# Starhopper: Space Explorer — Fly to Real Stars Near Earth

> Fly to Real Stars Near Earth (iPhone/iPad app by Matthew Austin.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starhopper-space-explorer/id6827736842 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Matthew Austin](https://appshunter.io/developer/6825098481)
- Category: Games, Adventure, Family
- Price: Free
- Age rating: 9+
- Requires: iOS 18.0 · 19 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-11-05
- Data updated: 2026-11-10

## What is Starhopper?

Take the helm and leave Earth behind! In Starhopper you captain a small starship through real stars near our Sun, from Alpha Centauri and Sirius out to giant Betelgeuse, the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way and the star nursery of the Orion Nebula.

FLY AND EXPLORE
Drag to fly around each star system, land on planets and stations, and jump along hyperlanes on the star map. Every system has its own planets, ports and places to scan, with real photos of the stars and fun facts about each one.

JOBS, SIGNALS AND STORIES
- Carry cargo and passengers between ports to earn credits
- Answer mysterious signals and choose what happens next
- Follow questlines with your guide Ada, from a lost telescope to the edge of the galaxy
- Hunt down wanted rivals and Most Wanted Aces, and claim their bounties
- Free ports from pirates and become their governor

MEET THE GALAXY
Make friends with five civilizations, each with its own ships and home stars, and learn their secrets. Some are friendly. Some take a little convincing.

BUILD YOUR SHIP
Buy new hulls at shipyards, fit lasers, shields, engines, a fuel scoop and drones, hire and refit wingmates, and win rare parts in turn-based battles against pirates, Aces and bosses.

MADE FOR FAMILIES
No ads. No accounts. No purchases. No data collected. Plays offline. Easy and Normal difficulty, and up to four captains on one device.

## Is Starhopper safe?

Not enough ratings yet to assess Starhopper.

## Is Starhopper legit?

Starhopper: Space Explorer has limited verification signals. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for Starhopper is 58 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.


## Version history (last 3 releases)

### 1.4.0 — 2026-11-09

New high-detail art for ships, ports, planets and characters. Every star system now has its own landmark from the real night sky (the Milky Way, the Pleiades, the Horsehead Nebula and more) that sits on the system map, and hyperspace jumps carry you from one system's sky to the next. Sound now pauses when you switch apps and comes back when you return.

### 1.2.0 — 2026-11-07

New in 1.2: the Orion Arm, a whole new region with the Lumen, a fifth civilization, plus the Star Nursery and a new questline. Embral, Vexari and station-builder questlines. Ace patrol leaders, boss battles with phases, four new rivals and a Most Wanted board. Wingmate refits and team-up combos. Ranks past Admiral, new hazards, more port-defence waves, new signals, quiz questions, civ riddles and new music.

### 1.1.2 — 2026-11-05

No release notes.

---

*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-11-10.*