It's an exciting time to be a big sci-fi nerd, because there are absolutely loads of upcoming space and sci-fi games to be excited for. That's why we've put together a list of all the upcoming space & sci-fi games for 2026 & beyond that you should keep an eye on.
From big Star Wars games to brand new IPs, there are tons of space-set video games coming our way across a variety of genres, and sometimes it's quite hard to navigate such a crowded market and to pick the perfect game if we're short on free time. We hope that this list will make some future purchases easier, and maybe even reveal some overlooked gems to you.
If you're looking for games tied to the stars that are already available, then check out our lists of the best space exploration games and the best space games on Xbox Game Pass you can play right now. Plus, we've got an entirely different list for the upcoming Star Wars games that will be coming out of hyperspace in the future.
Pragmata – April 17, 2026
Release date: April 17, 2026 | Developer: Capcom | Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2
Even after a few stunning trailers, we still can't quite figure out what Pragmata is really about.
We know that outer space is part of the story, as it'll take players to a futuristic dystopian world built on the moon. According to Capcom, this first game has been envisioned as the start of a new franchise, so we're expecting a high-profile action-adventure game.
The plot revolves around Hugh Williams, a spaceman who must team up with an android called Diana to survive on a deserted space station full of robotic nightmares.
We previewed Pragmata ahead of Gamescom 2025 and loved what we saw, even if we weren't expecting it to take inspiration from Snake of all games. It's also taking obvious inspiration from some big hitters in the third-person shooter space, including Dead Space, Resident Evil, and The Last of Us.
Aphelion – April 28, 2026
Release date: April 28, 2026 | Developer: Don't Nod | Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
As good as all these upcoming space games look, few are going for the grounded space approach, so imagine our delight when Don't Nod announced Aphelion. This narrative-driven title follows a solo astronaut as she braves “rugged landscapes and shifting realities” to rescue her injured partner and learn more about a 9th planet at the edge of the solar system: Persephone.
The basic premise posits that, by 2060, Earth will be uninhabitable, which is why the European Space Agency (this is a collaboration) sends a scientific mission to survey Persephone and determine whether there’s a future for humanity over there.
It won’t shock you to learn dark secrets are lurking beneath the surface of this new frozen planet, but Don't Nod is keeping the surprises under wraps for now. So far, combat doesn’t seem to be part of the equation, so this could be an excellent addition to the best space exploration games.
Saros – April 30, 2026
Release date: April 30, 2026 | Developer: Housemarque | Platforms: PS5
Housemarque’s Returnal was quite the stunner when it launched back in 2021, and it’s safe to say nothing in the overcrowded roguelite space has quite matched its relentless pace and unique psychological sci-fi horror vibes.
Now, Housemarque's next game, Saros, is taking its third-person shooter core and all the procedural elements further. Starring Gears 5 and WH40K: Boltgun’s Rahul Kohli (we love his TV work too) as the rugged Soltari Enforcer Arjun Devraj, the setting is far more space opera-ish at first glance, but it still has those familiar cosmic horror elements of Returnal.
Like in most roguelite games, there are persistent resources and progression systems that make the player stronger after each run, even when they end in failure. Otherwise, you should expect brutal ‘bullet hell’ horde and boss encounters that’ll make you sweat for each victory. The arsenal of weapons Devraj will find and have access to also grows bigger over time, so we can’t wait to see what new overpowered synergies we can put together when the game arrives in April 2026.
Directive 8020 - May 12, 2026
Release date: May 12, 2026 | Developer: Supermassive Games | Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5
Supermassive Games' The Dark Pictures is an anthology series of big-budget narrative games that consists of four installments so far, with season 2 being teased way back at the end of 2022.
A departure from the norm, Directive 8020 will be the first entry set in the far future, and in outer space. Directive 8020 will also be dropping the 'Dark Pictures' part of its original title in hopes of attracting a bigger crowd of newcomers.
