Core Directive cover art

Core Directive

Voxel Mining Incremental by atimohr, released October 26, 2026. Free in your browser.

Open on itch.io

Core Directive is a finished single-player incremental game with a free browser demo, released on itch.io on October 26, 2026. You are UNIT-7, a mining AI told to dig deeper: orbit a voxel asteroid, drill it and send a drone swarm after the ore, then crack the sealed core to finish the rock. No timers, ads or microtransactions.

What kind of game is Core Directive?

Core Directive is an incremental with a beginning, middle and end. Ore veins burst into glowing cubes that fly back to your ship as credits, which you spend on upgrades, research and a rig of modules before moving to a bigger, stranger rock.

How an asteroid goes

  1. Pick a rock on the sector map. Optional directives pay bonus Data.
  2. Drill it yourself, or set drone priority: nearest, ore, the core, or your cursor. Drones cut faster near your recent drill strikes.
  3. Remove enough mass to unseal the core, then crack it. The rest collapses and part is salvaged.
  4. Buy upgrades any time. Overdrive pushes the swarm harder for a price.

Five sectors, one new rule each

SectorNew rule
The ShallowsRock, ore, relics and cores
Crystal DriftCrystal clusters shatter in chain reactions
Magma BeltExposed magma overheats drones, freeze it into obsidian
Ironclad ReachAlloy armour and shield pylons
The DeepVoid pockets implode after you expose them

The browser demo covers the first sector and saves in the browser; the full game is a separate Windows download.

Core Directive screenshots

Core Directive running in the browser, screen 1 captured by FreshPlay on October 27, 2026
Our capture: first screen after loading
Core Directive running in the browser, screen 2 captured by FreshPlay on October 27, 2026
Our capture: after the first click
Core Directive screenshot 1 from the developer
Developer screenshot 1
Core Directive screenshot 2 from the developer
Developer screenshot 2
Core Directive screenshot 3 from the developer
Developer screenshot 3

Core Directive FAQ

Is Core Directive free?

The browser demo is free on this page. The full game is a Windows download.

Does Core Directive have an ending?

Yes. It is a finished incremental with a start, a middle and an end.

Are there ads or timers?

No timers, ads, microtransactions or online features.

How do drones work?

Set them to target the nearest rock, ore, the core or your cursor. They cut faster near your own drill strikes.

Similar new games

All new simulation games

Made Core Directive?

Add this badge to your itch.io page or README so players can find the page, the controls table and the FAQ.

Play Core Directive on FreshPlay badge