Discover the best space games to play in 2016

Space games allow us to explore the galaxy like we never could in real life. In this article, we've listed 11 of the best space games that will allow you to experience space and sci-fi battles like never before. 

11. Space Engineers

Space Engineers is an open sandbox game that focuses on construction, similar to Minecraft. Like Minecraft, the game comes in two modes survival and creative. Where the game differs is that Space Engineers allow players to construct in space which involves physics and different worries.

When I say Space Engineers is just like Minecraft I really do mean it. Players use blocks to create whatever they want. This includes ships that can fly around and fight against other ships, ships that mine through meteors, and full space stations.

The game has two modes. The first is called Creative, which will allow the player to build whatever, they want without worrying about resources or having to recharge their survival suit. The second mode is Survival, where the player can still make whatever they want, but will need to weld the building blocks together.

Survival mode also needs the player to recharge their survival suit. The player can do this by going to charging reactors that use Uranium as a power source, or by going to a solar powered charge station. Solar-powered stations do not charge as fast and do need to be facing the sun, but do have unlimited energy.

Creative mode can yield some interesting ships, and you can save these ships by turning them into blueprints. These blueprints are used in other creative modes, or be used in survival mode to make a hologram of the ship.

Space Engineers has one of the most active communities. Mods are easy to implement, and Space Engineer has one of the best modding communities today. In addition to this, the makers of Space Engineers release a patch every Thursday updating the game.

10. Shallow Space Insurgency

Build your battlegroup and deny all enemy forces access to the territory you have taken. Shallow Space a fully 3D RTS that allow ships to move in the normal left and right, along with an up and down mechanic that is unique to this RTS game. The game focuses on the player being able to customize their Flotillas, fleet, composition, and ship loadout to fit their play style.

The scope of this game is rather large. The player can play as the leader of a large battle commander, or be a small cog in a larger army.

The customization really gives the player the ability to change nearly every part of their battlegroup. The player has to find blueprints, mine resources, and build space stations to complete goals. The player also gets rewards for doing a regular story mode, and incidental missions.

Shallow Space is currently in early access on Steam. The story-based missions have been removed, but the early access version does give access to all other areas of the game.

9. Eve Valkyrie

A VR gaming experience that is one of the best I have ever experienced. You the player gets to pilot a ship in the Eve universe as it goes into a massive dogfight.

This game is beautiful, made by CCP Games, maker of EVE online, and uses Unreal 4 engine. As you play, you will see debris, massive battleships, and other ships flying around. Almost everything this game does immerses the player. The start of each game begins with the player inside a larger ship about to launch into battle and it is just awe-inspiring.

The gameplay is amazing in this game. The fighting mechanics are simple and easy to pick up and makes the player feel as if they are part of a real battle. The game mostly works as a multiplayer game and allows ship customization.

If you are going to be ordering an Oculus Rift, you have to buy this game. The VR looks nice, with no framerate issues, the game is fast paced, and I had no problems with simulation sickness.

8. Rebel Galaxy

Rebel Galaxy is a space adventure filled with combat, trading, negotiation and several other activities. You start in a small ship, but as the game progress, you will find yourself in a large, powerful battleship.

Rebel Galaxy is a game that procedurally generates the galaxy when the game starts. The player starts with a small ship, but you can buy many other larger ships. One play through to complete the game can take around twenty hours, but if you are a completionist, then you could easily get to thirty hours.

With the different factions the game does have a good bit of replay value. You can play a game as pirate, and then play again as a trader. The story for the game is very basic, but it does work to push the player through the game.

Combat is solid. Your ship have several different weapons, the player controls one weapon and an AI will control any others your ship may have. The goal the player is to fire the broadside weapons to do a lot of damage.

Rebel Galaxy is a space sim game but is missing navigation for up and down. You can jet around the universe quick; it only takes a couple of minutes to get around the map.

Commodity trading is in this game. The player can travel around and attempt to make money as a trader. However, it does not really have a good information system for this so it can be hard to count on prices when you go to a system.

Priced at $20 Rebel Galaxy much lower than most titles. It takes a lot of time to play through the game once and does have a good bit of replay value. It is a great game to pick up and play during the 2016 season.

7. Star Trek Online

An MMORPG based in the Star Trek universe, the player will get to pick their race, profession, and whom they want to fight for, then captain a ship. Released in 2010, Star Trek Online has gotten better with each season's release.

The Story to Star Trek Online started with a conflict between the Federation, and the Klingons. As the years passed, they have moved passed that, and into their 10 seasons where the Klingon, Federation, and Romulans all work together to fight the Heralds, who were responsible for most of everything that has happened in the game. Currently, Star Trek Online is entering into his eleventh season, where they are going to start a new story focused on rebuilding.

Within the controls, the game has a little more depth. The ships are controls by mouse and keyboard, but the player can also beam-down characters, have a run and gun style fight on a planet’s surface. Ship to ship combat rely on shields and ship position.

The game released with a fifteen dollar a month price, but has a free trial model. You will not get access to the full game; however, you'll get to experience the game before subscribing.

6. No Man’s Sky

Inspired by the adventure and imagination that we love from classic science-fiction, No Man's Sky presents you with a galaxy to explore, filled with unique planets and lifeforms, and constant danger and action. 