Lashana Lynch (The Woman King, No Time to Die) stars in the game as an astronaut 12 light-years from home who crash-lands on Tau Ceti f. Of course, since Supermassive is all about horror games, things on the uncharted alien world won't be pleasant, so don't say we didn't warn you.
Either way, it looks fantastic and even more cinematic than its predecessors, whilst adding new gameplay options that make it more of a 'hands-on' traditional space horror game.
Remnant Protocol – Q2 2026
Release date: Q2 2026 | Developer: Progenitor Game Studios | Platforms: PC (Steam & Meta Quest VR)
Remnant Protocol’s early access launch isn’t far away now, and things could go either way for sure, but we’re liking what we’re seeing of this new space flight sim.
Set in a unique sci-fi universe, many generations after the assassination of the Blessed Mother, you lead a small resistance group trying to bring down the Usurpers and topple their oppressive regime. It all sounds very grand space opera — somewhere between Dishonored and Warhammer 40,000 — and we're here for it.
There's a layer of grand strategy as you build and manage your underground resistance group to topple the evildoers, but all bets are off once it’s time to jump into a cockpit and start blasting. Remnant Protocol features dynamic single-player campaigns with procedural elements, meaning each playthrough should feel unique. Best of all, Remnant Protocol is going to be available on PC and VR, so you can really immerse yourself in the action.
Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes – Q2 2026
Release date: Q2 2026 | Developer: Alt Shift | Platforms: PC
Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes is a new “story-rich tactical roguelite” which takes us back into the terrifying Human-Cylon war. It’s built on top of the excellent aesthetics of the rebooted TV show, so diehards will feel right at home, but it follows a new set of characters as an entire fleet tries to escape the relentless onslaught to rejoin the Battlestar Galactica.
We’ve been lucky enough to play through a preview build of the game, and we can tell you Scattered Hopes feels like several games mixed together to great effect. You have real-time tactical space battles, randomized narrative events, dialogue trees that require you to make hard decisions, and plenty of management across the fleet as hope dwindles and survival (even outside of battle) becomes more of an uphill struggle.
With all that said, we found it to be a remarkably accessible and lightweight game despite the punishing difficulty and downbeat tone, so it might be an easy recommendation once it launches on Steam.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer – TBA 2026
Release date: TBA 2026 | Developer: Fuse Games | Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5
Now this is pod racing… kinda. 2026 promises to be a busy year for Star Wars fans, but no one had a surprise racing video game on their bingo cards. But here it is, a spiritual successor to Star Wars: Pod Racer slated to hit current-gen consoles and PC later this year.
It feels awesome to finally be able to look forward to a spiritual successor of the Racer titles. Even our boys, Sebulba and Ben Quadinaros, are back decades after that fateful Boonta Eve Classic race.
With Star Wars: Galactic Racer, Fuse Games (a studio founded by Criterion veterans) aims to inject some of that sweet, old-fashioned Burnout sensibility into the lawless vehicular competitions that thrive in the Outer Rim after the fall of the Empire.
The setting is new, and speeders and bikes are now allowed, but the engines roar the same way, and the difference between winning and losing is how ruthless you can be and how fast you dare go. With both a “high-stakes” solo campaign and PvP multiplayer in the menu, Galactic Racer may be the Star Wars game you didn’t know you wanted.
ONTOS – TBA 2026
Release date: TBA 2026 | Developer: Frictional Games | Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5
We're always on the lookout for space horror games, so ONTOS grabbed us immediately when it was announced at the 2025 Game Awards.
It comes to us from Amnesia developer Frictional Games, and that pedigree alone is enough to guarantee the spooks. We play as Aditi Amani, a young woman who has been invited to the repurposed moon hotel Samsara by her estranged father. Once a brilliant man, he's now become a cult-leading prophet who puts you through "a gauntlet of chilling experiments and disturbing encounters that push the boundaries of both science and morality.”
It won't be for the faint of heart, but if you're an absolute sicko like us, we bet something compelling lurks beneath the game's gorgeous surface. Frictional is promising a stronger focus on puzzles, exploration, and tough moral dilemmas, which should help it separate from the studio’s previous efforts.
