Summary

  • Once Human is currently experiencing server lag issues.
  • The scope of the ongoing problems is currently unclear, with Starry Studio merely saying that the issues aren't affecting all servers.
  • The developer apologized to any affected players and promised to compensate them for their troubles.

Once Human is presently suffering from server lag issues, Starry Studio has confirmed. The Chinese developer also promised some compensation for Once Human players affected by the ongoing situation.

Starry Studio's post-apocalyptic survival game was originally released for PC in early July 2024. Its free-to-play nature and compelling gameplay loop helped it quickly establish a sizable audience, with the game peaking at over 231,000 concurrent Steam players shortly following its debut. But this level of success appears to have even taken Starry Studio by surprise, as underlined by the fact that Once Human suffered from long queue times and server problems at launch.

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Once Human Players Not Happy with Co-op Experience

Once Human players express frustration with the co-op experience, highlighting various challenges that affect gameplay enjoyment.

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Four months later, some of these issues appear to still persist. Specifically, Starry Studio has just confirmed that it has recently identified more server lag problems with the game. While the exact scope of the problem is currently unclear, the developer said that the lag is only affecting select servers. Given this state of affairs, the company is currently working on "urgent fixes," having said as much in a November 1 tweet. It remains to be seen whether these fixes are delivered via a server- or client-side Once Human update.

Once Human Developer Promises Player Compensation for Server Lag Issues

Starry Studio's latest announcement also saw the company commit to compensating all Once Human players affected by the ongoing issues. The specifics of its compensation package are yet to be revealed. Twitter reactions to the developer's announcement appear somewhat mixed; while some fans thanked the studio for working to address the problems, others claimed that server lag has been a long-standing issue with Once Human, wondering why the company has taken so long to merely identify it.

And while it's true that server lag has troubled the game for months now, there's no way to tell whether all of its occurrences have the same root cause. It's also possible that Starry Studio has already resolved some such issues, only for even more of them to arise. The pattern of social media complaints about Once Human’s network issues—which have been coming in waves since the game’s July 2024 release rather than consistently—supports this theory.

This isn't the first time that Starry Studio decided to apologize to its players with some freebies. The company most recently did so in mid-October 2024, when it compensated Once Human players affected by server lag issues with a varied array of items, including Mitsuko's Marks, Stardust Sources, and Gunpowder. As always, the developer is still asking players who encounter any sorts of bugs or other issues to report them in-game or using its Discord Feedback Desk.

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Once Human Tag Page Cover Art

Once Human
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Survival
Shooter
Open-World
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Systems
PC-1 phone transparent google logo grey
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Top Critic Avg: 74 /100 Critics Rec: 54%
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Released
July 9, 2024
ESRB
t
Developer(s)
Starry Studio
Publisher(s)
Starry Studio, NetEase, Inc.
Engine
Once Human engine
Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
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The apocalypse changed everything. Human, animal, plant… all are infested by an alien creature – Stardust. As a Meta-Human, you can survive the contamination and use the power of Stardust. Play alone or join others to fight, build and explore. When the world is in chaos, you are our last hope.


You wake up in the middle of nowhere. You'll have to brace yourself for the cruelty of nature (from monsters to lack of food); however, Stardust's influence does not restrict to living things, it also affects the soil and water. Eating polluted food and drinking dirty water will reduce your Sanity. When your Sanity drops, your max HP would drop accordingly. To eat or not to eat, it's a question.


Battle numerous enemies that are once human, and challenge bosses from another dimension to gain powerful items and ease Stardust pollution. You are not only fighting for yourself, but also fighting for the survivors.

 

Platform(s)
PC, Android, iOS
Genre(s)
Survival, Shooter, Open-World
OpenCritic Rating
Fair