When you have space as a backdrop, you have many ways to make it work for your game. Many love to take the open-world approach, and these 13 titles symbolize that best.
#13 Star Wars Squadrons
Let’s start with a game that will let you feel space as you blast through it at lightspeed. Star Wars Squadrons takes arguably the best part of past gaming titles in the franchise and enables you to feel what it’s like to be in massive space fights.
In this 5v5 battle game, you’ll pilot various ships from the franchise’s history to get victory over the enemy. You can be part of the Empire or the New Republic, each with its own ships to command.
If you want more depth from the game, dive into the single-player story campaign to learn more about the pilots who fly these ships in the galaxy far, far away.
#12 Astroneer
What if you had the power to terraform a planet with a single tool? What would you do with it? In Astroneer, you’ll be a single astronaut sent to multiple worlds to terraform things as you wish and build bases for people to thrive in and profit from.
What you do with the planets is entirely up to you. You’ll have a tool that can reshape and deform anything you have before you.
There are seven unique planets to visit, so don’t be afraid to try out new things with each planet you visit. You might be surprised by what you discover as you move things around!
#11 Hardspace: Shipbreaker
Sometimes, being in an “open world” simply means being free to do things as you will. For example, in Hardspace: Shipbreaker, you are charged with salvaging spaceships and earning as much as possible from the parts you salvage.
How you break apart the ships brought to you is your decision. Will you be meticulous and ensure you get every part possible to sell? Or will you rush through it and simply attempt to make it to the next ship for a bigger score?
Be warned! Breaking apart ships is a dangerous business. If you’re not careful, things can go wrong quickly! So be smart with how you handle your tools.
#10 Breathedge
Are you ready to play “The Man”? Whether you answered yes or no is irrelevant because that’s your character in Breathedge!
You are simply “The Man,” and you were on a journey to escort your grandfather’s ashes to their final resting place when the ship you were on went haywire. A galactic conspiracy is now yours to unravel, and you’ll need to survive the experience to get the truth.
You’ll venture out into space and throughout the ship to find items to survive with. You can even make a car that’ll help you fly around the vacuum of space!
Survival is not a guarantee, so don’t make light of your situation.
#9 Journey To The Savage Planet
When you are sent to explore a planet to determine if it’s ok for humans to live there, all manner of things must be taken into consideration before sending you off.
But in Journey To The Savage Planet, you won’t have that prep time, or the full stock of equipment, or the guarantee that you won’t die! That’s what happens when you work for the 4th best space company in the business. They’re not afraid to skimp.
You’re sent to a world full of aliens, deadly plants, and more, and it’s up to you to explore it all, see what will and won’t kill you, and hopefully survive the process. Good luck with that!
#8 Everspace Stellar Edition
When you don’t know who you are, and space is calling your name, you can only venture out and see what awaits you. Everspace Stellar Edition will have you traveling through an expansive universe to discover the truth about who you are.
You’ll do that by meeting other characters and learning from their stories to piece together your own. Then, you’ll have to command your spaceship like a pro and think on the fly to overcome the obstacles thrown at you.
With roguelike elements and multiple ways to play, you’ll find your quest to be quite deep. Are you ready to blast off?
#7 Kerbal Space Program
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to help run and guide a space program in its earliest stages? The Kerbal Space Program is a game where you will take the lead of a race known as the Kerbals. They want to get into space, but they don’t know how.
So you’ll run their space program to help get them up there and hopefully get them back without killing them. Go through the motions and determine how to make the best spacecraft possible. Then, once you make it into space, make it something the Kerbals can be proud of!
#6 Outer Wilds
If you wish to explore a universe that is both expansive and restricting, Outer Wilds might be for you. Why is that? The game puts you in a universe that constantly dies via a time loop. You only have so much time to go to the planets you wish, learn about them and their secrets, and then be ready for the next loop.
With each loop, you’ll uncover the truth about what’s happening and, hopefully, figure out how to stop the loop entirely.
What will you find as you venture into these worlds? What wonders does this universe have to offer? Jump into the game and find out.
#5 No Man’s Sky
It’s ironic that No Man’s Sky is so high on this list given its state at launch. It was an open-world title back then, but it could have been better. However, Hello Games accepted the blame and pushed to make the game as great as possible.
So if you get the game now, you’ll find a totally different experience. One that you likely will find enjoyable. One of the biggest things is that you can explore the massive universe with friends. What’s more, the content on these worlds is more robust than before.
So if you were hesitant to try the game before, try it now. You won’t regret it.
#4 Stellaris
Have you ever wished to be the first to explore the universe? To be part of a civilization that has achieved space travel beyond their solar system and can finally see all it has to offer? Stellaris will grant you that wish in spades.
Every campaign has you being the head of a civilization expanding through the stars. But what you do as a leader will define what your people become.
Explore every planet you see and harness its resources. Interact with the numerous alien races you encounter and see how they interact with you.
Will you be a peaceful race that merely expands across the stars? Or a war-filled race who wishes to conquer all? The choice is yours.
#3 Elite Dangerous
One of the things that many gamers desire in open-world titles is the feeling that their actions matter in the overall scope of the game. In Elite Dangerous, you will feel that happening as you rise to where you want to be.
You’ll start the game with only a ship and some credits, and it’s up to you to determine what you do next. You can join a faction or an empire and attempt to control parts of the universe. You can explore as many planets as you want in search of rare finds. Or you can take part in epic battles that span the stars.
With a universe as large as this one? The possibilities are endless.
#2 The Outer Worlds
Leave it to a group like Obsidian Entertainment to make one of the best open-world titles of recent times. The Outer Worlds puts you in an alternate future where corporations have taken over not only the planet Earth but space in general.
Life there is all about making them money, including getting things when you die. But you are a person waking up from cryo sleep and have been given a choice. You can fight against those in power and free the colony you’re on, or you can join them and live the life you want.
Choices and consequences are the name of the game here. So go make some and see what happens!
#1 Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
While not a space-open-world title in the traditional sense, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is one of the best sci-fi RPGs in history and has open-world elements. For example, places like The Citadel in the first game or Terminus in the second have plenty of areas to visit to find new people, quests, etc.
Furthermore, the game has plenty of side quests within the main campaigns that allow you to explore the galaxy that you are in.
When you add that to a compelling story, epic action, and freedom to customize Commander Shepherd the way you want? You have much to look forward to as you play.
