Steam app 380110 · updated 12 Sep 2026, 23:33 UTC
Nuclear-powered space combat in the 23rd century! In The Black ® is an intense, realistic space combat simulator with a serious respect for science. It is laser focused on the pilot experience and features single- and online multiplayer game modes, plus robust ship customization options.
49 hourly samples, with the daily peak drawn over them. Weekends are shaded.
5 months, May 2026 to September 2026. The highest number of people in the game at once, each month, on a time axis -- a gap in the record stays a gap.
The highest number of people in the game at once, each month. Four, because four is as far back as the source keeps anything finer than one figure a month.
15 days, each one the highest figure that day. The source keeps no hourly detail this far back. Weekends are shaded.
18 days, each one the highest figure that day. The source keeps no hourly detail this far back. Weekends are shaded.
8 days, each one the highest figure that day. The source keeps no hourly detail this far back. Weekends are shaded.
In The Black was released on 5 May, 2026.
Intense Violence - Graphic and realistic-looking physics-based depictions of space combat involving guns, missiles and lasers. Pilots may be killed, but this is never shown. Language - Mild to moderate use of profanity
| Language | Full audio |
|---|---|
| English | ● |
A blank audio cell means full audio was not marked in the returned language list.
In The Black - Early Access Gameplay Launch Trailer
Watch on Steam
In The Black - Early Access Trailer
Watch on Steam36 developer announcements, Feb 2018 to Sep 2026 · times in UTC
In The Black - Heat DeathHeat is now a weapon, a warning light, and a way to die. This patch rips out the old approximated heat model and replaces it with a brand-new, ground-up thermodynamics system. Your coolant loops, armor panels…
[Impeller] HardBurnWatch Patch Video on YouTubeOverviewThis patch serves as a final push before our first content update. The team has focused heavily on hardening the core systems pilots use outside of missions: the squad/co-op system, ship inventory, and…
Patch notesGreetings, Pilots!Here's an overview of our Early Access hotfixes and stability updates:New BloodSport LocationOpen Space - 5 v 5 - Pure dogfighting. No asteroids. No stations. Just the vacuum.Gameplay & Game Mode LogicWe've overhauled the…
Patch notesGreetings, Pilots.We've deployed a hotfix to address a critical hardware failure that slipped through recently and TrackIR support has now been restored. Some of you rightly pointed out that TrackIR went dark on launch. The device's Product…
Patch notesGreetings, Pilots. Thank you to everyone flying with us during our Early Access launch. Your feedback is helping us move quickly. Our first hotfix is already live and includes:• Re-enabled onboarding after fixes for physics, collision, and…
Patch notesGreetings Pilots,Another week, another round of updates as we prepare for launch into Early Access. We've been busy under the hood, overhauling core systems for performance, stability, and gameplay correctness. Here is the breakdown.Core…
Patch notesGreetings, mercs!We are incredibly proud to announce that the Early Access release of In The Black will launch May 5th. That date also honors the 65th anniversary of the first manned spaceflight of an American astronaut: Alan Shepard's…
Exothermic MeganAnother week, another batch of changes straight from the void. We're continuing our push on UI and quality-of-life, and this time our sights were set on the projectile impact points (PIP). The old lead/lag pips were functional, but let's be…
Patch notesWe've updated our Tobii head and eye tracking smoothing algorithms to reduce jitter and lag. We also slipped in a few bugfixes on some nasty edge cases that have been plaguing us.Core System OverhaulsTobii Eye/Head Tracking Rewrite: We've…
Patch notesTobii Support & Backend UpdateAlright pilots, listen up.This week was about ripping out the guts of our singleton managers and replacing them with actual Engine Subsystems, because we're tired of race conditions and "spaghetti code" being a…
Patch notesFeatures & System ChangesHead Tracking Overhaul: The system for head tracking and vehicle cameras has been completely rewritten for significantly smoother and more accurate 1:1 control.Head tracking rotation is now independent of manual…
Patch notesWhat's NewWe're excited to introduce the completely redesigned Input System 2.0 for In The Black! This major overhaul brings a modern, flexible input management system that makes configuring your controls easier and more reliable than ever…
Patch notesVisual ImprovementsAugmented Vision: Added Augmented Vision on activation of Sensors to help new and seasoned players find their way in the dark of space.Ultra Wide Support: FOV now adjusts dynamically based on screen aspect ratio to ensure…
Patch notesMajor AdditionsCamera Zoom OverhaulRebuilt from the ground up for smoother, more realistic control.Added Toggle Zoom and refined Auto-Zoom behavior (now only activates on initial target focus).Implemented a true optical magnification model…
Patch notesSeveral bug fixes and Quality-of-Life updates, here are some of the most notable:Gameplay & Tutorial ImprovementsWeapons Tutorial Revamp: Players can now freely rotate their ship from the start of the tutorial, removing forced aim…
Patch notesHey there Mercs! We've got a hot new trailer for you guys! Our Early Access trailer has hit the channel, come have a look! Lots of exciting additions are coming, and sooner than you think. If you'd like to know more about Early Access, then…
Al_Go_ApeGameplay & BalanceRailgun Damage AdjustmentArmor thickness across multiple ship classes has been rebalanced to slightly reduce the railgun’s one-shot potential.Adjustments affect the Hyperion, Pegasus, and Reus ship families.This is part of…
Patch notesFixesThe Impeller Input Manager plugin was conflicting with Unreal Engine’s internal SDL2 library. Causing startup crashes or unpredictable behavior on some systems.The import library has been rebuilt so that the plugin loads safely…
Patch notesFixesFixed a startup crash that occurred on systems with older SDL2.dll files. The game now checks the SDL version at launch and skips unsupported joystick info calls, ensuring it runs safely on all SDL versions.
