In 2148, artifacts of an ancient civilization were first discovered on Mars. Soon, terrestrial scientists were able to fully understand the technology of aliens, which provided a serious breakthrough in the technological development of our planet - space and time became subject to man, flights to space to distant star systems. Humanity emerged from its cradle and came into contact with other civilizations of the Galaxy... Almost forty years have passed since the discoveries on Mars. The Alliance of Systems is a dynamically developing interstellar state. The ship "Normandy" - the most modern starship of the Alliance is sent on its first mission. Your name is Shepard, you are assigned as an officer on this ship. Your journey to space begins!

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Mass Effect 2

• PC games: space
• Year: 2010
• Genre: RPG action shooter
• Developer: BioWare

Two years after Commander Shepard repelled the Reaper invasion, humanity has a new enemy, methodically exterminating human colonies on the outskirts of the explored space. To counter the looming threat, the legendary Specter will have to cooperate with the powerful and ruthless organization Cerberus, whose goal is to save humanity from destruction at any cost. To carry out an extremely responsible and dangerous mission, Shepard will have to assemble a squad of experienced and strong fighters and take command of the most powerful spaceship in the Galaxy. However, many believe that even with such resources, the operation is doomed to failure. Shepard must prove the naysayers wrong.

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Mass Effect 3

• PC games: space
• Year: 2012
• Genre: RPG action shooter
• Developer: BioWare

Not everyone is destined to survive. An ancient alien race known as the Reapers has launched a global invasion, leaving ruins of civilizations in their wake. The Earth has been captured, the galaxy is on the verge of complete destruction, and only you can fix the situation. The price of error is nothingness. Your role is Captain Shepard, a character you create yourself. Only you decide how events will unfold, which planets will be explored, and who will be part of the alliance you will assemble to eliminate the Reaper threat once and for all. You will lead this war at your own discretion: you can attack head-on, pouring fire on the enemy, or draw up a cunning plan for a surprise attack. Gather a versatile squad of professionals or choose the path of a lone wolf. Attack your enemy from a distance or engage him in brutal hand-to-hand combat. Mass Effect 3 will react to every decision you make - you have to write this story yourself.

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Space Rangers

• PC games: space
• Year: 2002
• Genre: RPG tactics quest
• Developer: Elemental Games

The action takes place in the distant future, in the year 3000. By that time, people already knew for sure that they were not alone in the Universe, and not only did they know, they had already managed to fight with four extraterrestrial civilizations and sign a peace treaty with them. Naturally, most of the Universe has been explored, many space technologies are open and widely used, people have become part of outer space. It seems that everything is in order, the Universe lives in peace, even the pirates began to calm down after the last joint campaign of the five races against them, but as usual, if everything is fine, then trouble must be expected. A new race of Klisans has appeared, which destroys everything in its path without giving explanations or communicating.

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Space Rangers 2

• PC games: space
• Year: 2007
• Genre: RPG quest strategy
• Developer: Elemental Games

3300 year. Our galaxy has been invaded by Dominators - combat robots that have gotten out of control. A coalition of five races - the Maloks, the Pelengs, the Humans, the Faeans and the Gaalians - is relying on the Space Rangers to destroy the Dominators. You are now a ranger. Choose a race, get a ship, go on the road. Fight in space and hyperspace. Do trade. Complete government tasks. Free the planets from dominators. And, of course, solve text quests, each of which is a separate adventure. It is impossible to predict how events will develop. The game can end in victory for either side or last indefinitely. It all depends on the actions of the player and the inhabitants of the living world, in which you can make a career as a vile pirate or a famous hero who will understand the reasons for the appearance of the Dominators and be able to stop this bloody war.

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Parkan: Chronicle of the Empire

• PC games: space
• Year: 1997
• Genre: simulator shooter
• Developer: Nikita

The PARKAN spaceship sets out to search for a missing research vessel and, as a result of an accident, accidentally finds itself cut off from the outside world in an abandoned star sector, in which, after a devastating war, robotic clans remained on scorched planets, extracting fuel and building factories for the production of weapons and repair of starships. The point of the game is for the PARKAN pilot to complete the assigned task and survive in conditions of complete uncertainty and given freedom of action. There are many ways to survive in the game, directly related to the player’s behavior: from petty speculation and peaceful trade to the colonization of planets and outright robbery.

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Parkan 2

• PC games: space
• Year: 2005
• Genre: simulator shooter
• Developer: Nikita

Parkan 2> is a non-trivial fusion of several genres at once, allowing the player to feel like the pilot of a spaceship lost in the Universe. You have to explore hundreds of star systems, take part in a series of heated battles and meet a new enemy - a mysterious creature calling itself Hegemount. The game takes place at the same time as the action of the first part. The player actually has the same goals and objectives, but has an assistant - AI Irene. Become a pirate or a mercenary, get money for the most powerful star cruiser, colonize planets, create your own clan and show everyone who will be the new master of the galaxy. To improve relations with other clans, the player can complete tasks received from their planetary bases. For completion, money is paid in the form of fuel. Depending on how a particular race treats you, additional opportunities open up.

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Darkstar One

• PC games: space
• Year: 2006
• Genre: simulator
• Developer: Ascaron Ent.

Centuries have passed since the end of the General Intergalactic War. An uneasy peace has established between the races inhabiting the developed part of the Universe. A Great Council was created to enforce the truce and control the growing power of each empire. However, in Lately attacks on civilian ships have become more frequent, and the culprit was a race whose representatives live on the very edge of the explored part of the Universe...

