Good space RPGs come in all shapes and sizes, as the core elements that define role-playing have been mixed with many genres over the decades. They allow us to explore the galaxy and live out our sci-fi fantasies as heroic space marines, daring spaceship captains, and, occasionally, intergalactic lotharios.
There are loads of space-set RPGs on the horizon too, with exciting titles like The Outer Worlds 2 Star Wars Eclipse upcoming space games
Looking for more specific gaming picks? You might want to check out our lists of the best space exploration colonization best space horror games
10. EVE Online
(Image credit: CCP Games)
Platforms: PC, macOS Developer: CCP Games
We’re placing EVE Online at the bottom of our ‘best space RPGs’ list because, while great, we find it hard to recommend to more casual players. Technically, CCP Games’ 2003 giant is an MMORPG, which means you’ll be interacting with thousands of players across more than 7,000 star systems. Don’t expect a welcoming experience though. This one is for the sickos.
The goal is to make a name for yourself inside this persistent universe however you want. Jobs and activities include mining, piracy, manufacturing, trading, exploration, and combat. The thing with EVE Online is that it’s renowned for the complexity of its systems, including unscripted economic competition, warfare, and political schemes which can affect other players and real-world money. A memorable example was the Bloodbath of B-R5RB
Yatzhee Crowshaw
9. System Shock Remake
(Image credit: Nightdive Studios / Prime Matter)
Platforms: PC, Linux, macOS, PS4/5, Xbox One/Series X/S Developer: Nightdive Studios
System Shock is planted firmly among the best space RPGs and space horror games
There’s never been a better time to return to Citadel Station and face SHODAN, one of gaming’s most menacing and iconic sci-fi villains.
The retro remasters veterans of Nightdive Studios developed this new iteration of the 1994 classic, originally made by Looking Glass Studios, and the admittedly bumpy development
8. Star Trek Online
(Image credit: Cryptic Studios)
Platforms: PC, macOS, PS4, Xbox One Developer: Cryptic Studios
Star Trek Online is widely considered to be the best Star Trek game of all time
Even if you don’t spend hard-earned cash, Star Trek Online keeps expanding in cool ways, offering both on-foot away-mission style missions and starship action while perfectly capturing the Trek universe’s story magic with quests, PvP battles, and more. This one’s perfect for anyone who’s just beamed through the best Star Trek movies
7. Starsector
(Image credit: Fractal Softworks)
Platforms: PC, Linux, macOS Developer: Fractal Softworks
Starsector is easily the most overlooked title in this list. It’s been in development as an ‘early access’ title since 2013, but it hasn’t gained much mainstream attention because it’s not available on famous digital distribution platforms such as Steam or GOG. Until the game is more ready, Fractal Softworks is only selling it through its own site
Despite its top-down and visually limited nature, Starsector features some of the most intricate RPG systems we’ve seen in a sci-fi game. The game features both meaningful exploration and dense combat scenarios, but it’s all much more complex than we’re used to seeing in more mainstream titles. That’s because Starsector’s universe is procedurally generated and the simulation systems are designed to work in tandem with the player’s total freedom of choice.
6. Warframe
(Image credit: Digital Extremes)
Platforms: PC, PS4/5, Xbox One/Series X/S, Nintendo Switch Developer: Digital Extremes
Warframe has been on a hell of a journey since it launched back in 2013. Starting out as a sort of free-to-play Destiny before Destiny was even a thing, it has evolved massively over the years, adding new systems and core gameplay loops
In Warframe, players control members of the Tenno, a race of ancient warriors who wake up from centuries of suspended animation far into the Earth’s future to find an ongoing war between various nefarious factions. Tenno are effectively space ninjas who wear special battlesuits called Warframes, with each Warframe offering them unique abilities in combat.
It might look like your average co-op third-person shooter in screenshots, but Warframe offers so much more variety than that, with melee combat, acrobatic movement, magic-like abilities, and even space combat. Over the years, it’s also received larger, sandbox-like areas and more narrative content that tells an ongoing epic story.
There’s over a decade’s worth of updates to dive into here, so get going, Tenno!
5. The Outer Worlds
(Image credit: Private Division)
Platforms: PC, PS4/5, Xbox One/Series X/S, Nintendo Switch Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Do you like Fallout, but wish it was set in outer space? Of course you do, and The Outer Worlds is exactly what you’re looking for.
Set in a highly satirical and hyper-corporate
As we mentioned, the first-person gameplay feels extremely reminiscent of Bethesda’s Fallout before the sequel arrives Game Pass
4. Citizen Sleeper
(Image credit: Fellow Traveller)
Platforms: PC, macOS, PS4/5, Xbox One/Series X/S, Nintendo Switch Developer: Jump Over The Age
Citizen Sleeper is an odd pick, but it’s perfect if you’re looking for a narrative-heavy experience that emulates tabletop RPG mechanics. Through a series of decisions and dice rolls, you explore and learn about your new home among the stars. There’s more to it, but we’re not spoiling such a unique little game here.
The story focuses on sleepers, humans whose minds have been digitized and transferred into a robot body that belongs to, you guessed it, a big and scary corporation. The main character escapes servitude and arrives at a space station called the Eye, where different factions are fighting for both survival and freedom. The game has multiple endings, and if you dig its vibes, replaying it feels breezy, as it doesn’t overstay its welcome.
It’s a lot of reading, more akin to a choose-your-own-adventure book than most of the action-packed games on our list, but if that’s your vibe then you’ll fall in love with this one… and the sequel Citizen Sleeper 2
3. Destiny 2
(Image credit: Bungie)
Platforms: PC, PS4/5, Xbox One/Series X/S Developer: Bungie
Joining the Light vs. Darkness battle
In fact, with the Light & Darkness saga now finally finished, you can enjoy its compelling sci-fi odyssey from humble beginnings to the definitive end. The future currently looks uncertain
The base game has been free-to-play for a few years now, but if you want to experience the post-year one campaigns, raids, Nightfall strikes, proper endgame, and much more, you’ll need to grab the more recent expansions eventually. Try out the base game first and if you enjoy Destiny’s blend of sci-fi wizardry, best-in-class shooting, and deep mythology then you can grab the rest. Cosmic space opera fans should love what Bungie’s largest sci-fi universe yet has to offer.
2. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 1 & 2
(Image credit: Aspyr/Lucasfilm Games)
Platforms: PC, macOS, Linux, Android, Xbox, Nintendo Switch Developer: BioWare, Obsidian Entertainment
The two Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) games are among the best Star Wars games Star Wars world-building
You’ll fall in love with the story as you’re immersed in the struggle between light and dark side choices – your actions and words matter. KOTOR will make you feel and understand what it means to be a Jedi… plus you really get to customize your own lightsaber, which is super cool.
To this day, the impact of the Knights of the Old Republic games is felt across many areas of modern Star Wars storytelling and non-IP-based RPG titles.
We’re all eagerly awaiting a shiny remake of BioWare’s original masterpiece The Old Republic
1. Mass Effect Legendary Edition
(Image credit: Bioware)
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One Developer: BioWare
It might feel repetitive to see the original Mass Effect trilogy atop countless ranked lists online, but they really are that good. You can still play the originals, but we’d recommend you pick up 2021’s Legendary Edition re-release includes all the DLC packs, many visual upgrades, and a bunch of quality-of-life changes.
The Mass Effect games are the quintessential action RPG, combining tactical third-person shooter combat with a healthy blend of romance, political bickering, and galivanting across the Milky Way
Moreover, replaying the adventure multiple times is encouraged so you can explore different outcomes throughout three gargantuan installments. With a proper sequel and a Mass Effect TV series adaptation
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