The futuristic cousin of the fantasy genre, sci-fi has experienced a renaissance of great games recently. Much like fantasy, there’s limitless potential to the genre, as sci-fi can refer to anything from cyberpunk to space opera, and thanks to more powerful hardware, developers can deliver bigger sci-fi experiences to players.
Even with that, however, some games stand above others. The last decade has featured a variety of great games, from indie titles to major AAA games. These games aren’t just great for the genre but are classics that push the medium forward.
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector Is For Sci-Fi Fans That Love TTRPGs
Citizen Sleeper 2 Starward VectorImage via Jump Over The Age
Jump Over The Age’s Citizen Sleeper franchise has been one of the most underrated sci-fi game franchises of the 2020s. Citizen Sleeper 2 starts the player off as an android that’s just escaped their corporate overlords, and looks to build a life of their own. To do so, they’ll have to gather resources by completing missions with the help of their ship and crew.
Most sci-fi games tend to prefer more action-y combat, but Citizen Sleeper trades that for a slower-paced title where everything is done via dice, similar to more classic tabletop RPGs. This shift allows for the focus to be on the game’s incredible writing, which is packed with emotional moments that will stick with the player long after completing the game. For fans willing to explore a more deliberately paced, text-driven game, Citizen Sleeper 2 is a can’t-miss experience. Still, it’s not a title for everyone, so despite its quality, it ranks last.
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
Systems
Released
January 31, 2025
ESRB
T For Teen Due To Violent References, Use of Alcohol And Tobacco, Drug Reference, Language
Developer(s)
Jump Over the Age
Publisher(s)
Fellow Traveller
Number of Players
1
PC Release Date
January 31, 2025
Returnal Offers A Challenging Bullet Hell Experience
ReturnalImage via Housemarque
Housemarque had always been known for creating great video games, but with Returnal, they managed to create a title with a broad appeal. Returnal maintains the challenging bullet hell combat from the previous games, but adds high-fidelity graphics and a compelling narrative that pulls people in. The result is one of the best games of the generation, and an underrated classic for the PlayStation 5.
Returnal puts players in the role of Selene Vassos, an astronaut who lands on the planet Atropos to gain information on a strange signal the planet’s putting out. After reaching Atropos, Selene quickly realizes she’s caught in a time loop. Each time she dies on the planet, she’s brought back to the moment she first landed. With no other choice, she’s forced to keep trying until she can find a way off the planet.
Returnal
Systems
Released
April 30, 2021
ESRB
T for Teen: Blood, Mild Language, Violence
Developer(s)
Housemarque
Publisher(s)
Sony
Engine
Unreal Engine 4
Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
1000xResist Is More Than Just A Sci-Fi Story
1000xResistImage via Fellow Traveler
2024 was a busy year for gaming ever, and that meant many players missed 1000xResist, an incredible sci-fi game from Sunset Visitor and Fellow Traveler Games. It takes place in the distant future, where humanity has been nearly wiped out by aliens through a pandemic. Players learn the secrets of what happened to humanity, and must decide what comes next in a community populated entirely by clones.
1000xResist is an amazing sci-fi game, but it’s also one of the best-written video games in recent memory. Instead of merely being interested in a speculative future, it examines many real-world issues like intergenerational trauma and conflicts between diasporas. It’s the kind of mature storytelling that often eludes gaming and is perfect for people exhausted by the usual flashy blockbuster narratives.
1000xRESIST
Systems
Released
May 9, 2024
ESRB
Mature 17+ / Blood, Violence, Use of Drugs, Suggestive Themes, Strong Language
Developer(s)
Sunset Visitor
Publisher(s)
Fellow Traveller
Engine
Unity
Number of Players
Single-player
Enemy AI in Arc Raiders is dangerous and terrifyingImage via Embark Studios
Arc Raiders was one of the best surprises of 2025. Originally announced as a co-op title in 2021, Embark Studios chose to transform the title into a PvPvE extraction shooter, and that proved to be an amazing choice. While extraction shooters had an audience for years, there’s nothing quite like Arc Raiders, which simplifies many of the more “hardcore” elements while still keeping addictive gunplay.
Set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where robots known as ARC have conquered topside, players take on the role of a “raider”: scavenging for items to bring back to humanity underground. From outfits to weaponry, Arc Raiders presents a society that relies on patchworking together anything they find. Combine that with a sick synthwave soundtrack, and it’s one of the most fun sci-fi multiplayer games available.
ARC Raiders
Systems
Released
October 30, 2025
ESRB
Teen / Violence, Blood
Developer(s)
Embark Studios
Publisher(s)
Embark Studios
Engine
Unreal Engine 5
Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
Prey Is One Of The Greatest Immersive Sims Ever Made
Prey 2017 gameplayImage via Arkane
When discussing the best sci-fi games, Prey absolutely has to come up. Arkane Austin created one of the finest immersive sims of all time, and it’s a shame that more players never gave it a chance. A spiritual successor to System Shock, Prey brings players to the space station Talos I, where they have to try to make their way off while also avoiding the dangerous shapeshifting aliens known as the Typhon.
Prey really challenges players to tackle scenarios however they like. Thanks to the unique tools and special powers the player gains, every combat encounter or puzzle challenge can be tackled in any number of ways, limited only by the player’s imagination. It’s the kind of emergent gameplay that other developers spend years chasing, mastered here by Arkane Austin in a single title.
