Forever Skies is a sci-fi survival game set in a toxic, post-apocalyptic Earth where players pilot and upgrade a drifting airship to explore towering platforms above poisonous clouds, uncovering story elements and surviving environmental hazards. The game features a contemplative atmosphere, ongoing updates like the new electricity system with lightning storms, and supports both solo and co-op play, delivering a unique blend of isolation, exploration, and survival.
Forever Skies is a sci-fi survival game set on an ecologically ruined Earth, where the surface is covered by a massive layer of toxic dust. Unlike many survival games that focus on ground exploration, much of Forever Skies takes place in the skies, where players pilot an airship drifting among towering platforms that rise above the poisonous clouds. The game creates a unique atmosphere of loneliness and awe, with a day-night cycle that enhances the feeling of being alone in a vast, dead world. The environment and mood evoke a similar sense of isolation and methodical survival found in games like Raft and movies like The Martian.
Players start with a small, vulnerable airship that gradually expands into a mobile base equipped with various utilities such as research platforms, fabricators, and food and water production systems. The airship serves as a workshop, laboratory, kitchen, and home, drifting above the toxic wasteland. Piloting the airship feels more like steering a boat, with a gentle drift that fits the game’s contemplative mood. Exploration is a key element, as players navigate between different platforms, solving puzzles and climbing to reach inaccessible areas, while uncovering the story and secrets of the ruined world.
Early in the game, players are tasked with tracking down a researcher named Noah, who ventured back to the devastated Earth before the player arrived. Following Noah’s trail leads to various hideouts and glimpses of the dangerous underdust below, where the environment becomes even more hostile and toxic. These early encounters foreshadow the challenges and narrative depth players will face later, including the psychological toll on previous explorers trapped beneath the dust. This storytelling approach adds layers of intrigue and immersion to the survival experience.
The latest update, The Final Echoes, introduces a new electricity system and expands gameplay with the addition of lightning storms—visually impressive and dangerous areas where players can harvest power. To survive these storms, players must build and attach a lightning rod to their airship, allowing them to safely enter and explore the storm to recover a damaged power generator. This generator can then be researched and installed to capture energy directly from the storm, providing a unique and original method of powering the airship. The update also coincides with the game’s launch on Xbox Series S and X, expanding its accessibility.
Beyond the new electrical mechanics, the developers have supported Forever Skies with ongoing updates that include new side quests, improved airship damage systems, new enemies and combat encounters, additional landmarks, tools, and customizable difficulty settings. The game supports both solo play and online co-op for up to four players, enhancing its replayability and community engagement. Overall, Forever Skies offers a gorgeous, clever, and haunting survival experience that captures the feeling of isolation and exploration that many space-themed games strive to achieve, but set in a uniquely atmospheric, post-apocalyptic Earth.