Elite Dangerous is a space flight simulation game developed and published by Frontier Developments. The player takes the role of a pilot of a spaceship, and explores a realistic 1:1 scale open-world representation of the Milky Way galaxy, with the gameplay being open-ended. The game is the first in the series to attempt massively multiplayer gameplay, with players' actions affecting the narrative story of the game's persistent universe, while also retaining a single-player mode. Elite Dangerous is the fourth game in the Elite video game series, one of the longest-running video game franchises. It is the sequel to Frontier: First Encounters, released in 1995.
Swords & Soldiers is a 2D sidescrolling real-time strategy game by Ronimo Games. It was released in Europe on May 15, 2009, and in North America on June 8, 2009. It is available for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Android, Wii, PlayStation 3, iOS, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, and Nintendo Switch. Two Tribes released Swords & Soldiers on the Wii U eShop, which was released in North America and Europe on May 22, 2014.
Divinity: Original Sin is a role-playing video game developed and published by Larian Studios. The fourth main entry in the Divinity game series, it is a prequel to the original game Divine Divinity, and to the other main games in the series. It was first released on Microsoft Windows on 30 June 2014.
FTL: Faster Than Light is a space-based top-down real-time strategy roguelike game created by indie developer Subset Games, which was released for Microsoft Windows, macOS and Linux in September 2012. In the game, the player controls the crew of a single spacecraft, holding critical information to be delivered to an allied fleet, while being pursued by a large rebel fleet. The player must guide the spacecraft over eight sectors, each with planetary systems and events procedurally generated in a roguelike fashion, while facing rebel and other hostile forces, recruiting new crew, and outfitting and upgrading their ship. Combat takes place in pausable real time, and if the ship is destroyed or all of its crew lost, the game ends, forcing the player to restart with a new ship.
War for the Overworld is a real-time strategy video game developed by Subterranean Games, which changed its name to Brightrock Games based in Brighton, UK. The game started as a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, which ran from November 29, 2012, to January 3, 2013. In the game, players build dungeons containing deadly traps to kill adventuring heroes that enter. The game is inspired by Dungeon Keeper, StarCraft, Overlord, and Evil Genius. It includes a campaign, sandbox mode, and online multiplayer.
Kinetic Void is a sandbox space trading and combat simulator video game by American developer Badland Studio, which was released on November 21, 2014. The developers claimed that when finished, Kinetic Void would let players take on the role of a space pilot trying to earn a living in the conflict between rival factions in a randomly generated galaxy, but in 2014 Art as Games called it "hollow, unfinished, and now abandoned by the developer" and used it as an example of a Steam Early Access game that promised far more than it could deliver.
King Arthur's Gold is a free online action game developed and published by Transhuman Design for Windows, Mac and Linux.
Steam Machine was a series of prebuilt small form factor gaming PCs designed to operate Valve's SteamOS to provide a video game console-like experience. Several computer vendors were engaged with Valve to develop their own versions of Steam Machines for retail, offering additional options atop Valve's requirements such as dual-booting options with Microsoft Windows and the ability to upgrade the computer.
Early access, also known as early funding, alpha access, alpha founding, or paid alpha, is a funding model in the video game industry by which consumers can purchase and play a game in the various pre-release development cycles, such as pre-alpha, alpha, and/or beta, while the developer is able to use those funds to continue further development on the game. Those that pay to participate typically help to debug the game, provide feedback and suggestions, and may have access to special materials in the game. The early-access approach is a common way to obtain funding for indie games, and may also be used along with other funding mechanisms, including crowdfunding. Many crowdfunding projects promise to offer access to alpha and/or beta versions of the game as development progresses; however, unlike some of these projects which solicit funds but do not yet have a playable game, all early access games offer an immediately playable version of the unfinished game to players.
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is a space shooter video game developed by Asteroid Base for Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4, Linux, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The project is part of the ID@Xbox program. The game's title is a reference to the Bruce Cockburn song "Lovers in a Dangerous Time".
There Came an Echo is a real-time tactics video game developed for the PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows through Steam and was released on 24 February 2015. The player can use a voice control system to direct their units around the battlefield to ensure a tactical advantage over the enemy. The game features voice actors Wil Wheaton, Ashly Burch, Yuri Lowenthal, Laura Bailey and Cassandra Morris.
The Long Dark is a first-person survival video game developed and published by Hinterland Studio. The player assumes the role of a crash-landed bush pilot Will Mackenzie who must survive the frigid Canadian wilderness after a geomagnetic storm. The game received seed financing from the Canada Media Fund, and further funding was secured through a successful Kickstarter campaign in October 2013.
Descent is an unreleased first-person shooter game developed by Descendent Studios, and the prequel to the 1995 video game of the same name. It is the fourth installment in the Descent series. It was successfully funded via the crowdfunding website Kickstarter in 2015 and temporarily released on Steam as an early access title the same year. Descendent Studios signed a deal with publisher Little Orbit for financial support. The game was expected to be available in 2019 on Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, but Little Orbit sued the developer in early 2020, accusing it of breaching its contract and failing to meet deadlines. In turn, Descendent Studios filed a counter lawsuit alleging that Little Orbit failed to fulfill its own obligations and that it was impossible to implement features suggested by the publisher and still meet the deadlines.
PULSAR: Lost Colony is a science fiction space exploration video game being developed by independent developers Leafy Games, LLC. The video game was greenlit on Steam Greenlight on October 3, 2013, and was later funded successfully on Kickstarter on October 31, 2013. The game was released in an Alpha state on February 25, 2014, and was later available on Steam's Early Access program following an official release on June 23, 2021.
Planet Nomads is a 2019 science fiction sandbox video game developed by Craneballs Studio.
Starfall Online is an upcoming MMO real-time strategy video game with wargame elements, that mixes intense tactical combat with in-depth spaceship customization. The project is developed by independent Russian company Snowforged Entertainment.
Call to Arms is a real-time tactics and strategy video game developed by German company Digitalmindsoft as the spiritual successor to the Men of War series. The early access version of the game was released on 30 July 2015 to Steam.
Galcon 2 is a multiplayer real-time strategy video game for Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Android and iOS created by American indie developer Phil Hassey and released in 2014. Like other games in the Galcon series, it is set in outer space and involves maneuvering fleets of ships to capture enemy planets.
Star Conflict is a free-to-play dynamic massively multiplayer online game space action game. The gaming platform Steam describes it as an "action-packed, massively multiplayer space simulation game". The core of the game is PvP spaceships battles, PvE (Co-Op) missions and an open world. The game uses a free-to-play business model.
Starsector is a top-down single-player indie role-playing game developed and published by Fractal Softworks for computers in 2011. Set in the year 3126, the player commands a fleet of spaceships and engages in combat, trade, and exploration in a procedurally generated world.
