Top 10 Space Flight Simulation Games as Ranked by www.space.com

[St0rmFury]

Best space flight simulation games, ranked

Explore the space between the stars from the safety of a virtual cockpit with the best space flight simulation games.

www.space.com

To save you the trouble, here is the list:

Spoiler

10. Underspace (2024)
9. Everspace 2 (2023)
8. Freelancer (2003)
7. Starfield (2023)
6. Star Citizen (soon™)
5. Star Wars: Starfighter 1 & 2 (2001 & 2002)
4. Star Wars: Rouge Squadron series (1998, 2001, 2003)
3. No Man's Sky (2016)
2. Star Wars Squadrons (2020)
1. ELITE: DANGEROUS (2015)

 

[Bigmaec]

I'm a bit sceptical as the X series is missing and also Wing Commander: Privateer () but Elite in first place is .

Source: my own totally unbiased and absolutely objective view.

 

[ganzkurz]

you read that as first place? i read that as 1 point for e.d. and 0 points for list formatting

 

[Darth Ender]

A space flight simulator that doesn't support joystick is hard to argue as a flight sim.

Nms is not a space flight sim game...and i like nms.

I'd instead replace that with vendetta online. A pc game active since 2004 with twitch flight controls, trading, combat, mining and cap ship crafting and tons of other game mechanics even games like elite still haven't implemented.

 

[Helmut Grokenberger]

Most of these gamss aren't actual space flight sims. I think the author confused it with "space themed games". Still nice to see ED score a win for once though.

 

[Helmut Grokenberger]

To add: I liked Squadrons, but didn't even finish the story. Coming from ED, the on-rails flying and lack of 6dof was too enraging for me to finish it. But sitting in an actual X-Wing was cool.

 

[CMDR X]

I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy inside knowing Elite Dangerous is Ranked #1 by www.space.com!
That's saying something because I usually don't feel all warm and fuzzy inside after a big lunch.

 

[aRJay]

you read that as first place? i read that as 1 point for e.d. and 0 points for list formatting

I read the list as a countdown like they do at a rocket launch.

 

[Cosmo]

I'm a bit sceptical as the X series is missing and also Wing Commander: Privateer () but Elite in first place is .

Source: my own totally unbiased and absolutely objective view.

Seconded, I'm not fond of Wing Commander, but it should be in the list.

 

[ganzkurz]

the list is trying to lead me behind the light. 9 games have more copypasta, typos, bugs and exploits + less integrated gameplay mechanics than elite? I simply don't buy it.

 

[Ian Doncaster]

I'm a bit sceptical as the X series is missing and also Wing Commander: Privateer () but Elite in first place is .

Kerbal Space Program being missing is also a bit weird, given that it's both incredibly popular and considerably more simulation of space flight than any of the ones listed.

(I'll let the absence of the Freespace series slide on the grounds that they are mainly looking at this century)

 

[macpeep]

Missing from the list: http://orbit.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/

 

[Leadfoot]

I'd instead replace that with vendetta online. A pc game active since 2004 with twitch flight controls, trading, combat, mining and cap ship crafting and tons of other game mechanics even games like elite still haven't implemented.

I'm glad to hear that, my nephew and two of his friends created that game way back when.

 

[Darth Ender]

Supposedly, they have a big revamp/ expansion coming this year or so. Which is nice to hear.

 

[Pville_Piper]

But sitting in an actual X-Wing was cool.

Virtually speaking...

 

[KRISXR]

I'd agree that it's not really a space flight sim list. I love Everspace, but it is arcade flight. And when you study what games are on the list, it's bias that leans to someones "favorite" games as opposed to flight sim games. Idk, copies sold probably is a factor in there also.

It's cool to see Elite is recognized as top dog.

 

[Bigmaec]

Kerbal Space Program being missing is also a bit weird, given that it's both incredibly popular and considerably more simulation of space flight than any of the ones listed.

(I'll let the absence of the Freespace series slide on the grounds that they are mainly looking at this century)

I'm a biiiiig KSP nerd, but I wouldn't put it in the same category as Elite or Wing Commander honestly.

 

[Helmut Grokenberger]

Virtually speaking...

Well yeah . Doing it in VR is sooooooo close to the real thing. Well, if an X-Wing was a real thing to begin with...

 

[Ian Doncaster]

I'm a biiiiig KSP nerd, but I wouldn't put it in the same category as Elite or Wing Commander honestly.

Oh, it's definitely not. But the original list includes Starfield, which is nowhere near the same category as any of the others either.

 

[Bigmaec]

Oh, it's definitely not. But the original list includes Starfield, which is nowhere near the same category as any of the others either.

Still haven't gotten my hands on it, it went from hyped-as-hell-starcitizen-but-in-real to second coming of space jesus to bug ridden cyberpunk in space to meh it's there in my perception. No Idea how it really is though.