Have you finished Starfield and are looking for other space games to enjoy? Perhaps you tried to like Starfield, bounced off, and need something to cleanse your palate. Luckily, there are a lot of great space games that span multiple genres, and you’re bound to like one of them. Here are 10 great space games that I’d recommend after playing Starfield.
Related: Stealthy Starfield player uses powers and weapons to turn Starfield into Dishonored
Best space games to play after Starfield
From action-adventure games to RPGs, these 10 space games are some of my personal favorites. Honestly, I think all of them are better than Starfield in at least one aspect, so even if you enjoy Starfield, you’ll most likely enjoy one of these space games for a different reason. And if you didn’t enjoy Starfield, then one of the games on this list will help you have a great gaming experience.
No Man’s Sky
Screenshot: Hello Games
Hear me out. No Man’s Sky had a horrible launch, but it’s truly a completely different game now. The tutorial is a bit slow, but once you get into the game, it’s extremely fun.
Unlike Starfield, you can play No Man’s Sky with your friends and fly in and out of planets and across galaxies. There are tons of missions to go on, quests to explore, galactic fights to encounter, and ships to collect. It’s a live game with constant new updates that make it better and better.
If you’ve never played No Man’s Sky or tried it at launch, try it again. I promise it’ll deliver the experience you’re looking for that Starfield didn’t.
The Mass Effect Trilogy
Screenshot: Bioware
The Mass Effect Trilogy is amazing. It’s like if Baldur’s Gate 3 and Starfield had a baby. It’s a third-person action-adventure game with RPG elements and a sprawling, epic space backdrop.
Mass Effect is an epic space RPG with romance, consequences, and an amazing storyline. Start with the first game and have your decisions there carry over via a save into the second and then third game. I love Mass Effect and think you will too if you’re looking for a great space game.
Outer Wilds
Screenshot: Modius Digital
My all-time favorite space game is Outer Wilds. No, not Outer Worlds (we’ll get to that).
Outer Wilds is an exploration puzzle game with a cosmic mystery to uncover. It’s brilliant in so many ways, but the meat of the game is found in how fun becoming an expert cosmonaut is.
The entire solar system is on a 22-minute clock and everything has real-time physics. Every planet uniquely changes throughout that time, revealing or covering up secrets. Manually flying your ship is a super fun challenge and the things you can do and discover will blow your mind.
I seriously can’t get enough of this game just because of how fun it feels to play. In my opinion, no space game has gotten close to how organically spacey planetary orbit, zero gravity, and spaceship flight feel in Outer Wilds. Even if you don’t click with the puzzle, just exploring is a rewarding experience.
Everspace 2
Screenshot: ROCKFISH Games
If you weren’t satisfied with the space flight in Starfield, you should try Everspace 2. I’ve never played it, but apparently, it’s an absolutely gorgeous, RPG-esque spaceship shooter with an excellent narrative. In researching this game, I might have to give it a go myself — try it if you’re looking for a space epic centered on spaceships.
Star Citizen
Screenshot: Cloud Imperium Games
Star Citizen is the ultimate space game. It’s exactly what all of us wanted Starfield to be… but the caveat is it’s not finished (and the joke is that it’ll never be fully done).
Star Citizen is a true space life-sim where you can be a pirate, longhauler, bounty hunter, explorer, and so much more. You need to pay a subscription to be allowed to play Star Citizen, similar to World of Warcraft, but to some people, that subscription is totally worth it. Be warned, Star Citizen will cost you a lot of money because you will love it and want to spend more and more. Proceed with caution.
The Outer Worlds
Screenshot: Obsidian Entertainment
The Outer Worlds is a game developed by Obsidian Entertainment which is basically a Bethesda-like studio. If you want to play something that more closely resembles Skyrim in space, play The Outer Worlds.
The Outer Worlds is a beefy RPG but it’s a shorter, more focused game. You can’t go to 1,000+ galaxies and fly wherever you want. Instead, you’ll visit different planets and experience a great space narrative through a collection of explorable maps. I’ve heard it’s a great game and it’s probably one that will scratch the itch that Starfield did (or didn’t).
Prey
Screenshot: Arkane Studios
Prey is an FPS developed by Arkane Austin, the team behind Dishonored and Deathloop. Prey basically plays like those games, which is absolutely a good thing because Dishonored and Deathloop rock, but it’s in space so it’s awesome. Prey is a thriller, too, so if you’re looking for a great space game with some spooks, look no further.
Alien: Isolation
Screenshot: Feral Interactive
Speaking of spooks, if you’re really looking for a scary space game, Alien: Isolation is one you need to try. This game has basically no weapons and is instead a horror game where you need to survive Xenomorph attacks as you play through a classic Alien narrative.
It’s exceptionally thrilling and the story is really solid, too. I’ll always remember playing this game with my brother watching as I hid under tables with the Xenomorph lurking about.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order/Survivor
Screenshot: Respawn Entertainment
If you want to play an action-adventure space game similar to something like the Uncharted series but more Soulslike, then Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Survivor are great ones to try. The first game, Fallen Order, is more linear but nevertheless impressive. I think Survivor is an upgrade because there are many semi-open areas that you can explore to find bosses and secret collectibles.
I think Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is the most immersive Star Wars game to date. It’s a lot of fun and both games are worth trying if you haven’t gotten into the series yet and love space games and/or Star Wars.
EVE Online
Screenshot: CCP Games
EVE Online is a mega space game similar to Star Citizen. It’s known to be an insanely hard game to get into, but millions of people play this MMORPG regularly.
EVE Online is a living organism thanks to its engaged community. The devs spice up the game constantly with updates, expansions, and unexpected twists. There are also numerous community stories — like an explorer running out of fuel in deep space and a helpful online group taking real-world months to rescue them — that are unlike anything else in gaming.
Oh, and there’s a live market where you can buy and sell ships for real money. It’s a crazy game, but one worth mentioning if you wanna go down the rabbit hole of one of the most intense space games to date.
Published: Oct 3, 2023 05:41 pm