Science-fiction games encompass one of the premier genres in the video game market, and there are dozens of top-notch sci-fi games available to sink your teeth into. The entire sci-fi genre across media is made up of dozens of distinct franchises, and there is certainly some blending between television, movies, and video games. While some of these franchises make for fantastic games, there are also unique sci-fi titles that solely lie in the gaming industry.

Today, our goal is to identify some of the best sci-fi games you can currently play. If you’re a fan of the genre at all, you’ll certainly see some familiar franchises as well as a few of the most popular games the genre has to offer. However, we’ve also identified some underrated science fiction games that might just be the next title you download.

Starfield

• Developer: Bethesda
• Release Date: September 6, 2023
• Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC

It doesn’t get much more sci-fi than a game where the human civilization has colonized an entire galaxy of planets and stars. Starfield is an RPG from Bethesda that allows you to fully immerse yourself in a full-fledged space adventure. You begin your journey as a humble miner, but through some good fortune and fate, you eventually find yourself at the heart of an eternal conflict. Starfield offers the ability to acquire, build, and customize your own spaceship, fly to different planets and establish a base, and take on dozens of quests that take you all over the galaxy.

Doom (2016)

• Developer: iD Software
• Release Date: May 13, 2016
• Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch

The original Doom from the 1990s was an inspiration for most major first-person shooters we know today, but the 2016 reboot of the franchise is arguably the best Doom experience you can have. While there is a story that plays out during the course of the game, Doom is all about annihilating hordes of enemies throughout a given level. Every level tasks you with a different objective, and using one of the many weapons at your disposal, most notably a powerful shotgun, you can blast through trivial and tough enemies alike. Doom offers extremely fluid combat and movement in a sci-fi setting that will have you stopping to look around amidst all the chaos.

No Man’s Sky

• Developer: Hello Games
• Release Date: August 9, 2016
• Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch 1+2

We previously said that it doesn’t get more sci-fi than when the human civilization expands to colonize an entire galaxy. Well, that’s still technically true, but No Man’s Sky takes that idea and turns it upside down. No Man’s Sky is a procedurally-generated survival game where you have a nearly infinite number of planets to explore across thousands of galaxies. With your spaceship, which you can now build and customize thanks to a new update, you can travel to any one of these planets, land on it, explore the unique fauna and flora, establish a base if you want, and then move on to the next planet. There are also hub areas in every galaxy where you can interact with other players and NPCs, go on quests, and purchase items you need for your next journey.

Cyberpunk 2077

• Developer: CD Projekt Red
• Release Date: December 10, 2020
• Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch 1+2

Cyberpunk 2077 is a sci-fi game where we get to see the potential effect that technology can have on a society. This RPG from the makers of The Witcher series is set in Night City in the year 2077. Here, technology has completely transformed the world, and there are now flying cars, AI running rampant in all facets of day-to-day life, and cybernetic enhancements in every living person. Cyberpunk 2077 utilizes these technological advancements as a key focal point for the main story, where your character finds themselves in a race against the clock to save their life and stop a greedy corporation from getting away with atrocities. Cyberpunk is an incredibly deep RPG with several combat styles, a massive world to explore, and some brilliant voice acting performances from quite an ensemble of characters.

Prey

• Developer: Arkane Studios
• Release Date: April 27, 2017
• Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC

Prey is an often underrated game that blends the sci-fi genre with some survival horror elements. The action-adventure game is set on a wrecked space station where horrific experiments have gone bad and been unleashed. Your character is tasked with navigating the space station to find out what went wrong and how to escape the nightmare they find themselves in. You’ll have to rely on your wits and the small amount of resources you have available to you, as the game doesn’t give you much to survive.

BioShock series

• Developer: 2K Games
• Release Date: August 21, 2007
• Platforms: PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch

The BioShock series takes what you think is possible within the sci-fi genre and gives you something completely unique. The series is comprised of three games: BioShock, BioShock 2, and BioShock Infinite. The first two games are set in the underwater city of Rapture, where one man built a utopia under the sea to escape the growing pains of life above the water. BioShock Infinite is set in the city of Columbia, which floats above the clouds. The city of Columbia follows the teachings of “The Prophet,” a religious fanatic who has essentially brainwashed the city’s citizens. All three games are remarkable action-adventure experiences with unique abilities for your character to perform, gorgeous and dangerous settings, and plenty of twists and turns throughout their stories.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

• Developer: Respawn
• Release Date: April 28, 2023
• Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC

If you’re looking for sci-fi games, why not experience a game set in the universe that really kick-started the genre in the first place? The Star Wars franchise was many people’s first taste of sci-fi in the 20th century, and it’s still going strong in the 21st century. The Star Wars Jedi series of video games is especially noteworthy, as they tell original stories alongside canon events in the universe. Jedi: Survivor is the second game in the series, and it follows the adventures of rebel Cal Kestis as he fights back against the Empire. You’ll travel to familiar planets and locations and see some of the most recognizable characters across the Star Wars franchise.

Dead Space (2023)

• Developer: Motive Studio
• Release Date: January 27, 2023
• Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

Dead Space was originally a 2008 survival horror game where you’re trapped on a spaceship after mining a strange artifact on an unknown planet. The game developed a cult following over the years, and it was eventually remade in 2023. While the core story and characters remain the same as in the original game, the graphics have been updated, and the horror elements have been significantly enhanced. Dead Space is not for the faint of heart, but if you’re looking for a sci-fi game to get your heart pumping, this is the one for you.