If you needed another reason to check out this nightmarish sci-fi game, Stellan Skarsgård (Andor) has voiced the lead role of the troubled prophet. That gravely voice is almost worth the price of admission alone.
Halo: Campaign Evolved – TBA 2026
Release date: TBA 2026 | Developer: Halo Studios | Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5
We've had one Halo: Combat Evolved remake, yes, but what about second Halo remake?
Coming in 2026 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original Xbox game, Halo: Campaign Evolved will also bring this iconic sci-fi shooter series to PlayStation for the first time. It’s a big shakeup for what once was the brand’s flagship exclusive, but we're thrilled that more gamers will get a chance to be a Spartan and experience one of gaming’s most memorable adventures.
This time around, the developers are gunning for an “expanded remake” of the original game, meaning the campaign has been rebuilt from the ground up to accommodate a more modern sensibility and cutting-edge graphical tech.
For now, only the story campaign is part of the deal, but the promise is four-player online co-op, three all-new missions, and an expanded arsenal of weapons, vehicles, and enemies. There’s also been talk of extra modes and challenges to shake things up big time, but we’re still waiting for more details on the return of Master Chief.
Falling Frontier – TBA 2026
Release date: TBA 2026 | Developer: Stutter Fox Studios | Platform: PC
Falling Frontier is an independent title that caught our attention, and it's shaping up to be a profoundly refreshing sci-fi RTS and a promising candidate for our best space settlement games list.
Defined as a single-player strategy game where players "explore a vast procedurally generated star system," the goal is to survive and expand after completing the construction of a space port in orbit of a new world.
The problem? Other human factions with deep-rooted rivalries that come from the "old colonial wars" have also arrived at the same system. Getting the right pieces of intel and using the most effective tactics will be the only thing separating victory from defeat in this new system.
To get that extra edge, your ships can be fully customized along with their crews. And, on top of all that, the developers are promising mod support and level editors that can power the game for years to come.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 – TBA 2026
Release date: TBA 2026 | Developer: KING Art | Platforms: PC
Praise the Emperor, because in 2026, we’re getting the long-awaited return of the Dawn of War series with Dawn of War IV, a sequel that promises a bigger focus on the base-building and traditional RTS focus of the original. Relic Entertainment won’t be returning to Kronus, though; it’s Iron Harvest developer KING Art behind the wheel this time.
We know four factions will be available at launch — Space Marines, Orks, Necrons, and the Adeptus Mechanicus as newcomers — alongside a campaign that’s over 70 missions long. Expect the usual offline skirmishes and competitive online matches too.
The original Dawn of War is, in our humble opinion, the best Warhammer 40K game of all time, and it's among the best strategy games ever made, period. If the raw gameplay is as hard-hitting as Dawn of War 4’s visuals and narrative ambition, we may be looking at the follow-up to the 2004 all-timer that’s finally worthy of that crown.
Star Wars: Zero Company – TBA 2026
Release date: TBA 2026 | Developer: Bit Reactor, Respawn Entertainment | Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5
The next video game release from a galaxy far, far away is Star Wars: Zero Company, a twist on the familiar XCOM formula that will take us back to the Clone Wars. And you’ll be pleased to learn many of the developers at Bit Reactor come from Firaxis — the developers of XCOM — so there’s a solid guarantee of something special coming out of this one... as long as dark forces don’t mess with the creative process.
The open-ended story follows “an unconventional outfit of professionals” tasked with taking down an unknown, shadowy threat away from the biggest frontlines of the war.
Jedi, clone troopers, Mandalorians, Umbarans, and astromechs are among the squad members you’ll be able to recruit, but the developers are promising both unique and “curated” characters as well as procedurally generated (and fully customizable) ones. Roleplaying will be part of the narrative side of things, too, and you can expect a lot of exciting and flexible turn-based action if you choose to accept this mission.
Lunar Strike – TBA 2026
Release date: TBA 2026 | Developer: Cognition | Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5
We’ve been keeping tabs on Lunar Strike since it was announced, and it’s always great to see more narrative adventure games with a big emphasis on science breaking through the sci-fi pew-pew noise.