Although it is common to think that there is a huge gap between fifth and first place, in fact many space games from this rating are equally good and it is quite difficult to put everything in its place so as not to humiliate some worthy product by not ranking high enough. Nevertheless, let's try.

10 best games on a space theme

10th place. Beyond Good & Evil

10th place did not immediately find its owner. Completely desperate, I was ready to agree to give it to Spore. But in time I remembered Beyond Good & Evil, which once gave me a sea of ​​positive emotions.

Why is “On the Edge of Good and Evil” only in 10th place? Because the space theme is only a background and is often lost as the game progresses. But still, flights on a spaceship and travel to nearby satellites (the Moon, for example) are present. The game is really cool, but the project was not commercially successful - the release of the sequel remained in doubt for a long time. In 2008, Ubsoft finally announced the development of the second part, and in May of that year a very promising trailer was released. But the release has not taken place to this day.

9th place. Space Engineers

“Space Engineers” was included in our TOP with a specific purpose - to satisfy those who are looking for believable space exploration simulators. Construction of stations and ships, extraction of resources, exploration of the Universe - the game's possibilities are quite extensive, and non-linear passage will appeal to fans of sandboxes. An excellent option for those who want to feel like a real astronaut, build their own ISS, without any “pew-pew” and futuristic monsters. Space Engineers is a game for everyone. Those who crave action and dynamics will find it a bit boring, but many others will like it.

8th place. Homeworld 2

In Homeworld 2 you have to try on the role of the commander of a space flagship. The atmosphere of this space game will allow you to fully immerse yourself in epic space battles. It's nice that the graphics are made at a decent level (and this is in 2003). The developers took the sound no less seriously - the rumbles of explosions subside or increase depending on the degree of distance from the camera. The tactical component is also quite thoughtful and dynamic.

7th place. Halo

Although Halo has a fairly average popularity here, abroad this franchise is comparable to Star Wars. The history of the struggle for the survival of human civilization in the Universe has turned into an extensive series, which includes this moment 9 releases and spin-offs.

The first and second parts of Halo, due to their antiquity, are not recommended for people obsessed with beautiful and high-quality pictures. The most kosher games in the series are Halo: Reach And Halo: Combat Evolved. Rich deserves special likes for her excellent multiplayer - for network game this is the best part of all. In 2012, the fourth part of Halo was released, which also did not disappoint fans. The fifth part is currently expected to be released.

The main characters of "Theory" big bang"also play Halo 3. In one of the episodes, their addiction to the game is played out, which turns out to be more attractive to them than a group of cute girls.

6th place. StarCraft

When there was nothing yet, there was already StarCraft. This is a classic that could not be ignored in our TOP. StarCraft was born in 1998 and caused a real sensation among gamers from all over the world. For a long time there was no more modern version, until StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty was released in 2010. The sequel turned out to be quite successful and was liked by fans. In 2013, StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm was released, which so far has received mixed reviews. That didn’t stop “Gambling” from giving her second place in the “ Best strategy 2013".

5th place. X-COM Enemy Unknown

Do you think StarCraft is an old game? What do you think of UFO, which came out in 1993? Of course, the first parts have classic DOS graphics, but even they can boast interesting and consistent gameplay. “Ufoshki” has always had a fairly high degree of complexity. In 2012, the turn-based strategy X-COM: Enemy Unknown was released, and in 2013, the third-person shooter The Bureau: X-COM Declassified was released.

X-COM: UFO Defense - simply gorgeous graphics and gameplay for 1993

But in fact, no one has managed to repeat the success of the very first part, X-COM: UFO Defense. Although the closest to this was X-COM: Enemy Unknown from 2012 and, undoubtedly, it is the one that is most playable in harsh reality. The secret of its success is on the surface: for a long time the X-COM series abandoned the canonical step-by-step system battle, which fans loved so much in the first part. Enemy Unknown returned to its roots and brought turn-based tactics back to battles against alien invaders.

4th place. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

How many games are there based on the Star Wars universe? Offhand - about 20. But the championship crown can be given to SW: KOTOR without any torment. The game does not include many of the canonical heroes of the star saga, because the action takes place thousands of years before the appearance of Luke Skywalker and company. In order not to stray too far from the RPG canons, in the world of SW ordinary swords made of special steel are left, which can withstand light sabers, and special skills require mana. Despite all the above-mentioned platitudes, Biovar did their best and produced a decent game, which regularly claims to be the best space-themed game, and in 2003 was named game of the year by ten different publications. The subsequent sequel, Star Wars: The Sith Lords, was also not bad.

3rd place. Space Rangers: Dominators

This is truly one of the best domestic games! A space saga with exclusively “our” humor: during the passage the player will encounter references to many films, books... and everything! The game is made with everyone in mind: action fans will enjoy planetary battles with robots, others will enjoy text quests where they have to think hard, and still others will enjoy completing various secondary quests, rushing throughout the Universe and simultaneously saving the galaxy in massive arcade battles. If you want, take the slippery slope of a space pirate, try on the role of a real warrior, a free mercenary or a peaceful merchant. A variety of possibilities and passage options leave significant freedom of choice.

