Games Like X4: Foundations

It is the year 2938. The long wished-for encounter of the X Universe and the Earth holds both joy and sorrow for the people. Despite flourishing trade, the clash of the diverse races, cultures and life forms creates new tensions, mistrust and open conflict that need to be overcome!

Why similar: Space 21.7%, Space Sim 15.8%, Trading 12.9%, Sandbox 8.6%, Economy 6.5%

Why You'll Like It: Offers the classic X-series progression from a lone spacecraft to an industrial and military empire in a reactive simulated universe.

A procedural co-op space sandbox where players can build their own space ships out of dynamically scalable blocks. Fight epic space battles, explore, mine, trade, wage wars and build your own empire to save your galaxy from being torn apart by an unknown enemy.

Why similar: Space Sim 18.5%, Flight 14%, Trading 11.6%, Space 10.5%, Economy 9.2%

Why You'll Like It: A sandbox space sim centered on designing ships, exploring a dynamic galaxy, building stations, automating trade, and commanding fleets.

In the distant future, the X universe faces a period of profound and irrevocable change. While the universe stumbles towards an uncertain future, countless adventures await as new enemies rise in search of power.

Why similar: Space 27.4%, Space Sim 18.6%, Sci-fi 10.4%, Simulation 9.6%, Sandbox 8%

Why You'll Like It: X4's direct predecessor shares its living universe, station construction, economic systems, faction conflicts, and capital-ship command.

Strategy from the front lines! Starpoint Gemini Warlords combines 3rd person capital spaceship combat with 4X strategy and RPG gameplay elements. Build mighty war fleets and send them into battle or lead them into combat yourself. Become the Warlord and conquer the Gemini system!

Why similar: 4X 17.4% ★, Space Sim 14.9%, Moddable 12.2%, Space 11%, Grand Strategy 9.5%

Why You'll Like It: Lets you pilot a capital ship while expanding territory, constructing stations, commanding forces, and pursuing trade or conquest in an open galaxy.

Embark on a journey to greatness. Get ready for adrenaline-fueled battles and a chance to claim your place in the galaxy. Grab the controls of your ship, gear up for the fight, and unleash your ambition to conquer and build a new empire in the vastness of space.

Why similar: Space Sim 27.2%, Flight 21.3%, Space 12.1%, Economy 11.2%, Open World 10.3%

Why You'll Like It: Provides an open-universe progression from piloting your own ship to faction management, base building, diplomacy, and fleet warfare.

Start with nothing... End with everything! All you have is a basic ship, barely fit for combat, with it you'll start your journey and empire. A open world space sandbox, inspired by and expanding the classics.

Why similar: 4X 17.3% ★, Space Sim 15.6%, Moddable 11.9%, Trading 11.1%, Flight 9.2%

Why You'll Like It: Combines direct spaceship control with open-world trading, mining, faction warfare, base construction, and the ability to lead a growing fleet.

X3: Reunion continues the epic space saga, blending deep space trading and intense real-time combat. Explore a vast universe, establish your empire, and shape the new frontier. With enhanced graphics and intricate economies, it's a journey of strategy, simulation, and interstellar intrigue.

Why similar: Space Sim 20.2%, Space 19.7%, Economy 10%, Flight 8.8%, Trading 8.7%

Why You'll Like It: An earlier but still expansive X-series sandbox featuring the same core appeal of trading, factories, capital ships, and spacefaring empire growth.

Astrox Imperium is a relaxing space game where you fly around a generated universe. Mining, Fighting, Building, Exploring, and Surviving. What makes this game unique? You have complete control of how it plays. A robust sandbox and lots of MOD tools. Make it your game, and play it your own way.

Why similar: Space 29.9%, Space Sim 29.7%, Sandbox 13%, Open World 11.6%, Simulation 8%

Why You'll Like It: Its asteroid-belt setting still provides a remarkably X-like loop of mining, production chains, AI-operated ships, combat, and corporate-scale expansion.

Take control of your own starship and blaze your trail in an ever-changing galaxy. Master the arts of combat, mining and trade or venture out into the unknown across a 1:1 scale universe.