It’s set on the Moon’s South Pole in the distant year of 2119 and follows a “junior archivist sent to document humanity’s final lunar colony.” What starts as one more trip becomes a fight for survival — both yourself and the colony — when sabotage occurs.
This ‘fight for survival’ doesn’t involve combat, though. Instead, Lunar Strike’s gameplay loop focuses on exploration, survival mechanics like managing oxygen and energy, and preserving ‘the archive’ as everything crumbles. On top of everything, there are “branching narrative outcomes,” and players will have to analyze crime scenes. If you’re looking for a realistic space adventure, keep this one on your radar.
Luna Abyss – TBA 2026
Release date: TBA 2026 | Developer: Kwalee Labs | Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5
A lot of sci-fi games follow traditional genre playbooks, but Luna Abyss looks like it's bringing something else to the table, offering up a story-driven single-player FPS that incorporates fluid platforming and bullet hell combat.
We play as Fawkes, a prisoner, who has been given an unusual sentence: explore a derelict megastructure that sprawls deep beneath the surface of the mimic moon Luna. No, we don't know what a mimic moon is, but we're mighty intrigued, and the lore we’ve read and footage we’ve seen suggest something darker and more mind-bending lurks at the center of this one.
Luna Abyss will see us exploring doomed worlds and impossible megastructures, with a strong focus on fast platforming and combat that draws inspiration from heavy hitters like Sony and Housemarque’s Returnal. We can’t resist the allure of this one.
Interested? Good, because there's a demo available right now on Steam.
Exodus – TBA 2027
Release date: TBA 2027 | Developer: Archetype Entertainment | Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5
While the next Mass Effect is a ways off, we should be getting something similar with Exodus, another ambitious action-RPG from Archetype Entertainment, a studio that includes BioWare, 343 Industries, and Naughty Dog talent. It’s meant to be the start of a bold new sci-fi universe that puts players at the center of humanity’s fight for survival thousands of years into the future. The twist that gives it spice? Our worst enemies are our future selves. Also, there are armored space bears.
It remains to be seen if Exodus will be able to escape the shadows of its more obvious influences, but everything we’ve heard and read about it so far makes it sound like one of the most enticing high-concept AAA games in quite a while.
Using time dilation as a key mechanic that can reshape the narrative is an incredibly ambitious idea by itself, but the worldbuilding that’s been shown so far is worth keeping tabs on, too. Moreover, the real-time combat appears to pack a punch while looking consistently dazzling. The bad news is that we don’t have a specific release window yet.
SOL Shogunate – TBA 2027
Release date: TBA 2027 | Developer: Chaos Manufacturing | Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5
SOL Shogunate is an action-RPG that dares to ask the question, "What if feudal Japan, but on the moon?" Cue a story of space samurai, warring clans, and vengeance set against the backdrop of a lunar city inspired by Japanese architecture. You can even explore the moon on horseback (it's a robot horse, but still).
One of the big hooks here, besides this unique "Astro-feudal Japan" setting, is the low-gravity combat mechanics that allow for some awe-inspiring battles. With the promise of brutal melee combat mixed with futuristic gadgets and elemental systems, the action should be non-stop.
Developer Chaos Manufacturing is swinging for the fences with this one, and we can only admire the ambition. We're optimistic they can pull it off, too, as the first in-game trailer looks genuinely stunning.
Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy – TBA
Release date: TBA | Developer: Owlcat Games | Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5
After the success of Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, Owlcat has once again teamed up with Games Workshop to mix classic RPG game design with the grim darkness of the 41st millennium.
The roster of characters is far weirder (and more alien) this time around, and so is the basic pitch, which invites players to investigate dark cults, root out heresy, and cleanse those who threaten the Imperium of Man. Dark Heresy will blend turn-based combat, a deep party system, and open-ended storytelling as you purge the heretics and eradicate the xenos scum in the name of the Emperor.
