Elite Dangerous

Availability: Windows (Steam Deck Unsupported), macOS, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5

What if you really want to go to space? Well, I can’t help you there, but I can suggest a game that’s maybe about as close as you could possibly get. Elite Dangerous features a 1:1 recreation of the Milky Way Galaxy. Yes, you read that right. With ship controls that get close to flight sims in terms of intricacy and the skill required to set sail without crashing and losing your guts to rapid death spirals, Elite Dangerous offers a remarkable level of realism that’ll give you an unrivaled level of immersion, if you’re up to its challenge.

We know that Starfield is going to be light on realism elements, aiming to prioritize the fun and fantasy of space flight more than a clinical simulation of what space travel is probably like. But that’s what makes Elite Dangerous such an exciting game to play right now in preparation for it. While it doesn’t let you land on every single planet, even No Man’s Sky can’t offer a scale and depth of simulation quite like this.

Elite Dangerous features intricate space exploration, opportunities for PvP, and the scale of it all really delivers a taste of that odd mix of awe and dread that William Shattner described during his trip up there in 2021. With excellent visuals and sound effects, a fitting score, and an epic scale, Elite Dangerous is a commitment, but a worthwhile one with a scale that few games can match.

Promising a scale that’s almost too large to believe, time will tell whether Starfield will land among the ranks of the best and most captivating sci-fi space journeys out there. Until then, there’s no shortage of spacey games, big or small, AAA or indie, to fill our time with. What other starbound games have caught your attention lately?