EVE Online
EVE Online is a 2003 MMORPG developed by CCP Games, a vast single-shard space simulation renowned for its player-driven economy and politics. Players pilot spacecraft across a galaxy of thousands of interconnected star systems, trading, mining, manufacturing, and waging war, all sharing one persistent universe rather than separate servers.
The game is famous for placing nearly everything in players' hands, from a complex market economy where almost all goods are built by players from mined materials, to sprawling player-run corporations and alliances that fight enormous battles over sovereignty in lawless null-security space. Its skill system trains in real time even while offline, and its emergent stories of espionage, corporate theft, betrayal, and record-breaking fleet battles have become legendary well beyond the game itself.
EVE Online remains active today, continually updated over two decades and still hosting one of gaming's most dedicated and self-organizing communities. It stands as a singular experiment in persistent, player-shaped online worlds.
Play it today
Modern alternatives to EVE Online, 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.
X4: Foundations Indie
€ 49,99An indie space sandbox of trading, building empires and fleet command.
X4: Foundations runs on PC, Mac, Linux. Not available on iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. It is Steam Deck Verified.
EVE Online
Free + in-app purchasesThe still-running sandbox itself, playable free with premium options.
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
€ 29,99An open-world space sim with a shared, evolving galaxy.
Elite Dangerous runs on PC. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. It is Steam Deck Playable.
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