The Rangers universe develops independently without the direct participation of the player. At easy difficulty levels, the Coalition forces can independently rid the Universe of the Dominator threat. To what extent and in what way to support the just cause of the fight against the rebel robots, each ranger decides for himself.

Various “Revolutions” and “Reboots” are worthy mods, with their own number of bugs that cause conflicting feelings. It makes no sense to review fashion, so we won’t.

Another advantage of the game is its minimal hardware requirements.

2nd place. Portal 2

Another contender for the title of best. The first part was released in 2007. It was an indie first-person puzzle, a kind of test project - and this test went off with a bang. Therefore, the development of a full-scale sequel began quickly, the release of which took place in 2011. Can “Portal” be called a space-themed game? It’s a bit of a stretch, but it’s possible—as the story progresses, you’ll be able to see this for yourself. The only drawback that is often mentioned is that Portal 2 is too short. Not as short as the first part, but still. On the other hand, for busy guys this minus may well be perceived as a plus.

Space simulators are not for everyone. This axiom does not depend on the genre, year of release, graphics or ease of control. The fact is that gamers treat game projects about space with some distrust and do not want to spend money on flights to outer space your time. Just look at the most popular games, whether measured by online player count or digital copy sales, and you won't notice space simulators there. We don’t take Star Citizen into account, because this game is above all laws, rules and regulations.

The most popular games today are League of Legends, Dota 2, with their “Battle Royale” and all multiplayer products of this type. They gain their fame for a lot of reasons, but they certainly deserve it. Everyone wants to come home or to a computer club, sit down at the computer and fight. To somehow express yourself, throw out negative emotions, communicate with friends and receive moral satisfaction from this. Space simulators provide a slightly different experience, which makes them not so popular among gamers.

Plus, space simulators, and games related to space in general, have two key problems that prevent them from becoming so widespread and popular.

First reason- difficulty in implementation. Creating a map for CS:GO or League of Legends is quite difficult; you need to think through many details and moments, draw graphics, test and release. However, this is a certain set of elements that will be polished and not touched again. Now imagine how much effort and time it takes to create at least a solar system. Create planets, organize locations, textures, animals, vegetation on these planets, add some activities or simply make them more or less interesting.

Now let's add transport to the planets - we need a ground version, aircraft, various spaceships and everything like that. If the game is built on the basis of exploring the galaxy, then you need to come up with a lot of mechanics, details and graphical components. As a result, it is much easier to create a shooter than to develop a really good game about space.

The second reason- popularity is lower than cliched shooters and MOBAs. Yes, now many EVE Online fans will say that space simulators have a huge audience, but even the coolest and longest-running EVE online at its peak was 50 thousand people. For comparison, Dota 2 is now in decline and 400 thousand people online are considered a meager figure, while two million people log in to PUBG every day. Naturally, the developers don’t have much desire to create a heavy project about space, when it will still have ten times fewer players than the modern version of the mod for WarCraft. And, if there are few players, then it will be more difficult to get a decent profit.

Because of these two difficulties, there are indeed very, very few space-themed game projects on the market. There are various indie games where only the name remains of space, there are games from the 2000s where the graphics have been redone and now play on the feelings of the older generation. There are quite a few powerful and interesting products that I would like to play. Today I will talk about five games that, in my personal opinion, are the best representatives of its genre.

Plus, after the main part of the article there will be a bonus for those who want to play something about space, but do not want it to be the basis of the entire gameplay.

EVE Online

I think even if you've never played EVE Online, you've definitely heard of it. Data constantly flashes online about the cost of ships destroyed during a battle for some important resource, a planet, or simply during a clan war. And, it seems to me, this is a shining example of a really good and complete game about space, with all the attendant possibilities.

There are a lot of active players here, minding their own business - building an economy, extracting resources, building ships, earning money, communicating, developing development strategies, and even waging political battles. Yes, this game has its own politics, its own strong clans, and they are constantly fighting for resources, benefits, advantageous locations and territories.

The game was released back in 2003. Just imagine - the game from 2003 is still played to this day, while the online presence is even growing a little and the players are not at all planning to move somewhere. The number of active subscribers (more on subscription a little later) is 330 thousand people, from 15 to 50 thousand people are constantly online. And, most importantly, they all play on one common server. Imagine - 50 thousand people on one server. In 2016, the developer received $86 million in profit, which means that the project will be developed and attracted more and more new users.

The game is free, but you won't be able to play for a long time without a paid subscription. The fact is that free version has a number of restrictions on the character level and equipment that you can use, so it will be unrealistic to play comfortably without a subscription. It is worth noting the price tag for an annual subscription - $131. And, most importantly, even if you pay $10 a month for access to the game, no one guarantees you success, victories in battles or a sea of ​​resources. You can explore space with an empty pocket all this year and pay the cost of two AAA games just for the opportunity to use all the project's capabilities.

However, this is the largest space game in history. A huge number of players, ships that will take your breath away, real economics and politics, tons of opportunities for self-realization in the most different areas virtual life. If you want to sit seriously and for a long time at the helm of a spaceship, then EVE Online will give you everything you could want.

It is worth understanding that the game is quite complex and requires you to explore not only the game world, but also mechanics, economic features, interaction with other players, and performing routine tasks. If you want to fly around the galaxy and fight a couple of enemies, close the game and go on about your business - this game is not for you. Absolutely not for you.

Pros:

• 15-50 thousand people on the server;
• a virtual world of unimaginable size;
• many ships;
• politics, economics, society;
• a serious, full-fledged game about space.