In No Man's Sky, every star is the light of a distant sun, each orbited by planets filled with life, and you can go to any of them you choose. Fly smoothly from deep space to planetary surfaces, with no loading screens, and no limits. In this infinite procedurally generated universe, you'll discover places and creatures that no other players have seen before - and perhaps never will again.

5. Eve Online

Released in 2003, Eve Online is a huge MMOrpg set in a massive galaxy of 7,800 star systems. The game gets players to mine for minerals from planets in the system, which they can use to manufacture ships which can be sold or traded for bigger and better ships.

Each player starts by picking their race from 4 different nations; The Amarr are a warlike people that expand their empire conquering and enslaving. Then there are the Gallente Federation and Caldari State, which are economical and trade oriented nations. The last is the Minmatar Republic, which takes inspiration and ideas from the Gallente Federation, and makes themselves a powerful military and economic power.

Eve Online ships have many, many categories ranging from small and fast frigates to massive and powerful titans. Although ships vary in size and strength, they are all useful. Eve Online does a great job balancing the ships to a point where one ship does not dominate the game. The large Titan can do a lot of damage, but it is harder to hit the smaller ships.

Eve Online has evolved into being one the most complex game's in the market. Not a bad thing, because it gives players a lot of depth in advancement, economy, travel, and has given them a massive universe to play with. Any skill that needs training will be set on a clock that ticks in real time making the player more than able to leave while still leveling up in the game.

The economy of this game is largely determined by the player base. The players can buy books to learn skills, and blueprints from NPC, but can also sell to the NPCs and make money that way. A real professor in an economy ran the games economy so the aim was to make it as realistic as possible.

The Eve universe has a lot to offer. Easily this game will take the place of a hundred games, and after all this time, I would not be surprised to see it stay for another decade.

4. Elite Dangerous

Elite: Dangerous is a massively multiplayer space adventure, trading, and combat simulator that will have players explore a vast and dangerous galaxy based on the milky way. 

You are a captain of a small ship and starting out with a few credits, you must make a name for yourself, survive, and thrive in a cutthroat galaxy.

Upgrade your ship and customize every component as you hunt, explore, fight, mine, smuggle, trade and survive in the cutthroat galaxy of the year 3301.

Do whatever it takes to earn the skill, knowledge, wealth and power to stand among the ranks of the Elite. 

3. Battlefleet Gothic Armada

Battlefleet Gothic: Armada is a real time strategy game based on Game's Workshop’s classic tabletop game, pitting the Chaos, Imperium, Eldar, and Orks against each other in high-octane space-battles.

Armada offers deep management of every ship composing the player’s fleet, both during and between battles. From the fastest frigates to the gigantic, miles-long battleships, the player will customize all aspects of his ships: weaponry, defense and support sub-systems, but also crew, captains, and more... each customization affecting the very performances of the ship and the special abilities available during battle. From battle to battle, the admirals and crew of surviving ships will gain experience and promotions, improving the battle-readiness of the ships for future, bigger and more dangerous battles. 

Additionally an extensive multiplayer mode with persistent fleets where up to 4 players can battle simultaneously, Battlefleet Gothic: Armada also features a big story campaign, taking place during the 12th Black Crusade and putting players in the middle of the Gothic War that raged between the Imperium and Abaddon the Despoiler. Players will be at the centre of every fight, commanding fleets of gigantic ships as the Chaos unleash a sequential chain of surprise attacks on Imperium worlds – the start of 20 years of warring in the sector. 

2. Star Citizen

A space exploration and spaceship fps, Star Citizen is an ambitious game that will take players into a deep space adventure where they will choose their own path, whether you want to be simple merchant trader, a fearsome pirate or a badass mercenary, it is up to you.

In addition to the epic space battle and exploration the game provides, the graphics for this game is excellent. The lighting and texturing are near perfect, and currently it is in alpha testing so it is only going to get better.

There are many reasons why this game is interesting, and one of them is the death mechanics that are inside the game. The player will get caught in dangerous situations and could even lose an arm which can be replaced with robotic technology. If he dies, his character will get replaced by another character. This is interesting since the next character will be more like the first character’s son instead of like a clone of the original character.

The scope of this game is also massive. The person who is building this game, Chris Roberts, wants to create a whole universe instead of just a game. He says players will be able to land on planets with city streets, trade within thousands of different trade routes, and adventure in a real universe where pirate bases and alien invasions are threats that need to be dealt with.

If he gets half of what he wants to do then the game will be incredible.

This game might require a powerful PC to play. During one of the live gameplay demos, the game froze more than once. If you can play this game though, go and pick it up I cannot stress how good the game looks you have to see it believe it.

1. Dreadnought

Become a captain, command epic ships, and lead your fleet to victory. 

Enter epic space battles where you control one of the ships as it fights the enemy fleet. The player takes control of one five classes to play as: Dreadnought, Destroyer, Artillery Cruiser, Corvette or Tactical Cruiser.

The five classes perform differently in battle and excel in different areas.

The world's environment are excellent; large, with pretty realistic graphics. The battle animations are well designed and breathtaking to look at while players blast enemy ships into smithereens.

People who are playing this game are having a lot of fun. Angry Joe played it at Pax South said it was one of the most fun games he had played at the event.

This is going to be one of the epic space games to play in 2016, and might be a free to play game so go check it out.

 

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