Top 10 space games

4. FREESPACE 2

Freespace 2 took every element from space games before it and turned it up to 11. Technically inspired by the Descent games, Freespace 2 morphed into its own colossus thanks to an incredible combination of movement, action and tense mission-based combat.

What made Freespace 2 so appealing is that you weren’t the saviour of your people – you were a regular pilot thrown into an interstellar conflict, tasked with doing their part for the good of the war. Large numbers of fighters could be on-screen at any one time, battling to defend or destroy monolithic Capital ships with beams, shells and missiles.

It’s also one of several games on this list to have its source code released online, meaning developers are able to refine and add content without incurring the wrath of the content holders. There are several different versions available, including a Battlestar Galactica mod.

3. STARLANCER

If there was one game which should tell you why we’re so excited for Star Citizen, it’s Starlancer. Chris Roberts proved Wing Commander wasn’t a fluke with this stellar 2000 space sim – it built on everything that had come before, becoming one of the tightest and most absorbing space games around. An incredibly detailed plot that plays out as an interstellar world war 3, draws you in and throws you half way across the galaxy before its conclusion.

Like Wing Commander, your own abilities as a pilot determined the outcome of each mission, earning you better rankings as you perform and unlocking more powerful weaponry in the process. The combat was pin-sharp, but it was the incidental exposition, in the form of text and video news broadcasts which keep you informed about the progress of the war you play a small part in.