Regular readers here will know just how much I’m enjoying my deckbuilders at the moment, and the latest to cross my path has a whole bunch of potential. I’m talking about Contested Space, a pixel-art card game that’s due out in 2027, and which got its first public demo today, September 4, 2026.
Contested Space is the work of Null & Void Games, and it’s a roguelike deckbuilder that takes inspiration from a bunch of different places. There are traces of FTL, naturally, but you won’t need your sensors on full to detect the influence of Slay the Spire.
The tabletop card game Star Realms is another game that springs to mind, although that might have been put there by the developer, who was gracious enough to send me access to the demo ahead of time.
Within the game, there are several alliances, each with different factions, but you can’t play with all of them in the demo. Fair enough.
The game is essentially a violent space race. You’re competing with other groups to reach a new system, the eponymous Contested Space. This so-called Goldilocks system is the perfect place for expansionist humans to settle, and your faction is one of those gunning for this new home in the stars.
The route there takes you across a star-map filled with event nodes. Along the way, you can boost your deck, have a fight, visit the shop, that sort of thing, before moving on to the next encounter. You know the drill, I’m sure.
Things are most interesting in battle. You’ve got a space station which you must defend at all costs, and your enemy has one which you’ve got to slap into space dust. You do this by playing cards that represent the ships in your fleet.
You’ve got a hand of basic cards at the start of each round, which you play to deal damage and raise funds. Then, before your turn is over, you head to the market to buy a card from your own personal drafting pool, which you can then use in the next hand.
These market cards are the core of the game, and they deal the most damage, heal the most, and even sit between you and your enemy, shielding you from damage. The market creates a really interesting in-game economy, and within a couple of battles, I was really enjoying myself, not just in battle but also as I was tweaking the drafting pool.
The demo for Contested Space certainly gives an enticing first look at a hugely exciting sci-fi deckbuilder. I can’t wait to return for a proper look when the game launches next year.
