Elite
Elite is a 1984 space trading and simulation game developed by Acornsoft, created by David Braben and Ian Bell for the BBC Micro. Players pilot a Cobra Mk III across a vast galaxy of procedurally generated star systems, trading goods between economies, mining asteroids, taking on bounty or piracy, and slowly upgrading their ship while chasing the coveted "Elite" combat rating.
Groundbreaking for its use of filled and wireframe 3D graphics and clever procedural generation to fit thousands of star systems into tiny memory, Elite offered unprecedented open-ended freedom on home computers with no fixed objective. Its non-linear, player-driven design, docking with rotating space stations, and living galactic economy profoundly influenced decades of space and open-world games.
Elite's legacy lives on through its modern online successor in the series and countless space-sim descendants, while the original endures as a genuine landmark of computer gaming history.
Play it today
Modern alternatives to Elite, with the devices they run on and their price. Ordered editorially by how well each one stands in for the original, with community votes weighted in as they accumulate.
Prices, platform availability and Steam Deck compatibility can change at any time. Always check the store page before buying.
Endless Sky Indie
FreeA free, open-source space trading and combat sandbox.
Endless Sky runs on PC, Mac, Linux. Not available on iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, Steam Deck.
No Man's Sky
€ 59,99A vast procedural space-exploration sandbox.
No Man's Sky runs on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet. It is Steam Deck Verified.
EVE Online
Free + in-app purchasesThe vast single-shard space economy, free to play, where Elite's trading and piracy happen between real players.
EVE Online runs on PC, Mac. Not available on Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. It is Steam Deck Playable.
Elite Dangerous
€ 29,99 + in-app purchasesThe massively multiplayer modern successor with a 1:1 Milky Way.
Elite Dangerous runs on PC, PlayStation, Xbox. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, Switch. It is Steam Deck Playable.
X4: Foundations
€ 49,99The deepest space trading sim on the market: fly, trade, build stations and command fleets.
X4: Foundations runs on PC, Linux. Not available on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. It is Steam Deck Verified.
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