Sci-Fi Games With The Best Space Combat

Unsurprisingly, space is one of the most common settings of science-fiction games, and it stands to reason that many of these games feature combat in their open-ended vacuum. Due to the nature of space environments, they suit complicated aerial combat brilliantly, and when combined with simulation-heavy mechanics, they can create some of the most immersive experiences in science-fiction games.

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Many games use space combat to varying degrees of success. For some games, like Starfield, space combat isn't the main focus, while other titles base their entire gameplay loop around space battles. These examples focus on the latter type of game, and those that aren't entirely focused on combat earn their place by being unique and/or highly immersive, visceral experiences.

Updated April 24, 2024 by Harry Ted Sprinks: Space combat has been frequently gamified for decades, beginning with arcade games and slowly evolving into space-sim before branching out into a variety of genres. Games continue to release today that riff on old classics like Freelancer, such as Rebel Galaxy, while others take space combat into entirely new directions.

This is the case with Cobalt Core, for example, which uses the more recently popular roguelike deckbuilding genre as a foundation for its tactical combat. Other games, such as Power Of Ten and Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime, simplify space combat to create accessible arcade experiences that feel good to play.

1 Power Of Ten

Simple And Refreshing Arcade Combat With Great Pixel Art

• Platform(s): PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation
• Released: 2023
• Developer(s): Pew Times Three
• Genre: Roguelite

This top-down, arcade roguelite is an underrated gem with brilliant, old-school pixel art and a limited color palette. Power Of Ten puts players in the cockpit of a small starfighter defending planets against fleets of relentless enemies.

Power Of Ten's greatest strength may be its visual style, but its old-school arcade action is a consistently rewarding and well-crafted experience with a refreshingly simple gameplay loop. Power Of Ten also features ten unique ships to unlock and pilot, as well as a variety of weapons and items that add to its replay value.

2 Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime

An Accessible Co-Op Space Battler With A Focus On Teamwork

This couch co-op adventure game for 1-4 players is a cute and colorful game with a light-hearted tone and atmosphere. Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime features a gameplay loop that revolves entirely around piloting a spherical battleship in space, an exercise that's only made better when played with friends.

The visual style of Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime displays its accessibility brilliantly with its bright colors and cute, simplistic characters. The gameplay is easy to learn and fairly straightforward but has a massive emphasis on working as a team that can provide a solid challenge at times. Furthermore, players can even customize and upgrade their battleship, making for a consistently rewarding gameplay loop.

3 Avorion

Engaging Combat With Customizable Spaceships And Online Co-Op

• Platform(s): PC
• Released: 2020
• Developer(s): Boxelware
• Genre: Sandbox

This sci-fi sandbox features an in-depth spaceship creator using scalable blocks, with a gameplay system focused on exploration, mining, trading, and space battles. Avorion markets itself as a Freelancer-inspired sandbox with the addition of custom spaceships and online co-op, and it mostly delivers on this promise.

Avorion doesn't limit the player in what they can create, though players will need the required resources to build their desired ship. However, the game also features a creative mode for those who want to go all-out. Avorion's combat is more about careful planning and building well-crafted battleships than it is about moment-to-moment decision-making, but it remains a frequently engaging system.

4 Star Fox 64

A Streamlined Space Shooter With Intuitive Controls

This 3D space shooter was originally released for the Nintendo 64 and is revered for its tight, intuitive controls, and varied environments. Star Fox 64 isn't set entirely in space, with some levels taking place in the airspace of various planets, but its aerial combat in 3D space was both innovative and accessible. Even today, Star Fox 64 remains one of the easiest aerial combat games to pick up and play, yet it has enough of a skill ceiling to warrant mastering through replays.

Star Fox 64 is arguably the best Star Fox game to date, and despite being an on-rails shooter in parts, the game also has players flying in "All-Range" mode, darting about a 3D battlefield with full freedom of movement that requires a little more piloting skill than the other sections of the game. Overall, Star Fox 64 features streamlined space combat that's perfect for those who want to pick up and play, rather than get bogged down in complex mechanics and minutiae.

