KESTRIONFree beta
Download Kestrion
Current Stable: 0.42.1. The buttons below always download the newest version.
Windows 10 and 11
Kestrion-setup.exeThe installer (recommended). Express installs straight into your own user folder; Custom lets you choose the folder and the shortcuts. No administrator rights needed.Kestrion-win-x64.zipThe portable version. Unzip it anywhere and runKestrion.exe. It tells you when a new version is out.
Windows will warn you the first time you run it: here is why.
Linux
A Linux version is being built now. It will come as:
Kestrion-linux-x64.tar.gzRecommended. Unpack it anywhere and run./kestrion. It updates itself.Kestrion-x86_64.AppImageOne file: make it executable and run it. It tells you when a new version is out.
It will update itself just like the Windows version, and use the same signatures. On Ubuntu 23.10 and newer, run ./kestrion --setup-sandbox (or ./Kestrion-x86_64.AppImage --setup-sandbox) once: it lets the game's safety sandbox work, and asks for your password.
System requirements
Minimum
- OS
- Windows 10 64-bit
Ubuntu 24.04, Debian 12, Fedora 41 or newer (64-bit) - Processor
- Intel Core i5-6500 / AMD Ryzen 3 1200
- Memory
- 4 GB RAM
- Graphics
- Intel UHD Graphics 620 / AMD Radeon Vega 8
- Storage
- 500 MB available space
- Network
- Broadband internet (multiplayer only)
- Additional notes
- 60 fps in matches of up to 4 players
Recommended
- OS
- Windows 11 64-bit
Ubuntu 24.04, Debian 12, Fedora 41 or newer (64-bit) - Processor
- Intel Core i5-10400 / AMD Ryzen 5 3600
- Memory
- 8 GB RAM
- Graphics
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti / AMD Radeon RX 560
- Storage
- 500 MB available space
- Network
- Broadband internet (multiplayer only)
- Additional notes
- 60 fps in the largest 10-player battles
No account needed. Skirmish, training, the ship builder and the editors work offline. A Mac version is planned for later.
"Windows protected your PC"
Windows shows this for programs that are not signed with a paid code-signing certificate, or that few people have downloaded yet. Kestrion does not have that certificate yet. Nothing is wrong with the file.
- Click More info.
- Click Run anyway.
Want to be sure the file really is ours first? Check it; it takes a minute.
A certificate only says who paid for it. What protects your updates is our own signature, which the game checks every time, certificate or not.
Updates
- Kestrion always asks before downloading an update, and never interrupts a match.
- It installs when you close the game, or when you press Restart now.
- The previous version is always kept: Settings > Updates > Go back to the previous version. If a new version fails to start twice in a row, the game offers to go back for you.
- An update check sends nothing about you: it is one plain download of a small file from GitHub. You can switch update checks off in Settings > Updates.
Beta
Betas bring new features, balance changes and fixes before they reach everyone. They are tested builds, but rougher than Stable. Ask for the Beta code on our Discord.
Welcome to the Beta. Two ways in:
- Already playing? In the game, open Settings > Updates, type the same code, and switch the channel to Beta. The game then offers you every new Beta.
- New install? Download the newest Beta directly:
To leave, switch the channel back to Stable. You stay on your version until Stable catches up; nothing is downgraded behind your back. When a Beta has proven itself, the exact same files become Stable.
Verify your download
The game checks every update by itself, so you never have to. This is for anyone who wants to check a download by hand. Every file is listed in SHA256SUMS.txt and signed with our release key, in the standard minisign format: the signature of Kestrion-setup.exe is Kestrion-setup.exe.minisig, and so on.
Our public key
Key id 6B4826021ADD7830. It is safe to share; only the matching secret key, which never leaves the developer's own PC, can make signatures.
RWQweN0aAiZIa/zdL8dDf65GIuVV6kkLvVnUnoUITMVKKxAEHaMgN+t8The same key is built into the game and printed in the README of both release repositories on GitHub (Kestrion-release and Kestrion-dev). If the key you see anywhere ever differs from this one, do not run the file, and tell us.
1. Check the hash (SHA-256)
This tells you the file arrived complete and unchanged. In the folder with your download:
Get-FileHash .\Kestrion-setup.exe -Algorithm SHA256sha256sum Kestrion-linux-x64.tar.gzThe long string it prints must match the line for that file in SHA256SUMS.txt exactly (upper or lower case does not matter). If even one character differs, delete the file and download it again.
2. Check the signature (minisign)
This tells you the file really comes from us, not just from whoever controls the download page. Get minisign from its official page (Windows) or your package manager on Linux (for example sudo apt install minisign). Put the download and its .minisig file in one folder, then:
minisign -Vm Kestrion-setup.exe -P RWQweN0aAiZIa/zdL8dDf65GIuVV6kkLvVnUnoUITMVKKxAEHaMgN+t8minisign answers Signature and comment signature verified when all is well. Anything else means: do not use the file.