Minuses:

• costs $131 per year;
• There is no point in playing for free;
• delving into it is long and difficult;
• even with a subscription you need to work like Papa Carlo;
• cool ship costs as much as a used car.

May not like:

• the game takes a lot of time;
• you need to play for years;
• politics and economics are more important than battles.

Elite: Dangerous

A game that has earned a very mixed reaction from users. The fact is that the developers promised gamers a lot of opportunities and a rich life throughout almost the entire Milky Way, but in reality only small areas of the overall map turned out to be truly populated. Agree, when you are promised enemies, traders and explorers on every planet, behind every asteroid and solar system, and you fly for a couple of hours in search of at least someone alive, the sensations spoil.

But let's not talk about sad things. This project was released in 2014 and the developers are really working to make the game more enjoyable for you. Constant updates, patches, free add-ons and a cool plot line will bring you a lot of positive emotions literally in the first minutes of playthrough.

It is worth making a clarification - the game allows you to play independently, without other people; you can play co-op with friends; you can play the multiplayer version of the project.

The first two options for passing are clear - you fly alone or in the company of friends, fight, explore planets, extract resources, enjoy open space and limitless possibilities. But, sooner or later, you will want to plunge online and the sensations will change dramatically. Yes, no one has been to the most distant planets, and if you fly a little further than the zone of main activity, you will search for a living player for hours. If you stay in the high-activity sector, you get a very vigorous space simulator.

You might get robbed. Or you and your friends can rob a single person, take all his goods and then do nothing until you catch the target again. You can explore planets, go down to them (you need to pay for the DLC to do this) and drive across endless planets, collecting valuable supplies. You can just fly and watch beautiful landscapes, visit the most interesting planets and relax.

There are really a lot of activities, but the online presence here is noticeably lower and the game is not available by subscription. This is a significant difference from EVE Online - where players pay ten bucks a month and don’t want this money to just disappear. Here, users are not so motivated by achievements, wars and the economy, since the game can be bought for ridiculous money on sale and receive content for many years in a row.

But the entry threshold here is much lower. You are immediately given a ship, given a thousand credits, and then you fly around space, fight, complete tasks and develop, improve the ship, receive more complex tasks and create your own adventures.

Pros:

• low entry threshold;
• on sale you can get it for $10;
• no subscription;
• three game modes;
• there is no need to invest in donation.

Minuses:

• the Milky Way is 95% empty;
• there is no important social component;
• the players are not that serious;
• landing on the planet for DLC priced at $20.

May not like:

• sandbox without a plot;
• the planets are bare and boring;
• New mechanics have been introduced for years.

No Man Sky

After the official release of the game, it became clear that No Man Sky is not what the developers promised us. Actually, because of this, such a storm of negativity arose, which can only be compared with the recent events around Star Wars Battlefront 2.

The fact is that the developers, as usual, promised a lot of things. In particular, they promised players the endless expanses of the galaxy, where each planet would be unique, and its flora and fauna would not be repeated. At every interview, the creators talked about a special formula that creates millions and billions of planets for the player with a unique shape, color and features.

And, although Sean Murray also lied in this regard, the two main lies are different.

First lie - the game world will be so huge, diverse and multifaceted that two friends playing the game will never be able to meet on, say, the same planet. It is because of this that the developers put pressure on the fact that it would be more interesting to play alone, because you will never meet your friend - the world is too big and you are separated by enormous distances. But in just two hours of play, players were able to get to the same planet, visit the same locations, and even communicate with non-player characters who gave the same quests and dialogues. That is, the world is not that big here.

Second lie - multiplayer game. It is because of this that the game was returned to stores by thousands of users. It is because of this that the game will never reach even an average rating on Steam. It is because of this that the game is called the biggest deception in the gaming industry of the twenty-first century.

During interviews, the developers repeatedly said that the game is multiplayer and although you will not be able to find your friend in a huge galaxy, you will meet other players and interact somehow. It's just a single player game. There's not even co-op here, just a game for one person. Imagine that you've been waiting for a game for years, hoping that you're about to set off with your friends on a spaceship across the galaxy in search of adventure and riches, only to be told that in reality this won't happen.

After such a negative start, you might think that the game didn’t improve for me and how did it even get to the top. However, if we ignore all these speeches from the creators of the product, the expectations of users and the criticism of angry fans, then the game is very cool.

We have a really big virtual world. It’s not so big that you’ll spend hours flying from planet to planet, but you can’t fly across the galaxy in a couple of minutes, there are decent distances, solar systems and everything like that.

The planets are large, populated and more or less unique. It is worth understanding that all planets and flora and fauna were created according to a set of templates and a formula. If you play for twenty hours, then you already notice the similarities between the planets; after a hundred hours, nothing new will be shown. On the other hand, the planets are interesting, you can land on them, collect resources, look at the surroundings and fly further to explore wondrous worlds.

Let's not forget about tasks, various kinds of dialogues and stories, the possibility of upgrading a ship or purchasing a new aircraft. It’s all there, it’s implemented quite cool, and if you didn’t expect something like multiplayer from the game, then you’ll like it much more than EVE Online or Elite: Dangerous. Still, flying between planets, exploring them, extracting resources manually, completing tasks and enjoying unrealistically beautiful landscapes is much more interesting than engaging in politics or wandering through deserted locations in search of opponents to fight.

