10 Best Space Games of 2026

No Man's Sky ranks first because it covers more of what space fans ask for than any other game here. Hello Games describes a procedurally generated universe where every star has planets you can land on, and you fly from deep space to the surface with no loading screens. You can fight pirates for bounties, trade, upgrade your ship, weapon and suit, and play alone or with friends in online co-op and PvP. The Steam edition includes every major update since 2016, from Foundation to COSMOS (7.0), and supports cross-play and cross-save across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and VR headsets. The minimum PC spec is modest at 8 GB of RAM and 15 GB of storage. The weak points are the $59.99 price and an 82% positive score across 187,805 English Steam reviews, which trails the best-rated picks; recent reviews are stronger at 91% positive.

Outer Wilds is the best-reviewed game on this list, with 95% of 53,824 English Steam reviews positive. Mobius Digital casts you as the newest recruit of a small space program in a solar system stuck in an endless time loop. Each planet hides locations that change as time passes: an underground city disappears under sand, and another planet crumbles beneath your feet. You use gadgets to track signals, probe the environment and translate ancient alien writing, and the only progress you keep between loops is knowledge. The game won Best Game at the 2020 BAFTA Games Awards and was named Game of the Year 2019 by Giant Bomb, Polygon, Eurogamer and The Guardian. At $24.99 it is cheap, and it runs on 6 GB of RAM and 8 GB of storage. It ranks second rather than first because it has no combat and no multiplayer, so it covers only the exploration half of this list's brief.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition is the pick for players whose idea of a space game is a long sci-fi story. Electronic Arts and BioWare bundle Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 in one launcher with the single-player base content and over 40 DLC, remastered for 4K Ultra HD with HDR. You create Commander Shepard, lead a recon squad across a galaxy at war and make decisions that carry from one game to the next, shaping missions, relationships and the ending. The first game gets improved aiming, weapon balance, Mako vehicle controls and squad behavior. Reviews are strong: 91% of 42,810 English Steam reviews are positive, and 95% in the last 30 days. The trade-offs are a 120 GB install, no multiplayer, and the fact that combat happens on foot with a squad, not in a cockpit. At $59.99 for three full games it is still good value.

Elite Dangerous is the cheapest way into a serious space simulation. Frontier Developments recreates the 400 billion star systems of the Milky Way at full galactic scale from real astronomical data, and you can travel to systems no other Commander has visited and drive a Surface Recon Vehicle on some worlds. There are over 35 ships, and every component, weapon and optional module can be changed. You can hunt, fight, mine, smuggle and trade, play solo or with up to three friends in a Wing, and the System Colonisation mechanic lets players claim star systems. It supports SteamVR, and the base game costs $19.99. Ease of setup scores lower because flight and navigation take time to learn and the game requires a broadband connection. Reviews are mixed next to the leaders: 76% of 53,942 English Steam reviews are positive.

Kerbal Space Program is the space game for people who want to build the rocket, not just fly it. You run the space program of the Kerbals, assembling craft from parts whose behavior follows realistic aerodynamic and orbital physics, then launch crews into orbit and on to the moons and planets of the Kerbol system. Science mode unlocks technology through experiments, Career mode adds funding and strategy, and Sandbox opens every part from the start. You can dock craft into stations and starships, build surface bases, send crew on spacewalks and scan terrain with satellites. It has the strongest review record here, 96% positive across 85,095 English Steam reviews, costs $39.99 and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux with 4 GB of RAM. It lands mid-list because it has no combat and its physics take patience to learn.

Everspace 2 is the most direct answer for players who want fast space combat without simulator controls. ROCKFISH Games calls it a fast-paced single-player space shooter: you dodge, dash, roll and boost through dogfights against drones, fighters, bombers, gunships and capital vessels, and pick up loot that feeds RPG upgrades. The story follows a clone pilot named Adam through the Demilitarized Zone of Cluster 34, with a roughly 30-hour campaign and more than 90 hours for players who chase every side mission and secret across more than 100 handcrafted locations. Companions join missions and grant perks, and you can mine and craft. It runs on Windows and macOS, and 87% of 7,345 English Steam reviews are positive. It was on a temporary Steam sale when we checked, so we list the regular price as pending. There is no multiplayer.

Stellaris is the strategy pick for sci-fi fans who would rather command a civilization than a single ship. Paradox Development Studio starts every game with a species that has just discovered faster-than-light travel; you send science ships to survey systems, construction ships to build stations, and then decide whether to make alliances or declare wars across a procedurally generated galaxy. The Steam edition now includes the base game, the Utopia expansion, the Synthetic Dawn Story Pack and the Humanoids Species Pack, and Paradox keeps shipping free updates. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux with 4 GB of RAM, and 86% of 76,950 English Steam reviews are positive. Recent reviews are weaker at 64% of 513 in the last 30 days, and the depth of its systems gives it a steep learning curve, so it scores lower on ease of setup.

EVE Online is the free option on this list and the deepest multiplayer space game. Its Steam page describes New Eden, a galaxy of over 7,000 star systems where players run the economy, lead corporations and form alliances, and where fleet battles have set Guinness World Records. You can scan relics, travel through wormholes, mine, manufacture, trade and run missions, and choose from over 350 starships with customizable modules and SKINs. You can play for free as an Alpha clone; unlocking every ship and faster progression requires Omega. It runs on Windows and macOS with 4 GB of RAM. The trade-offs are clear: it has the steepest learning curve here, its economy and wars are run by other players, and only 72% of 23,505 English Steam reviews are positive. We scored it high on capabilities and low on ease of setup.

Starfield has the broadest feature list of the story games here, but its reviews hold it back. Bethesda Game Studios sets the game in 2330, when humanity has settled beyond the solar system, and lets you explore more than 1,000 planets, join the Constellation explorers and take on faction quests across the Settled Systems. You design and modify ships, assign crew for bonuses, fight dogfights in deep space, dock at stations and board enemy ships to add them to your fleet. On the ground you gather resources, craft gear and build outposts linked by cargo routes. The base game costs $49.99 and the Shattered Space expansion $19.99 on Steam. Hardware demands are the highest here: 16 GB of RAM, 125 GB on an SSD and an AMD Radeon RX 5700 or GeForce 1070 Ti. Only 57% of 86,166 English Steam reviews are positive, which is why it ranks near the bottom.

Star Wars: Squadrons is the most focused combat game here: everything happens in a starfighter cockpit. Electronic Arts and Motive put you in X-wings, TIE fighters and other classes from both the New Republic and the Empire, where you divert power between weapons, shields and engines and customize loadouts and cosmetics. Multiplayer offers 5v5 dogfights and larger fleet battles, and a single-player story set after Return of the Jedi alternates between both sides. The whole game, story included, can be played in VR, which makes it one of the best uses of a headset on this list. It costs $39.99 and needs 8 GB of RAM and 40 GB of storage. It ranks last because there is no exploration, the content is narrow next to the other picks, and only 67% of 19,174 English Steam reviews are positive, with 50% of recent reviews positive.