Owlcat's pedigree in the CRPG space is proven, so this should be a banger. Newcomers be warned, though; you'll lose tens (or even hundreds) of hours to this one.
Total War: Warhammer 40,000 – TBA
Release date: TBA | Developer: Creative Assembly | Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5
Warhammer 40K is the franchise that never sleeps these days, especially on the video games front, and after the huge success of the Total War: Warhammer trilogy, it's no surprise that Games Workshop and Creative Assembly decided to keep the big collaboration going with Total War: Warhammer 40,000.
In the grim darkness of the far future, you'll be spending tens of hours in the same turn-based, large-scale campaign and controlling massive armies in real-time strategy battlefields.
The Game Awards 2025 reveal was stunning, and with a reworked engine enabling Total War to finally make the jump to consoles, we could be looking at one of the biggest and most successful big-budget strategy games ever.
It all hinges on whether Creative Assembly has figured out how to make the Total War formula work in a sci-fi setting, as this is the franchise's first venture outside fantasy and historical settings.
We'll have Space Marines, Orks, Aeldari, and the Astra Militarum available at launch, but if history has told us anything, it's that things will get busier once DLC packs start pouring in. Our Editor Ian is already writing a petition to get his beloved Necrons on the roster.
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn – TBA
Release date: TBA | Developer: Owlcat Games | Platforms: PC, PS4/5, Xbox One/Series X/S
We’re big on The Expanse here at Space, so we obviously were super happy to see a snazzy new game based on the renowned sci-fi franchise announced during the Summer Game Fest 2025.
It’s coming from Owlcat Games, developers of the excellent Warhammer 40K game Rogue Trader. Despite having also announced an all-new 40K game recently, they’ve also been cooking up The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, an ambitious third-person-shooter RPG based on the immensely popular books and TV show.
Though we have no release window for this one yet, the first-ever gameplay footage looked stunning. Set in the 24th century, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn follows a crew of mercenaries and specialists facing “escalating threats, political pressure, and a relentless enemy that will stop at nothing to see you dead.” In this single-player space odyssey, players will be able to visit well-known planets and moons in our solar system, including Ganymede, Ceres, Mars, Luna, and more.
We had the chance to get hands-on with The Expanse: Osiris Reborn at Gamescom 2025, and it's shaping up to be the Mass Effect successor that we've all been waiting for. Speaking of which…
Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic – TBA
Release date: TBA | Developer: Arcanaut Studios | Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5
Fate of the Old Republic (Are we calling this one FOTOR?) promises to bring back the magic of the now-ancient Knights of the Old Republic RPGs into the modern era. That's exciting on its own, but then we look at the creative team, which is led by BioWare alumni Casey Hudson, who was the director on KOTOR and the Mass Effect trilogy, and it's easy to see why people are hyped about this one.
Sure, there are plenty of Star Wars games in development right now, and history has taught us that many don't reach the finish line. Still, we have hope, and Arcanaut Studios is already ramping up its recruitment efforts.
For now, we can only theorize if Fate of the Old Republic will continue the olden (now Legends) story threads from the KOTOR games, or if it's going to be a part of Lucasfilm's current canon.
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn – TBA
Release date: TBA | Developer: Owlcat Games | Platforms: PC, PS4/5, Xbox One/Series X|S
We’re big on The Expanse here at SPACE, so we obviously were super happy to see a snazzy new game based on the renowned sci-fi franchise announced during the Summer Game Fest 2025.
It’s coming from Owlcat Games, developers of the excellent Warhammer 40K game Rogue Trader. Despite having also announced an all-new 40K game recently, they’ve also been cooking up The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, an ambitious third-person-shooter RPG based on the immensely popular books and TV show.
Though we have no release window for this one yet, the first-ever gameplay footage looked stunning. Set in the 24th century, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn follows a crew of mercenaries and specialists facing “escalating threats, political pressure, and a relentless enemy that will stop at nothing to see you dead.” In this single-player space odyssey, players will be able to visit well-known planets and moons in our solar system, including Ganymede, Ceres, Mars, Luna, and more.