Patch notesGameplay UpdatesDrone SweepYou can now select the difficulty level of Drone SweepContract payout is now properly displayed and rewarded to playersFree Flight Safety Boundaries Free Flight now includes a Play Area Enforcement system that…
Patch notesHey there Mercs, A new training short has hit the Youtube channel. Go check it out and see what you can learn! We've seen a lot of comments talking about piloting flight controls feeling slow and sluggish. We hope this alleviates that…
Al_Go_ApeBig thanks to LT Gaming for covering the demo as their review of In The Black has now passed 100,000 views! Many players have also discovered the game through Steam Next Fest — we’re thrilled to welcome all the new pilots to the community!…
Professor EGreetings, Mercs! We’ve just released a new Demo Overview video on YouTube! A huge thank-you goes out to Nathan, whose brilliant work helped bring this video to life.We plan to create more content like this, along with shorter videos…
Al_Go_ApeGameplay UpdatesNew Drone Sweep Mission (CO-OP / Singleplayer)Added a brand-new Drone Sweep mission to the Contracts lineup.Players work together to clear waves of autonomous drone defenders in low-orbit combat zones.Improved spawn logic…
Patch notesGreetings Mercenaries, Have you heard the news? In The Black has released a demo! A historic moment like this deserves an occasion…a new Livestream perhaps! We will be holding a Livestream to commemorate this achievement on Saturday…
Al_Go_ApePost-Match EnhancementsPost-Match scenes now display real squad data instead of placeholder/random squads.Full squad performance is tracked and shown, including correct squad names, members, and top squad highlights.Top squad determination…
Patch notes🚀 Post-Match OverhaulIntroduced a new Post-Match streaming system for faster, more reliable result transfers between server and clients.Added player performance breakdowns: credits, XP, commendations, repair costs, and rentals now display…
Patch notesJoin Principal Designer David Wessman and Assistant Producer Al Wood this Saturday, August 9 starting at 12:00 EDT. We're actually going to do two 2-hours sessions with a one hour break in between.For everyone who already has a key, please…
WessmaniacToday Principal Designer David Wessman and Assistant Producer Al Wood are livestreaming a playtest of In The Black. Join us on Twitch or Discord to chat and ask questions. We're actually going to do two 2-hours sessions with a one hour…
Wessmaniac{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/9120356/df7415f4bbef74d1ad26c15332bb60a2526866c7.png Hailing all mercs! The next Playtest with the Devs is today! SURPRISE!!! We start at 15:00 EDT. We're going to play for 2 hours. If you have a key, please join in! If…
Wessmaniac{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/9120356/0d61667a48bccc224c8c921ceb45b9e1d9e0afe7.jpg Impeller Studios is hosting another "playtest with the devs" this Saturday, May 10. We're doing things a little differently this time. There will actually be three…
WessmaniacHey Mercenaries, We have been working hard on the game and made some serious improvements to the Scan the Freighters mission so that it is both more fun, and more tense. Check it out if you have gone through it already. Along with that…
TheMagicalCarpofFail!Hey Mercenaries, We have a pretty big update coming out today and we are excited to see what you guys think. We are releasing the pilot terminal. This is a pretty big update as the Pilot Terminal contains pilot progression and ship…
TheMagicalCarpofFail!Hey Mercenaries, Please find below the latest Alpha Patch Notes. Gameplay / Mechanics Targeting markers now appear on objectives such as the reactors, enabling them to be locked on. The health of the Lethe base and Atlas reactors have been…
TheMagicalCarpofFail!Hey Mercenaries, Please find below the latest Alpha Patch Notes. User Interface Corrected an issue wherein a player would be unable to close the Settings menu if they are a client during a match. The keybindings section of the Settings menu…
TheMagicalCarpofFail!Hey Mercenaries, We are excited to announce the first patch of the Alpha. We love all the feedback we have been getting and want to use it to make chances that improve the game so that you guys all enjoy it as much as we do. We tackled just…
ZydrateWhat Steam runs, and with what. Straight from the app configuration.
| Description | Executable | Arguments | Platform | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In The Black | InTheBlack.exe | windows 64 | branch default | |
| Dev Database | InTheBlack.exe | -dev -8675309 | any | branch branch-devneeds DLC 762260 |
| Launch | InTheBlack.exe | any | branch beta |
The folders Steam Cloud syncs. The root is a token Steam uses for a location on your own machine, not a path this page can know.
| Root | Folder | Files |
|---|---|---|
WinAppDataLocal | InTheBlack/Saved/SaveGames | *.sav |
It runs on public data and somebody's spare time.
https://paypal.me/KintaroPalPay[email protected]0x4d559C765AA8BFe336E36d5b76024926767eD38dTJtctWU9uetJaTBoSybd1RErW7n9duTKVG