Why similar: Space Sim 32.9%, Space 18.4%, Open World 11.9%, Trading 8.8%, Sci-fi 7.5%

Why You'll Like It: Best for players who most enjoy X4's cockpit-level flying, large-scale exploration, trading routes, mining, and emergent galactic setting.

Advanced Space Flight, Combat, Trading, and Exploration Simulation. Set in a vast explorable universe, Evochron Legacy offers freeform gameplay with many diverse objectives and paths to choose from.

Why similar: Space Sim 26.1%, Trading 18.5%, Space 13.7%, Sandbox 9.5%, Open World 9%

Why You'll Like It: A deep single-player spaceflight sandbox with free exploration, trading, mining, combat, contracts, and detailed ship customization.

X²: The Threat is of a new generation of space simulator games, you play the role of Julian Gardna who continues the story set by X: Beyond The Frontier. The updated graphics engine gives the universe a fresher feel with newly designed ships and stations adding to the complexity of the universe.

Why similar: Space 19.6%, Space Sim 16.1%, Trading 13.2%, Economy 9.5%, Sandbox 7.1%

Why You'll Like It: A foundational X-series economic space sim where personal piloting gradually gives way to ownership of factories, traders, and fleets.

Build and explore in a true space sandbox survival adventure. Construct mighty capital vessels, sprawling planetary settlements, and vast space stations in your galactic journey to discover the mysteries of Empyrion!

Why similar: Space Sim 27.5%, Space 18.4%, Open World 13.1%, Sandbox 12.2%, Sci-fi 8.6%

Why You'll Like It: Combines first-person exploration and survival with construction of spacecraft, bases, production networks, trading, and faction combat.

Over 20 years of legendary space battles! Explore a massive living universe of danger and opportunity in a challenging and highly rewarding space adventure. Fight, trade, build, and connect with a universe driven and shaped directly by players.

Why similar: Space Sim 21.9%, Trading 19.7%, Space 12.6%, Economy 10%, Open World 9.4%

Why You'll Like It: Its player-driven economy, industrial production, territorial politics, and huge-scale fleet conflicts echo X4's galactic-economic ambitions in an MMO format.

Design and simulate the starships of your dreams! Command your ship or fleet in epic battles and manage your crew while exploring a dangerous galaxy. Play alone or with friends, test your ships in online PvP, and let your imagination reach for the stars!

Why similar: Space Sim 34.6%, Space 23%, Sci-fi 17.9%, Exploration 7.7%, Strategy 7.3%

Why You'll Like It: Lets you construct functional ships, manage crews and logistics, trade across a sandbox galaxy, and grow from a small vessel to a fleet.

Distant Worlds 2 is a vast, pausable real-time 4X space strategy game.

Why similar: 4X 37% ★, Grand Strategy 22.2%, Space 14%, Sci-fi 8.2%, Strategy 8.1%

Why You'll Like It: Trades direct piloting for a vast, living 4X galaxy where civilian economies, mining networks, diplomacy, exploration, and wars develop simultaneously.

Space Engineers is a sandbox engineering game where you design and build ships, stations, and planetary bases in a fully destructible environment. Explore planets and space, mine resources, survive hazards, and engage in combat alone or with friends in Creative or Survival modes.

Why similar: Space Sim 23.4%, Moddable 23.3%, Space 13.9%, Sandbox 10.8%, Open World 10.2%

Why You'll Like It: A physics-driven space sandbox for building ships and stations, harvesting resources, automating industry, and exploring or fighting in a player-shaped universe.

Trade your wares and eliminate the competition in a cutthroat world. Buy new ships and stations to mine and haul resources. Explore the vast emptiness of space.

Why similar: Space Sim 36.1%, Space 20.5%, Trading 12.6%, Simulation 7.2%, Economy 6.9%

Why You'll Like It: Focuses tightly on managing a realistic space economy through mining, logistics, ship ownership, station construction, and faction relations.

Endless Sky is a 2D space trading and combat game inspired by the classic Escape Velocity series. Work your way up from a relatively wimpy shuttle, cargo ship, or fighter, to a highly upgraded and customized flagship or to a massive fleet of warships or freighters.