5 Freelancer

An Old-School Space Sim With Smooth Movement And Camera Controls

This old-school space-flight simulation game from 2003 is the sequel to Starlancer, which itself was released in 2000. The game is heavily focused on trading and, more importantly, space combat. Freelancer's combat is easy to learn and hard to master, getting more complex as players progress through the game, with more weapon and ship types.

However, it's Freelancer's fluid, intuitive movement controls and smooth camera that make navigating through combat encounters a painless experience. The game also has an extensive modding scene, with some impressive, large-scale mods available that improve the game's replay value.

6 Star Wars: Squadrons

Managing A Spaceship's Power In Immersive Dogfights

The space dogfights between fighters in Star Wars are arguably one of the most iconic things about the franchise and have been the subject of various video games like Star Wars: TIE Fighter. However, Star Wars: Squadrons is arguably one of the best to adapt the dogfights of Star Wars to a video game, and can even be played in VR.

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Star Wars: Squadrons tasks players with managing their ship's power between weapons, thrusters, and shields. Managing power efficiently is crucial to success, and choosing which system to prioritize at the right time can make the difference between life and death.

7 Elite Dangerous

Intense Combat With Deep Simulation And An Immersive Cockpit

While Elite Dangerous might not have the most complex combat system in terms of mechanics to interact with, the game makes up for it by making the experience in the cockpit as immersive as possible. Flying a spaceship in Elite Dangerous is tactile and immersive, and because of this, the combat in the game can be extremely visceral.

Strangely, Elite Dangerous is at its best when everything is going wrong, like when players pick a fight with a ship a little out of their league and are drawn into a fight for their lives. However, mastering the combat of Elite Dangerous can be a rewarding experience, even though there are plenty of other things to do in the game.

8 Freespace 2

A Classic Space Sim With An Arcade Feel

Freespace 2 is a beloved space combat simulator with a tight-knit community and modding scene that has managed to keep the game alive since its original release in 1999. The game is extremely combat-heavy, putting players in the cockpit of a fighter in an arcade-style shooter with simulation elements.

Freespace 2 simulates the ship's various systems, such as communications, engines, and shields. Each of these systems can be damaged and even disabled, though they can later be repaired. These simulation mechanics keep players worrying about the state of their ship as they fight through the game's various space battles, adding an extra layer of depth to the game. Furthermore, players can also command their various wingmen via simple and intuitive controls. These wingmen can be extremely helpful in a tight spot, and it's integral that players learn to use them effectively.

9 Infinity: Battlescape

A Massively Multiplayer Space Battle Simulator

• Platform(s): PC
• Released: 2019
• Developer(s): I-Novae Studios, LLC
• Genre: Space-Sim

This space combat game is entirely focused on large-scale space combat involving hundreds of ships in a procedurally generated star system with no loading screens. Of all the games mentioned thus far, Infinity: Battlescape arguably provides the most visual spectacle.

Despite being a massively multiplayer large-scale space battle simulator, Infinity: Battlescape is still ridiculously fun even when played alone, without other players on the server. This is because battles in Infinity: Battlescape are populated by AI fighters who get replaced by players as they join the battle.

10 Rebel Galaxy

3D Battles On A 2D Plane That Feel Like Naval Combat

• Platform(s): PC, Xbox, PlayStation
• Released: 2015
• Developer(s): Double Damage Games
• Genre: RPG

Rebel Galaxy is one of many sci-fi sandbox RPGs, but it stands out with its swashbuckling atmosphere and clear Firefly influences. Its gameplay is largely inspired by the classic sci-fi RPG, Freelancer, but Rebel Galaxy stands out on its own with its unique combat system.

Although combat isn't the sole focus of Rebel Galaxy, players will frequently find themselves doing battle in space. In Rebel Galaxy, like the rest of the game, combat takes place in 3D environments. However, players control their ship on a 2D plane, making combat feel more like a naval battle, focusing on broadside attacks and flanking maneuvers. This makes moving around the game's combat arenas much more intuitive than most sci-fi RPGs and offers combat that rewards strategy over reflexes.