Get Ready for Battle and Exploration in Our 13 Best Space Strategy Games
Mankind has explored, survived, and fought wars over almost every terrain. The only terrain left is the world above the skies. Fortunately, Game Developers have brought Mankind that experience in space strategy games.
There are many games where Players scavenge, survive, and fight among the stars over other worlds. Below are 13 Best Space Strategy Games that Players must explore and built empires over.
13) Into the Stars (2016)
Into the Stars gameplay
You are the commander of a large Spaceship and you must explore the vastness of space searching for a new home. You must gather resources from nearby planets, resolve issues with your crew, and deal with hostile aliens who don’t want you in their galaxy.
The Player’s progress depends on how their Spaceship is set up. The Player will have to choose specific weapons, shields, and stock for the voyage as well as staff, captains, medical personnel, and engineers. Your crew must have the experience to handle the weaponry and tech to survive the voyage.
As you scavenge other planets, you will come across abandoned or destroyed vessels floating in space. You may scavenge the vessels for what you might need to survive. There is a crafting option where you can construct parts for your ship, making it better, stronger, and more powerful as you continue your search for the new home.
Travel to distant planets in search for a new home
Battle Hostile Aliens in your way
12) Battlefield Gothic Armada (2016)
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada - Imperium Trailer
In the universe of Warhammer 40,000 (1987), join any of the four factions and take the battle to the stars. The Players can fight alongside the Imperium (who wants to improve mankind), rebel with Chaos (the rebels of the Imperium), plunder with Orks (space-pirates), or survive with the Eldar (a race on the brink of extinction).
Battlefield Gothic Armada is an RTS (Real Time Strategy) game, where you must utilize your weapons and crew that best fit your fighting style. Strategize with what you have and what is around you. The space debris will block enemy attacks and space clouds can conceal your ships.
The Players can evade using warpdrive to get critically injured ships out of the battlefield to get repaired and Ship Detection to sneak pass enemy ships. Players can use their ship’s Micro Abilities to attack enemy ships, once they are in range. They can also manipulate their ship’s movement to deal devastating combo blows or ram into the enemy.
Control your fleet in excited and daring fight
Cause your ship to ram into other ships to deal devastating damage
11) Sid Meier's Starships (2015)
Sid Meier’s Starships – Starships 101
This game is from the same universe as Civilization: Beyond Earth (2014), it has the same concept of resource gathering, allocation, and combat. Explore the far reaches of space with your Federation Affinity as you trade and protect your land from hostiles.
With each Federation Affinity, you and your team have additional bonuses. The leader you choose will grant you added abilities that can help you in the game. Build and expand your empire among other planets, by succeeding their missions so you can get their resources of food, energy, credits, science, and winning Battle Cards.
The battle sequence is a turn-based strategy, you must equip and upgrade mechanics that would help you win more battles. Battle Cards is a mechanic that gives Players extra abilities and stat bonuses. Utilize Research Bases, so your team can build more ships and gadgets that can help them in their conflict.
Explore the Galaxy with your fleet, fulfilling missions and requests
Analyze planets and solar systems you are about to enter
10) Faster Than Light (2012)
FTL Faster Than Light Gameplay
You and your crew are tasked with saving the galaxy against the Rebellion. Use your crew to take on new and dangerous enemy ships.
Faster Than Light is a unique Strategy game. It is a Top-view battle simulator that allows Players to see rooms inside their ship. The rooms have their different purposes that will help you in combat. Players must learn to distribute power between rooms during combat situations or risk defeat.
You can board enemy vessels, salvage from dead ships, and use whatever you scavenged to upgrade your vessel for the next battle. Each battle is randomly generated, so beware, you might come across an enemy who is a lot stronger than you.
Fight off dangerous foes
Learn from your defeat and try again
9) Interplanetary (2015)
Interplanetary Gameplay
Wage war between planets and be the last planet alive by destroying enemy cities. Use your turns and resources wisely because one wrong move can lead to devastating results.
Your limited resources determine how many turns you have. Spend resources to build parts of the city to give you more turns or improve your weapons and defenses. It is a strategy game that depends on how well you use your resources against enemies.
Interplanetary is a hard science fiction turn-based strategy artillery game that focuses on intelligent gathering. Enemy cities will be hidden from your view, so use weapons or other skills to find the targets.
Construct your cities to prepare your planet for combat
Aim for the enemy planet and launch your attack
8) Homeworld Remastered (2015)
An Introduction to Homeworld Remastered Collection
The Kharak Satellites discovered an ancient Spaceship buried in the Great Desert. Inside they found the Guidestone that would lead you and your people to your Homeworld. However, the Taiidan, the current hostile residence of the Homeworld will do anything to stop you.
When Homeworld was first released in 1999, it was the first RTS game to have a 3-D movement. Whereas in most RTS games, Players play on a flat plane, in Homeworld the Player can move on a spherical plane. The ships can be above or below the target in any angle.
You would need to collect resources so you can research new craft to help you in combat. Build ships that would help with population and gather more resources to become a powerful force.
Fight in RTS to protect your Mothership
Prepare your fleet for battle
7) Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak (2016)
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak In-Game Combat Chatter
Kharak was a dying planet, until one day when the satellites found an anomaly in the Southern Desert that could save the planet, called the Jaraci Object. The Gaalsien forces, the protector of the Object, will do anything it takes to keep it hidden.