Detroit: Become Human

• Developer: Quantic Dream
• Release Date: May 25, 2018
• Platforms: PS4, PC

Detroit: Become Human is one of the most terrifying games on this list. Not because it features any sort of traditional horror, but because of the future it depicts. In this game, robots have become a normal and mandatory part of everyday life. Robots are used as workers across all industries, essentially making normal humans obsolete. The game lets you assume the role of a robot detective, among other characters, and you have plenty of freedom in the choices you make throughout the story. Every single action you take affects what happens next and your eventual ending. Detroit: Become Human features beautiful graphics, truly unique gameplay, and a potential look into humanity’s future.

The Outer Worlds

• Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
• Release Date: October 25, 2019
• Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch

We have another space adventure game, and this time it’s The Outer Worlds. Developed by Obsidian Entertainment, the same folks behind Fallout: New Vegas (another great sci-fi game), The Outer Worlds is set in a distant galaxy where humanity has relocated to hundreds of years into the future. Your character is suddenly awoken by a deranged doctor, and he tells you that you were a part of a mission from the former Earth along with a fleet of others. You’re the only one awake now, though, and you travel from planet to planet in your own spaceship following a trail of corruption from the new galaxy’s biggest corporations. The Outer Worlds is an open-world RPG where you get to make choices that ultimately affect your ending. Throughout the game, you’ll pick up more loot than you carry, assemble a party of characters to help you, and travel through gorgeous environments to reach your next objective.

Alien: Isolation

• Developer: Creative Assembly
• Release Date: October 6, 2014
• Platforms: PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android

The Alien franchise is another classic in the sci-fi genre, and Isolation is the best video game the franchise has to offer. It’s a survival horror game that takes place 15 years after the events of the first movie. You play as Amanda, a woman who must navigate through dangerous parts of a space station that always has the threat of alien enemies lurking nearby. You need to scavenge for resources to survive against the aliens and any other threats that emerge. Alien: Isolation has a tense story to tell that engages you with the game, and some heart-pounding jump scares.

Nier: Automata

• Developer: PlatinumGames
• Release Date: February 23, 2017
• Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC

Nier: Automata is a game all about robots, but not in the traditional way you might think. You play as an android that has been sent by the human race and must fight against other robots who have taken over Earth in a dystopian version of the future. Combat is a major highlight in Nier: Automata, as every engagement features quick movements, unique abilities, and a variety of different weapons you can have at your disposal. Throughout the course of the game, you’ll explore an open world and level up your character to unlock new abilities. Of course, if you want more items and weapons, you have to defeat enemies, travel to new locations, and complete quests to access all sorts of loot. Nier: Automata is a terrific open world RPG that features some of the most fluid and engaging combat you’ll find across any game.

EVE Online

• Developer: CCP Games
• Release Date: May 6, 2003
• Platforms: PC

It’s time we finally mention an MMO on this list, and there’s no other game in the genre that exudes sci-fi elements quite like EVE Online. Running since 2003, EVE Online is one of the most complex MMOs you can play. It starts you off as a space adventurer who is looking to make a name for themselves in an ever-evolving galaxy. EVE Online allows you to fight enemies and other players in incredibly detailed ship combat, which is always a great way to score some high-value loot. However, you can also trade with other players through a massive in-game economy that often involves real-world money. EVE Online entirely takes place inside your spaceship, and you can build and customize your ship until your heart is content.

Horizon Zero Dawn

• Developer: Guerrilla Games
• Release Date: February 28, 2017
• Platforms: PS4, PC

On the surface, Horizon Zero Dawn might not seem like a sci-fi game. After all, it’s seemingly set in a wasteland where the human inhabitants use bows and arrows and spears for weapons. However, once you understand how humanity got to that point, you’ll understand exactly why Horizon Zero Dawn makes this list. In this universe, humanity tinkered too much with robotics, and the world became overrun with millions of different machine creatures that were all designed with a distinct purpose. Eventually, humans found a way to coexist with the machines, but at the start of the game, something is causing the machines to turn more violent against their cohabitants. You play as Aloy, a tribe outcast who uses the technology of her ancestors to unravel a centuries-long conspiracy into how and why the machines came into being. An open world RPG with fast-paced combat and a plethora of lore to uncover, Horizon Zero Dawn is a worthwhile addition to the sci-fi genre.

Subnautica

• Developer: Unknown Worlds Entertainment
• Release Date: December 16, 2014
• Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android

Subnautica is an open world survival game that takes place almost entirely under the water of an unknown planet in a faraway galaxy. Your character was a part of a mission to explore the planet, but your ship mysteriously lost control once it entered the planet’s atmosphere. With your crew dead and very few supplies to survive, you need to explore your new planet, which is covered in water. Subnautica forces you to dive under the water and explore the depths of the planet to scavenge for resources, build a larger base to sustain yourself, and uncover the mysteries of the planet. While this might sound like a pleasant experience, there are sea monsters that can pop up at any moment while you’re exploring, causing your thalassophobia to trigger like never before.