Space is a perfect setting for various games and various types of sci-fi titles. After all, there’s freedom in the stars to do all sorts of stories, gameplay loops, etc. In 2026, there will be plenty of space games to try out, and here are the ones you’ll want to keep an eye on.
#12 – Falling Frontier
One of the things that we as humans can’t wait to do is go to a new star system and attempt to colonize it. In Falling Frontier, that’s exactly what you get to do! The catch is that there are rival factions from a previous Earth war that are also in the system, and they don’t want to play nice with you.
As a result, you’ll need to look over the system, build up your fleet and structures, and attempt to do all you can to beat off any attacks by these rivals.
What will the system look like when you’re done with it? Jump in and find out.
#11 – Directive 8020
Many space games put you in impossible situations that you need to deal with in various ways. But in Directive 8020, the choices you make are much grander than you realize. You see, you’re part of a crew that is heading to a remote world in an attempt to save Earth. However, you soon crashland on the planet and learn the hard way that one of your crew has been replaced with an alien imposter.
With the mission still the most important thing, and you need to survive to complete it, how will you try to determine who to save and who not to save? Your choices will affect everything.
#10 – Breathedge 2
They say that the vast reaches of space are dangerous to those who aren’t prepared for it. What also doesn’t help is when certain corporations attempt to make things better for themselves via space and leave you to try and clean up the messes from it. Such is the case with Breathedge 2.
You’ll embark on a quest across the stars to bring an end to a corrupt corporation. That won’t be easy, though, as they’re huge, you’re not, and you only have so many people helping you. To that end, you’ll need to take care of both your crew and your ship if you want any chance of getting a good ending.
#9 – Petit Planet
So, what happens when you take the stylings of a classic Nintendo life simulator franchise and then throw it into the Hoyoverse? Simple, you get Petit Planet.
As the game’s name and art suggest, you’ll get to inhabit a new planet and make it your own in whatever way you want. All the while, you’ll grow it to get new inhabitants so that this place can be “yours and theirs” in a fun way.
Clearly, they’re trying to lure in the “cozy crowd,” and there’s nothing wrong with that. So, if that’s the kind of game for you, and you’re a Hoyoverse fan, you’ll like what’s coming.
#8 – STARSEEKER: Astroneer Expeditions
If the name STARSEEKER: Astroneer Expeditions sounds somewhat familiar, it’s because it’s a spinoff of another popular sci-fi title that many of you might have played in the past. In this one, though, your goal is to “boldly go” where few have gone before and see what space has to offer you and your fellow astronauts.
Naturally, this will be a calm, fun adventure, right? Well…not exactly. There are dangers out there in space, and you’ll need to work together to survive, get resources, and unlock the mysteries of space!
So, if you’re a fan of this franchise, why not give it a shot when it drops next year?
#7 – Aphelion
Earth isn’t going to last forever, and in Aphelion, you’ll see what happens when a couple of astronauts are sent to a “new world” to try and see if humanity can live on it…only to find out that the place is far more dangerous than you realized.
Now, you’re separated from your partner, and you have to work your way through rough terrain and monsters to get back to them. What else is going on with this place that you don’t know about? Will you be able to save the world? Heck, will you be able to save yourselves from what’s coming?
#6 – Saros
Next, we have a game from an acclaimed team that wants to keep the “time loop” going, but in a different way. In Saros, you’ll play Arjun, a man on a mission to find someone, and he refuses to give up. The good news for him is that the game gives you another “death loop” so that the end isn’t really the end. Instead, you’ll merely come to a whole new version of the world you’re in, meaning that each “new life” will grant you all-new challenges to overcome.
But that also means you’ll have new weapons and abilities to try so that you can survive.
#5 – Exodus
The future is a mystery that no one can truly crack, but Exodus will take you to the far future where humanity will have the biggest fight of its life on its hands, and you are the one who may have the power in your hands to save them. The game takes place 40,000 years into the future, and a group known as the Celestials is intending to wipe out the human race.
As “The Traveler,” your goal is to explore planets, gain new abilities, and learn the truth so you can stop the extinction of mankind.
What will you be able to do to save your kind?
#4 – Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes
There are numerous sci-fi television shows that have captured the imaginations of those who have watched them, and Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes is one such adaptation of a beloved show.
What makes this game interesting, though, is that it’s a roguelike simulator where you’ll be tasked with trying to save humanity from the unrelenting attack from the Cylons. With each choice you make, you may help humanity survive, or make the Cylons’ job easier.
The title promises that no two runs will be the same, and that means that even if you screw things up, there’s always another chance to make things right.
#3 – Star Trek: Voyager – Across the Unknown
It’s honestly poetic that we’re doing adaptations of two classic sci-fi franchises in one list! In Star Trek: Voyager – Across the Unknown, you’ll take command of the Voyager in its attempts to get home to Earth. The twist, though, is that you don’t have to play things like they did in the classic TV series.
Instead, you make it so that Captain Janeway, Seven of Nine, or any of the other members of the crew did something different, and then see where the path would’ve led them. What will be this new future you create? Or will you stick to the “chosen path?” Take the helm and find out!
#2 – Pragmata
It’s funny that we’ll end things on two titles that have been promised for a long time, but may finally be coming out in 2026.
Pragmata is a unique new IP from Capcom, where you wake up on a lunar station with no clue of what’s going on around you. Oh, and then you find a little girl, who is actually a robot, and now you have to work with her to defeat and destroy a bunch of other robots that happen to be inhabiting the station…that’s supposed to be filled with humans.
What in the world happened on that station? That’s what you’ll have to figure out.
#1 – Squadron 42
Wait, is this game actually getting leased in 2026? That’s a miracle. No, seriously, this is the spinoff of a certain “massively crowdfunded title” that’s been in development for a LONG time, with no signs of it actually releasing, and now, they’re claiming it’ll release the spinoff before the main game? That’s hilarious.
Look, Squadron 42 is going to be a more classic space adventure by all metrics, but they ramped things up by bringing in some big-name stars to help ground things and make it more appealing. Hopefully, they’ll be able to back up the promises they’ve made, or we’ll definitely hear screams in space in due time.
