20 Best Space Games To Blast Off With In 2025

Starting with Spacewar! all the way back in 1962, space has been a hugely popular theme for video games. While early titles like Computer Space and Space Invaders focused largely on combat, in 2025 the variety of space games feels just as endless as the expanse of space itself.

Whether you want to explore the galaxy and make friends with alien races or engage in all-out spaceship battles and tense space station heists, there’s a game out there for you to discover.

We’ve narrowed down some of the best space games to tickle your sci-fi fancy, with 20 titles that showcase the true variety available–from first-person-shooters to strategy games, hyper-realistic simulators to retro classics. While many of these games have planet-side gameplay, we’ve focused on games where you spend a lot of time in space itself–whether that’s flying a ship, navigating space stations, or even spacewalks that take you into the vacuum of space.

If you’re more interested in exploring an expansive world without the space setting, check out our picks for the best open world games, or our favorite sandbox games.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition

Developer: BioWare

Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One

Release Date: May 14, 2021

From galaxy-ending threats and high-stakes shootouts to space nightclubs and alien romance, the Mass Effect trilogy has it all. With the Legendary Edition you can now play all three games in one–with some necessary upgrades to some of the first game’s more dated elements. Step into the shoes of (customizable) hero Commander Shepard in a battle to save the Milky Way from the ancient, civilization-ending machines known as the Reapers. Mass Effect is beloved for its narrative and quirky cast of characters, and Shepard’s relationships with their crew are just as important as any mission.

Metroid Prime Remastered

Developer: Retro Studios

Platforms: Nintendo Switch

Release Date: February 9, 2023

Metroid Prime was a major departure from the classic Metroid formula when it released on GameCube in 2002, ditching the 2D perspective to let players see through bounty hunter Samus Aran’s eyes for the first time. The first-person adventure is moody and atmospheric, putting as much emphasis on research and exploration as it does on combat, as Samus investigates the impact of a mysterious radioactive material called Phazon on the planet Tallon IV. The Metroid DNA is still there, of course–Samus must once again collect all her upgrades to make progress, often backtracking to unlock new secrets and areas–but Retro has put its own unique spin on it. The 2023 rerelease for the Switch is as faithful a remaster as you can ask for, albeit with updated controls for some of Metroid Prime’s more clunky design decisions.

No Man’s Sky

Developer: Hello Games

Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2

Release Date: August 9, 2016

Explore a vast, procedurally-generated universe in No Man’s Sky, and visit countless planets where you can collect resources, build bases, trade with friendly aliens, or fight the unfriendly ones. While No Man’s Sky once became infamous for overpromising and underdelivering on its promises, years of updates have brought the game more in line with its initial pitch–with later additions including base-building and true multiplayer co-op. The game operates around four main pursuits–exploration, survival, combat, and trading–and while players will generally engage in all of them at some point, No Man’s Sky gives plenty of freedom to players who choose to focus on one more than others. Players can pursue the overarching narrative surrounding the mystery of The Atlas, or simply explore and enjoy the game on their own terms.

Warframe

Developer: Digital Extremes

Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, iOS

Release Date: March 25, 2015

In Warframe, you play as an ancient warrior with esoteric powers, awakened from a long cryo-sleep into a raging war between multiple factions. As a Tenno you have a number of weapons and abilities in your arsenal, but the main one is your titular Warframe–a powerful biomechanical combat unit used to complete missions against enemy factions. As well as planetside missions, Warframe will also see you infiltrating enemy spaceships and space stations–you can even equip your Warframe with an Archwing for spacebound combat missions. Warframe is free-to-play online multiplayer game, with cross-play and cross-saves possible across multiple platforms. The game has a dedicated community, reporting nearly 50 million registered players as of 2019.

Alien: Isolation

Developer: Creative Assembly

Platforms: PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS

Release Date: October 7, 2014

If you’re looking for a game that captures the chilling isolation of space, well, it’s in the name with Alien: Isolation. A survival horror title based on the 1979 film Alien, you play as Ellen Ripley’s daughter Amanda Ripley as she struggles to escape the derelict Sevastopol space station–while also searching for answers on what happened to her mother. With few humans left alive on the station, Alien: Isolation fully immerses you in the quiet desolation of space–though that peace is often disturbed by the titular alien. While most of Alien: Isolation takes place on board Sevastopol station, multiple segments of the game require you to suit up and leave the safety of the station on a tense spacewalk.

