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Star Trek: Voyager – Across the Unknown
The Next Generation
, three of
Voyager
, and most recently a 2025 appearance in
Star Trek Timelines
on mobile.
The Q Trials update is free for all existing owners and new players alike. Launching alongside it on October 1 is the paid Equinox DLC, the second release in the
What Q Trials Actually Changes — and Why It Matters for Replayability
The base game already incorporates roguelite elements: its
In FTL,
The closest analog in the roguelite genre is not just FTL's randomized encounters but FTL's resource pressure: the sense that every decision matters because you cannot simply reload from a comfortable save point. Q Trials makes each Delta Quadrant run a self-contained gauntlet. Whether the game implements permadeath within Q Trials specifically — in the
Q's Return: Why the Character and the Mode Fit Each Other
John de Lancie first played Q in
The Next Generation
's 1987 pilot, "Encounter at Farpoint," where
That canonical role maps almost exactly onto what a roguelike mode does mechanically. A designer at gameXcite did not need to invent a reason for Q to run a gauntlet mode — the character has been running gauntlet modes since 1987. De Lancie's voice lines introduce and react to the chaos, which means players will experience Q not as framing device but as a persistent presence whose commentary shifts based on what choices they make. The GoNintendo coverage of the announcement
Equinox DLC: Voyager's Most Desperate Crew in Its Most Demanding Mode
The paid Equinox DLC bundles with Q Trials not just as additional content but as a thematically deliberate pairing. The
The Equinox DLC adds this ship and these characters to Q Trials exclusively, not to the main story campaign. It also imposes concrete mechanical disadvantages that map directly onto the canonical Equinox crew's position: the ship is
The thematic resonance is not incidental. A roguelike mode is specifically designed to make each decision matter by removing the safety net of easy recovery. Pairing that pressure system with the crew that, in canon, made the worst possible choices under identical pressure is a deliberate argument: here is what this situation does to people. Will you do the same?
The creative challenge gameXcite faces is real. As
What Is Already Known About the Full Expansion Roadmap
The Equinox DLC is the second of four packs in the
Daedalic Entertainment, the game's German publisher, is currently operating as a subsidiary of Nacon, the French publisher that
Across the Unknown
launched. The ongoing DLC delivery has continued despite that financial backdrop, and the Q Trials announcement represents significant additional investment in the game's live service period.
How the Base Game Performs: Sales and Critical Context
Across the Unknown
is
German gaming outlet GameStar, which scored it 80/100, wrote that reviewers "wished we would never arrive on Earth." Stevivor scored it 85/100 on Steam and called it "perhaps the Star Trek game most faithful to its source material." That critical differentiation — broadly positive among franchise-engaged reviewers, more qualified from generalists — suggests Q Trials and the Equinox DLC are landing for the audience that the game was always built for.
Read more:
What Is Q Trials, and How Different Is It From the Main Campaign?
Both modes are set aboard the U.S.S. Voyager in the Delta Quadrant, and both use the same management systems — ship resources, crew assignments, tactical decisions. But they are structurally distinct experiences. The main campaign offers a
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Q Trials free for players who already own the game?
Yes. Q Trials is a free update for all existing owners of
Star Trek: Voyager – Across the Unknown
on all platforms — PC, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. It arrives October 1, 2026. The Equinox DLC launching the same day is paid content, available through the
How does the Equinox DLC connect to the Equinox storyline from the TV show?
In the original
Voyager
series, the U.S.S. Equinox was a
How many more DLC packs are coming, and when will they arrive?
The four-DLC Expansion Pass is set to complete within one year of the base game's February 2026 launch. After the Equinox DLC (October 1), the
Voyager
's most famous episodes. Specific dates for DLC 3 and 4 have not been announced.
Is this John de Lancie's first time voicing Q in a game?
No. De Lancie has voiced Q in several Star Trek games dating back to
Star Trek: The Game Show
(1998),
Star Trek: ConQuest Online
(2000), and the mobile game
Star Trek Timelines
. His most recent appearance as Q in any medium before this announcement was the 2025
Strange New Worlds
episode "Wedding Bell Blues." Q Trials marks his return to the character in a dedicated game appearance.
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