Play Subtrade - Return to Irata Online

Game Overview

Subtrade - Return to Irata is one of those MS-DOS games that somehow slipped under the radar—which is a shame, because it’s got this grimy, lived-in sci-fi vibe that just sticks with you. You start off as a nobody with a rusty ship and a cargo hold full of questionable life choices, hauling goods between stations where everyone’s either trying to scam you or shoot you down. The first time I played, I bought what I thought was a bargain load of ore, only to realize too late that my fuel gauge was blinking red. Let’s just say I spent a lot of time drifting.

What I love is how alive the Irata system feels. Forget safe, predictable trading—here, prices swing wildly depending on who’s blockading what, and that "harmless" merchant you just undercut might send bounty hunters after you next jump. The graphics are pure '90s pixel nostalgia, all chunky menus and starfields that look like they’re made of glitter, but the tension? Timeless. One minute you’re haggling over water purifiers, the next you’re desperately rerouting power to outrun pirates. It’s the kind of game where you’ll alt-tab to a notepad file just to keep track of which factions still let you dock.

If you’ve ever wanted to feel like a scrappy space trucker with a knack for finding trouble, Subtrade’s your jam. Just don’t blame me when you lose track of three hours debating whether to invest in narcotics or solar panels.

Each game uses different controls, most DOS games use the keyboard arrows. Some will use the mouse , "Alt" ,"Enter" and "Space bar".