The game uses the same mechanic in the original game; only it is on the surface of Kharak. Each battlefield is immense, filled with hills, boulders, and craters. In each battle, you must do all you can to reach the Jaraci with the aid of Karen S’jet a Kushan native and neuroscientist.
Take your battles on the Deserts of Kharak
Defend your Fleet against Gaalsien
6) Endless Space (2012)
Endless Space - Space Battle
Expand your interstellar empire and conquer the galaxy. Become the leading empire, through diplomacy, revenue, and military force.
Endless Space is a turn-based Strategy game that shapes how well you start off at the commencement of the game. With the use of the Scouter and the Colony ship, you can explore the galaxy, collecting resources and building your army and population. Later you can use resources to build an armada of ships.
Use your Heroes to help influence stats and gathering resources in your gameplay. Your heroes will also affect how you fight battles.
Space battle is card based; these cards will shape the way on how you battle. It is a three-phase sequence where the Player must anticipate the enemy’s movement (i.e. what type of card will they use) and counter them. Customize your deck carefully; be sure to have plenty of offensive/defensive counter cards. If you do not have strong defense cards that can counter strong attacks, you will lose the combat.
Design and prepare your battleship for battle
Master your Skilltree to help benefit your Scavenge, Research, and Combat skills
5) Endless Space 2 (2017)
Endless Space 2 battle gameplay
On the final stage of interstellar conquest, your war will shape the fate of the universe. Use your vision from any of the ten civilizations to form their society.
The game uses the same mechanic as in Endless Space 1. You start with two ships, one is scout and the other is a colony ship.
The updates to this game are the beliefs your civilizations have. It grants specific talents and abilities that will be useful in combat. Before combat, you can set-up moving patterns on how your combat vessel will engage the enemy.
Use your Scout and Colony ships to explore and populate the universe and build your empire
Lead your Fleet into combat and plan their attack
4) Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion (2008)
Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion - Beta 3
Over a century of peace, the Traders Coalition has survived, until the Vasari returned after a century of exile for revenge. Another century later, the battle starts its division among the races and introduces a new faction, the Advent. You are the leader of one of these factions.
Explore your galaxy, find new worlds to inhabit and build your bases. Expand your territory; let your enemies know who you are. Exploit these worlds and take their resources to build your empire and improve your army. Then Exterminate all those that pose a threat to your region.
Build a Planetary Infrastructure to collect taxes to help you construct your Orbital Facilities and harden the world against aggressors. The Orbital Facilities are used to gather resources to build ships and research facilities. Expand your Economy to collect more revenue so you can research for more advanced Technology. Lastly, get ready for battle, by building up your defenses and gathering your customized ships for combat.
Combine your fleet to take on a dangerous foe
Strategize your forces and take the fight to your rivals
3) Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 3 (2017)
WARHAMMER 40K Dawn of War 3 - Gameplay First Look
Join the fight and be the first to get to the powerful weapon located on the mysterious world of Acheron. Fight with the Space Marines, the Orks, or the Eldar as they vie for power over the war-torn planet.
Players can use Giants to take over War Towers, thus tipping the battle in their favor. Players must prepare for epic battles across any terrain, be it volcanic landscapes or on battle cruisers in space. Use your Faction’s devastating abilities to destroy your enemy in any battlefield.
Eldar forces preparing for battle
Space Marine unleashes their giants against the Eldar Army
2) Galactic Civilizations III (2015)
Galactic Civilizations III - Beta 4 Gameplay
In the 23rd century of mankind, the earth has entered war with other worlds over the fate of our galaxy. Try to seek diplomacy or be ready for battle when it arises or engage whomever you like in battle.
Take your race and explore the galaxy, expand your civilization, exploit resources, and exterminate any that gets in your way. You will start on your world as you gather resources and supplies to build more civilizations. Form alliances with cultures to help expand your military power.
Meet new races and attempt diplomacy to bring lasting peace in the galaxy. If you cannot, then engage them in conflict for survival and expansion to bring the future Utopia. Use whatever is necessary to form your empire; there are many choices you can choose to do this. Your skills and influence over the nation changes based on your moral choices.
Negotiate peace and treaties with foreign species
Prepare your fleet for exciting battle over systems and planets
1) Stellaris (2016)
Stellaris: Utopia - Release Trailer
Conquer the Universe on your own or form alliances with online players. Explore the Universe to gather resources and research new technology, and establish diplomacy or declare war with neighboring worlds.
In this universe, you have built your empire, now move on and evolve your race and empire to something unimaginable. You can use Megastructures to harness unique resources and power from the stars. Adopt cultures as your own, or wage war against them and conquer their land for survival.
Strategize your forces so you can win battles. Your focus is to get the highest Military Power, which will shape how well you do in the fight. This system is rated by your skills and how many forces you deploy.
Create settlements on different planets and expand your empire
Create Science Ships to do research, so you can acquire better tech and ships
These Space Strategy Games are only a small section of games. As long as Mankind continue to dream about the stars, Developers will continue to make these type of games to help us explore and exploit the universe and strategize against hostile enemies. For anyone wanting to visit planets and different cultures and take on threats that will pose a threat to our world, these games are for you. Would you dare the unknown?
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