures.
Survival Meets Strategy and Imagination
Early Access adds new systems like 13 Rituals that grant unique buffs, structural frameworks for creative builds, and logistics upgrades to maintain tower-wide efficiency. Beyond survival, the game emphasizes beauty and imagination, offering decorative structures, wishboards to fulfill citizen requests, and trade through the Turtle Port system. Inspired by works like Ted Chiang’s Tower of Babylon and Tsutomu Nihei’s Tower Dungeon, as well as real-world megastructure concepts, Stario blends humanistic storytelling with innovative gameplay.
Early Access Highlights
At launch, players can experience the full tech tree and story conclusion, with features including:
- 6 unique biomes (Sandstorm, Mist, Rain, Frost, Clear Skies, Starry Night)
- 4 natural disasters challenging tower stability
- 70+ buildings and 50+ crafting recipes
- Story ending and complete progression
- New gameplay systems: Miracle Towers, Ritual Platform, Turtle Port, Wishboard, and more
Climb Into Early Access This September
Stario: Haven Tower officially launches into Early Access on September 25, and is available to wishlist now on Steam. Players can also try the free demo ahead of launch and join the official Discord to share tower designs and strategies. For those ready to test their creativity and resilience, the climb begins this week.
