Around The Core Wiki
Around The Core is a space-themed incremental shooter from solo developer draftentropy, self-published on PC via Steam and macOS. It was originally targeted for a July 2026 release, though as of this writing the official Steam listing confirms it has not yet launched.
The Premise
You begin with a central turret placed in space, automatically firing at incoming asteroids -- destruction fuels growth as broken-apart asteroids yield harvestable resources you use to climb a massive upgrade tree between runs. The core loop is confirmed to alternate between two phases: a Combat Phase, where you aim manually while your turret automatically fires and collects resources, and an Upgrade Phase, where you return to a branching tree to improve your turret, energy capacity, asteroid yield, and overall combat efficiency.
Escalating Difficulty and a Confirmed Boss System
Each run builds on the last as upgrades compound, letting you push further into increasingly dangerous asteroid waves. A boss system is confirmed to unlock after harvesting a set amount of resources during a run, introducing a genuine skill and preparation check beyond simple stat-stacking.
Real, Active Pre-Launch Development
The developer has been directly transparent about ongoing changes based on demo feedback: localization and translation cleanup across languages, visual effects rebalanced specifically to improve readability during intense moments (described in the developer's own words as making the game "a little less 'flashbang simulator'"), and a specific fix in progress for a bug where keeping the mouse too close to the screen's center could cause strange laser behavior. A confirmed named boss, the Patron, has also had its difficulty tuned directly in response to player feedback that it felt too punishing compared to the rest of the game's pacing, with changes being tested to how it's summoned.