The most notable change from Warhawk is the addition of a single-player story mode, which was intended to be included in Warhawk but was eventually removed. The gameplay is similar to Warhawk. A new system called "Build and Battle" allows players to build structures such as bunkers, defenses, and armories in the midst of battle, giving the game a real-time strategy (RTS) element while remaining a third-person shooter.[3] The game includes flying mechs called Hawks. A player respawns into a landing craft which they can steer with in a limited range to reach the battle field. Like Warhawk, there are 32-player online battles (16 vs 16).[4] Starhawk also has a co-operative mode similar in concept to the Horde Mode in the Gears of War franchise.[4]