The 17 'Best Space Games' to Play Now in 2018

Space Games, Elite Dangerous
Space, the final frontier. Space has always ignited the imaginations of gamers and with increasingly impressive technology we are able to make more and more amazing space simulations.


It’s time to enter the great unknown with nothing but a ship and your wits to keep you alive

Space based gaming has come a long way in the past few years. With explorable universes, and thrilling space dog-fights, the genre has never been stronger or more ambitious than it is right now. However, with so many titles coming out it can be hard to sift through to find the crème de la crème of space gaming.

That’s why you have us though.

So strap in, turn on the life support and prepare to jump to light speed as we go through our 17 top picks for the best space games of 2017 so far.

17. Everspace

Everspace Gameplay

Everspace is a new rogue-like space shooter from the developers of the popular Galaxy on Fire series. In it, you will take control of your own ship and begin an adventure across the universe. Each play-through will be different as is common with rogue-like games, but it does have a storyline which is less common for rogue-like games.

The game encourages players to take that extra risk, by implementing a system that allows you to use all the credits you gathered in one life to upgrade your ship at the point of death. You will then start your next life with that much better a ship.

As you explore this changing universe you will have to gather resources to improve and repair your ship, and develop strategies for dealing with the many enemies that will attack you throughout your journey.

The combination of a reasonably strong storyline with a rogue-like gameplay experience is enticing; ever the more so when you add in the breath-taking environments and graphics that further make Everspace something truly special.

In space no one can hear you KABOOM

Ahh, floating rock islands. It’s surprising how often these show up in sci-fi

16. Dreadnought

Dreadnought Gameplay

Release Date: December 2017

Dreadnought is an interesting twist on the team-based shooter, as well as an interesting twist on the space combat sim.

Instead of taking control of a fighter and dogfighting with other players, in Dreadnought you take control of a massive capital ship and take on other capital ships in a team based battle. The massive size of the ships and their various strengths and weaknesses places the emphasis on strategy and planning rather than the simple aim and shoot mechanics that are so common in space combat sims.

With approximately ten-minute long matches, and the ability to swap out ships before a respawn, Dreadnought is going to be something very unique in a progressively popular genre.

Years to build, seconds to blow up. At least these battles must be doing wonders for the economy

Good explosions are really important for this sort of game, and that my friends is a good explosion

15. Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion

Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion Gameplay

Sins of a Solar Empire has managed to be wildly popular for many years now. Rebellion was the last expansion for the game, released back in 2012, and is still considered to be one of the better space strategy games.

Unlike many other games on this list, Sins of a Solar Empire does not focus on combat. Instead of taking a ship and going out to kick some ass, Sins of a Solar Empire spends a great deal of time both on it’s complex resource management and diplomacy systems, but also on it’s much wider view of space warfare.

Instead of focusing on a single ship, in Sins of a Solar Empire you control whole fleets as you battle for supremacy of your particular slice of the universe.

It’s a great game if you like a more strategy-based experience, especially if you’re a fan of games like Civilization and Age of Empires.

I like big battles and I cannot lie

Despite its age, the game’s ships still look quite good

14. Angels Fall First

Angels Fall First Gameplay

Do you like games like Battlefront and Battlefield? Then you will most likely love Angel’s Fall First.

In Angels Fall First, you get to take an interestingly different perspective on space warfare. You can engage the enemy team on land with traditional FPS action, as well as with vehicles like Tanks, but there is also space combat where you take control of fighters and battleships.

It does things that a lot of other games have done, but it does them well. It’s not original enough to make it farther on this list, but it’s undeniably fun.

It’s also not a terrible option if you’re like me and are just dying for Battlefront 2 to be released and need something to distract yourself with in the meantime.

Aiming ship cannons in first person really is something you don’t get to do often enough in games

Ship to ship combat not your thing? Well there’s a large amount of ground combat as well

13. Fractured Space

Fractured Space Gameplay

Fractured Space has a similar idea to Dreadnought. You pilot a massive capital ship, and with a team of four other players go toe-to-toe with the enemy team.

As you would expect there are different classes of ship ranging from heavy, to light, to support (basically healers). As with any team based game, you have to work together with your team’s various types of unit to make the strongest team possible.

It doesn’t break a lot of new ground, but what it does do it does well.

There’s basically no reason not to give this one a try though, as it is free on Steam.

Squad Goals

Don’t they realize that the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1?

12. Stellaris

Stellaris Gameplay

Stellaris is a depthy strategic exploration game from the developers that brought us Crusader Kings and Europa Universalis, and it certainly feels like exactly what it is. There’s a lot to do here, but unlike other titles from the publisher it is fairly easy to break into.

You begin the game with a single planet and a few ships and from there you begin to build up your empire through either trade or conquest.

As a fun means of shaking up this tried and true formula, in late game there are crisis events (a sentient AI uprising is my favourite) that can occur and thoroughly shake up the power systems even if one faction seems to have a definite victory.

The first DLC, Utopia was just released this April so there is definitely more to come for this title.

SENTIENT AI! SERIOUSLY GUYS!

I appreciate how colourful the space battles can be in this game.

11. Into the Stars

Into the Stars Gameplay

Into the Stars throws something new into the mix for this list. It’s not about building an empire, and it’s not about getting into big fights with an enemy team. At its core, Into the Stars is a survival game.

You are the Captain of the Ark 13, a ship designed to take the remnants of humanity across the galaxy in search of a new home.

Why are there so few of us? Because of an alien menace known as the Skorn, who are hell-bent on our destruction. They’ve destroyed ever other Ark ship, now it’s up to you to save humanity. You will do this by travelling, making tough decisions and mining resources. Will you save humanity?

I wonder if you can request an Earl Grey from that chair?

In case anyone was wondering, this came isn’t only played in first person.

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I've been gaming since before I could walk, starting my long gaming career playing Wolfenstein on my father's lap. I love stories and action, and geeking out about it with you fine people.
Gamer Since: 1998
Favorite Genre: RPG
Currently Playing: We Happy Few, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Jedi: Fallen Order
Top 3 Favorite Games:Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood and Wine , The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Dragon Age II


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