Computed from player tags · Not ranked by quality
24 games like Elite Dangerous (2026)
Every game below overlaps with Elite Dangerous on things players said about it rather than on our opinion of what feels alike. Each entry shows what it matched on, so you can throw out the ones matching on the part you did not care about.
The short version
- Closest match: Kerbal Space Program, which both open world, science fiction, strategy and difficult.
- Elite Dangerous is tagged Space Sim, Space, Open World, Exploration, Sci-fi, Simulation, Massively Multiplayer, Multiplayer by Steam players. Those tags are what the matching runs on.
- 24 games qualify, each with at least fifty player reviews behind its sentiment figure.
- 6 are free to download, so you can test the resemblance yourself at no cost.
- 1 are from the same studio: Jurassic World Evolution.
How these were matched
Steam tags carry the most weight, because players apply them and they describe how a game feels rather than how it was filed. Souls-like, Atmospheric and Cozy exist as tags and as nothing else, which is exactly the vocabulary this question needs. Formal genres count for less, themes and a shared studio for more.
Tags carried by more than a third of the catalogue are thrown out before matching. Nearly everything is tagged Singleplayer, so matching on it is matching on nothing. That cutoff is computed from the catalogue rather than fixed, so it moves as the catalogue grows.
All 24, closest first
- 1
Kerbal Space Program
Why it matched: both open world, science fiction, strategy and difficult; shares 8 player tags including Space, Simulation and Sandbox; released around the same time (2015).
In Kerbal Space Program, take charge of the space program for the alien race known as the Kerbals. You have access to an array of parts to assemble fully-functional spacecraft that flies (or doesn’t) based on realistic aerodynamic and orbital physics.
Kerbal Space Program at a glance Released 2015 Studio Squad Player sentiment 96% positive of 146,438 Price $39.99 SpaceSimulationSandboxSpace SimExplorationSci-fiDifficultStrategy
- 2
Endless Sky
Why it matched: both open world, science fiction and strategy; shares 9 player tags including Space, Sci-fi and Simulation; released around the same time (2015).
Endless Sky is a 2D space trading and combat game inspired by the classic Escape Velocity series. Work your way up from a relatively wimpy shuttle, cargo ship, or fighter, to a highly upgraded and customized flagship or to a massive fleet of warships or freighters.
Endless Sky at a glance Released 2015 Studio Michael Zahniser Player sentiment 92% positive of 7,092 Price Free SpaceSci-fiSimulationRPGTradingExplorationSpace SimSandbox
- 3
Oxygen Not Included
Why it matched: both open world, science fiction, strategy and difficult; shares 8 player tags including Simulation, Sandbox and Strategy.
Oxygen Not Included is a space-colony simulation game. Deep inside an alien space rock your industrious crew will need to master science, overcome strange new lifeforms, and harness incredible space tech to survive, and possibly, thrive.
Oxygen Not Included at a glance Released 2019 Studio Klei Entertainment Player sentiment 97% positive of 143,589 Price $24.99 SimulationSandboxStrategySpaceSci-fiDifficultExplorationSpace Sim
- 4
X4: Foundations
Why it matched: both open world, science fiction and strategy; shares 8 player tags including Space Sim, Simulation and Sandbox; released around the same time (2018).
Your journey to building a vast space empire begins behind the controls of a single ship. Explore, trade, fight, and build as you rise to command fleets, stations, and entire economies in a living, fully simulated universe that reacts to every decision.
X4: Foundations at a glance Released 2018 Studio Egosoft Player sentiment 80% positive of 30,064 Price $49.99 Space SimSimulationSandboxSpaceTradingExplorationStrategyFirst-Person
- 5
Moonbase Alpha
Why it matched: both open world, science fiction and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Space, Simulation and Online Co-Op; released around the same time (2010).
NASA has once again landed on the lunar surface with the goal of colonization, research, and further exploration. Shortly after the return to the Moon, NASA has established a small outpost on the south pole of the moon called Moonbase Alpha.
