From extremely primitive experiments like Spacewar! to pioneering arcade hits like Asteroids and Space Invaders, space has been a prominent part of video gaming from the very beginning. Perhaps that's due to man's inherent fascination with the infinite, or perhaps it has more to do with the fact that a predominantly black void was less taxing on fledgling computer hardware.
Whatever the reason, the digital frontier and the final frontier have long been joined at the hip. It's no different in the modern era, as larger-than-life space exploration sims have developed into a beloved and captivating subgenre.
X3: Terran Conflict (2008)
The 2008 Deep Silver-published space exploration title X3: Terran Conflict is considered by many to be the crown jewel of the X3 series. Almost unimaginably vest and surprisingly intricate, it allows for a near-unparalleled degree of freedom as players explore an expansive universe to further their goals of interstellar economic conquest.
From piloting a single freighter to making macro-level management decisions, few titles, even in the genre, allows for such an incredible degree of player autonomy. Plus, with occasional combat engagements ranging from small skirmishes to Star Wars-level battles, there's more than enough gameplay variety to keep even seasoned players engaged.
Star Citizen (2013)
Debuted as a highly-successful Kickstarter project in 2012, Star Citizen was billed as one of the most immersive space sims of all time. Featuring multiple components including PvP and PvE space combat, PvP ground combat, and a solar system-spanning open world, it's not quite as expansive as something like X3 or Elite: Dangerous, but its focus on varying modes of play and its continual updates have kept fans hooked for nearly ten years.
Star Citizen has received some blowback from fans and detractors alike thanks to its extremely lengthy development time. Yet, while it's hard to know if a bonafide full release will ever see the light of day, the game has regardless been a staple of the space sim genre for quite some time.
Everspace (2017)
A sci-fi roguelike game that shares elements FTL: Faster Than Light and Returnal, 2017's Everspace sees an amnesiac pilot journeying across the cosmos, engaging in spacecraft dogfights and working to upgrade their ship to reach their ultimate goal.
Like most roguelike titles, Everspace expects the player to die quite often. However, credits earned in previous runs persist, and, over time, players can amass a fortune and use it to construct a craft formidable enough to toe it with the galaxy's most fearsome pilots.
Star Voyager (1987)
Although it pales in comparison to the unthinkably vast space sims of today, 1987's Star Voyager on the NES was an ambitious and surprisingly successful attempt at making space exploration possible from the comfort of the player's own living room. Star Voyager sees the player pilot a massive starship and tasks them with finding a new home for their race after their native system's star died out.
With relatively in-depth navigation controls to master, resource management aspects to consider, and first-person space combat sections to blast through, Star Voyager is a marvel given the woefully underpowered hardware for which it was developed, and it's a definite gem for which retro gamers may want to keep an eye out.
Kerbal Space Program (2015)
Less of a space exploration sim and more of an astrophysics simulator intended for budding NASA engineers, Kerbal Space Program tasks the player with building spacefaring ships capable of transporting the title's titular creatures to the infinite.
Much of the gameplay on offer in Kerbal Space Program revolves around trial and error. Rockets will routinely fail, and surefire designs will surely misfire on the launchpad. That said, perseverance is key and once the player develops a rocket capable of soaring through the skies, they can move on to ships able to land on other heavenly bodies.
FTL: Faster Than Light (2012)
A seminal roguelike installment that debuted during the genre's early 2010s boom, FTL: Faster Than Light sees the player command a ship and its crew as they navigate through multiple sectors of space while being pursued by a villainous band of rebels. With complex and nail-biting combat instances and star-hopping roguelike sections that'll force players to make some very difficult decisions, FTL: Faster Than Light is a quintessential example of what the genre can be at its very best.
Though it's sometimes criticized for its incredible difficulty, FTL: Faster Than Light retains an overwhelmingly positive review score on Steam a full decade after its initial release.
Spore (2008)
Released in 2008, Spore makes use of a mix of gameplay elements to create a unique experience that still sticks in the minds of players to this day. Beginning as a vulnerable amoeba-like creature forced through a Feeding Frenzy-like mini-game, players slowly develop and cultivate their own race of alien beings, crafting everything from their bodies to their cultures and societies as they slowly evolve into a spacefaring civilization.
A god game, an RTS, and a space exploration sim all wrapped up into one package, Spore may have disappointed when it initially debuted, but it maintains a steadfast community of fans who feel that no game has delivered a similar experience.
EVE Online (2003)
First launched in 2003, EVE Online is a star-spanning MMORPG arguably most famous for its player-run in-game corporations. Heavily focused on its role-playing elements, the title has allowed players to reimagine themselves as space pirates, mercenaries, traders, and CEOs in an organically-crafted world for nearly two decades.
While it has become fairly infamous for its steep learning curve, EVE Online is a one-of-a-kind experience with a uniquely dedicated community. It's certainly tough to get into, but some gamers prefer depth and complexity to approachability.
No Man's Sky (2016)
When it first debuted, Hello Games' No Man's Sky was one of the most infamously disappointing video games of all time. Painfully shallow and mind-numbingly repetitive, it was nowhere near the feature-complete experience the developer had promised.
However, over the years, No Man's Sky has, through constant updates and improvements, morphed into one of the most expansive and involved space exploration sims available. With millions upon millions of explorable planets, multiplayer features, base-building mechanics, and much more, the game has, six years after release, lived up to the lofty expectations that had been built up back in 2016.
Elite: Dangerous (2014)
The next evolution of the classic space sim series Elite which first debuted in 1984, Elite: Dangerous boasts what might be the most expansive universe in any game. With millions upon millions of solar systems to explore, some players turn the act of charting the uncharted into the main focus of the game.
Primarily a space trading sim that sees players ferry goods from one space station to another, Elite Dangerous allows gamers to approach things any way they see fit. From mining rare materials from the surface of planets to hijacking other players' cargo following an intense dogfight, there's no one way to play the unfathomably vast Elite: Dangerous.