Why similar: Space 29.4%, Trading 15.2%, Space Sim 14.7%, Open World 11.9%, Sci-fi 8%

Why You'll Like It: A free-form 2D space sandbox with trading, missions, fleet acquisition, combat, and a satisfying climb from independent pilot to major operator.

Embark on a space voyage with your ragtag crew of civilians in search of a new home. Build spaceships tile by tile, create optimal gas conditions, manage the needs and moods of their crew, encounter other space-faring groups, and explore the universe in this spaceship colony simulation.

Why similar: Space Sim 24.2%, Space 16.3%, Sandbox 12.2%, Management 10.6%, Open World 10.3%

Why You'll Like It: Its ship construction, resource logistics, crew simulation, trading, and emergent crises offer a smaller-scale but similarly systemic space-management experience.

Battle for galactic dominance in this real-time 4X strategy game with unrivaled scale! You’ll explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate through military force, diplomacy, trade, culture, influence, and other underhanded tactics.

Why similar: 4X 42.9% ★, Space 27.1%, Sci-fi 9.9%, Strategy 8.6%, Immersive Sim 7.2%

Why You'll Like It: A strong choice for X4 players who want to emphasize real-time expansion, planetary economies, capital fleets, and large-scale space warfare.

You are the captain of a starship venturing through a massive open universe. Customize your crew and take command at the helm of your very own ship as you explore a galaxy torn apart by internal strife, alien threats, and political intrigue.

Why similar: Moddable 17.9%, Trading 16.3%, Space Sim 16%, Economy 8.2%, Space 7.6%

Why You'll Like It: A richly simulated spacefaring sandbox built around commanding a ship, trading, faction reputation, crew management, and strategic expansion.

Explore a galaxy full of wonders in this sci-fi grand strategy game from Paradox Development Studios. Interact with diverse alien races, discover strange new worlds with unexpected events and expand the reach of your empire. Each new adventure holds almost limitless possibilities.

Why similar: 4X 25% ★, Grand Strategy 18.6%, Space 15.2%, Moddable 9.4%, Sandbox 8.5%

Why You'll Like It: It captures the diplomatic, economic, exploratory, and empire-building side of X4, though from a grand-strategy perspective rather than a cockpit.

Choose your own destiny as you explore an open-world procedurally generated galaxy where anything is possible. Become a miner, a trader, a bounty hunter, a pirate, or perhaps a jack of all trades. Start off small and build your way to the top but remember with every action, comes consequences.

Why similar: Space 23.1%, Space Sim 20.1%, Sandbox 17.5%, Open World 15%, Sci-fi 10.9%

Why You'll Like It: Offers a procedural open galaxy where you can trade, mine, fight, recruit companions, customize ships, and establish influence with factions.

A physics-based mining sim, set in the thickest debris field in Sol. Every action has a reaction, lasers are invisible without a medium, and your thrust is a potent weapon. Find trade, adapt your equipment to your playstyle, hire a crew to help. Unravel the mysteries of the rings, or just get rich.

Why similar: Space Sim 25.8%, Space 19.2%, Immersive Sim 10.6%, Open World 10.3%, Sci-fi 10.3%

Why You'll Like It: A grounded asteroid-mining sim with detailed ship systems, salvage, commerce, upgrades, and the methodical economic loop found in X4's early game.

Interstellar Rift is an open world starship simulator with an emphasis on ship construction and multi-player interaction. Survive in a hostile galaxy with your own custom designed and constructed starship. Invite other players to join your crew or fight them across the galaxy!

Why similar: Space Sim 24.8%, Trading 18.7%, Space 11.6%, Open World 10.3%, Sandbox 10.2%

Why You'll Like It: Features customizable ships, resource gathering, crafting, trade, exploration, and survival across a sandbox sci-fi setting.

The RTS/FPS phenomenon has moved into space! Build your base on an asteroid, command fleets of starships for epic battles, pilot fighters, mine and trade resources, assemble robots to defend or assault other stations. Take sole command or share the glory as you fight for control of the quadrant.

