A player wants the best space games but cannot tell whether they want exploration, role-playing or friends online. Start with playstyle: No Man’s Sky for open exploration, Starfield for a role-driven space RPG, ASTRONEER for an accessible start.
This page sorts space games by how you like to play. For the wider genre, the best sci-fi video games guide covers the rest of the shelf.
Sorting space games by playstyle
No single ranking settles which space game is best, because the genre spans open exploration, character-driven role-playing and approachable survival building. Each rewards a different habit. The table compares three titles on the details that matter before you buy: when they came out, where you can play them, and what kind of game they are.
| Game | Released | Platforms | Genre or style | Planning use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Man’s Sky | 12 Aug 2016 | Windows and macOS on Steam; cross-play and cross-save listed across consoles and PC | Action, Adventure; user tags Space Sim, Survival Craft, Exploration | Pick for open-ended exploration, with online co-op available if you want company. |
| Starfield | 2023 | Xbox Series X/S and Windows PC | Action RPG | Pick for a role-driven story with factions and character creation. |
| ASTRONEER | 2019; Nintendo Switch release 2022 | Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Windows PC, Nintendo Switch | Described as accessible and cross-platform, with consistent updates | Pick as a low-barrier start on console, Switch or PC. |
Release, platform and genre details come from the Steam store page for No Man’s Sky and a games-like-No-Man’s-Sky roundup for Starfield and ASTRONEER.
Common misunderstandings about space games
Three assumptions send players toward the wrong purchase. Each is easy to correct from a store listing.
- “Space game means flight simulator.” The listings show a wider spread. Steam files No Man’s Sky under Action and Adventure, with user tags for Space Sim, Survival Craft and Exploration, while Starfield is listed as an Action RPG. Decide which activity you enjoy (piloting, surviving, role-playing) before you decide which title to open.
- “Multiplayer is all or nothing.” Steam’s feature list for No Man’s Sky shows Single-player alongside Online PvP, Online Co-op and Cross-Platform Multiplayer, so one game can serve solo evenings and group sessions.
- “Every good space game is on every platform.” The roundup listing names Xbox Series X/S and Windows PC for Starfield, whereas ASTRONEER is listed for four platforms. Check the platform line first, because it can rule a game out before taste does.
Exploration and survival: No Man’s Sky
No Man’s Sky, developed and published by Hello Games and released on 12 Aug 2016, is the strongest match for players who want to roam rather than follow a script. Its Steam tags for Exploration and Survival Craft describe the loop: travel, gather, build and move on.
The Steam page also lists Steam Achievements, Tracked Controller Support and VR Supported, so the game suits players who prefer a controller to a keyboard or who own a VR headset. Choose it if you like setting your own goals. Look elsewhere if you want a tightly authored story with defined factions, because the listing frames the game around exploration and survival rather than role-playing.
Role-playing in space: Starfield
Starfield, released in 2023 and developed by Bethesda Game Studios, is the pick for players who want a role-driven space RPG. The roundup credits it with around 1,000 explorable alien worlds, multiple factions and deep RPG character creation, and says it excels through its massive universe and deep RPG mechanics.
That list gives the main story an average play time of 20-30 hours. Treat the story length and the world count as separate decisions: the main quest is a bounded commitment, while the worlds and factions are where extra hours go if you enjoy building a character. Starfield suits players who like choosing a role. It suits them less if they mainly want open-ended survival and crafting, which is where the No Man’s Sky tags point.
Beginner-friendly starts
ASTRONEER is the clearest beginner recommendation in the supported picks. The same roundup describes it as having consistent updates, cross-platform support and accessible gameplay. It reached Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Windows PC in 2019, and Nintendo Switch in 2022.
A beginner’s main question is usually whether a game runs on the hardware they already own. ASTRONEER’s four-platform listing answers that for most households, and its accessible description makes it a safer first space game than a large role-playing title. Outer Wilds, released in 2019 by Mobius Digital, appears on the same roundup and is worth checking on its own store page if you want another recent title to compare.
Multiplayer space games
For multiplayer, No Man’s Sky is the supported pick here because Steam lists Online PvP, Online Co-op and Cross-Platform Multiplayer as features. The cross-platform tag matters most when your group owns different hardware, since it lets friends join without matching consoles.
Co-op, competitive and large-scale online options each need different checks, such as party systems, matchmaking and cross-play. Our Best Multiplayer Space Games In 2026: Co-Op, PvP, And Massive Online Experiences – Spacemisfits guide takes those options in turn.
Reading review scores
Critic and player scores can point in different directions, as No Man’s Sky shows. The Steam page lists a Metacritic score of 61. It also shows 82% positive from 187,128 English user reviews across all time, and 91% positive from 2,557 user reviews in the last 30 days.
Use the three figures as separate signals. Metacritic summarises critic reviews, while the Steam percentages come from people who bought the game. The recent 30-day figure reflects only that window, so check the live page, because these numbers are a snapshot and will move. For the other games discussed here, compare each title’s own store page and review summary before buying.
Platforms, storage and price
Steam lists No Man’s Sky for Windows and macOS, with cross-play and cross-save noted across consoles and PC. The store page gives a storage requirement of 15 GB of available space, a modest ask compared with many large releases, so check free disk space before download.
The fetched Steam page showed a price of ฿1,100.00, which is a regional, time-sensitive figure that will differ by country and sale. Treat it as an example of what the store displays, and confirm your own price at checkout.
When you want fear instead of wonder
Not every space game is about discovery. If you would rather feel isolated and under threat, the Space Horror Games: The 2026 Guide To Cosmic Fear, Best Picks, And Survival Tips – Spacemisfits guide covers that mood, which is a different choice from the exploration, role-playing and beginner picks above.
Frequently asked questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What are the best space games? | It depends on playstyle. No Man’s Sky suits exploration and survival, Starfield suits players who want an Action RPG with factions and character creation, and ASTRONEER suits those wanting an accessible start. |
| Which space games are best for multiplayer? | No Man’s Sky is the supported choice, with Online PvP, Online Co-op and Cross-Platform Multiplayer listed on Steam alongside single-player. |
| Which space games suit beginners? | ASTRONEER, which a games-like-No-Man’s-Sky roundup describes as accessible and cross-platform, with consistent updates and a listing across four platforms. |