Pros:

• huge open world;
• inhabited planets;
• tasks, dialogues, stories;
• ship improvements;
• the freedom of action.

Minuses:

• lies from the developers;
• disappointment of the century;
• don't play with friends.

May not like:

• it gets boring after a hundred hours;
• where are people?

Star Citizen

The Star Citizen project holds the record for raising funds for development, but many consider the game a scam. Actually, there are reasons for this and quite compelling ones, but whether you believe it or not is another question. Fundraising for the development of this space simulator began in 2012 and continues to this day, but the developers have not shown a full-fledged product; there is only a tiny fraction of the promised content.

The fact is that on the Kickstarter platform the developers asked for a little more than two million dollars to create their incredibly cool project. Having collected more than four million, the team began creating the first module (part) of the game, simultaneously selling content on their website, by purchasing which you get access to the game immediately after release. That is, the fundraising continued, although the amount collected was twice the required amount.

Only in 2013 was the first part of the project shown - a hangar module in which you could monitor your ship, upgrade it, and so on. Just think about it - for a whole year the studio, consisting of two offices in Austin and Los Angeles with four million dollars in hand, created a hangar in which you can only look at the ship and repaint it, add some elements. During this period, EA may Need For Release a new Speed ​​with hundreds of cars and tuning, for example.

The release of alpha version 3.0 was scheduled for early 2017. The amount that the developers managed to collect exceeded $170 million. However, in the five years since the start of fundraising, the game has not left the alpha version and we were given only four moons from the promised galaxy.

At the moment, players have gained access to some content, which, although very far from what the developers promised, but it already looks cool. We have four moons (not to be confused with the Earth's satellite - the Moon), there is a decent distance between them and you can move between objects by jumping into hyperspace. Yes, just like in Star Wars, when the stars around you stretch into lines and you cover enormous distances in a matter of moments.

In addition, upon arrival in the orbit of the moon, you can explore it on your aircraft, fly around the space object and choose the most suitable place to land. The size of the moons is truly impressive, and even flying over the surface of one such satellite requires a lot of time. After exploring the landscape, you can land on the surface and go on a journey - for this there is a special vehicle on six wheels.

True, there are only a couple of interesting locations on the moon, while approximately 98% of the surface is of no interest at all. Desert locations with rare craters and hills that will get boring within ten minutes of the trip. You can search for secret places and a base with its own population, NPCs and quests.

That is, today the project allows you to jump between four moons, drive along the desert surface of each of them, plus spend an unforgettable five minutes at the bases; there is nothing longer to do there. There are also repair stations, but they are also not very interesting.

At the same time, you can only play at adequate 30 frames per second on an empty server. If two or three more people enter the server, then FPS drops to 10-20 and does not rise higher, even if your computer costs five thousand dollars. The problem is in the network code - it is not optimized at all for computers with current capacities.

A fact that caused distrust in the entire project as a whole were changes in the rules for refunding users who bought ships and sets in Star Citizen. Previously, the rules stated that if the game was not released 18 months after the specified release date, “investors” would receive all their funds back. Now the rules have changed dramatically - funds cannot be returned until the team has completely stopped developing the game. Simply put, as long as the studio says that development is underway, you can wait at least ten years for a refund.

Players are simply afraid that the developers are deliberately delaying development and investing as much effort as is necessary to further earn money from the sale of ships. After all, apart from modest and boring moons with a hangar for repairs, nothing else was implemented over such a long period and with such huge money on hand. Naturally, investors are worried about their $45 (currently minimum amount to access the game) and too many factors indicate that they are not worried in vain.

However, if the game is released in full form, then this will be the end of absolutely all space simulators, and most online projects of other genres too. The developers have already shown a completely seamless virtual world with the ability to board a ship and explore space without obstacles. In the future, we are promised the opportunity to land on any planet, collect resources or complete a quest, they promise cities with characters, housing, entertainment and work. And I’m not talking about such things as battles in space, ships, modifications, and so on.

The game really has a lot of ambitions and if it is brought to fruition, then it will be possible to explore space on your own, together with friends, fight or trade, work and enjoy those activities that real life or other games are not available. Only for its ambitions and what the developers show in their modules and videos for social networks, the game was called the best and most modern project.

Just imagine a game where you board your ship, fly through a dozen solar systems, fly to one of the planets, land (without loading or tearing), fight with other players for resources, fly away and move on. Into outer space, where there are no barriers. Sounds damn good if it were still optimized for a smooth gaming experience and given a little more content.

Pros:

• the most ambitious game in history;
• $170 million for development;
• open space without loading screens;
• hundreds of activities and hobbies;
• many variations of ships and equipment.

Minuses:

• for five years of development only an alpha version;
• 10-20 FPS;
• four desert moons with no content;
• buy a ship and let's play.

May not like:

• We may not live to see the release version.

Space Engineers

The game Space Engineers for me is a kind of improved version of Minecraft - here you also need to build structures, extract resources, but it’s really difficult to build something sensible. It’s enough just to open the Internet and look at the projects of various types of aircraft that players created in the game, and it becomes clear that the word “engineer” is written in the title for a reason. The designs are complex, they require an understanding of the circuits and features of some mechanisms, you need to calculate the engine power for the size of the ship and stuff like that.

