Star Citizen is a rich and immersive game that combines space combat and trading. At the time of writing, this game is still in the process of being crowdfunded and is sure to continue expanding and developing as time goes on.
Regardless of the ongoing state of the game, Star Citizen is an intriguing and promising online game that’s been steadily racking up a dedicated following. If you’re keen on games similar to Star Citizen and want to find games with a similar flavor, we’ve got the list for you.
Here are 6 games like Star Citizen, covering a few different subgenres and styles that fans are sure to find familiar and entertaining.
Star Conflict
Star Conflict is a stellar free-to-play MMO that fans of Star Citizen are sure to love. It doesn’t have many of the trading mechanics that Star Citizen offers, but it does offer a vibrant game world, intricate combat, and a bustling online community.
This game is a space-based MMO where you can go down a PvP route or a PvE route. There are countless ships to use during your gameplay, each with their own perks and abilities. You can utilize 9 different tactical roles, battle in heaps of unique locations, and quest, too.
For a free-to-play game, the graphics in Star Conflict are incredibly impressive. The ships are intricate, and the environments feel strikingly lifelike.
There’s even a unique sandbox mode in Star Conflict, helping it to stand out amongst the best sandbox games on Steam. This mode is relevant for all players, regardless of whether they’re interested in PvE or PvP.
While Star Conflict doesn’t meet the need for the detailed trading mechanics that fans of games like Star Citizen enjoy, it does still hit a lot of other requirements that fans will have. The combat is satisfying and easy to get into, the community is lively, and there’s plenty to explore and unpack regardless of your preferred play style.
Homeworld
While many games like Star Citizen will take elements from flying simulators and RPGs, there are other games like Homeworld that are worth checking out too. While it’s not an exact match for Star Citizen trading and RPG mechanics, Homeworld offers a level of depth and immersive, interstellar gameplay that Star Citizen fans will adore.
Despite being over twenty years old, this game is more than capable of engrossing you in the endless vastness of the cosmos. The sequel is fantastic and worth looking at if you’re a fan of games like Star Citizen, too.
And if you’re worried about the graphics and gameplay being too dated for your modern sensibilities, you can rest easy. Both the original game and Homeworld 2 have been remastered, and they look exceptional. There’s an updated UI, a fancy new lighting system, and high-res textures.
If you’re someone with an affinity for challenging RTS games and sci-fi stories, Homeworld will fit you like a glove. Both games in the series tell an exciting tale of a pilgrimage across the stars, in which you’ll control a colossal mothership that represents the primary offensive tool, crafting hub, and home of the remnants of your species.
If it’s multiplayer action you crave, it would be worth your time to pick up the Homeworld Remastered Collection on Steam, as there are multiple game modes and the ability to play with up to 8 different people on 23 unique maps.
Homeworld has legendary status in the world of space games, and rightfully so. While it might not offer identical mechanics and gameplay to Star Citizen, it’s still one of the closest matches and is full of content that fans of games like Star Citizen will love.
X4: Foundations
Created by Egosoft, X4: Foundations is a breathtaking addition to the world of space sandbox games on Steam and is one of the best games like Star Citizen to check out today. It’s one of the closest matches to Star Citizen in the realms of single player content.
X4: Foundations promises a sandbox sim that ‘lives and breathes within your gaming system’ and it achieves all that and more. There are countless ships and space stations in this massive universe that will all independently mine and produce resources and trade, and you get to play as a pilot in the middle of it all.
There’s a great feeling of progression in this game, as it allows you to expand your perspective from a single pilot to commander of a vast celestial fleet.
The customization options in this game are incredible, too. You get lots of control over the different ships, stations, and systems, and can customize your gameplay to fit your exact preferences and personal play style.
There’s a great blend between first person and third person content in this game, with a mix of RPG, strategy, combat, and management gameplay. If you’re a fan of games like Star Citizen and you’re happy to forgo the multiplayer aspect, this is sure to become one of your favorite games in no time at all. It’s an absolute delight to play.
