The Best Space Games

Best space games at a glance

How these space games were selected

The ranking considers:

• Strength of the space setting
• Exploration and discovery
• Story, characters or strategic depth
• Ship, crew or empire systems
• Solo and multiplayer options
• Accessibility for new players
• Replay value
• Variety across genres

Every game needs space to be more than a background. Outer Wilds builds its mystery around a solar system. Kerbal Space Program makes orbital travel the central challenge. Stellaris uses the galaxy as a political and economic system, while Dead Space turns isolation aboard a ship into horror.

1. Outer Wilds

Best space game overall

Outer Wilds places a new astronaut inside a small solar system trapped in a repeating time loop.

The game provides a spacecraft, translation tools and a collection of planets with unusual physical rules. Progress comes from knowledge rather than stronger equipment. Something learned on one world may explain how to reach a hidden location on another.

Each loop gives the player limited time, but information remains useful after the cycle resets. This structure turns observation, navigation and curiosity into the main forms of progression.

The mystery is most effective when discovered without detailed advance explanations. Even apparently empty locations can contain clues that reshape the wider investigation.

It supports single-player, full controller support and Steam Family Sharing. Its modest system requirements also make it one of the lighter installations in this guide.

Choose it for a focused space mystery where understanding the universe is the reward.

2. No Man’s Sky

Best space sandbox

No Man’s Sky offers an enormous procedurally generated universe for exploration, survival and building.

Players can travel between planets, gather materials, improve equipment and establish bases. Different environments introduce hazards, resources and creatures that shape how each expedition unfolds.

Spacecraft support travel, trading and combat, while freighters and settlements expand the scale of long-term progression.

The game works as a solo sandbox but also supports online co-op and multiplayer. Groups can explore, build and complete activities together without turning every session into competitive combat.

It supports single-player, co-op, multiplayer, full controller support and Steam Family Sharing.

Choose it for freedom and variety. Players seeking a carefully authored mystery should choose Outer Wilds, while those wanting stronger dialogue and character decisions should choose Mass Effect.

3. Mass Effect Legendary Edition

Best space RPG

Mass Effect Legendary Edition collects the single-player content from the original Mass Effect trilogy in one remastered package.

Players create Commander Shepard, assemble a crew and make decisions that continue across all three games. Choices affect relationships, missions and the wider struggle threatening the galaxy.

Combat develops across the trilogy, combining firearms with class abilities and squad commands. Conversations and companion missions are equally important because the crew gives the large science-fiction conflict its personal stakes.

The setting includes different species, governments and histories, allowing political choices to matter beyond one planet.

It supports single-player and full controller support. Its installation requires significantly more storage than most games here.

Choose it for a long character-driven RPG where one commander’s decisions shape an entire trilogy.

4. Starfield

Best large single-player space RPG

Starfield is a large first-person RPG built around quests, planetary exploration, character skills and spacecraft.

Players can join factions, build an outpost, modify ships and move between settled systems. The main story provides direction, while independent missions allow the character to develop around exploration, combat, persuasion or technical skills.

Ship construction connects visual design to practical choices such as cargo, weapons and internal layout. Planetary locations provide resources and places to establish bases.

Its scale is broad, but much of the experience remains a traditional Bethesda-style RPG with conversations, inventories and faction stories.

It supports single-player, full controller support and Steam Family Sharing. It requires at least 16 GB of RAM and substantial storage.

Choose it for a large science-fiction RPG with many parallel activities. Choose No Man’s Sky when unrestricted sandbox exploration matters more than authored quests.

5. Stellaris

Best space strategy game

Stellaris gives the player control of a civilization beginning its journey beyond its home system.

Exploration reveals planets, resources, anomalies and other societies. The empire then develops through colonies, technology, diplomacy and military power.

Species traits, government choices and ethics help determine how the civilization behaves. One campaign may build a federation, while another relies on conquest, trade or political pressure.

Random events and changing galactic relationships prevent the middle and late game from following one fixed script.

It supports single-player, multiplayer and Steam Family Sharing. Its modest storage requirement makes it easier to install than many action-heavy space games.

Choose it when managing an entire empire sounds more interesting than controlling one pilot or ship.

6. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Best cinematic co-op space action

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 places heavily armed soldiers against enormous enemy swarms in a dark science-fiction war.

Combat moves between ranged weapons and close-range attacks. Large groups of enemies create pressure through numbers, while stronger targets demand more deliberate timing.

