Sci-fi RPG STARBITES is coming west this May

NIS America has announced that STARBITES, a sci-fi turn-based RPG from developer Ikinagames, will launch in the west on May 21, 2026. The game is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam.

I am always up for a sci-fi RPG. The genre usually leans heavily into fantasy tropes. Swapping swords and magic for giant robots and a desert wasteland is a welcome change of pace. STARBITES originally released in Japan on October 16, 2025. This new trailer finally locks in when the rest of the world can play it.

Life on a junkyard planet

The story takes place on Bitter. This desert planet is a massive junkyard following a devastating interstellar war. You play as Lukida, a young salvager who makes a living collecting spaceship parts and relics. She desperately wants to escape the planet entirely.

The setup draws obvious parallels to Star Wars, specifically the scavenger lifestyle seen on Jakku or Tatooine. The tone aims for something much brighter. The art direction uses a colorful anime aesthetic that contrasts with the bleak reality of a ruined world. Lukida travels with a crew of friends. Her party includes a laid-back drinker named Gwendoll and a calm engineer named Badger.

Instead of fighting on foot, the main cast navigates the dunes and battles enemies in custom mechs called Motorbots. Each character's Motorbot matches their personality and fighting style. Lukida pilots a bulky yellow mech equipped with a massive slingshot. Gwendoll uses a nimble, flashy hoverbike to take shots at enemies.

Breaking enemy shields

Combat is strictly turn-based. The mechanics revolve around a system called Barrier Break. Hitting enemy weaknesses depletes their shield barriers. Once a shield breaks, the enemy becomes immobilized for several turns.

You can also assign party members to support roles. When you successfully break an enemy's defenses, these support characters jump in with automatic follow-up attacks. Taking and dealing damage builds up a separate Driver's High gauge. Filling this meter lets you force extra turns and manipulate the combat timeline to your advantage.

Between fights, you return to Delight City to upgrade your Motorbots. The game includes a full equipment system with different rarities and stat boosts for health, attack power, and defense. You build these upgrades using the scrap and relics you pull out of the desert.

Physical editions and voice acting

The western release includes full voice acting in English, Japanese, and Korean. French is also available as a subtitle option.

NIS America is selling an $89.99 physical limited edition through its official store. The package includes a collector's box, an art book, an original soundtrack CD, an acrylic stand, three rubber keychains, and six metal pins.

The publisher noted on its store page that a planned physical Deluxe Edition for the Nintendo Switch 2 was cancelled. Buyers who want a physical copy will need to grab the standard Switch version or the PlayStation 5 release. The digital version is still on track to launch natively on Nintendo's new hardware alongside the other platforms.