Freelancer
Freelancer is a must-play if you’re a fan of space games. It doesn’t quite offer the same gameplay style or mechanics, but it’s got lots of familiar elements that Star Citizen fans will love. It’s also a piece of space game history.
This 2003 space sim puts you in a classic starting position. There’s an entire galaxy to explore. You’ll need to earn credits by trading and smuggling through its vibrant economy, and fight any hordes of bandits and any other space vessels that stand in your way.
These days, the game is still remarkably playable, and there are a number of mods that somewhat enhance its graphics. However, the main reason why you’d still be able to enjoy Freelancer today is that it’s arguably the first modern space game.
Its interface, piloting controls, and countless other design choices have since become a genre staple. In fact, if you read the first Freelancer reviews from 2003, you may get the same level of amusement that you have while watching footage of Steve Jobs unveiling the same iPhone a couple of years later.
Crowds were utterly bewildered by the ability to, for example, zoom by pinching, which is something even toddlers view as a standard smartphone interaction today. And when you read people’s first impressions of Freelancer almost two decades ago, you’ll see them equally astounded by the slick, smooth, and responsive mouse-and-keyboard piloting controls.
The same goes for many of the HUD elements that all space exploration games have these days. And while its trading and world-building elements weren’t as original or revolutionary, Freelancer still has a secure place in any gaming hall of fame for its (inter)stellar combat system.
EVE Online
When most EVE Online players describe their favorite space sandbox MMO to you, they’ll typically start with one sentence: “It’s probably not for you.” And you shouldn’t take this as the classic arrogance of most experienced players in a multiplayer game; EVE Online really isn’t for everyone.
As you might have assumed, the game gives you the freedom of exploration in a living, breathing galaxy, but with hundreds of thousands of other players. If the aforementioned X4: Foundations sounded good to you until you saw that it was a single player game, this will be one of the best games for you to check out.
While the daily gameplay can feel a little slow in this game, there are some incredible features to enjoy like colossal inter-player wars and amazing stories that all happen solely based on player interaction. This virtual galaxy is deeply compelling, but does require a lot of patience and hard work if you want anything out of it.
Since its introduction in 2004, EVE has grown and evolved immensely.
These days, if you’re a PvP fan, you can play as a pirate, or join one of the militias of the different factions. And after you finish toying around with other newbies in the low-security sectors of the galaxy, you can also try your hand at fighting in the null-security sectors. That’s where the massive fleet battles that the game is most famous for take place.
However, all of those exciting moments mix with tasks that, simply put, just take a long time. Mining requires player input only once every 20 minutes or so, which means many players do most of their EVE playing while they’re working on their computers, watching Netflix, or even playing another game.
Still, if you can get used to that off-hands gameplay that makes up a lot of your time with EVE, you’ll get to experience some of the most memorable sights and events you can see in gaming.
Dual Universe
Finishing up the list with another essential game for sci-fi fans, Dual Universe is an incredible MMORPG that allows players to explore a shared, procedurally generated universe and lay claim to their own empires.
The general premise for the story here is that your character wakes up from cryosleep 10,000 years after a neutron star collision has destroyed Earth, along with all of the other players. The story is decently engaging and the world looks beautiful, but the bulk of the enjoyment comes from the combat, trading, and crafting systems.
Everything in Dual Universe is adaptable and editable by players, and the economy is run by the community as well. There’s an immense amount of freedom for players in this game, with lots of opportunities to work together or battle with their peers.
The use of a single universe for a whole game is intriguing, and the game certainly feels alive. There are typical MMORPG issues in places, of course, like the need for grinding or repetitive quests, but the overall experience is engrossing and magical.
If you’re a fan of games similar to Star Citizen and want another multiplayer space game with unique combat and trading systems, this one’s for you. It’s one of the best games set in space for fans of multiplayer titles.
