Best Space Games

Based on critic scores and popularity, the top space games right now are Kerbal Space Program, Elite: Dangerous, and Outer Wilds. The list updates every day as prices and new releases come in.

Astroneer lets you reshape whole planets and build bases with up to three friends, Space Engineers is an engineering sandbox where you design and build your own ships and stations, and Empyrion: Galactic Survival mixes survival, building and space flight. If you just want to marvel at the universe, SpaceEngine lets you fly anywhere in a realistic, procedurally generated cosmos.

Chorus is a fast space shooter with a dark story, Rebel Galaxy lets you captain a huge ship in broadside battles to a rock soundtrack, and Star Wars Battlefront II has big starfighter battles in the Star Wars universe.

Sins of a Solar Empire II mixes real-time strategy with grand empire building on a huge scale, and Battlefleet Gothic: Armada brings massive Warhammer 40,000 space battles. FTL: Faster Than Light keeps it small and tense - one ship, one crew and a run that can end at any moment - more of those in our Roguelike Games list.

Mass Effect 2 is one of the most loved sci-fi RPGs ever, where your choices and your crew shape the story, and Dead Space 3 takes its survival horror into the depths of space. For something smaller, Heat Signature lets you plan daring heists on procedurally generated spaceships. Want to explore space with friends on one screen? Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime puts the whole crew on one ship - more in our Co-op Games list.