Star Fox 64

Developer: Nintendo

Platforms: Nintendo 64, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 (via Nintendo Switch Online)

Release Date: April 27, 1997

This classic on-rails space shooter for the Nintendo 64 sees the Star Fox team, a group of anthropomorphic mercenaries, enlisted to defend the Lylat system from mad scientist Andross. Most levels are played on-rails in the Arwing spaceship, while some levels allow free-roaming within a defined area–more rarely you might get to pilot the terrestrial Landmaster or the aquatic Blue Marine submarine. Star Fox is refreshingly simple compared to modern space shooters, with a successful start-to-finish run taking under an hour to complete–but more challenging routes through the Lylat system can be unlocked if you know where to look for them.

Helldivers 2

Developer: Arrowhead Game Studios

Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S

Release Date: February 8, 2024

Helldivers 2 is a fantastic co-op space shooter, served with a healthy dose of Starship Troopers-esque satire. You play as a Helldiver, an expendable cog in a great machine bringing the liberation of Managed Democracy to every corner of the galaxy. Alongside its tongue-in-cheek political satire, Helldivers 2’s gameplay serves chaotic fun as you face off against bug-like aliens or menacing robots on far-flung deployments. You may not always make it back to the extraction shuttle alive, but you’ll definitely enjoy yourself along the way.

Honkai: Star Rail

Developer: MiHoYo

Platforms: PC, iOS, Android, PS5

Release Date: April 26, 2023

The studio behind Genshin Impact has taken some of the most popular elements of Genshin and sent them to space with Honkai: Star Rail, a free-to-play gacha RPG. While Honkai: Star Rail is the fourth game in the Honkai series, it stands on its own as a self-contained game. You play as the Trailblazer, a character who uses the Astral Express to hop across different planets in an expansive universe in order to help resolve various crises as they occur. Alongside the Trailblazer is an ever-expanding cast of characters, whose cute designs and powerful abilities are sure to encourage you to get right into Honkai’s gacha mechanics.

Tacoma

Developer: Fullbright

Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4

Release Date: August 2, 2017

A contemplative narrative game from the studio behind Gone Home, Tacoma tasks players with unravelling the events that transpired in the last days of the orbital space station Tacoma, before it was abandoned by its crew. Though the player character is the only living person on the ship, you have the ability to use an augmented reality device to review conversations and events that happened previously on the station. Just like Gone Home, Tacoma is narrative and exploration-heavy, letting the player unravel Tacoma’s stories at their own pace.

Stellaris

Developer: Paradox

Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One

Release Date: May 9, 2016

Stellaris is a 4X strategy game on a grand scale, as it tasks players with expanding a fledgeling space-faring civilization across a whole galaxy. Players are able to customize their starting species and civilization as they wish, and encounter others in their exploration of the galaxy–who can be allies, trade partners, or military rivals. Stellaris is a real-time strategy game with a default campaign that plays out over a period of 300 years, giving players plenty of time to make their mark on the galaxy.

EVE Online

Developer: CCP Games

Platforms: PC

Release Date: May 6, 2003

A truly quintessential space game, EVE Online is known for the depth and complexity of its extensive universe–comprised of over 7800 visitable star systems. While not the easiest game to get into, EVE Online has intricate depths to delve no matter how you want to interact with its world–you can focus on combat, trading, exploration, mining, crafting, or any number of other in-game activities. EVE Online players exist as part of a committed community, whose interactions with each other are just as important as any scripted play.

Kerbal Space Program

Developer: Squad

Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X

Release Date: April 27, 2015

Kerbal Space Program is a quirky space flight simulator with one major goal: get to space. Take charge of the titular Kerbal Space Program and do your best to construct a space-worthy craft. With pseudo-realistic physics, it’s a blast trying to figure out the secrets of spaceflight, shooting your cute Kerbal astronauts to greater and greater heights. The game features various modes, allowing you free reign in the sandbox, or encouraging you to hit specific milestones in career mode.

Among Us

Developer: Innersloth

Platforms: Mobile, PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S

Release Date: June 15, 2018

This Covid-era hit takes social deception mechanics from games like Mafia and Werewolf and puts them into space. As a spacesuited Crewmate, your job is to complete various repair tasks and seek out secret Imposters–or if playing as the Imposter, your role is to sabotage and murder the innocent Crewmates. Vote to elect suspicious crew members, and do your best to survive. While the original Among Us map was a spaceship called The Skeld, subsequent extra maps including a planetside base and office building have since been added.