The developers have taken on the very difficult task of creating a space simulator, in which the system for designing and assembling a spaceship will be thought out in great detail, a system of landing on planets and asteroids for extracting resources will be implemented, plus the process of interaction between players. For small studio This is a very difficult task for developers, but they are gradually coping with it and this makes us happy.

Space Engineers has already been optimized so that you can play on your not very powerful computer and enjoy it with a stable frame rate without lags. At the time of the release of the project in the early access stage it was almost impossible to play, but now even on a mid-level computer the picture is quite pleasant. An endless virtual world opens up before you with such a range of possibilities that it will take your breath away.

You can get confused and find designs for huge ships online, then repeat the idea in the game, somehow change the design of the aircraft or redo the design. Very popular in this game are copies of spaceships from Star Wars, for example, which are very interesting to collect and you can always come up with something of your own. If you are not interested, you can go with your friends to a quick fix collect a couple of ships and push them against each other, look at the beautiful destruction and have a good laugh.

The developers managed to create a project about space, in which it is equally interesting to spend time both on your own and in the company of friends or other users you do not know. As for me, this is the most important component, because when your pleasure does not depend on the popularity of the product or the number of users on the network, it is much more enjoyable to play.

Pros:

• ship design;
• manual assembly aircraft;
• a lot of mechanisms;
• open space with all the laws of physics;
• the project is constantly updated and refined;
• there are hundreds of guides on the Internet for assembling the coolest ships;
• You can collect the Death Star.

Minuses:

• optimization is not perfect yet;
• not very user-friendly interface;
• complex mechanisms;
• building a ship takes a lot of time.

May not like:

• there are no mechanics for fun;
• There is also no need to communicate with other players.

Games closely related to space

Star Wars: Battlefront II
A game that received so much negativity at the start that now one can only hope that DICE will take on projects on this topic again. Loot boxes have led to refunds for digital copies, hundreds of videos have been shot online and even more negative reviews have been written. All this tarnished the reputation of a game that can give you a much more positive feeling from conquering space than many products focused entirely on this idea.

I mean space battles - they are thought out very well and playing in space on a rebel fighter, or destroying everyone on an imperial ship, is quite cool and against the backdrop of these sensations you can even forget about the boxes. Indeed, the battle mode between spaceships here looks as vibrant as possible, players do unimaginable things with ships, and if you are a fan of all this and the theme of shootouts in space is close to you, then Star Wars: Battlefront II will give you the best multiplayer battles on space fighters on the video game market.

Mass Effect: Andromeda

Another game that was shattered by negative comments from reviewers, users and critics. Everyone expected something like this from the project old school, while the developers from BioWare decided to go a different route and show more mechanics, new story. It’s a pity that under the pressure of criticism, Mass Effect: Andromeda failed in sales and it is now reliably known that the entire franchise has been frozen indefinitely.

I won’t say my opinion about the product as a whole, it’s no longer important, but the implementation of space research here is fantastic. You find new system, scan each planet manually, find the information you need and move further along the storyline. Sometimes we are given the opportunity to go to the planet itself and explore its territory on an all-terrain vehicle, look for resources, enemies and secret places. Plus, there aren't many games where you can have a relationship with a girl of alien origin.

This is already the third AAA-class project that has felt a mountain of negativity, not entirely deservedly, as it seems to me. Still, if you look at the storyline, game mechanics and graphics, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare seems even more attractive than Call of Duty: WWII. But that's not what we're talking about now.

This installment of the famous franchise has some of the best space combat I've seen. Of course, Battlefront II goes far ahead here, but COD also has something to answer. Well-developed controls, vigorous shootouts with dozens of opponents, dangerous turns and huge maps with a lot of small objects in outer space. Yes, it’s worth saying that these battles are implemented only in the storyline and some tasks seem drawn out, but, in general, in terms of space battles, this part of the shooter was really pleasing. I think no one expected such a good implementation of this gameplay element from the project.

EVE: Valkyrie

The article ends with one of the most advanced games in general on the gaming market, not only in the space simulator genre. The EVE: Valkyrie project was not initially perceived by players as something serious and exciting, and this is a VR game, that is, you also need to buy a helmet for it.

Now we can say with confidence that this project is the reason why a gamer will buy a virtual reality helmet. A very colorful, bright and juicy implementation of space battles, with practically full immersion from the player’s side, it allows you to completely forget about conventional games with a mouse and keyboard/gamepad.

This game is the future of the industry, a shining example of how we will play in five years. If you really wanted to look at virtual reality, but did not notice any worthy games for which you could buy an expensive toy, then take a closer look at this simulator. It will satisfy even the most sophisticated users.

Kerbal Space Program

I can't call Kerbal Space Program just a game. This is a vivid example of how the virtual world can be as close as possible in terms of the laws of physics to the real world, and how a game about little little green men can motivate people to study science more than the educational system. The developers give you such incredible scope for imagination and engineering ideas that it’s simply impossible to explain it in a nutshell.

However, I'll try. Why is this game so interesting? We have a team of carbonauts and the task is to get to some planet, conduct our research and return home. Moreover, throughout this entire chain, success will depend solely on you and no one will land the rocket or take off for you. You need to completely design the aircraft, design its take-off module, take off from the Earth (this does not always work out) and go into space. Let's add to this the calculation of the flight trajectory to the desired point and the trajectory of return to the home planet. And, of course, landing.

