Main Sequence demo guide: what is playable now

Steam describes the demo as a slice of the starting star system, covering the first two technology tiers and culminating in the Slipstream Drive. The October update extended the demo’s research options for players who reached the previous endpoint, so “first two tiers” is still a useful summary but no longer the complete patch story.

This is a development demo, not a content-complete preview of the full game. Later systems, the Trading Outpost and late-game science featured in the September playtest are playtest material unless an official update explicitly says they are in the demo.

How to access the demo

1. Open the Main Sequence Demo page on Steam.
2. Sign in to Steam and select the demo download. It is a separate app from the full game, so searching only for the main store page can make the demo button easy to miss.
3. Install, launch and follow the in-game tutorial. The demo opens in the starting asteroid belt with the mining ship.

A Steam account is required. We do not host or mirror the demo files. The demo’s availability after Steam Next Fest is controlled by the developer; it was still listed at the time of our last check.

What is included in the demo

The demo is a moving target. It received a visual overhaul before release and multiple hotfixes afterward. Treat exact recipes and costs as patch-dependent.

A practical first route

The demo’s tutorial gives you a sequence of missions. The following route is a synthesis of the official demo description and a community-tested account of the early progression. It is not a scripted walkthrough with hidden puzzle solutions.

1. Scan and mine. Learn how the ship scanner identifies resource asteroids, then mine enough material to test the refining loop.
2. Use the ship workstation. You do not need a complete station before you can process ore. Early crafting happens on the ship.
3. Build the first station room. The Command module is the station-design entry point. Plan for power before you fill the room with machines.
4. Power the station. This is the step that trips up new players. A docked ship does not necessarily solve station power in the current demo; the community-tested answer is to build station-side generation and supply it.
5. Queue Logistics I. The official demo screenshot shows Logistics I in the research queue at 0/10. Conveyor belts are not available until this research step is handled.
6. Build a belt loop. Once belts are available, connect one machine to storage and watch the item flow. Add a splitter only when you need to send material to two destinations.
7. Automate mining, then scale research. Mining Drones follows Logistics I in the visible tree. That is the transition from hand-feeding to a genuinely automated base.
8. Push toward Slipstream Drive. Build a stable science loop before chasing the drive. The demo’s endpoint is a system-travel technology, not a fully upgraded empire.

Co-op in the demo

The October 19 update added co-op to the demo. In the full game and the demo’s design, each player is the captain of their own ship. The official examples suggest splitting logistics, defense and exploration, but the game does not force those roles.

What is still unknown: the maximum player count, dedicated-server support, host migration, cross-play and exactly how shared progression works. The demo is the current test bed, not a final specification.

Use the co-op guide’s crew planner to assign a first shift across two to four captains.

Will demo progress carry over?

This has not been confirmed. No official statement says demo saves, stations or research will transfer to Early Access. Treat the demo as a preview, not an early-access save file.

The safest preservation strategy is to save useful blueprints rather than assuming a full save transfer. Whether blueprints themselves survive the version boundary is also unconfirmed, so keep screenshots or notes of designs you care about.

What could change at launch

• Recipe costs, research requirements and module balance can change between the demo and Early Access.
• The demo’s co-op performance was still being optimized during the September playtest and October Next Fest.
• The game is entering Early Access, so the launch build is not the final 1.0 balance either.

Field notes for a cleaner demo run

Power before production

A factory line that cannot run is just expensive decoration. Build and fuel station power before committing floor space to a chain of machines. The community-reported tutorial gap makes this the first thing to verify.

Research is a production input

Science is not a passive XP bar. Certain produced items are converted into research through Science Labs. That means your research pace is part of your factory design: if science stalls, check the supply chain before assuming the game is broken.

Read the queue

The research tree exposes prerequisites. Technology names that seem missing may be later nodes, or may require a different ore to be researched first. The demo’s tutorial has known gaps; the tree is a more reliable map than a single mission line.

Don’t chase a finished “best build” yet

The current build is a demo and the launch build is Early Access. Recipes and costs have already changed in patches. Use layouts that are easy to modify, and avoid copying numeric ratios from a build that may no longer match the current version.