Why similar: Space Sim 45.7%, Space 22.5%, Sci-fi 10.1%, Strategy 9.1%, First-Person 6.8%

Why You'll Like It: Mixes base building, resource extraction, research, and fleet combat with the unusual option to personally enter the battlefield in first person.

Rebel Galaxy is a swashbuckling space adventure, with action-packed combat, exploration, discovery, trade, and “negotiation” with the outlandish denizens at the edge of the known universe.

Why similar: Space 31.9%, Space Sim 21.1%, Open World 13.5%, Sci-fi 10.4%, Trading 8.2%

Why You'll Like It: A more accessible spacefaring sandbox focused on ship combat, mercantile work, upgrades, faction jobs, and free-roaming frontier exploration.

EVERSPACE 2 is a fast-paced single-player spaceship shooter with exploration in space and on planets, tons of loot, RPG elements, mining, and crafting. Experience an exciting sci-fi story set in a vivid, handcrafted open world full of secrets, puzzles, and perils.

Why similar: Flight 26.2%, Space 25.6%, Open World 17.2%, Sci-fi 10.2%, Exploration 9%

Design and build a massive interstellar fleet in this simulation sandbox. Strip space of its minerals for profit, but stay alert: your greed attracts the alien. Master deep base-building and deploy warships to protect your empire in immersive real-time space.

Why similar: Space Sim 18.8%, Trading 16%, Flight 12.5%, Economy 10.8%, Space 10.5%

Take command of your hand-tailored fleet of space warships and use realistic radar, electronic warfare, advanced movement controls in 3D space, and precision targeting to outmaneuver and outwit your opponents in a simulation-heavy tactical space game like no other.

Why similar: Grand Strategy 38.7%, Sandbox 18.6%, Open World 18.2%, Strategy 9%, Simulation 8.8%

Why You'll Like It: It delivers the detailed tactical capital-ship command and sensor-driven fleet engagements that make X4's larger battles compelling.

Space Engineers 2 is a playable Early Access Alpha sandbox focused on engineering, exploration, and colonization in a fully destructible universe. Design and build ships, stations, and planetary bases while uncovering the story of Miro and Ivan Sokol. Help shape the future of the Almagest system.

Why similar: Moddable 22.9%, Space Sim 17.7%, Space 14.7%, Sandbox 12%, Open World 9.9%

Command a space-faring empire in Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion, the new stand-alone expansion that combines 4X depth with real-time strategy gameplay.

Why similar: 4X 22.1% ★, Space Sim 17.2%, Grand Strategy 15.1%, Space 10.2%, Sandbox 7.9%

Become the Captain of an interstellar cruiser and journey across the galaxy to save the Republic. During your journey you will have to make important decisions, improve the weaponry of your ship and fight against numerous enemies.

Why similar: Space Sim 26.3%, Space 23.6%, Sandbox 8.4%, Sci-fi 7.6%, Flight 7%

Space. Ships. Resources. Trading. Production. Combat. Mine ore, haul cargo, and find profitable trade routes. Buy and capture ships, build your fleet, construct stations, and develop your production. Start with your first ship. Build your empire!

Why similar: Space Sim 28%, Economy 15.1%, Space 14.4%, Flight 13.2%, Open World 12.8%

An alien invasion has fractured humanity into seven ideological factions each with a unique vision for the future. Lead your chosen faction to take control of Earth’s nations, expand across the Solar System, and battle enemy fleets in tactical combat.

Why similar: 4X 23.8% ★, Grand Strategy 16.7%, Moddable 15.9%, Economy 10.9%, Space 9.3%

Build the most efficient intergalactic factory in space simulation strategy game Dyson Sphere Program! Harness the power of stars, collect resources, plan and design production lines and develop your interstellar factory from a small space workshop to a galaxy-wide industrial empire.

Why similar: Space 25.3%, Space Sim 15.9%, Open World 13.8%, Sandbox 12.1%, Management 10.3%

Navigate your scrappy ship through the boneyard in search of valuable parts in abandoned vessels. Use salvage to upgrade your ship, or sell it for cash to pay down your mounting debt, or restock fuel, air, or food. Fly and role-play aboard your dream spaceship in this hardcore noir space-sim.