Sometimes it takes hundreds of take-off attempts to realize one successful rocket. A lot of mistakes, failures and problems force you to read relevant literature, look at photos of real rockets, watch videos about the launch of real shuttles into space. Studying physics and astronomy and technical knowledge helps a lot. This is not just a toy for those who want to shoot at enemies in the evening, it requires thinking, studying and enlightenment. Agree, you don’t know many games where you need to learn something from the real world and read books.

Interesting Facts:

• In schools in Europe and the USA, the game is used for scientific projects in astronautics and physics.
• NASA directly contacted the project developers and asked them to familiarize players with the 2020 program for capturing extraterrestrial bodies.
• The developers of mods for Kerbal Space Program have created a ton of content and continue to do so.
• You can find it online detailed diagrams a variety of missiles and assemble everything yourself.

Astroneer is a huge sandbox with random generation of planets. It’s the 25th century and a new “gold rush” has swept over humanity, only this time you will be going to uncharted planets for valuable resources. Space travel has become commonplace and a good way to earn money. Absolute freedom action: travel across planets, extract valuable resources, change the landscape in real time, build a base and new spaceships to reach distant planets. Astroneer is a beautiful sandbox with a procedurally generated environment and the ability to build a base, ships, useful modules and various vehicles that will greatly facilitate the exploration of a new planet.

Avorion is a multiplayer space sandbox in which you will build spaceships and stations of any shape. Of course, construction requires money, which can be obtained by mining asteroids or trading with other players or bots. You can explore the endless expanses of space, but don't forget that pirates can take advantage of you, so take care of protection! Of course, you yourself can become a pirate, earning good money, but seriously risking your ships.

Endless Space 2 is a continuation of the popular turn-based strategy, in which you will also explore space, fight and, of course, create your own empire. Look for resources, fight for them, develop one of 4 selected factions (each faction has its own individual characteristics) and try to achieve superiority over your enemies. Endless Space 2 is an attempt to improve on the first part, making it an amazing space strategy with huge possibilities.

Game under development

According to the author's plans, the game "Planet Nomads" will become a huge sandbox on an unknown planet. Players have a lot to explore, and to explore the planet they need to build various reliable and secure machines. This version so far only demonstrates in general terms the capabilities of the game. You will be able to build both small mobile cars for moving around the planet and giant space stations for galactic travel. Build, use, survive - these are the main tasks that will await you in the game.

Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion is separate edition an RTS (real-time strategy) game that immerses you in challenging space battles. When diplomacy has exhausted itself, it's time to face off. Choose who you will fight for, each faction not only has unique technologies and ships, but also a completely different battle strategy. You will find such classes of ships as “Titan” and “Capital”. The first is a real flying fortress with unique capabilities for each faction. The second is a kind of base with unique tactical capabilities. Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion is one of the best space strategy games with a well-executed battle system.

Alpha v9.4.0 2281

"Empyrion - Galactic Survival" is a huge 3D sandbox in outer space. Procedurally generated locations make the game simply huge. Entire galaxies with their solar systems and planets are waiting for you. The game is a large-scale space simulator where you, as an astronaut, will explore, survive, build and even fight. The game allows you to spend hours building various ships, or simply explore space in search of useful and interesting things. The game "Empyrion - Galactic Survival" is a kind of large-scale galactic survival game in which the player gets almost limitless possibilities.

The StarMade game is made in the now popular voxel graphics, and the world itself is limitless and consists of well-known blocks from which you can create almost anything you want, from small spaceships to huge space stations. The world in the game is generated randomly, planets are created with their own unique climate and resources. To create a good ship, the player will have to spend a lot of time, as well as earn good money to acquire the necessary resources. Block by block you will create the ship of your dreams. To begin with, you can create something simple and simply surf the boundless expanses of the universe in search of precious resources, and when you decide, you can even try to create your own space station. StarMade also includes a multiplayer game in which you can join factions, trade and even fight.

Universe Sandbox 2 is an attempt to create a kind of sandbox simulator of our solar system. You can feel like a god, you can push the Moon into the Earth and watch what happens. Change the orbits of the planets, increase their rotation speeds, change the climate, axis tilt, etc. Each change leads to consequences, which arouses great interest. In essence, Universe Sandbox 2 can be a great educational tool. After all, you will be able to clearly find out the characteristics of the planets of our solar system, and you will also be able to change various parameters and see how they affect the planet. In addition to planets, the game has thousands of unique asteroids, meteorites and comets that can be collided with planets without much difficulty.

Games dedicated to space, space travel and adventure are almost always successful. On the one hand, because it’s cool - who wouldn’t want to visit the future of humanity, when we explore distant, mysterious worlds?

On the other hand, when creating a project in such a direction as space, it is difficult not to be carried away by its mysterious depths and bewitching expanses. But only passionate people are capable of creating masterpieces.

If you are interested in ONLINE space games, then check out the top ten online space games. This TOP consists of the eleven best space-themed games among both online and offline projects.

Although, perhaps someone will be indignant that the magnificent space game X3 and the total strategy Sins of a Solar Empire were not included in the TOP. The first is a whole universe of catastrophic armada resistances, factional conflicts and the mesmerizing radiance of stars. The second is the concentration of the obvious aspirations of the virus called man towards the complete conquest of the Galaxy. It is clear that good things have never been limited by numbers. Space Rangers, Chronicles of Thar and, of course, many games based on the Star Wars universe are also worthy of paying tribute to the creators of gaming masterpieces. And yet, the TOP is the TOP to highlight the best of the best.

