2023 is looking like an absolute bumper year for space games. Not only is Starfield, arguably the most anticipated game ever, finally being released, but it feels like every single month of 2023 is brimming with space faring adventures to get stuck into.
Horror games, action games, and of course, Star Wars games make up our list of the games you should look out for in 2023. To be honest, some of these games look like they’re going to take so long to complete that you could easily be working through the first few entries at the end of 2023. And that's not counting the space games we've already had this year like the nightmarish Dead Space remake and indie space epic Deliver Us Mars.
If you’re looking for games tied to the stars which are already available, you might want to check out our list of the best space games. We also have more specialized lists for the best space exploration games and the best space horror games too, if you're looking for a particular kind of space adventure.
Kerbal Space Program 2 - Feb 24, 2023
- Release date: February 2023
- Platform: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5
- Developer: Intercept Games
Kerbal Space Program remains a modern PC cult classic (which eventually made the jump to consoles) supported by one of the most creative player communities around. Following the acquisition of the IP by Take-Two Interactive, further development of the first game and additional entries moved from Squad to Intercept Games after some hiccups.
The sequel promises deeper systems, next-gen tech, colonies, and reworked gathering of resources, all leading into interstellar travel. Of course, the comedy provided by Kerbonauts will remain at the center of the experience, giving the deceptively deep game a “cute” appearance that will surely draw in new players.
We'll have loads of exciting coverage of Kerbal Space Program 2 on Space.com around launch, so keep any eye out for that,
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - April 28, 2023
- Release date: April 28 2023
- Platform: PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS5
- Developer: Respawn Entertainment
We finally have a date for our next adventure with Cal Kestis thanks to some brand new gameplay that was shown off at The Game Awards. “The New Order is gone,” according to a voice over which is assumed to be the character Cal discovers in a Bacta tank in the early trailers.
In the brief gameplay clips, we see Cal battle some Andor/Rogue One-era imperial baddies along with some Clone Wars-era battle droids, and he even goes one-on-one with a lightsaber user that seems to use a very similar lightsaber to Cal’s, hilt and all. Cere Junde appears to have rebuilt some of the Jedi archives, and Cal appears to be flying the Mantis ship alone. Not only that, but who is the mysterious character that Cal teams up with during the trailer? There’s tons to uncover in the trailer and we can’t wait to get our hands on the game ourselves.
Our everything we know about Star Wars Jedi Survivor page has a full roundup of all the details we have so far, along with some plot speculation.
Colony Ship - July 2023
- Release date: July 2023 (Early Access Version available now)
- Platform: PC
- Developer: Iron Tower Studio
Colony Ship is a new isometric, party-based RPG which exits early access later this year. The game, which is inspired by Robert Heinlein’s Orphans of the Sky, has a massive ship to explore and dozens of missions to complete. You wake up on a “generation ship,” a massive spacecraft on a centuries-long voyage to colonize a distant planet.
With the ship’s original government disbanding following a violent mutiny, the player must negotiate a treacherous path among your fellow passengers and the contentious factions striving to take control of the ship. Full of deep RPG choices and dozens of ways that the game can play out, Colony Ship is an under-the-radar gem that you should be keeping your eye on.
Starfield - September 6, 2023
- Release date: September 6, 2023
- Platform: PC, Xbox Series X/S
- Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
The next game from the devs behind the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series aims to start a brand-new IP which focuses on space exploration and expansive RPG systems. As expected from the veteran studio, freedom of choice lies at the center of the upcoming game, Starfield, guiding the player’s custom character through a massive web of hand-made locations, characters, quests, factions, and secondary activities.
More importantly, Starfield has been fattened with procedurally generated planets and supporting content which promise to make its galaxy even richer and more unpredictable. Couple all that with base-building mechanics, customizable ships, and extensive mod support, and we’ve got another enduring Bethesda winner on our hands.
Homeworld 3 - TBA 2023
- Release date: TBA 2023
- Platform: PC
- Developer: Blackbird Interactive
The Homeworld games were picked up by Gearbox and given a new paintjob – plus plenty of quality of life changes – in 2015. Since then, the series has been reactivated with a prequel title (Deserts of Kharak) and a third installment which has been in development for a while now.