Why similar: Space Sim 22.4%, Flight 18.4%, Space 12.8%, Trading 11.9%, Sandbox 10.1%

EVERSPACE™ combines fast-paced combat with roguelike elements, great visuals and a captivating story. It takes you on a challenging journey through an ever-changing, beautifully crafted universe full of surprises. Shoot, craft and loot your way to victory while the odds are stacked against you.

Why similar: Space 35%, Space Sim 27.5%, Flight 16%, Sci-fi 10.7%, Action 5.1%

The ultimate space sandbox. Participate in epic fleet battles, form alliances, strive to dominate entire galaxies and harness the universe’s resources for your industrious empire or the destruction of others. Customise your experience, the universe is yours!

Why similar: Space 29.2%, Sandbox 19.8%, Open World 15.3%, Space Sim 13.4%, Sci-fi 8.8%

Take command of a civilization that has just achieved faster-than-light travel in Galactic Civilizations IV, the newest entry in the award-winning space 4X strategy game series. Explore the galaxy, colonize worlds, shape cultures, make alliances, fight wars and pioneer new technologies.

Why similar: 4X 23.4% ★, Grand Strategy 16.9%, Moddable 15.6%, Space 11.5%, Sandbox 8.1%

The life of an independent mercenary is rarely without excitement. Your spacecraft awaits and your adventure begins in the Sapphire star system.

Why similar: Space 24.1%, Space Sim 22.5%, Flight 9.6%, Open World 9.1%, Sandbox 8.8%

Experience the epic space strategy games that redefined the RTS genre. Control your fleet and build an armada across more than 30 single-player missions. Choose unit types, fleet formations and flight tactics for each strategic situation.

Why similar: Space 46.6%, Sci-fi 17.2%, Strategy 13.2%, Moddable 13.1%, Simulation 4.2%

ENDLESS Space™ 2 is a Strategic Space Opera, featuring the compelling “just one more turn” gameplay, set in the mysterious ENDLESS Universe™. As the leader of your civilization, will you impose your vision and build the greatest stellar empire?

Why similar: Strategy 62.1%, 4X 13.4% ★, Space 12.6%, Sci-fi 3.9%, Grand Strategy 3.8%

The Human Race had advanced to the point where we could travel among the stars, we developed giant automated machines to help us colonise other worlds, but there was a fault in their programming and they turned and attacked. Forcing us to lay a trap to protect Earth and exiling the Human race to stay on Earth once again.

Why similar: Space 17.8%, Space Sim 17.1%, Trading 15.3%, Economy 8.5%, Simulation 7.5%

Haul cargo, trade salvage and keep your space suit close as you search for fame and fortune among the stars in a game that puts an interstellar twist on the truck sim genre.

Why similar: Space Sim 22.9%, Moddable 18.1%, Space 13.3%, Open World 9.6%, Sandbox 7.8%

The Universe is yours. SpaceCraft is an online space exploration and building game. Explore a vast galaxy of solar systems and planets, mine and craft resources, design and build ships, automate planetary bases and interplanetary logistics, trade and cooperate.

Why similar: Space Sim 27.1%, Space 18.4%, Sandbox 13.3%, Open World 13.2%, Sci-fi 10.3%

The Last Starship is a 2D space construction game where you design and upgrade your starship. Choose your path: pirate hunter, miner, engineer, spacebus driver, and more, whilst exploring vibrant star systems. Enjoy a growing sandbox world, with regular free updates. Your cosmic adventure awaits!

Why similar: Space Sim 30.1%, Space 18.1%, Sandbox 14.2%, Sci-fi 10.2%, Management 8.1%

In Anno 2205™, you join humankind‘s next step into the future with the promise to build a better tomorrow. You conquer Earth, establishing rich, bustling cities and grand industrial complexes, but to secure the prosperity of your people, you must travel into space.

