It’s not often that we get strategy games that are oriented around being science simulators. Most times strategy games are about base building and fending off said bases from enemy interlopers. In the case of Auroch Digital’s upcoming Mars Horizon, the scope of the game centers not only around building a base, but researching materials and supplies, constructing a rocket, and planning missions that span the solar system.

This unique new simulator is set to launch at some point in 2019 on Steam for PC, but ahead of the launch the developers would love to get a few alpha testers to play-test the game and offer some feedback on Mars Horizon because they launch.

There’s a Steam community update explaining how to get involved with the upcoming alpha weekend. Simply sign-up with their system, wait for the confirmation e-mail, and then make use of the codes when they send them to you for your Steam account.

There’s a guide you’ll need to follow in order to redeem the code, but once you get through that you’ll be able to start launching your own rockets into digital space.

The core of the game centers around creating your own base, establishing a research lab and astronaut training facilities, acquiring rocket materials, hiring crew members, launching satellites into space to plot your course through the solar system, and eventually attempt to solve challenges through turn-based missions where you earn science points to upgrade your gear and expand your mission scope.

It reminds me a little bit of the Kerbal Space Program fused with Surviving Mars, but with a much stronger focus on the actual base building and management side rather than the wacky physics-based antics.

You can learn more about Mars Horizon by visiting the Steam store page, or wishlisting the game ahead of its eventual launch on PC.