While still built around solo gameplay, Homeworld 3 will introduce a fresh co-op mode that “will fuse Homeworld’s RTS gameplay with a roguelike structure.” Most longtime PC gamers can’t wait for this one, but we can also see many newcomers jumping in and guiding massive fleets of spaceships once it launches at some point next year.
The Invincible - TBA 2023
- Release date: TBA 2023
- Platform: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
- Developer: Starward Industries
Another game inspired by a famous sci-fi novel, The Invincible is a story-driven adventure set in a hard sci-fi world by Polish futurologist Stanisław Lem. Playing as an astrobiologist named Yasna, you’re tasked with exploring an undiscovered planet named Regis III. As you hunt for missing crew members, this strange planet, filled with mechanical life-forms opens up around you.
Are the creatures on Regis III friends or foes? How you interact with them is up to you. The Invincible looks incredibly stylish and we can’t wait to get to play it for ourselves. Think Firewatch-in-space, the game appears on the surface to be an interactive adventure, but the true nature of the world you're exploring, how you got here, and your impact on the world are a mystery that needs unraveling.
Aliens Dark Descent - TBA 2023
- Release Date: TBA 2023
- Platform: PC, PlayStation, Xbox Series
- Developer: Tindalos Interactive
Get tactical marines! In Aliens: Dark Descent, players will command a squad of hardened Colonial Marines in an attempt to stop a Xenomorph outbreak on Moon Lethe. A real-time strategy game, players battle against Xenomorphs, rogue operatives from the insatiable Weyland-Yutani Corporation, and some brand new creatures that will be introduced to this franchise.
Players infiltrate massive levels with their squad, issuing instructions to strategically take down the alien lifeforms that are waiting to pounce. Each time you play a mission is different with shortcuts to uncover, branching paths and emergent gameplay that means one wrong step and your squad will be picked apart one by one.
Avatar Frontiers of Pandora - TBA 2023
- Release Date: TBA 2023 - 2024
- Platform: PC, PlayStation, Xbox Series, Amazon Luna
- Developer: Massive Entertainment
Originally announced all the way back in 2017, Avatar Frontiers of Pandora went quiet for a few years before making a big splash at E3 2021. Massive Entertainment, the team behind The Division, may seem like a strange choice for a game based on the blockbuster franchise, but if the early CG footage shown is any indication, they’re going to nail the wonder and visual prowess of the Avatar franchise.
While details on the game are limited, players will take control of a Na’vi defending the Western Frontier, a new area of the world of Pandora that’s been specifically created for this game. Players will have to fight against the RDA, the human faction from the films, who threaten to destroy the ecology of Pandora. We see you Frontiers of Pandora, and we are hyped to see more.
The Outer Worlds 2 - TBA
- Release date: TBA
- Platform: PC, Xbox Series X/S
- Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Another big space game coming from Microsoft is the sequel to Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds, a surprise RPG hit from 2019. Even though the developer is now busy with several projects across different genres, the company has grown quite a bit since Microsoft’s acquisition, so it makes sense to keep the Outer Worlds IP going as well.
Little is known about the project at this time, but it’s reasonable to expect a storyline set after the events of the first game, which happen in the year 2355. The highly satirical, hyper-corporate, class-centric setting – plus the first-person gameplay – certainly gave The Outer Worlds a flavor which reminded veteran players of titles such as Fallout or Borderlands, but it was ultimately far from those and had other objectives in mind. Hopefully, the Stranger’s (the player) big choices will shape the sequel’s world and main story one way or another.
Mass Effect 4 - TBA
- Release date: TBA
- Platform: PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS5
- Developer: BioWare
Only named “the next Mass Effect” at this point, a follow-up to the classic Mass Effect trilogy is coming from BioWare veterans and new talent added in recent years. Its mission is to course-correct the action-RPG franchise after Mass Effect: Andromeda failed to meet expectations in 2017.
As far as we know, that game’s storyline is being dropped for now, though some rumors and theories suggest it could be woven into the fourth mainline Mass Effect, which also has the huge task of reigniting a galaxy that was shaken and forever changed by the events of Mass Effect 3. This one could be quite unique for a variety of reasons, but it’s still far away. For now, we recommend revisiting the outstanding trilogy – or discovering it for the first time – by playing the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition that came out last year. We just know that this will be your favorite game on the Citadel.