The campaign provides a story-led single-player option and supports cooperative play. Additional multiplayer and PvP modes extend the experience beyond the central narrative.

Its vision of space is less about peaceful exploration and more about defending a violent empire in a galaxy of constant conflict.

It supports single-player, online co-op, online PvP, full controller support and Steam Family Sharing.

Choose it for spectacle, physical combat and co-op action rather than ship management or open exploration.

7. Dead Space

Best space horror game

Dead Space follows engineer Isaac Clarke aboard a damaged mining ship where a repair mission becomes a survival crisis.

The environment is narrow, mechanical and dangerous. Corridors, machinery and limited visibility turn an industrial spacecraft into the source of tension.

Combat rewards precise targeting rather than uncontrolled fire. Engineering tools and limited supplies reinforce the idea that Isaac is solving a technical disaster as well as surviving it.

Exploration reveals what happened to the crew, while connected ship systems give the location a stronger sense of physical continuity.

It supports single-player, full controller support and Steam Family Sharing. It requires at least 16 GB of RAM.

Choose it for isolation and survival horror. Continue with games like Dead Space if threatening science-fiction settings are the main attraction.

8. FTL: Faster Than Light

Best spaceship-management game

FTL: Faster Than Light puts the player in command of a ship carrying critical information across a hostile galaxy.

Every jump may cause a battle, trade opportunity, distress call or dangerous event. Resources must be divided among fuel, repairs, weapons, crew and upgrades.

Combat happens in real time with pause. Players choose which enemy systems to disable while protecting their own oxygen, engines, weapons and medical facilities.

Crew members can gain useful skills, but permanent loss means one mistake can reshape the rest of a run.

It supports single-player and Steam Family Sharing. It has the smallest storage requirement among the games in this guide.

Choose it for strategic decisions and replayability rather than direct piloting or cinematic presentation.

9. HELLDIVERS 2

Best squad-based space action

HELLDIVERS 2 is a cooperative third-person shooter about small squads fighting across a hostile galaxy.

Players select equipment and support abilities before deploying into missions. Calling in those abilities requires fast inputs while combat continues around the squad.

Friendly fire makes positioning and communication important. Powerful support weapons can save a mission or create a new problem when used carelessly.

The shared galactic campaign gives separate missions a wider context, while changing objectives keep squad roles flexible.

It supports online co-op, multiplayer and Steam Family Sharing. Storage requirements are substantial, so check available space before installing.

Choose it for chaotic teamwork and short mission-based sessions. Space Marine 2 is better for a conventional campaign, while No Man’s Sky suits relaxed co-op exploration.

10. Kerbal Space Program

Best spaceflight simulation

Kerbal Space Program challenges players to build spacecraft that can survive launch, reach orbit and travel between celestial bodies.

Every component affects mass, stability and performance. A rocket that looks impressive may fail because its stages, fuel or aerodynamics are poorly planned.

Success requires understanding how velocity, gravity and orbital motion work together. Failed launches remain useful because each one reveals a flaw in the design or flight plan.

Sandbox play encourages experimentation, while structured progression connects scientific discovery to new parts and larger objectives.

It supports single-player and Steam Family Sharing. It requires relatively little storage compared with the depth of its simulation.

Choose it for physics, engineering and the satisfaction of solving spaceflight problems through repeated design.

11. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy

Best comedy space adventure

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy follows Star-Lord leading a crew through a story-driven action adventure.

The player directly controls Star-Lord while giving the other Guardians commands during combat. Each companion contributes different abilities and reacts to the team’s decisions.

Dialogue continues during exploration, making the crew’s changing relationships central to the experience. Choices influence conversations and selected situations without turning the story into an open-ended RPG.

The campaign moves through colorful locations and balances action with comedy and character development.

It supports single-player, full controller support and Steam Family Sharing.

Choose it for a focused, humorous space story. Mass Effect is better when deeper character customization and branching RPG decisions are the priority.

12. STAR WARS Knights of the Old Republic

Best classic space RPG

STAR WARS Knights of the Old Republic is a party-based RPG set thousands of years before the film era.

Players create a character, recruit companions and travel between worlds while investigating a conflict between the Republic and the Sith.

Combat plays in real time with pause, allowing actions and abilities to be queued. Character development draws on classes, equipment and Force powers.

Dialogue choices influence relationships and the character’s alignment toward the light or dark side.

It supports single-player and Steam Family Sharing. Its visuals and interface reflect its age, but the underlying role-playing structure remains clear.