Moonbase Alpha at a glance Released 2010 Studio Virtual Heroes Player sentiment 91% positive of 12,875 Price Free SpaceSimulationOnline Co-OpStrategySandboxMassively MultiplayerFirst-Person
- 6
PlanetSide 2
Why it matched: both open world, science fiction and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Massively Multiplayer, Sci-fi and First-Person; released around the same time (2012).
PlanetSide 2 is an all-out planetary war, where thousands of players battle as one across enormous continents. Utilize infantry, ground and air vehicles, and teamwork to destroy your enemies in this revolutionary first-person shooter on a massive scale.
PlanetSide 2 at a glance Released 2012 Studio Rogue Planet Games Player sentiment 80% positive of 74,813 Price Free Massively MultiplayerSci-fiFirst-PersonOnline Co-OpStrategySpaceRPG
- 7
EVE Online
Why it matched: both open world, science fiction and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Space, Massively Multiplayer and RPG.
Over 20 years of legendary space battles! Explore a massive living universe of danger and opportunity in a challenging and highly rewarding space adventure. Fight, trade, build, and connect with a universe driven and shaped directly by players.
EVE Online at a glance Released 2003 Studio Simon & Schuster Player sentiment 73% positive of 39,389 Price Free SpaceMassively MultiplayerRPGSci-fiSandboxStrategyExploration
- 8
Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion
Why it matched: both science fiction and strategy; shares 8 player tags including Online Co-Op, Simulation and Space; released around the same time (2012).
Command a space-faring empire in Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion, the new stand-alone expansion that combines 4X depth with real-time strategy gameplay.
Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion at a glance Released 2012 Studio Ironclad Games Corporation Player sentiment 93% positive of 16,339 Price $19.99 Online Co-OpSimulationSpaceStrategySandboxSci-fiExplorationSpace Sim
- 9
No Man's Sky
Why it matched: both open world and science fiction; shares 8 player tags including Space, Exploration and Sci-fi; released around the same time (2016).
No Man's Sky is a game about exploration and survival in an infinite procedurally generated universe.
No Man's Sky at a glance Released 2016 Studio Hello Games Player sentiment 85% positive of 414,641 Price $59.99 SpaceExplorationSci-fiFirst-PersonSandboxSpace SimSimulationVR
- 10
SPORE Galactic Adventures
Why it matched: both open world, science fiction and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Simulation, Space and Exploration.
Take Your Creature From Zero To Galactic HeroGet out of your starship and turn your Spore creatures into legendary Space Captains. For the first time, beam down with your allies to take on action-packed, planetside adventures. Complete quests, collect rewards, and even create your own missions.
SPORE Galactic Adventures at a glance Released 2009 Studio EA - Maxis Player sentiment 89% positive of 7,761 Price $19.99 SimulationSpaceExplorationSandboxStrategySci-fiRPG
- 11
Hardspace: Shipbreaker
Why it matched: both open world, science fiction and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Space, Sci-fi and Simulation.
Equipped with cutting-edge salvaging tech, carve & slice spaceships to recover valuable materials. Upgrade your gear to take on more lucrative contracts and pay your billion credits debt to LYNX Corp!
Hardspace: Shipbreaker at a glance Released 2022 Studio Blackbird Interactive Player sentiment 89% positive of 22,334 Price $34.99 SpaceSci-fiSimulationSandboxFirst-PersonSpace SimStrategy
- 12
Empyrion - Galactic Survival
Why it matched: both open world, science fiction and strategy; shares 7 player tags including Simulation, Space and Exploration.
Build and explore in a true space sandbox survival adventure. Construct mighty capital vessels, sprawling planetary settlements, and vast space stations in your galactic journey to discover the mysteries of Empyrion!
