NIS America and IKINAGAMES bring their mecha-driven turn-based RPG to the West, with players exploring the desert planet Bitter aboard customizable Motorbots.
STARBITES is now available in the West for PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.
Developed by IKINAGAMES and published by NIS America, the sci-fi JRPG launched today, May 21, 2026, after first arriving in Japan in October 2025. The Nintendo Switch 2 version was previously planned for the same date, but it has been delayed to an unannounced release window.
Set on Bitter, a desert planet scarred by the aftermath of an interstellar war, STARBITES follows Lukida, a young salvager who survives by collecting parts and relics left behind in the sand. Her life changes after an encounter tied to the mysterious Oracle, pulling her into a larger conflict involving strange mecha, aggressive AI, and buried truths from the planet’s past.
The game mixes classic turn-based JRPG combat with a strong mecha angle. Each character pilots a personal Motorbot, and party setup matters both in battle and during progression.
Players can equip Motorbots with weapons, armor, engines, and cores, using materials gathered from exploration and combat to shape each machine’s role. The system leans on weaknesses, guard breaks, and timing, while the Driver’s High gauge adds an extra-turn mechanic that can interrupt the normal timeline order when charged.
Exploration takes players across the sands of Bitter and through Delight City, a tower-shaped settlement slowly being swallowed by the desert. The city acts as more than a simple hub, with NPCs, hidden areas, special objects, and story clues tied to progression.
Outside its walls, each chapter brings new locations, stronger bosses, and additional companions, giving the adventure a steady party-building rhythm.
STARBITES also supports English, Japanese, Korean, and French text on Steam, with English, Korean, and Japanese full audio listed for the PC version.
Steam features include single-player support, achievements, cloud saves, trading cards, and family sharing. A Digital Deluxe Edition is also available on Steam, bundling the base game with The Journey to STARBITES Art Book and the original soundtrack.
