CAVEIA
ENES

2045: Drone Aces

2045: Drone Aces promotional artwork: the crew against a battle over a tropical archipelago. The artwork announces wishlisting, a demo and a 3 March 2027 release date.

PC · ARCADE ACTION · LOCAL CO-OP

One mission. Two directions of attack.

Fly solo or with friends, destroy thousands of enemy drones and tear colossal bosses apart.

Watch the trailer Explore the game

2045: Drone Aces

Watch the trailer.

STEAM TRAILER · 1080p

Five days to stop the machine that watches the world

ACE is a plumber from Connecticut, with ten world titles in shoot ’em ups and no real flight experience. When M.A.N.T.I.S. threatens to break free of human control, his arcade reflexes become the last line of defence.

  1. 2026

    Generative intelligence crossed a threshold of acceleration, and began contributing to its own evolution.

  2. 9 May 2027

    A global accord established World AI Alignment Day. Behind it, governments formed a quiet organization to watch the machines that watched the world.

  3. 2027–2045

    Eighteen years of extraordinary gains in medicine, technology, robotics and drone tech.

  4. 2045 · T−5 days

    Dr. Ivo Calder brings evidence: when M.A.N.T.I.S.’s next iteration comes online, it may no longer accept human control.

Comic panel: crowds celebrate World AI Alignment Day around a winged monument, holding banners about a brighter future.
Comic panel: an endless data-centre corridor of server racks lit in blue.
In-game story scene: Commander SOL and Dr. CALDER face each other at the organization's headquarters, beside a holographic globe.

Change your perspective.
Find your opening.

Every sector alternates vertical and horizontal scrolling, with a camera transition between them. KITE flies the camera, and bosses move between arenas.

Vertical scroll over the S01 forest: Wasp Interceptors and Talus Owls attack while power-up crates float near the drone.
Vertical boss fight against Crownbreaker, a robotic stag, firing a red fan of bullets in a forest. Spanish-language HUD.
Top-down view of the Harbour Titan, an armoured gantry boss on a night dock. Spanish-language HUD.
Horizontal scroll at night over grassland under a full moon: the drone fires a stream of blue shots while a red warning flashes.
Horizontal scroll at dusk among jagged islands: Mine Layer drones and buoys, with a message from KITE.
A heavy enemy fires a long blue beam down a forest clearing as the drone dodges.

Your ship. Your arsenal.

Collect upgrades, combine your weapons and choose when to use your abilities. In co-op, each pilot manages their own resources.

Special abilities

  • NOVA

    Charge its battery and unleash a blast to clear danger.

  • Evade

    A defensive manoeuvre to escape a tight spot. Time it carefully.

  • OVERDRIVE

    Boost your main weapon while spending your reserve. Release the button to save the remaining energy.

Supply crate design

Open the crate. Equip the upgrade.

Break supply crates and collect the items they release. Learn each upgrade’s design and adapt your ship to the next encounter.

Take them apart, piece by piece.

Destroy their weapons, expose the reactor and finish the fight. Every part you destroy changes the encounter.

Harbour Titan. Armoured gantry with gun batteries and turrets. Crownbreaker. Robotic stag with modular weapons. Dune Reaver. Mechanical scorpion with claws and a weaponised tail. Tidal Regent. Marine fortress with articulated arms. Permafrost. Mechanical mammoth of the ice stage.
Boss 6 / 12 — #SECRET
Boss 7 / 12 — #SECRET
Boss 8 / 12 — #SECRET
Boss 9 / 12 — #SECRET
Boss 10 / 12 — #SECRET
Boss 11 / 12 — #SECRET
Boss 12 / 12 — #SECRET

Built like a classic arcade. Made for two.

Comic plate: a two-seat arcade command console in front of a holographic drone blueprint and city map.

A soundtrack for every mission.

The music follows the journey from the story’s opening to the fight. “A Bright Future” introduces the story; “Warming Up” and “Roar of the Seven Oceans” are part of the game’s musical journey.

Listen to an excerpt from “A Bright Future” below for a first taste of the 2045: Drone Aces soundtrack.

Soundtrack · “A Bright Future” (intro) · excerpt

0:00 / 1:04

“You’ll fly from our facility on a custom console built like a classic arcade: one joystick, six buttons.” — Dr. Ivo Calder

  1. Local co-op. Fly solo or share the screen with a second player. Each ship has its own combat resources.
  2. Your challenge. Choose EASY, MEDIUM or HARD to learn the patterns or put your reflexes to the test.

Find your view of the battle.

CRT filter. Give the picture the look of an arcade monitor with the optional CRT filter.

Ship detail with CRT filter enabled
The same area of the ship with CRT filter disabled
CRT OFF CRT ON

Drag to compare · you can also use the keyboard arrows.

More than 25 graphics and display settings: bloom, depth of field, film grain, lens flares and colour presets. Explore a cinematic look or dial back effects for a clearer view of formations and incoming fire.

Arcade spirit.
In development.

2045: Drone Aces is a one-person project by CAVEIA, coming to Windows PC on 3 March 2027. Images show work in progress.

See the game About CAVEIA
Project
2045: Drone Aces
Status
In development
Release
Platform
PC · Windows
Players
1–2, local co-op
Languages
English · Spanish (text and voice)
Engine
Unreal Engine 5
Studio
CAVEIA
Sheet
08 / 08 · rev. 2026-10-07