You like outer-space, right? RIGHT? Course you do. We’d like to think you’re a fan of strategy games too, yeah? Yeah! Don’t say you’re not, we’re in too deep now. It’d be embarrassing for all of us.
Well since you’re such a strategy loving, outer-space junkie (and because XCOM 2 is out and it’s awesome), we thought we’d make you a little list.
Five of the best space-based strategy games. Maybe you’ll find a new favourite. Maybe you’ll disagree with our choices. Literally anything could happen before the end of this article.
StarCraft
StarCraft is one of the biggest athletic phenomenons in Korea, which regularly broadcasts live matches across a number of TV channels for millions of viewers. No, seriously.
It’s not any old game that could hold such a claim, and StarCraft’s multiplayer mode has been enjoyed by millions of gamers worldwide, as they desperately click their way to hard earned victories. You can choose between the Zern (bugs) Protoss (aliens) and Terrans (humans) each with unique skills and abilities, battling it out online in brutal wars.
Sure, the single player mode is all well and good, but the mark of a strong game is arguably how much you can enjoy it with other people – and in the case of StarCraft, the answer is a lot.
Homeworld
Homeworld is the full package. It’s a strategy game set in a fully 3D environment, it has an incredible story and memorable characters, and looks fucking gorgeous. No wonder they decided to release an HD remaster (which is doubly gorgeous).
You can choose between two sides: the Kushan or Taiidan, who are both after control of the planet Hiigari (props to whoever names this shit). Your journey sends you across the galaxy after your homeworld is destroyed, and as you fight your way through space, you can collect all kinds of resources and cool new weapons.
It’s also worth pointing out the easy to navigate interface – a welcome change in a genre that can sometimes get overwhelmingly complicated.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown
XCOM: Enemy Unknown is basically a good old fashioned alien invasion tale, with slick graphics and smooth, streamlined gameplay. It’s really quite cool.
Actually a reboot of the original XCOM games, Enemy Unknown manages to take everything that made those first games great, while adding to the formula without losing the spirit of its predecessors.
It’s infinitely repayable, with choices that have actual consequences and challenges that will push your RTS skills to the limit. The huge range of locations are host to randomly generated maps, so you’ll never quite know what you’re facing next, or what your foes will decide to do in combat.
Oh, and as mentioned earlier, XCOM 2 just came out, and it looks even better.
Endless Space
If strategy titles are the thinking man’s genre, Endless Space is the thinking man’s strategy game. Less concerned with waging bloody wars across the galaxy, Endless Space is content to let you grow your own empire in any way you see fit – it’s just that this will probably involve waging bloody wars across the galaxy.
Ah well, living up to the name, there’s still an almost indecent amount of stuff to do and see in Endless Space. You’ll research technology from a massive tree of categories (you know you love a good skill tree), oversee development projects, build fleets, colonize, and engage in diplomacy.
It’s more fun that it sounds – honest. Plus, it looks absolutely incredible, which is always nice.
Alpha Centauri
If you’ve ever played Civilization I or II, and thought it could use more spaceships and shit (not literal shit, that would be grim), then Alpha Centauri is the game for you. Made by the same guys, it’s basically Civilization in space.
Displaying a level of depth that puts a lot of modern games to shame, Alpha Centauri spins a seamless, gripping yarn. Hours will pass by in minutes whenever you sit down to play it, and nearly 20 years later, it’s still a firm favourite among fans of the strategy genre and gamers at large.
Critically acclaimed, and adored by fans – Alpha Centauri is the perfect sequel. It adds to and improves upon the Civilization formula in every conceivable way.
Ewan Moore is a journalist at UNILAD Gaming who still quite hasn’t gotten out of his mid 00’s emo phase. After graduating from the University of Portsmouth in 2015 with a BA in Journalism & Media Studies (thanks for asking), he went on to do some freelance words for various places, including Kotaku, Den of Geek, and TheSixthAxis, before landing a full time gig at UNILAD in 2016.