Astroneer is a stylish game about exploring space and making it your own. From the charming, abstract art style, to the sculpting tool that lets players literally reshape the world around them, to the diverse and multilayered design of those worlds, this game is all about giving players a rewarding sense of discovery.
With Astroneer recently moving out of early access with its full launch on February 6, this is a great time for gamers to climb in their spaceships and explore the creative worlds that gaming has to offer. Whether you love Astroneer, or are looking for a different flavor of space adventure, these eleven games will satisfy your sense of curiosity.
11. Empyrion - Galactic Survival
Empyrion - Galactic Survival Gameplay
There’s a little bit of everything in Empyrion - Galactic Survival. It’s still in early access, but this game already includes a nice mixture of mechanics and gameplay styles that add to its appeal in the crowded survival genre. You start off stranded on a planet, but can eventually explore the open world of space in singleplayer or multiplayer, and in several difficulty settings so you’ll always face a satisfying challenge. One of the game’s biggest selling points is its rewarding base-building system, which allows you to protect yourself from the dangers of your new homeworld while also piecing together a familiar home.
Home sweet home: Nothing is more rewarding than starting with nothing and building something awesome.
Customizable exploration: You won’t be stranded forever—design and build your own spaceships.
10. Osiris: New Dawn
Osiris: New Dawn Gameplay
It’s the year 2078, and you are one of earth’s first interplanetary explorers. You’ve crash landed in the dangerous Gliese 581 system, and now you’ll have to fight to survive.
Osiris: New Dawn strikes a balance between exploration, base-building, and satisfyingly smooth gunplay battles against giant alien creatures. It’s still in early access and a bit rough around the edges, but its visuals are often gorgeous. The developers nailed both the cold, vast emptiness of space and the bright colors and alien life of strange planets.
Work together: alien lifeforms are big, fast, and aggressive.
Get back to work: Escape your first planet and discover the secrets of the Gliese system.
9. Breathedge
Breathedge Gameplay
You’re just a simple man trying to get your grandpa’s ashes to his funeral on time. Then your space hearse explodes and you’re stuck alone in a debris field. Suddenly, you’re forced into a struggle for survival with nothing but your determination, your dry sense of humor, and your grandpa’s beloved immortal chicken. This game is dark, hilarious, and will be a breath of fresh air (pun intended) if you love the genre but are tired of games that take themselves too seriously.
Spacewalk: Just because this is a humor game, doesn’t mean it can’t look amazing too.
Not quite alone: You do have one friend left with you in space.
8. No Man's Sky
No Man's Sky Gameplay
After it’s controversial launch, few gamers haven’t heard of No Man’s Sky. While it delivered on its promise to be a practically-infinite space exploration game with millions of worlds to discover, many gamers felt cheated by the game’s lack of depth and an absence of promised content.
Since its release in 2016, though, Hello Games has continued to work on making No Man’s Sky an excellent experience. With added base-building and multiplayer, third-person view, graphics improvements, as well as many quality of life updates, this game now has far more depth to complement it’s massive scope.
Variety: Experience colorful, procedurally-generated worlds across a vast galaxy.
Friends: It’s a big universe, but there’s no need to travel it alone.
7. Star Citizen
Star Citizen Gameplay
Star Citizen is an upcoming space simulator currently in alpha, but available to play today. Its unfinished state may be a barrier for some players, but this game is worth mentioning because of its sheer ambition. It looks to thrust players into a massive world with deep faction gameplay, a player-driven economy, huge multiplayer battles, and deep customization. If it can deliver these features, it could be one of the most immersive multiplayer games ever made.
Visuals: Even in alpha, this game can look stunning.
FPS: Battle in space and on the ground.
6. Mass Effect: Andromeda
Mass Effect: Andromeda Gameplay
In Mass Effect: Andromeda, you take on the role of one of the Ryder twins as you come to lead the crew of a 600-year expedition to the Andromeda Galaxy. This was never going to be easy, but upon arriving, you find the situation is much worse than you could have imagined. This is the first true roleplaying game on this list, and the focus is much more on story and combat than in the others. Still, exploration and a sense of wonder are some of the main themes of the game, and you’ll find plenty of beautiful worlds hiding ancient secrets.
Explorer or warrior: Lead the Andromeda Initiative and protect settlements from dangerous enemies.
Companions: Explore with a colorful crew.
5. Elite Dangerous
Elite Dangerous Gameplay
Elite Dangerous throws its players into an unbelievably massive, 1:1 scale simulation of the Milky Way Galaxy with nothing but a starship. Pilots can dogfight with pirates and explore 400 billion star systems alone or in multiplayer. The game lets you choose whether to seek out the thrills of space combat, find work in the wide galaxy, or peacefully explore distant systems. The learning curve is steep, but the flight simulator gameplay can be incredibly immersive.
Take control: customize your systems and take flight.
Familiar worlds: Mars looks a little different in this futuristic setting.
4. Maia
Maia Gameplay
Your job is simple: control a group of humans as they struggle to build and sustain a colony on a poisonous world that is constantly battered by violent natural disasters like earthquakes, meteor strikes, and deadly solar flares. Simple, yes, but not easy. In other space exploration games, the world is wide and unlimited. In Maia, you’re stuck with next to nothing on an inhospitable world. Do your best to keep your people alive.
Adapt: Design and build your colony.
Disasters: Be prepared to respond to deadly emergencies.
3. PULSAR: Lost Colony
PULSAR: Lost Colony Gameplay
Team up with up to three friends and become the crew of a starship traveling the galaxy in search of the Lost Colony. Each player has a vital, specialized role, so the entire crew must work together to overcome the challenges they meet in space. Singleplayer is available with AI crewmates, but this game is best enjoyed with a group. With a variety of missions both in space and planetside, this game allows sci-fi fans to experience the thrill of a space epic together.
Crewmates: Be sure to choose the right person for the job.
Beam me up: Teleport to and from alien worlds to complete missions on the ground.
2. Stationeers
Stationeers Gameplay
If you’re looking for a game about boundless, laidback exploration, Stationeers is not for you. This game is all about the challenge of building a complex, functioning base in an unfriendly environment with limited resources. Stationeers is deep and difficult—you’ll have to pay attention to energy, resources, electrical and gravitational systems, health, temperature, and a huge array of other factors when building and maintaining your space station. If you’re up for a challenge, this game might be up your alley.
Stationeering: Manage the complex systems of your new home.
Mining: Head outside to gather the materials you need to survive.
1. HELLION
HELLION Gameplay
You entered cryosleep expecting to wake in the thriving colony of Hellion. When you woke, you were one of thousands of survivors stranded in the wreckage of a derelict colony. HELLION blends space exploration with the gameplay of a multiplayer survival game. Establish bases in starships, work together, or trust no one—just beware of other survivors jetpacking toward your airlock with machine guns.
Equipment: Stash your loot in your ship and gear up for the dangers of Hellion.
Derelict: Scavenge the ruins of the colony in search of answers...or just to survive.
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