11. Mass Effect

The Mass Effect trilogy is the best contender for the title of the greatest space adventure.

Even if you do not take into account the great battles, epic victories and the fate of civilizations, the game captivates with its colorfulness and realistic relationships with other intelligent races. This is a real space social, seasoned with action and almost cinematic drama.

Mass Effect perfectly makes it clear that space is not only emptiness, but also a whole storehouse of dangers, risks and pleasures. The universe is full of temptations, and there is nothing that you cannot experience in its depths.

10.. Halo

Series Halo- also not a mistake in interpreting interplanetary relations and threats. True, there are fewer relationships with various kinds of aliens. For the most part, they are set up here as enemies that need to be killed. But there is soldier drill and a subtle hint that traveling around the Galaxy alone unarmed is dangerous. It is also dangerous to build many colonies in distant worlds and relax, succumbing to the deceptive calm of alien beauties. The Universal Mind has no boundaries. Only by relying on yourself can you survive and become an example for others.

The game tells the story that the cosmic future is inevitably associated with wars, but we will find out in a couple of centuries whether we will be ready for it and whether we will begin to abuse power.

9. Dead Space

The games in this series tell the story of madness that can engulf a person in an almost endless abyss from which there is no way out. Dead space- this name speaks for itself. Space is deaf to your problems, there are no walls or boundaries in it, and this cold vastness can drive anyone crazy. After all, who are you, squeezed in the grip of infinite space? Just a grain of sand, and no matter how hard you try, you will never become something more.

Undoubtedly, space-age astronauts will have many unforgettable moments inside cramped starships, discovering something unfriendly to our psyche.

8.Freelancer

Shooting, running, jumping across stations and entire planets is not that difficult. But to control space caravels... This requires a remarkable reaction, skill and intelligence. Perhaps the latter will decide everything outside of orbital habitats.

Freelancer- as the most convenient space simulator - a game that will undoubtedly appeal to those who like to fly at breakneck speeds and shoot in the style of Star Wars with enemy starships. The game is simple and not constrained storylines, which is what I like about her.

7. Eve Online

Interaction, cooperation and clanism - this is how you can briefly describe the concept of this space MMORPG, which became very popular due to the fact that it turned out to be one of the first 3D space MMORPGs, as well as thanks to its awesome trailers.

A complex system of relationships and about seven thousand star systems, wars, trade, research. All this is interesting for those who have a lot of free time.

Unfortunately, you have to make do with predetermined mission scenarios, virtual tricks and graphic landscapes.

6.Star Craft

RTS strategy series Star Craft It’s not for nothing that it is not only a popular franchise, based on which countless books, comics, and card games have been created, but also a cult game. Therans, protoss and zerg are extremely realistic factions capable of reshaping the Galaxy at their discretion. All operations and troops are not only perfectly balanced - despite the absolute differences, they are also story-driven.

Star Craft- this is a real confrontation between different alien races, as different as possible. By the way, people do not always choose the side of earthlings; some people like scary space bugs. Something to think about...

5. Lost Planet

Alien Planet is about how hard it is to find mutual language with alien flora and fauna. If people cannot live in peace even with each other for centuries, what can we say about contacts with foreign civilizations and life forms that are as alien to us as possible.

In the game series Lost Planets locusts and other unfriendly creatures give rise to a hurricane shooter in the vastness of a remote, cold and aggressive little world on the outskirts of civilization. Well, at least these creatures look disgusting enough that it wouldn’t be a shame to exterminate them.

4. Home World

Good old strategy Home World or in our opinion - Homeworld. Generally speaking, we are not talking about our Mother Earth, but about something completely different, much more ancient world. The game is not new, but its colors have not yet faded.

Will we also find in space evidence of kinship with the most ancient interstellar travelers, will we encounter those who are not very happy with the newly arrived competitors, will we have to run away from much more advanced guys from an alien race. It is impossible to answer this, but please play.

3. Kill Zone

Another incredibly epic shooter. Kill Zone pulls the player into the maelstrom of a tragic confrontation between earthlings and former mutated relatives of the Hilghasts. No one here asks the question when the war will end. The question is different - who will win? And you will have to fight to the end!

They say that history repeats itself - the same will happen in space. Hatred, anger, resentment and the desperate desire to survive at any cost will not go away. Will this not lead to complete mutual destruction? Of course, I don’t want to test this in practice, but in a game it’s very interesting. After all, hitting and destroying while sitting in a cozy armchair is our favorite pleasure.

2.Doom

You didn't think that we would forget about the Duma? This legendary series is ridiculously simple - go and shoot. What do we need this plot and deep meanings for? And what difference does it make to us where all these alien adversaries came from - death to them! That's all.

However, later parts of these games fill the process with meaning, again puzzling us with a war with our own fears and mysteries. Once again, no one is waiting for us in space with open arms, but with outstretched claws, pincers and mandibles. So-so trick, but has something like this ever stopped us?

1. Star Conflict

A domestic online game that has become the best space simulator on the Internet, thanks to its unsurpassed graphics and capabilities for controlling spaceships, of which there are, by the way, a lot. Built on a great engine popular game War Thunder, Star Conflict instantly left almost all online space-themed games far behind, demonstrating outstanding quality.

In a word, there is everything here to have fun killing an hour or two, without doing boring things, but only entering one battle after another, receiving rewards, and all this for free!