From ‘Starfield’ to ‘Halo’: The most iconic video games set in space

From Starfield to StarCraft, these are some of the most iconic video games set in space.

While James T. Kirk may consider space the final frontier, video games have been in space for quite some time now. Even all the way back to arcade classics like Space Invaders and Nintendo’s Metroid, games have long been acquainted with space as a setting for video games, and that hasn’t stopped until now. With the release of Starfield, Bethesda’s newest RPG, the hype for games set in space has been renewed. Because of that, we take a look back at some of the most iconic video games set in space.

The most iconic video games set in space

Starfield

Bethesda’s first new IP in years is an RPG set in the vast expanse of space. Fans of Bethesda’s games like Fallout and Skyrim know that the developer has a lot of experience in making immersive worlds players can get lost in, and it seems that Starfield isn’t any different. Of course, this time around, instead of a post-apocalyptic nuclear wasteland or a fantasy world, it’s set in space. The game, which actually releases today on PC and Xbox, has been getting generally positive reviews all around.

No Man’s Sky

In an age where updates and expansions can make a game vastly different from launch, No Man’s Sky may perhaps be the best example of that. This sci-fi space exploration game had a very rough launch and was met with a lot of hate for overpromising features to gamers. However, years later, the game is vastly different from what it was when it first launched and is considered one of the best space exploration games out there.  

Dead Space

Much like the ocean, space is the great unknown filled with mysteries that are both awe-inspiring and terrifying. It just makes sense then that a horror game set in space was made. Dead Space was originally released in 2008 on the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC and follows protagonist Isaac Clarke who travels to a planet called Aegis VII in search of his girlfriend only to be met with horror after horror. The game was widely lauded and named one of the greatest video games ever made. It even got a remake that was released in January of this year.

Alien: Isolation

Speaking of horror games set in space, there have been a number of games released that are based on the iconic space horror franchise Alien. However, it was 2014’s Alien: Isolation that really made players feel the sheer terror that Ripley did when facing off against the legendary dreaded monster. Coincidentally, the player takes control of Ripley’s daughter, Amanda, who finds herself in the same predicament as her mother after getting stuck in a space station with an alien prowling around.  

Halo 3

Though Halo as a franchise has been around since 2001, it’s 2007’s Halo 3 that most fans consider the stand-out of the whole series. Aside from being the best-selling video game in the US in the year it was released, it also joins Dead Space in the ranks of being considered one of the greatest video games of all time. In financial terms, it earned USD $170 million on the first day of its release. By the end of one week, it had earned USD $300 million.

StarCraft

It would be a huge mistake not to include what is considered one of the greatest games set in space. Blizzard built the game on the base of one of their other successful games, Warcraft II. It was released in 1996, and really, the rest is history. It remains one of the best real-time strategy games of all time and set the bar for other games that came after it. 

[Hero image: Starfield FB]

This story first appeared here.