Summary
The genre of open-world games has become bloated over the years, often used as a selling point rather than an integral part of a game’s design. However, science fiction and space games often manage to capture the joy of exploring an open world through the inclusion of planets.
For fans of sci-fi, discovering and exploring planets in games is something that many yearn for, and as technology has advanced in recent years, both AAA and indie developers have begun to offer more and more immersive, spacefaring experiences that put gamers in the shoes of a space explorer.
Updated on June 15, 2025, by Harry Ted Sprinks:Exploring space is a fantasy for manyfans of science-fiction. Unfortunately, many space exploration games such as Elite Dangerous and old-school classics like Freelancer don’t feature extensive planet exploration (or planet exploration at all, for that matter). On the other hand, games such as No Man’s Sky and the more recently released Starfield have failed to live up to their promises. Despite this, games like No Man’s Sky and Starfield are still among the best video games that feature open-world exploration on multiple planets.
It’s no secret thatStarfieldhas taken a lot of flak since its release, and that’s for good reason. The game’s lackluster open world, rough-edged AI, abundance of loading screens, and general lack of polish makeStarfielda tough sell.
However, there’s no denying the breadth andambition on displayin this open-world title.Starfieldis packed with locations to discover, big and small, and while some may be less fleshed out than others, there are many enjoyable planets to explore. It’s just a little hard to find them.
8SpaceEngine
An Interactive Planetarium
SpaceEngineis more of an experience than a game. There are no goals. Instead, players can freely move about a simulated universe, complete with physics and photo-realistic graphics.SpaceEnginewon’t be for everyone, but it’s a mesmerizing experience for those who don’t mind its lack of gameplay.
However,SpaceEnginealso features a Flight Simulator Mode that allows players to fly spacecrafts with Newtonian physics, for those who want a little more interaction from the experience. Furthermore,SpaceEnginefeatures support for modding and virtual reality.
ThisTerraria-style open-world exploration game tasks players with making a character from one of seven races and embarking on a campaign acrossa procedurally generated universein a customizable starship, which can be decorated and expanded upon.
Starboundhas players landing on and colonizing various planets and attracting tenants to the colonies, much like inTerraria. These tenants can even join the starship crew, should players want them to. Although the game is 2D, it manages to capture the feeling of exploring space, and being able to captain a customizable starship makes exploring an almost cozy experience.
Space Engineersis a deep and complex game that borders on simulation. It’s a sandbox game with gameplay focused on theengineering and construction of spaceships, and players can use these ships to explore not only space but planets, too.
These planets are rich in resources and are fully destructible. Not only this, but the planets persist throughout a playthrough and even have their own atmosphere, gravity, and climate. Because the planets are so highly detailed, exploring them is a highly immersive and sometimes dangerous experience.
This classicStar WarsRPG is one of the mosticonicStar Warsvideo gamesever made.Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic, originally released in 2003, is the first of twoKnights Of The Old Republicgames and takes place 4000 years before the rise of the Galactic Empire.
Although its combat can be clunky and is certainly not for everyone,Knights Of The Old Republicis still worth playing today for the amount of player agency it provides. The game marketed itself rather accurately on the ability of players to choose between good or evil and offers plenty of narrative choices throughout a playthrough. However, more importantly,Knights Of The Old Republicallows players to visit and explore finely detailedStar Warsplanets packed with voice-acted NPCs, quests, and loot. For players looking for aStar Warsgame that lets fans explore planets in an open-world setting,Knights Of The Old Republicmay not be the most expansive, but its eight planets are a joy to explore.
Astroneeris a sandbox adventure game that can be played in both single-player and co-op. It includes a solar system of seven hand-crafted planets that can be explored and even reshaped. Each planet is unique in both its surface and its caves, which can contain multiple biomes, and all offer different challenges for players to overcome.
Astroneer’s gameplay is largelyfocused on sandbox play; building bases, vehicles, and exploring the solar system are core aspects. It is a game that encourages creativity and exploration, but its sandbox nature doesn’t remove the challenge.
This infamous sci-fi exploration game was slandered on release for its empty, shallow worlds that were frequently repetitive. However,No Man’s Skyhas come a long way since its launch back in 2016, receiving a plethora of free content updates that have transformed the game dramatically into a more immersive and longer-lasting experience.
No Man’s Skyis a combination of survival and exploration that takes place in an infinite, procedurally generated universe, filled with planets to explore. The game allows players to pilot and customize various spaceships of different shapes and sizes, build bases, discover unique locations and wildlife, andengage in space combat. Overall,No Man’s Skyis an extremely immersive experience, and although the developers have put in a lot of work to improve the game, planets can still get a little repetitive after a while.
This sci-fi romp fromdevelopers Obsidian Entertainment(the same studio behindStar Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic 2andFallout: New Vegas) is a sprawling action-adventure RPG packed with colorful locations and characters. The game puts players at the helm of a spaceship and its crew (in the form of companions not dissimilar to theFalloutfranchise), tasking them with exploring various unique and hand-crafted locations to complete quests and further the game’s narrative.
Although there are very few planets inThe Outer Worlds, each of them is meticulously detailed and packed with people to meet, quests to complete, items to find, and enemies to defeat. Plus, for those who don’t mind exploring space stations, ships, and moons, there are plenty of other locations to venture to that flesh out the game in between the time spent on planets.
This critically acclaimed and award-winning sci-fi mystery exploration game has players exploring various planetsfilled with hidden locationsthat change depending on what time they visit them. The unique part ofOuter Wildsis itsGroundhog Day-style loop that forces players to play through the same day over and over as they attempt to uncover the mysteries of the galaxy.
The planets ofOuter Wildsare the heart of its gameplay, and exploring them is always rewarding.Outer Wildsis best experienced without any prior knowledge, so players intending to play the game should avoid spoilers to get the most out of its story and exploration aspects.
AlthoughDestiny 2is a free-to-play game, most of its content is, unfortunately, locked behind DLC paywalls. Despite this,Destiny 2is a satisfying first-person shooter with a variety of well-made missions. Although the game is not entirely open-world, it does feature plenty of open zones that players can explore freely, many of which are set on different planets.
Destiny 2is packed full of interesting places to explore and enemies to fight. Almost every planet players visit is visually striking and fun to navigate, even if the objectives gamers are tasked with can become repetitive.
