The best space games are those that can hit all the right notes and resonate with the sci-fi gamer community. Anyone who grew up watching Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and similar franchises has high expectations out of these releases. They want a title with polished ranged and close combat mechanics, dialog options that represent different spectrums of morality, and/or a story that dabbles in intergalactic politics.
Luckily, there’s no shortage of this genre in the digital stores, but a lot of these games fall flat, even with AAA companies behind them. But we won’t focus on those; we will talk about the best space games for PC and/or consoles that set the standards and shape our expectations.
The Problem or Paradox of Online Space Themed Video Games
Sci-fi is and will continue to be a popular genre in entertainment. So you’ll find a lot of space themed video games on app stores and in online casinos. Flashy colors, intergalactic treasures, and meteor explosions are all very common in slots that are hosted by fast payout casino sites, and some of them, like NetEnt’s Starburst, have become all-time classics. But PC and console gamers don’t have the same expectations as gamblers who love sci-fi genres. In fact, it’s these expectations that make it difficult to create the best space exploration games, which also leverage online play.
Here’s the problem. Space is often associated with emptiness and with alien life-forms that cannot effectively communicate and interact with one another. So, creating something authentic in this sense would interfere with online play. When a game requires you to be online, it’s because you get to interact with other players. In other words, you want a populated in-game world, in a setting that’s about distance and void, and therein lies the paradox. But some studios managed to thread the line carefully and pull it off.
Top 10 Most Popular Space Games
As mentioned, the best open world space games are expected to have a big world, intricate combat and progression systems that include on-land and spaceship battles, and a gripping story. Now, it’s better not to try to tick all of the boxes but rather focus on a few things and do those things well. That’s what titles on our list did.
|
Game Title |
Release Year |
Platform |
Genre |
Why It’s Legendary |
|
Elite Dangerous |
2014 |
PC, Xbox, PlayStation |
Space flight and combat simulator |
You won’t find a spaceship battle game as authentic as this one. Since it’s a simulator, you know that attention to detail was top priority |
|
No Man’s Sky |
2016 |
PC, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch |
Action-adventure survival |
Possibly the best space exploration game out there that had a clunky launch. It emphasizes the vastness of space by using procedurally generated environments or planets, so each location feels unique. |
|
Mass Effect 2 |
2010 |
PC, Xbox, PlayStation |
Action RPG |
Widely considered one of the best open world space games and RPG of its era. It was a sequel that lived up to the hype and expanded the world and lore of Mass Effect 1. Dialog options let you flesh out your character, and with all the unique powers, weapons, and different endings, the game had incredible replay value |
|
Starfield |
2023 |
Xbox |
Action RPG |
Starfield has undergone significant changes since its launch and has added much-needed improvements. When it comes to customization and exploration elements of the game, you will be hard-pressed to find a modern title that does it better. |
|
EVE Online |
2003 |
PC |
Sandbox MMO |
One of the longest-running MMOs out there that offers a true sandbox experience. The economy is entirely player-driven, and your chosen path, like industrialist, explorer, pirate, or trader, all impact how this world works. |
|
Kerbal Space Program |
2013 |
PlayStation and PC |
Space flight simulator |
It’s an incredibly detailed simulation game that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and it’s exactly this cartoony and humorous tone that makes it more approachable. If you want to try Elite Dangerous but didn’t play simulator games up to this point, you should probably start with Kerbal Space Program. |
|
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic |
2003 |
Nintendo, Xbox, PC |
RPG Action Adventure |
Definitely one of the best space games for PC of the early 2000s. KOTOR expanded on the Star Wars universe and had fans dreaming about movies that would tackle the story from this game. It utilizes RPG mechanics that are relevant to this day, and it is really narrative-driven, giving it strong replay value. The fan base is still eagerly awaiting the remake for PlayStation. |
|
Freelancer |
2003 |
PC |
Trading and Combat Simulator |
This one is definitely a product of its time, and it did certain things really well. Freelancer used arcade-style combat and mouse-based navigation, which made it really easy to figure out. You played as a trader, and that desire for profit was the motivation to explore the vast in-game universe. |
|
Stellaris |
2016 |
PlayStation and PC |
Sci-Fi Strategy |
Much like No Man’s Sky, Stellaris uses a procedurally generated universe, which allows you to create a unique empire. As you expand, it becomes tricky to maintain control over your empire, which brings about more conflict that you resolve through real-time tactics combat. High customization and the ability to shape the narrative make Stellaris the best space exploration game in the strategy genre. |
|
Outer Wilds |
2019 |
Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox, and PC |
Puzzle and Action Adventure |
Probably the most unique and creative game on the list, and in general. Without hand-holding, it drives players to explore and figure out how things work, and that knowledge is at the core of the progression system. The environment changes or gets annihilated every 22 minutes, so you start over, but armed with new information. The main idea is that nature isn’t something you can control but learn how to deal with, and in that sense, knowledge is power. |
Secret to Crafting Popular Space Games
So what did we learn from this list when it comes to Sci-fi theme or space games? Well, the setting wasn’t really the priority here. It was about crafting a title that would allow either high customization, worthwhile exploration, complex combat, or resource management. Then you ask yourself how those space themes help me achieve these goals. In essence, it blends well with the procedural generation feature and RPG genre that players love since it’s a form of their expression.
Because it’s futuristic, devs can get creative and come up with all sorts of concepts that can serve as customization options. Games that focus on travel and trade do well in this field, as those are sufficient motivators for players to team up, attack one another, or have a purely business interaction.