Prey
Systems
Released
May 5, 2017
ESRB
M for Mature: Blood, Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence
Developer(s)
Arkane Studios
Publisher(s)
Bethesda
Engine
id Tech 4
Star Wars Jedi Survivor Lets Players Live Out Their Dream Of Being A Jedi
Image via Lucasfilm Games
It’s impossible to talk about the best sci-fi games without discussing Star Wars. Respawn Entertainment has created one of the best Star Wars game series of any era with Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. The Star Wars Jedi series finally puts players in the role of a Jedi Knight, giving players access not only to some incredible powers but also to multiple forms of lightsaber combat.
Yet the fantasy doesn’t stop there, as Jedi Survivor gives players more control than ever as the battle against the Empire continues. As Cal Kestis, they’re free to explore a half-dozen planets while on their quest to find the perfect planet to shield people from the Empire. Visually stunning, and with one of the best stories in modern Star Wars, it’s safe to say Jedi Survivor is the dream Star Wars experience.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Systems
Released
April 28, 2023
ESRB
T For Teen due to Mild Language, Violence
Developer(s)
Respawn Entertainment
Publisher(s)
Electronic Arts
Engine
Unreal Engine 4
No Man’s Sky Offers Limitless Exploration
Image via Hello Games
There isn’t a better redemption story in gaming than No Man’s Sky. What initially launched as just a mediocre survival game has grown into one of the best, and certainly one of the greatest sci-fi games around. Constant updates have allowed this game to not just become everything it was hyped up to be, but so much more.
Most sci-fi games don’t come close to matching No Man’s Sky‘s ability to make a player feel utterly immersed in an alien galaxy. There’s plenty of the usual base-building and exploration for those who just want to mess around, but that’s just scratching the surface. The developers have also prepared multiple different storylines players can explore to get to know the universe’s lore.
No Man’s Sky
Systems
Released
August 9, 2016
ESRB
T for Teen: Fantasy Violence, Animated Blood
Developer(s)
Hello Games
Publisher(s)
Hello Games
Engine
Proprietary
Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
Cyberpunk 2077 Is The Peak Of Blockbuster Open-World Games
Image via CD Projekt Red
Not every sci-fi game has to take place on another planet. Following the creation of one of the best fantasy games ever, CDProjekt decided to adapt a beloved pen-and-paper game next with Cyberpunk 2077. While the result was rocky at first, CDProjekt eventually developed this into one of the best games of the last decade through its DLC and 2.0 update.
Taking place in the futuristic Night City, Cyberpunk 2077 is essentially first-person GTA in the distant future. As the mercenary V, players split their time between murky side-jobs and trying to stop the legendary rocker/terrorist Johnny Silverhand from overriding their consciousness with their own after a mission gone bad.
Despite that ticking clock, players enjoy ultimate freedom in terms of how they tackle missions or design their character, with the option to be as silent or as deadly as they want. While the standalone game is fantastic, the Phantom Liberty DLC makes for an even better experience.
Cyberpunk 2077
Systems
Released
December 10, 2020
ESRB
M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
Developer(s)
CD Projekt Red
Publisher(s)
CD Projekt Red
Engine
REDengine 4
Xenoblade X: Definitive Edition Takes Players Into A Truly Alien World
Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition PrimordiaImage via Nintendo
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition was one of the greatest video games of 2025. An improvement on the original Wii U game, the Definitive Edition not only adds key quality-of-life changes but also provides an additional chapter to give the story the closure absent from the original.
Unlike the other Xenoblade games, X takes players to the sci-fi world of Mira, where they try to eke out an existence after having Earth destroyed by aliens. It sets players loose in an expansive open-world that actually feels like an alien planet. Both the plant and animal life are unlike anything on Earth.
While the main story tells an intriguing sci-fi narrative about two clashing races, fans will likely find themselves more enthralled by the well-written side stories. It doesn’t hurt that the game gives players the option to pilot flying mecha whenever they want.
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Released
December 4, 2015
ESRB
T For Teen Due To Animated Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence
Developer(s)
Monolith Soft, Nintendo SPD
Engine
XC2/Torna
Multiplayer
Local Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer
Outer Wilds Provides Players With An Unforgettable Experience
The Outer WildsImage via Mobius Digital, Annapurna Interactive
Outer Wilds is one of the most beloved games of the last decade, and with good reason. The developers over at Mobius Digital created a beautifully poignant game that was unlike anything out at the time. For players who gave it a chance, it didn’t just steal their hearts, but left an indelible mark on them, making it hard not to compare every game afterward to Outer Wilds.
In Outer Wilds, the player is an astronaut who’s stuck in a time loop where the entire universe ends after the sun goes supernova. Players have only twenty-two minutes between loops, and they have to piece together both what happened to the previous alien race that inhabited their system and how to stop the loop.
A challenging title that encourages players to think outside the box as they solve puzzles and piece together lore, The Outer Wilds is the peak of sci-fi video games. It’s a title every fan of the genre should play.
Outer Wilds
Systems
Released
May 28, 2019
ESRB
E10+ For Everyone 10+ due to Fantasy Violence, Alcohol Reference
Developer(s)
Mobius Digital
Engine
Unity