Choose it for classic BioWare storytelling and meaningful party choices in a familiar science-fiction universe.

Which space game should you play first?

Match the game to the experience you want:

• Mystery and discovery: Outer Wilds
• Open-ended exploration and building: No Man’s Sky
• A complete story-driven RPG trilogy: Mass Effect Legendary Edition
• A large first-person space RPG: Starfield
• Galactic empire strategy: Stellaris
• Cinematic co-op action: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
• Survival horror: Dead Space
• Ship and crew management: FTL: Faster Than Light
• Mission-based squad combat: HELLDIVERS 2
• Rocket construction and orbital physics: Kerbal Space Program
• Comedy and character-driven action: Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
• A classic choice-driven RPG: STAR WARS Knights of the Old Republic

Outer Wilds is the strongest starting point for players who value discovery. No Man’s Sky is better for a continuing sandbox, while Mass Effect Legendary Edition offers the most substantial story-focused package.

Best co-op space games

HELLDIVERS 2 is the clearest choice for squads that want short, high-intensity missions built around teamwork.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 combines cooperative action with a story campaign and competitive modes.

No Man’s Sky supports a more relaxed form of co-op through exploration, construction and shared activities.

Stellaris offers multiplayer at the scale of competing or cooperating space empires rather than individual characters.

Choose HELLDIVERS 2 for tactical chaos, Space Marine 2 for cinematic combat, No Man’s Sky for open-ended exploration or Stellaris for strategy.

Best space RPGs

Mass Effect Legendary Edition is the best overall space RPG in this list because its choices, companions and story continue across three games.

STAR WARS Knights of the Old Republic is the strongest classic choice, especially for players who enjoy party management and moral decisions.

Starfield offers the largest collection of parallel activities, including factions, ship modification and outpost construction.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy has lighter role-playing systems but provides a more focused character-driven adventure.

Players wanting a wider science-fiction selection can continue with the best sci-fi games.

Best space games for exploration

Outer Wilds makes exploration part of one connected mystery. Every clue can change how the player understands another world.

No Man’s Sky provides the greatest scale and freedom, with procedurally generated planets and long-term building systems.

Starfield combines planetary travel with quests, equipment and faction progression.

Kerbal Space Program approaches exploration as an engineering problem. Reaching a destination is an achievement created by the player’s design and understanding of orbital motion.

The best choice depends on whether you want mystery, freedom, role-playing or simulation.

Best space games for strategy

Stellaris gives the player control of an entire civilization through diplomacy, economics, research and warfare.

FTL: Faster Than Light reduces the scale to one ship and crew, making every resource decision immediate.

Kerbal Space Program replaces political strategy with engineering and mission planning.

These games show how different “space strategy” can be. Stellaris asks where an empire should expand, FTL asks which system must survive the next battle, and Kerbal asks whether the spacecraft can complete the journey at all.

Best single-player space games

Outer Wilds is the strongest solo mystery, while Mass Effect Legendary Edition provides the longest character-driven journey.

Dead Space is best for focused horror, and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy offers a more comedic cinematic adventure.

STAR WARS Knights of the Old Republic remains valuable for classic party-based role-playing. Starfield provides a broader modern sandbox for players who prefer many simultaneous quest lines and systems.

HELLDIVERS 2 is designed around online co-op, so solo-focused players should start elsewhere.

Space adventure versus space simulation

A space adventure uses the setting to support story, exploration or combat. Outer Wilds, Mass Effect and Guardians of the Galaxy fit this approach.

A space simulation asks players to manage systems that behave according to consistent rules. Kerbal Space Program models spacecraft construction and orbital motion, while FTL models ship systems and crew survival at a more abstract level.

No Man’s Sky and Starfield sit between those categories, combining exploration with crafting, equipment and ship systems.

Neither approach is automatically deeper. The better choice depends on whether you want to inhabit a story or understand and control a system.

Final recommendations

Outer Wilds is the best overall space game for mystery and discovery. No Man’s Sky is the strongest sandbox, while Mass Effect Legendary Edition delivers the best story-driven space RPG.

Choose Stellaris to control an empire, FTL: Faster Than Light to manage one vulnerable ship or Kerbal Space Program to build spacecraft around orbital physics.

Choose Dead Space for horror, HELLDIVERS 2 for squad missions, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 for cinematic action or Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy for a lighter character-driven adventure.

The best space game is the one that makes the cosmos meaningful, whether that means uncovering one mystery, saving one crew or shaping an entire galaxy.