Summary
- Space exploration games blend multiplayer and immersive experiences for players to venture into new worlds together.
- Co-op campaigns like Dead Space 3 offer exclusive story moments, creating tense situations for characters in intense battles.
- Games like No Man's Sky provide vast, procedurally generated planets for players to explore with friends, enhancing resource collection.
Since the dawn of gaming, developers have sought different ways to engage consumers in exploring outer space, as many people are captivated by the mysteries that lie among the stars. This trend continues today, with games becoming not only more immersive but also incorporating multiplayer options that allow friends to venture into the cosmos together.
The 10 Best Games Where You Play as an Astronaut, Ranked
Space exploration games continue to be popular and enable players to travel to unforeseen worlds. Here are the best titles for astronaut enthusiasts.
Recent years have introduced innovative ways for players to explore vast multiplayer universes, whether by navigating starships or journeying across alien planets. Players can come together to discover unfamiliar worlds, search for new life and civilizations, and boldly venture into uncharted territories.
9 Dead Space 3
The Co-Op Campaign Is Considered Better Than Solo
Dead Space 3
- Released
- February 5, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Horror
The final installment in the original series of games is Dead Space 3, which offers an action-packed campaign featuring Isaac Clarke on the icy planet Tau Volantis, fighting against the Necromorph thr e at . Similar to Resident Evil 5, Dead Space 3 is best enjoyed in the cooperative mode, as it includes the character John Carver.
Playing together to eliminate hordes of Necromorphs is not only more enjoyable, but the co-op campaign also features exclusive story moments. John Carver and Isaac Clarke encounter different horrors and hallucinations, which can create tense situations. While one character battles with their mind, the other faces real monsters.
8 Star Trek Online
Closest Thing To A Star Trek Simulator
Star Trek Online
- Released
- February 2, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Genre(s)
- MMORPG
As a franchise, Star Trek tends to be a coin toss when it comes to licensed games, but one that has continued to evolve is Star Trek Online, which puts the player in the shoes of a new Starfleet captain. They create the character from scratch, fly a Federation ship, and lead Away Team missions on the various planets, ships, and stations throughout the galaxy.
Star Trek Online is easy to adapt to, especially for those familiar with most MMORPGs, as it incorporates many similar aspects and mechanics but adds unique twists to fit the universe. With the opportunity to explore various eras of Star Trek, being part of Starfleet becomes even more enjoyable when playing with friends, much like in most MMOs, particularly when tackling more challenging missions.
7 LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Zany Fun To Be Had In A Galaxy Far, Far Away
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
- Released
- April 5, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
Fans of Star Wars, both young and old, can fully enjoy the universe created by Lucasfilm in LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. This game transforms familiar elements from previous installments into an open-world experience. With twenty-four planets from across the nine Star Wars films and nearly every character included, two players can dive into the colorful and whimsical world of LEGO Star Wars.
Best Star Wars Games Ever, Ranked
On top of many successful movies, the Star Wars franchise has also seen a whole host of incredible games that have brought its universe to life.
Players have the option to follow the stories of all the films, but LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga also offers countless side activities for additional fun, smiles, and laughter. Traveler's Tales retains the signature humor found in all their games, honoring and playfully parodying the entire Star Wars universe simultaneously.
6 Pulsar: Lost Colony
Soar Through The Stars As A Team
- Release Date: September 15, 2015
- Developer: Leafy Games
- System: PC
Heavily inspired by Star Trek, Pulsar: Lost Colony is intended for friends to play together as they must monitor and maintain the starships as they fly across deep space. Piloting, engineering, science, and weapons need to be stationed by up to five players in a crew as damage can happen at any time from asteroids, monsters, and enemy craft.
It’s not just space, however, as the team can also go onto extraterrestrial planets to explore and encounter numerous enemies, from creatures to nefarious bandits. It may not be a reinvention of the wheel, but it is a quality way to live out that fantasy of being on a starship and emulating the feel of Star Trek.
5 Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
More Guns And Bandits But On The Moon
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!
- Released
- October 14, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Genre(s)
- FPS
There is usually one entry in a big franchise that gets overlooked by its successors and predecessors and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is a prime example of that. It still delivered the same one-to-four-player first-person looter shooter action that the series is known for but never reached the same popularity as Borderlands 2.
2K Australia and Aspyr took the Borderlands universe and brought it to a new location: Pandora’s moon, with a new set of NPCs to enjoy alongside fan favorites. So, on top of the over-the-top humor and violence, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel now has low-to-zero-gravity mechanics to make the four protagonists even more fun to play with new challenges.
4 Void Crew
Having A Good Crew Is Vital To Surviving Space
Void Crew
- Released
- November 25, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
If someone were to take Sea Of Thieves and fuse it with FTL, the result would be Void Crew. Similar to Pulsar, it features a crew of players working cooperatively to keep a ship thriving as they complete six types of missions across the galaxy for rewards. Space combat, ship customization, and different roles help make Void Crew another memorable adventure.
While there is the option to play solo, it is highly recommended to play Void Crew with other players as maintaining a ship can be stressful, especially when dealing with enemies, repairing damages, and flying all at once. It also doesn’t hurt that it features colorful and vibrant visuals reminiscent of Destiny.
3 Star Wars: Battlefront 2
Still Has A Strong Fanbase Many Years Later
Star Wars Battlefront 2
- Released
- November 17, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Violence
- Genre(s)
- FPS
After controversial pay-to-win options and minimal content, the rebooted version of Star Wars: Battlefront 2 was nearly a disaster, but DICE worked hard on numerous free content patches. Years later, it is now the go-to Star Wars multiplayer game with a still-dedicated player base even after the developers have stopped making any updates to the game.
Whether it is a small party or over a dozen, players can work together to fight as units across various planets and eras of Star Wars in objective-based multiplayer action. However, there are also dogfights to enjoy as the different starfighters, either above the battlefront or in space, with visuals that are still impressive almost ten years later.
2 Elite Dangerous
The Massive Multiplayer Galaxy Is Always Changing
Elite Dangerous
- Released
- December 16, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Drug Reference, Fantasy Violence
- Genre(s)
- Flight Simulator
The Milky Way is a massive open world to explore in Elite Dangerous, with players controlling ships and exploring different planets and different systems to haul cargo, assassinate targets, or just strip for resources. Thanks to the Odyssey expansions, Elite Dangerous even has first-person combat to spice up the gameplay.
With thousands of worlds to get lost in, Elite Dangerous has proven to be an ambitious title for Frontier Developments. Single-player or multiplayer, Elite Dangerous provides gamers with a space adventure that is consistently evolving and reshaping thanks to the choices of players around the globe.
1 No Man’s Sky
Being Lost In Space Is Not So Bad
No Man's Sky
- Released
- August 9, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
Exploring one alien planet would be impressive enough, but No Man’s Sky takes it even further with hundreds of procedurally generated planets, each with its own ecosystems. New flora, fauna, and biomes can be found with different activities and missions to accomplish as one or more players continue their journey to the center of the universe.
Few games manage to capture the feeling of being lost in space as No Man’s Sky does, as the players are stranded with no knowledge of the cultures and languages, so they have to slowly learn. It gets even better when playing with friends as it can make resource collecting much easier to build settlements or the upgrades needed to keep advancing from planet to planet.
No Man's Sky: Every Ship Type, Ranked
There are several ship types in No Man's Sky for players to choose from. Here's how they stack up.