Empyrion - Galactic Survival at a glance Released 2020 Studio Eleon Game Studios Player sentiment 78% positive of 34,399 Price $19.99 SimulationSpaceExplorationSpace SimSandboxSci-fiStrategy
- 13
FTL: Faster Than Light
Why it matched: both science fiction, strategy and difficult; shares 6 player tags including Space, Strategy and Sci-fi; released around the same time (2012).
This "spaceship simulation roguelike-like" allows you to take your ship and crew on an adventure through a randomly generated galaxy filled with glory and bitter defeat.
FTL: Faster Than Light at a glance Released 2012 Studio Subset Games Player sentiment 95% positive of 78,616 Price $9.99 SpaceStrategySci-fiDifficultSpace SimSimulation
- 14
Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game
Why it matched: both open world, science fiction, strategy and difficult; shares 5 player tags including RPG, Sci-fi and Exploration; released around the same time (2015).
You've just unearthed the classic post-apocalyptic role-playing game that revitalized the entire CRPG genre. The Fallout® SPECIAL system allows drastically different types of characters, meaningful decisions and development that puts you in complete control. Explore the devastated ruins of a golden age civilization.
Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game at a glance Released 2015 Studio Interplay Inc. Player sentiment 94% positive of 25,164 Price $9.99 RPGSci-fiExplorationDifficultSandbox
- 15
Jurassic World Evolution
Why it matched: made by the same studio, Frontier Developments; both open world, science fiction and strategy; shares 4 player tags including Simulation, Strategy and Sandbox; released around the same time (2018).
Place yourself at the heart of the Jurassic franchise and build your own Jurassic World. Bioengineer dinosaurs that think, feel and react intelligently to the world around them and face threats posed by espionage, breakouts and devastating tropical storms in an uncertain world where life always finds a way.
Jurassic World Evolution at a glance Released 2018 Studio Frontier Developments Player sentiment 87% positive of 55,272 Price $44.99 SimulationStrategySandboxSci-fi
- 16
Surviving Mars
Why it matched: both open world, science fiction and strategy; shares 6 player tags including Strategy, Space and Simulation; released around the same time (2018).
There will be challenges to overcome. Execute your strategy and improve your colony’s chances of survival while unlocking the mysteries of this alien world. Are you ready? Mars is waiting for you.
Surviving Mars at a glance Released 2018 Studio Haemimont Games Player sentiment 80% positive of 28,730 Price Not listed StrategySpaceSimulationSci-fiSandboxSpace Sim
- 17
PULSAR: Lost Colony
Why it matched: both open world and science fiction; shares 8 player tags including Space Sim, Simulation and First-Person.
The co-op open-world space sim where everyone has a role! Pilot the ship. Reroute power. Launch nukes. Explore alien planets. Research new talents. Work together to find the Lost Colony! ...or just deliver some biscuits
PULSAR: Lost Colony at a glance Released 2021 Studio Leafy Games Player sentiment 90% positive of 5,732 Price $19.99 Space SimSimulationFirst-PersonSpaceExplorationSci-fiRPGOnline Co-Op
- 18
Planetbase
Why it matched: both open world, science fiction and strategy; shares 6 player tags including Space, Strategy and Simulation; released around the same time (2015).
Guide a group of space settlers trying to establish a base on a remote planet. Grow food, collect energy, mine resources, survive disasters and build a self-sufficient colony in a harsh and unforgiving environment.
Planetbase at a glance Released 2015 Studio Madruga Works Player sentiment 80% positive of 10,438 Price $7.49 SpaceStrategySimulationSci-fiSandboxSpace Sim
- 19
Star Trek Online
Why it matched: both open world, science fiction and strategy; shares 6 player tags including Sci-fi, Massively Multiplayer and Space; released around the same time (2012).
In Star Trek Online, the Star Trek universe appears for the first time on a truly massive scale. Players take the captain's chair as they command their own starship and crew. Explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, and boldly go where no one has gone before.
