Haven’t got the time nor patience to wait until 2050 for space travel? The good news is that you don’t have to and can do it right now in the world of gaming!

The original space race which ran from the late 1950’s right through until the culmination of the cold war in 1991, laid the foundations for space exploration and hopefully one day soon, space travel.

The thought and ambition of civilians traveling effortlessly through space, venturing to different planets as if they were just a simple Boeing 747 on a City-hopper journey, let alone inhabiting any of them may seem a bit far-fetched.

However, if history has taught us anything it is that anything is possible and with the rate of technology expansion and development it would be naive to completely rule such occurrences out in the future.

There have been many space theme games that have attempted to shed light on what life would be like if space travel were to become reality. Perhaps, for the time being at least, we’ll have to be content with a continuation of this until the correct advancements are made.

The Best Space Travel and Exploration Games

Electronic Adrenaline Rush

The games we list today are not simulators and are far from the reality of what we could actually live like (unless you plan on spending your day being kidnapped by aliens of course?!)

They are an exaggerated and over-hyped fantasy to propel the imagination and to spark enthusiasm and creativity within. It’s worth noting that while space travel itself may not be an exact replica of these virtual worlds, right now it’s our closest thing.

Nobody wants to imagine space travel to be a mundane voyage at a steady pace, playing card games to pass the time with nothing much to see out of the windows and it seemingly takes forever, just like every journey.

We want thrills, excitement, adventure and to have to expect the unexpected. We want action, challenges, thrills, danger, and adrenaline.

We want to be brave, to be heroic, and to have to make crucial decisions under pressure. We want to thrive on the responsibility and feel the pressure of space travel….in a game!

The Best Space Travel and Exploration Games

Not in any particular order, here are some of the greatest space games for you to try out in order to satisfy your space exploration needs while you wait for space travel to become a reality in our world as we know it;

• Metroid Prime Series (All major platforms)
• Star Conflict (PC, Mac, Linux, Steam)
• Mass Effect Trilogy (All major platforms)
• Distant Worlds: Universe (PC)
• Eve Valkyrie (PC, PS4)
• Destiny 2 (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One)
• FTL: Faster Than Light (PC, macOS, Linux, iOS)
• Observation (PC, PS4)
• Surviving Mars (PC, macOS, Linux, PS4, Xbox One)
• Star Trek Online (PC, macOS, PS4, Xbox One)
• The Outer Worlds (PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch)
• Civilization: Beyond Earth (PC, macOS, Linux)
• Homeworld Remastered Collection (PC)
• Space Engineers (PC)
• SpaceEngine (PC, macOS, Linux)
• Universe Sandbox (PC)
• Elite Dangerous (PC, macOS, PS4, Xbox One)
• Eve Online (PC, macOS, Linux)
• Star Citizen (PC)
• Kerbal Space Program (PC, macOS, Linux, PS4, Xbox One)
• Endless Space 2 (PC, macOS)
• Stellaris (PC, MacOS, Linux, PS4, Xbox One)
• No Man’s Sky (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
• Everspace (PC, macOS, Linux, PS4, Xbox One, Switch)
• Outer Wilds (PC, PS4, Xbox One)

Terraforming Mars

It remains to be seen whether this is a viable option but all the discussion moving forward after the SpaceX project is that Elon Musk wants to terraform Mars.

Terraforming (“Earth-shaping”) is the hypothetical process of deliberately modifying the atmosphere, temperature, surface topography or ecology of a planet, moon, or other body to be similar to the environment of Earth to make it habitable by Earth-like life.

This will be a monumental cost and will take years to perfect but you cannot fault the ambition. If this is the level the world’s finest minds are aiming at then maybe the idea of landing humans on Mars is not so fetched after all.

Watch this space as the industry experts pool resources and attempt to agree on the optimum plan to move forward with the next big space project. Soon enough maybe we won’t have to rely on virtual games!

Megan is an Australian Journalist and award-winning travel writer who has been blogging since 2007. Her husband Mike is the American naturalist and wildlife photographer behind Waking Up Wild; an online magazine dedicated to opening your eyes to the wonders of the wild & natural world.

Having visited 100+ countries across all seven continents, Megan’s travels focus on cultural immersion, authentic discovery and incredible journeys. She has a strong passion for ecotourism, and aims to promote responsible travel experiences.