We had the chance to get hands-on with The Expanse: Osiris Reborn at Gamescom 2025, and it's shaping up to be the Mass Effect successor that we've all been waiting for. Speaking of which…
Mass Effect 4 - TBA
Release date: TBA | Developer: BioWare | Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5
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... although some rumors and theories suggest it could be woven into the fourth mainline Mass Effect. This will have the huge task of reigniting a galaxy that was shaken and forever changed by the events of Mass Effect 3. Details are light right now, but we did put together a list of 10 things we want from the next Mass Effect game.
We're obviously excited for this one, but Mass Effect 4 is sadly still quite far away. For now, we recommend revisiting – or discovering for the first time – the outstanding Mass Effect trilogy with 2021's Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. We just know that this will be your favorite game on the Citadel.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet - TBA
Release date: TBA | Developer: Naughty Dog | Platform: PS5
First announced in late 2024 with a mysterious but exciting teaser trailer, Intergalactic marks Naughty Dog's return to science fiction after two decades entirely dedicated to Uncharted and The Last of Us. It retains the studio's signature realism of recent times, but it seems to be going for something completely different when it comes to tone and the overall worldbuilding. Just look at those colors and listen to that music!
The single-player adventure follows Jordan, "a dangerous bounty hunter," on a slightly personal mission that goes sideways. She ends up stranded on a distant and enigmatic planet "whose communication with the outside universe went dark hundreds of years ago," and it looks like she's not alone.
Expect punchy combat and hard-hitting drama, but also a lighter affair than Naughty Dog's recent home runs.
Gears of War: E-Day - TBA
Release date: TBA | Developer: The Coalition | Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S
While the Gears of War games aren't strictly linked to outer space, Sera ain't Earth, and the series's whole storyline and universe-building is very much full of sci-fi elements.
After a long break since 2019's Gears 5, the flagship Xbox franchise comes back with Gears of War: E-Day, a prequel focusing on Emergence Day. This is a return to the bloody beginning when all hell broke loose on the surface of the (up to that point) human-controlled planet.
Little is known about the new gameplay additions, but the in-engine reveal trailer shown during the Xbox Games Showcase 2024 was a corker – led by Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago, the vibes were perfect. Yes, it looks fanservice-y as hell, but we can't deny we're extremely excited for it. Gears of War's traditional single-player, co-op, and competitive multiplayer packages never disappoint, and this one could be the hottest by far since the original trilogy.
Judas - TBA
Release date: TBA | Developer: Ghost Story Games | Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5
If you're a fan of space horror games and you loved the System Shock and BioShock games, then you're in luck with Judas. Ken Levine – the creative director behind System Shock 2, BioShock, and BioShock Infinite – is back with a veteran team of devs and creating another narrative-heavy first-person shooter. However, this game feels like an evolution of the formula he and his people are known for.
According to the official Judas press release, the story takes place inside a disintegrating ship and follows the "desperate escape plan" of a troubled main character. It also sounds like alliances and choices may be part of the game's systems, as Levine has teased in the past that he wanted to push the possibilities of an open-ended narrative further.
It's ambitious sci-fi and, from what we've seen in the Judas reveal trailer, it looks pretty fantastic so far. We're prepared to have our minds blown again.
Star Wars Eclipse - TBA
Release date: TBA | Developer: Quantic Dream | Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS5
Star Wars Eclipse promises to be large, action-heavy, and narratively flexible. Set in the High Republic era of the Star Wars timeline, Lucasfilm Games and Quantic Dream's extremely ambitious title is years away, if it ends up happening at all… but we're still hopeful! In the meantime, at least we have the best Star Wars games to play.
The "branching narrative" game features several characters and takes place across several Star Wars planets, old and new. The Jedi Knights are part of the story, but the Trade Federation and the mysterious Nihil (introduced in the High Republic novels) are part of the larger conflict, too.
Moreover, a previously unseen alien species appears to be preparing for the return of a big villain, and it doesn't look like they're a Sith.