Star Trek Online at a glance Released 2012 Studio Cryptic Studios Player sentiment 79% positive of 21,274 Price Free Sci-fiMassively MultiplayerSpaceRPGOnline Co-OpStrategy
- 20
EVERSPACE
Why it matched: both science fiction and difficult; shares 8 player tags including Space, Sci-fi and Space Sim; released around the same time (2017).
EVERSPACE™ combines fast-paced combat with roguelike elements, great visuals and a captivating story. It takes you on a challenging journey through an ever-changing, beautifully crafted universe full of surprises. Shoot, craft and loot your way to victory while the odds are stacked against you.
EVERSPACE at a glance Released 2017 Studio ROCKFISH Games Player sentiment 78% positive of 11,465 Price $19.99 SpaceSci-fiSpace SimVRExplorationDifficultSimulationFirst-Person
- 21
Star Conflict
Why it matched: both open world and science fiction; shares 7 player tags including Online Co-Op, Space Sim and Massively Multiplayer; released around the same time (2013).
Star Conflict is an action-packed, massively multiplayer space simulation game that puts players in the role of elite pilots engaging in a widespread interplanetary skirmish. The whole world for PVP and PVE!
Star Conflict at a glance Released 2013 Studio Star Gem Inc. Player sentiment 73% positive of 15,226 Price Free Online Co-OpSpace SimMassively MultiplayerTradingSandboxRPGSci-fi
- 22
Gold Mining Simulator
Why it matched: both open world, strategy and difficult; shares 6 player tags including Simulation, Sandbox and First-Person; released around the same time (2017).
Become a gold miner. Work hard, dig deep, explore the world, and you’ll become the wealthiest person in Alaska. Use a variety of specialist machines to find as much gold as you can.
Gold Mining Simulator at a glance Released 2017 Studio Code Horizon Player sentiment 73% positive of 16,382 Price $19.99 SimulationSandboxFirst-PersonExplorationStrategyDifficult
- 23
Anno 2205
Why it matched: both open world, science fiction and strategy; shares 6 player tags including Strategy, Simulation and Sci-fi; released around the same time (2015).
In Anno 2205™, you join humankind‘s next step into the future with the promise to build a better tomorrow. You conquer Earth, establishing rich, bustling cities and grand industrial complexes, but to secure the prosperity of your people, you must travel into space.
Anno 2205 at a glance Released 2015 Studio Blue Byte Player sentiment 70% positive of 6,335 Price $39.99 StrategySimulationSci-fiSpaceSandboxTrading
- 24
VEGA Conflict
Why it matched: both open world, science fiction and strategy; shares 6 player tags including Space, Massively Multiplayer and Strategy; released around the same time (2015).
Stake your claim, command your fleets, and wage epic war in space.
VEGA Conflict at a glance Released 2015 Studio KIXEYE Player sentiment 59% positive of 5,029 Price Not listed SpaceMassively MultiplayerStrategySandboxSci-fiExploration
Common questions
What game is most like Elite Dangerous?
Kerbal Space Program, on the evidence we have. It both open world, science fiction, strategy and difficult. That is a statement about overlap, not a promise you will like it as much: two games can share every tag and still feel different to play.
How is "similar to Elite Dangerous" decided?
By overlap on the tags Steam players applied to each game, the formal genres, the themes both sit in, and whether the same studio made them. Tags carry the most weight because players write them, so they describe how a game feels rather than how it was filed. Tags carried by more than a third of the catalogue are ignored: matching on "Singleplayer" is matching on nothing. Every entry below shows exactly what it matched on.
Are these ranked by quality?
No. They are ordered by how much they overlap with Elite Dangerous. Where two games overlap equally, the better received one goes first, but that only moves a game a place or two. Each entry shows its own player sentiment so you can weigh that separately.
What else did the makers of Elite Dangerous do?
Jurassic World Evolution is also from Frontier Developments, and appears in the list below for that reason as well as on tag overlap.
Do you get paid for these recommendations?
No. The order is computed from tag and genre overlap and nothing else. No placement here can be bought, and a game appearing high on this page is a statement about resemblance rather than an endorsement.