Outer Wilds

Developer: Mobius Digital

Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch

Release Date: May 28, 2019

Explore a mysterious time loop in Outer Wilds– not to be confused with its fellow 2019 sci-fi release The Outer Worlds. You play as an unnamed explorer investigating the mysteries of a planetary system stuck in a 22-minute time loop, using each loop to make new discoveries. Manage fuel and oxygen reserves as you unravel the system’s mysteries, exploring planetside as well as piloting your spaceship around the system. At the end of each loop the sun goes supernova and destroys the system, sending you back to the start.

Homeworld Remastered Collection

Developer: Gearbox Software

Platforms: PC

Release Date: February 25, 2015

The Homeworld Remastered Collection includes two classic real-time strategy games set entirely in space: Homeworld and Homeworld 2. Both games follow the story of Hiigaran exiles, who create a fleet of spaceships to journey across space and reclaim their homeworld. The fleet is centered around a mothership capable of creating other ships, with different ships specialised for combat, research, or resource gathering. The player must manage ship building and resources, encountering other ships both hostile and helpful, as the fleet undertakes a long, difficult journey on its way back to the Homeworld.

Skin Deep

Developer: Blendo Games

Platforms: PC

Release Date: April 30, 2025

Skin Deep is an offbeat immersive sim that sends the player on covert missions against space pirates to rescue captive crew members–who happen to be cats. The player character is Nina Pasadena, an “insurance commando” who is kept in stasis on space voyages as an emergency measure to be deployed against pirate incursions. In immersive sim fashion, there are many ways to resolve each mission, from stealth to combat to inventive MacGuyver-esque item use. Over the course of the game’s many missions, you can discover more about a new crew of pirates led by a mysterious masked figure.

FTL: Faster Than Light

Developer: Subset Games

Platforms: PC, iPad

Release Date: September 14, 2012

Faster Than Light is an indie roguelike that places the player in charge of a single–but singularly important–ship in the midst of an all-out space war. In FTL, the player commands a single ship being pursued by an enemy fleet while attempting to deliver critical information to its own fleet. Gameplay takes the ship through eight procedurally-generated sectors, where they’ll have to engage in real-time combat with enemy forces, recruit crew, and upgrade the ship for future encounters. If the ship or all its crew are lost, players will have to start again from the beginning with a new ship.

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader

Developer: Owlcat Games

Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S

Release Date: December 7, 2023

Owlcat Games’ Warhammer 40k RPG is heavily based on the TTRPG of the same name, featuring turn-based combat in a party of six–as well as ship-to-ship battles on an epic scale. Rouge Trader provides a unique way to explore the intricately political 40K universe–as the titular Rogue Trader, you’re granted an unusual level of autonomy from the Imperium in order to explore, trade, and conquer. The customizable player character is joined by a number of companions from various factions across the 40K universecompanions from various factions across the 40K universe, each with their own personal storylines–and potential for romance. Rogue Trader is relatively crunchy for a CRPG, and may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s a must for those looking for an intricate, combat-heavy RPG set in one of the most iconic sci-fi settings.

Prey

Developer: Arkane Austin

Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One

Release Date: May 5, 2017

Prey takes place in an alternative future where the Soviet Union discovered a hostile race of aliens known as the Typhon during the early days of the space race. Set in the 2030s, the player controls protagonist Morgan, a researcher on board the orbital space station Talos 1, as they struggle to survive a Typhon outbreak. With the Typhon having strange powers, including shapeshifting into inanimate objects, Morgan must use their wits to survive. Hailed as one of the best immersive sims out there, Prey also includes elements of various genres with an RPG-like skill tree and first-person shooter controls.

Wildgate

Developer: Moonshot Games

Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S

Release Date: July 23, 2025

Wildgate is a PVP multiplayer game that pits players against each other in crews of four. As a crew of prospectors, your ultimate goal is to find the valuable Artifact and escape through the Wildgate–but you’re not the only crew looking for it. This PVP title lets you engage in both first-person ground-based combat and tactical ship-to-ship battles as you look to overcome your enemies and escape with the loot. If you prefer fighting, you can also claim a victory by destroying the other crews’ ships and emerging as the sole survivors.