Why similar: 4X 30.3% ★, Economy 13.2%, Space 11.6%, Strategy 8.2%, Sci-fi 8.1%

Build an industrial empire on a remote island. Mine resources, reshape terrain with excavators, grow food, construct factories, lay train tracks, and trade with the outside world. Research 100+ technologies to advance from basic metal smelting all the way to nuclear power and space flight.

Why similar: Economy 41.6%, Management 24.9%, Simulation 14.9%, Strategy 14.3%, 3D 2.2%

Starbase is a hybrid voxel/vertex-based space MMO with a fully destructible and infinitely expanding universe, with a focus on building and designing spaceships and stations, exploration, resource gathering, crafting, trading, and combat.

Why similar: Space Sim 31.9%, Space 16.4%, Open World 14.9%, Sandbox 12.9%, Sci-fi 8.6%

Distant Worlds is a vast, pausable real-time 4X space strategy game. Experience the full depth and detail of turn-based strategy, but with the simplicity and ease of real-time, and on the scale of a massively-multiplayer online game.

Why similar: 4X 40% ★, Space 16.8%, Grand Strategy 14.6%, Moddable 7.2%, Sci-fi 6.9%

Mine and craft your way to orbit, build your own starship and explore a vast, dangerous galaxy alongside your crew. For players who love a meaningful survival progression, a unique and elegant building system, and epic space-opera scale.

Why similar: Space 26.9%, Space Sim 22.7%, Sandbox 17.2%, Simulation 9.8%, Open World 9.8%

Equipped with cutting-edge salvaging tech, carve & slice spaceships to recover valuable materials. Upgrade your gear to take on more lucrative contracts and pay your billion credits debt to LYNX Corp!

Why similar: Space 26.1%, Space Sim 22%, Sandbox 13.8%, Sci-fi 13.7%, Simulation 8.1%

Star Trek: Infinite is a grand strategy experience that lets you play your own Star Trek story as the leader of one of four major factions in the galaxy. Follow the specially crafted story or blaze your own trail in the first Star Trek grand strategy game.

Why similar: 4X 24.1% ★, Grand Strategy 17%, Space Sim 13%, Space 10.7%, Sandbox 7.6%

Captain your own space ship and roam the galaxy in 3D in this tactical space simulator with tons of RPG depth ! Space has never looked so inviting - but images can betray...It has been two years since the end of the second Gemini war, the situation in the wartorn system is further from resolution than ever.

Why similar: Space 20.2%, Space Sim 16.3%, Moddable 15.6%, Trading 14.1%, Flight 12.3%

A spaceship building and universe-exploration game. Collect resources, expand and grow your fleet, and conquer your personal galaxy. Stellar ambience by Peaks.

Why similar: Space 36.7%, Sandbox 25.8%, Open World 9.9%, Strategy 9.2%, Sci-fi 7%

Suddenly thrown into an unknown galaxy, you must explore, fight or befriend aliens and transform your ship from a small survey vessel into a powerful battlecruiser to unravel the mystery of the forces that brought you here and find your way home.

Why similar: Space 36%, Space Sim 24.7%, Sci-fi 13.8%, Open World 12.5%, Exploration 8.9%

Take Command of a Space Corporation in the Sci-Fi Simulator Solargene! Manage personnel, design and develop colonies and orbital stations across the solar system! Mine resources, establish logistics, research cutting-edge technologies, trade, and complete missions

Why similar: Space Sim 19.6%, 4X 16.7% ★, Moddable 12.8%, Economy 10%, Space 8.9%

Start with your Command Center and expand it into a colossal modular flagship, module by module. Design custom warships from the ground up, grow a thriving civilization, and command powerful fleets across the Solar System in tactical real-time battles.

Why similar: Space 31%, Sandbox 23.3%, Sci-fi 14.2%, Exploration 11.9%, Strategy 10%

Starcom: Unknown Space is an action RPG of space exploration and adventure. Build your own starship while discovering an epic story in a universe of strange mysteries, alien factions and uncharted worlds.

Why similar: Space Sim 32.6%, Space 28.8%, Open World 16.2%, Sci-fi 9.8%, Exploration 8.9%