Space in games comes in many flavors. Sometimes it's an endless expanse for exploration, where you can spend hours flying between planets and hunting for something new. Sometimes a spaceship becomes your only refuge, with the unknown lurking around every corner. And sometimes space is just there to make everything feel bigger and weirder.
We've gathered games that offer completely different takes on space adventures. There are massive RPGs, explorations of distant worlds, space station building, and even horror games that make staring into a dark viewport feel a little unsettling.
Starfield
If you want a proper space RPG marathon, Starfield fits the bill almost perfectly. You play as a space explorer who ventures beyond Earth, traveling between planets, visiting cities and abandoned facilities, completing quests, and gradually unraveling the mysteries of the universe.
The game's main draw is its scale. You can follow the main story, join various factions, upgrade your ship, gather resources, or just pick a direction and go.
Starfield will especially appeal to anyone who loves the feeling of a grand journey. It's not so much about any single planet as it is about becoming someone who gets to explore space.
Outer Wilds
Outer Wilds takes a completely different approach to space. You don't need to become a great space warrior or build a massive empire. The real goal is far more interesting: figure out what's actually going on.
You explore a small solar system filled with unusual planets, abandoned structures, and mysteries left behind by an ancient civilization. The world is constantly changing, and certain events unfold regardless of what you do.
The game barely holds your hand. You need to observe, remember what you find, and piece the puzzle together yourself.
Outer Wilds is perfect for anyone who loves games where curiosity is the core mechanic.
Deliver Us Mars
What happens when humanity has to go to Mars not for science, but for survival?
Deliver Us Mars drops you onto the Red Planet, where you explore abandoned facilities, navigate dangerous terrain, and piece together the story of a previous mission.
The game leans heavily on atmosphere and narrative. Mars feels vast, cold, and deeply lonely. The empty wastes capture that feeling of being surrounded by nothing but rocks, dust, and endless space.
It's a solid pick if you prefer a cinematic adventure with exploration over endless building and shootouts.
Space Engineers
Space Engineers turns space into one giant construction site.
You get nearly total freedom to build spaceships, stations, vehicles, bases, and all kinds of other structures. And this isn't just decorative building. Many systems actually need to work, so you have to think about power, resources, thrusters, and other components.
The fun really starts when your creation meets reality. You can spend hours building an impressive ship, only to discover it doesn't fly the way you intended.
Space Engineers is great for anyone who loves Minecraft-style freedom but wants to take it into space and add an engineering layer.
Star Trek: Voyager - Across the Unknown
Space in Star Trek has always been more than a pretty backdrop. It's a place for exploration, diplomacy, and unexpected danger. Star Trek: Voyager - Across the Unknown brings that idea to a game format.
The focus is on a journey through unknown space, where your decisions shape what happens. Ship management, your crew, and the ability to make choices when there's no perfect option all matter here.
For sci-fi fans, this is a particularly interesting pick. Instead of yet another game where space is just window dressing, this one makes the journey itself a core part of the adventure.
Alien: Isolation
Space can be beautiful. It can also be absolutely terrifying.
Alien: Isolation shows you the second option.
You find yourself on a space station, facing off against one of the most recognizable creatures in science fiction. The main enemy isn't some standard game enemy you can just shoot down.
Most of the time, the only sensible move is to hide and try to survive.
Dark corridors, unsettling sounds, limited resources, and the constant feeling that a xenomorph is nearby create one of the most tense atmospheres in any space game.
If you want to feel like space can genuinely kill you, Alien: Isolation nails it.
Dead Space 2
Another case where space goes from humanity's dream to a full-blown nightmare.
Dead Space 2 continues Isaac Clarke's story and throws him back into the path of the necromorphs. This time the action takes place on a massive space station that slowly turns into a death maze.
The game's biggest strength is the mix of horror and fast-paced action. You constantly have to watch your ammo, use the environment, and pay close attention to enemies.
Dead Space 2 also does more than just scare you. It plays with lighting, sound, and level design to keep you expecting trouble in places where there shouldn't be any.
Star Wars Outlaws
If you want space but don't want to spend dozens of hours in an unfamiliar sci-fi universe, there's Star Wars Outlaws.
The game lets you explore worlds and travel through space in the Star Wars universe. The story centers on Kay Vess, who's trying to build a new life among criminal syndicates and dangerous enemies.
Space here is part of a bigger adventure. You can take on missions on planets, interact with different factions, explore your surroundings, and then fly off on your ship.
It's basically a space road movie, except the hero drives a spaceship instead of a car.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor focuses less on free space exploration and more on adventure across the vast Star Wars universe.
Cal Kestis continues his fight against the Empire, traveling between worlds, exploring ancient ruins, and battling enemies with a lightsaber and the Force.
The game shows another side of space fantasy. You don't need to spend hours flying between planets to feel the scale of the universe. Just land on a new world and take in completely different nature, architecture, creatures, and cultures.
If you want a space atmosphere paired with fast-paced action, Jedi: Survivor is one of the most obvious choices.
Revenge of the Savage Planet
Not every space adventure has to be serious.
Revenge of the Savage Planet sends you off to explore strange alien worlds, gather resources, discover various life forms, and try to survive in some pretty unusual conditions.
The game stands out from the darker entries in the genre. There's a lot more humor, colorful locations, and absurd situations.
Exploring planets becomes its own adventure: you find new opportunities, upgrade your gear, and gradually uncover more of the world around you.
A great pick if you want space without the constant feeling of an impending apocalypse.
Bears in Space
The title alone gives you a pretty good idea of how seriously this game takes space sci-fi.
Bears in Space is a bright, bizarre shooter where science fiction collides with outright madness. Alien enemies, space tech, and plenty of fast-paced combat.
This one's for players who don't want to slowly explore distant planets but instead want to turn space into a carnival of shooting, explosions, and strange situations.
Sometimes the best way to go to space is grabbing a gun and seeing what happens.
Space That Never Looks the Same Twice
Space always leaves room for the unknown. Even in a game where you think you know where to fly and what to do next, something completely unexpected can be waiting behind the next door, on the neighboring planet, or in the next signal.
That's why space games pull you in so easily. They let you feel the scale of a world where the usual rules no longer apply. You can go where no one has been, try to survive in total isolation, build your own ship, or just stop in the middle of an alien planet and look at the stars.
Each of these stories has its own take on the universe, but they all share one thing: space never feels fully explored. And that's probably what makes the journey to the stars so appealing.