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After a decade of development, Starfield is finally headed our way. Bethesda’s ambitious RPG set in space is scheduled to be released on September 6, 2023 – granted there won’t be any more delays. At a recent showcase dedicated to the highly anticipated game, we saw a gameplay deep dive to get a taste of what the game will play like once it hits shelves. With thousands of worlds to explore, stunning visuals, an intricate progression system, and endless freedom to shape your space adventures to your individual tastes and play styles, Bethesda’s RPG is on its way to becoming the biggest release for Xbox in this generation. No wonder anticipation has been through the roof.
To help you pass the time until Starfield comes out, we’re taking a look at some of the best space games that will let you travel to the stars and explore the vastness of space.
One of the best space RPGs ever made: Mass Effect
The celebrated Mass Effect series by BioWare is required playing for anyone who loves space exploration. The games from the original trilogy released between 2007 and 2012 remain masterpieces to this day, with the remaster, Mass Effect Legendary Edition, bringing the series’ saga to this console generation with a fresh layer of paint. It’s a space exploration classic, in which you can build and command your own crew as you set out to unite and save the galaxy from a deadly alien race. The game lets you explore the vast universe, visit different planets, meet all kinds of alien races, and assemble a truly unique crew as you embark on an intergalactic adventure where every choice you make matters. The Legendary Edition includes the remastered trilogy and will perfectly get you in the space exploration mood ahead of Starfield’s launch.
Massive space MMORPG: EVE Online
If you want to share your love for space adventures with a massive online community, EVE Online is the place to be. The MMORPG by CCP was released two decades ago and has been accumulating updates consistently since, creating an ever-expanding world of space adventures to enjoy with thousands of other players. EVE Online lets you take control and create the experience you desire. With all the player-directed experiences, new and surprising encounters await at every turn, as players with different motives, goals, and strategies are up to all types of mischief. Regular expansions, including new vessels, quests, campaigns, and more, assure there’s always fresh new content to explore in this expansive space exploration game. It’s been around for 20 years and shows no signs of aging with its regular content drops and ever-growing community of space adventurers.
Realistic space sim: Elite: Dangerous
Haven’t we all dreamed of embarking on a spaceship and exploring our galaxy at some point in our lives? To let you fulfill this dream virtually, studio Frontier Developments created Elite: Dangerous, the longest-running space simulation series in history. The game recreates our Milky Way and its planets to scale with a high degree of realism. While not exactly a spaceship flying simulator, it offers an immersive flying experience as you explore our vast galaxy and the planets and stars within. Flying through the emptiness of space gives you an unparalleled sense of our galaxy’s expansiveness and lets you sit back in your cockpit and enjoy the ride and views. You start out with a small ship and can freely choose how and where to set up and grow your commercial galactic enterprise. From trading and mining to smuggling, piracy, bounties, and much more, the choice is yours. With a large open world, open-ended gameplay, and a massive community of players, Elite: Dangerous boasts endless space adventures.
Exploration and survival: No Man’s Sky
After its disastrous launch in 2016, many thought Hello Games’ space exploration sim No Man’s Sky would be lost and forgotten in the dust, but the team behind it would prove the world otherwise. Working tirelessly on bug fixes, updates, modes, features, and ports in the years since its launch, the studio exceeded everyone’s expectations and created an expansive space game players love. No Man’s Sky boasts a procedurally generated universe with infinite worlds to explore alone or with friends, and a more than 30-hour-long story campaign. From forming colonies to dogfights and space races, there are many diverse ways to explore and survive the vastness of the universe. The space sim allows you to choose your own play style and lets everyone have their own very unique gaming experience through procedurally generated worlds that are never the same for two players. With its growing community and ongoing support, No Man’s Sky just keeps expanding and invites space-curious players to explore and survive in space.
Quirky timed adventures: Outer Wilds
Outer Wilds by developer Mobius Digital and publisher Annapurna Interactive is a unique, creative, and a little quirky space game with a gorgeous art style. You are a newbie astronaut who sets out to explore the galaxy, flying your ship between different planets and following all sorts of different story threads. There is one caveat, though: You only have 22 minutes until a supernova resets time and lets you respawn to start all over again. With each run, you get to keep the experiences and lessons learned from your previous life as you slowly but surely uncover the many mysteries of the galaxy and try to prevent the sun’s supernova explosion. This non-linear playing experience, the timed adventures, and intriguing puzzles and mysteries make Outer Wilds a gem of a space game for space enthusiasts.
Back to the roots: Space Invaders
Space has been a popular place to travel to in games for decades, with one of the earliest games in video game history placing players in the emptiness of outer space. Space Invaders, one of the most iconic arcade games ever, charged players with fighting off aliens in their spaceship in hectic intergalactic battles. The arcade game has since inspired a whole slew of modern games and can easily be played on the go, with mobile ports of the arcade game available on the app stores. In Taito’s original Space Invaders mobile port, the arcade machine appears on mobile screens, including the traditional graphics and controls. The newer Space Invaders Infinity Gene, meanwhile, lets the game evolve and modernize with new shooter gameplay. Even classic slot machines that have made their way into the digital sphere make use of the iconic game. Online platforms offering casino games to players from different regions around the world boast large game libraries with all kinds of topics and themes. Experts rate and review platforms offering the best casino bonus to new players, which allows them to start playing for free. Some of them offer the Space Invaders Slot, an online slot that brings the classic arcade space game onto the reels. Space Invaders is a great game to go back to the roots and play one of the most iconic games set in space while waiting for Starfield.
As one of the most highly anticipated games of the generation, players can’t wait to get their hands on Bethesda’s upcoming Starfield. While we wait for its September release, there are plenty of other space games available that will let you journey through the stars and explore distant worlds as you get ready to jump head-first into the space adventures of Starfield this fall.
