Starfield puts Bethesda’s open-world RPG formula into space. You build a ship, recruit a crew, join factions, and chase quests across hundreds of planets, all with that familiar freedom to wander off the main story whenever something more interesting catches your eye. It is exploration and role-playing wrapped into one huge galaxy.
If you have logged your hours in the Settled Systems and want more of that mix, these 15 games deliver it from different directions. Some share the Bethesda DNA directly, some lean harder into space simulation, and some trade the stars for other worlds entirely. All are worth your time in 2026.
Quick Comparison: Top 5 Picks
| # | Game | Focus | Price | Platforms |
| 1 | The Outer Worlds | Sci-fi RPG | $59.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox |
| 2 | No Man’s Sky | Space exploration | $59.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| 3 | Fallout 4 | Bethesda RPG | $29.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox |
| 4 | Mass Effect Legendary Edition | Sci-fi story RPG | $59.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox |
| 5 | Elite Dangerous | Space simulation | $29.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox |
1. The Outer Worlds
Why it’s similar
The Outer Worlds shares Starfield’s mix of sci-fi RPG choices, companions, and exploring settlements across the stars. Dialogue and faction reputation shape how your story unfolds.
What makes it unique
It is sharper and more focused, with biting corporate satire running through its writing. A tighter scope means the choices land harder and the pace never drags.
Key features
- Dialogue-driven sci-fi RPG
- Companion relationships and reactivity
- Satirical corporate setting
- Tighter, more focused scope than Starfield
Price: $59.99 Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Where to Buy
Available on Green Man Gaming and Steam.
2. No Man’s Sky
Why it’s similar
No Man’s Sky shares Starfield’s love of hopping between planets in your own ship, scanning alien life, and building bases wherever you land.
What makes it unique
The scale is nearly infinite. Procedurally generated planets stretch across an entire simulated galaxy, with base building and multiplayer that keep expanding through free updates.
Key features
- Procedurally generated galaxy
- Base building and ship customization
- Ongoing free content updates
- Optional multiplayer exploration
Price: $59.99 Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
Where to Buy
Available on Green Man Gaming and Steam.
3. Fallout 4
Why it’s similar
Fallout 4 is built on the same Bethesda RPG design as Starfield: open-world exploration, factions, settlement building, and freedom to ignore the main quest entirely.
What makes it unique
The wasteland setting trades space for post-apocalyptic Boston, with a deep settlement-building system and a darker, more grounded tone than Starfield’s clean sci-fi look.
Key features
- Classic Bethesda open-world freedom
- Deep settlement building
- Faction storylines and companions
- Massive modding community
Price: $29.99 Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Where to Buy
Available on Green Man Gaming and Steam.
4. Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Why it’s similar
Mass Effect shares Starfield’s epic sci-fi scope, companion crew, and galaxy-spanning story, letting your choices shape how the adventure plays out.
What makes it unique
The storytelling is tighter and more character-driven. Companion relationships and consequences carry across three full games, giving the trilogy a payoff Starfield doesn’t attempt.
Key features
- Three full games remastered in one collection
- Deep companion relationships
- Choice-driven branching story
- Iconic sci-fi universe
Price: $59.99 Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Where to Buy
Available on Green Man Gaming and Steam.
5. Elite Dangerous
Why it’s similar
Elite Dangerous shares Starfield’s ship customization and galaxy-scale exploration, letting you chart your own path as trader, explorer, or fighter pilot.
What makes it unique
The galaxy is modeled at true 1:1 scale using real astronomical data. It plays as a deeper simulation than Starfield, with slower, more deliberate ship handling and systems.
Key features
- Full 1:1 scale Milky Way galaxy
- Deep ship customization and combat
- Trading, mining, and exploration careers
- Massively multiplayer galaxy
Price: $29.99 Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Where to Buy
Available on Green Man Gaming and Steam.
6. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Why it’s similar
Skyrim shares the Bethesda exploration freedom that defines Starfield: a massive world stuffed with quests, factions, and discoveries around every corner.
What makes it unique
The fantasy setting swaps starships for dragons and shouts, with over a decade of mods and re-releases that have made it one of the most replayed RPGs ever made.
Key features
- Massive open-world fantasy exploration
- Deep faction and guild questlines
- Character build freedom
- Enormous modding ecosystem
Price: $39.99 Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
Where to Buy
Available on Green Man Gaming and Steam.
7. Cyberpunk 2077
Why it’s similar
Cyberpunk 2077 shares Starfield’s first-person RPG structure, player choice, and huge world packed with side content pulling you away from the main story.
What makes it unique
It trades space for a dense, vertical cyberpunk city. Years of updates have turned it into one of the most polished open-world RPGs available, with sharp writing and deep build customization.
Key features
- Dense, vertical open-world city
- Deep character build customization
- Branching, choice-driven story
- Extensively polished since launch
Price: $59.99 Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Where to Buy
Available on Green Man Gaming and Steam.
8. Outer Wilds
Why it’s similar
Outer Wilds shares Starfield’s spirit of exploring a solar system full of mysteries, rewarding curiosity over combat as you piece together its secrets.
What makes it unique
It is built entirely around a 22-minute time loop. Every reset resets your progress except your knowledge, turning the whole game into an evolving puzzle rather than an RPG.
Key features
- Time-loop structure with no combat
- A tightly designed solar system of mysteries
- Discovery-driven, puzzle-like storytelling
- A beloved, widely praised narrative
Price: $24.99 Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
Where to Buy
Available on Green Man Gaming and Steam.
9. Star Citizen
Why it’s similar
Star Citizen shares Starfield’s ambition for a living, breathing space simulation, with ship ownership, exploration, trading, and combat across a persistent universe.
What makes it unique
It is still in active alpha development, sold through pledge packages rather than a traditional storefront. Scope and detail are enormous, but the game is unfinished and evolves constantly.
Key features
- Persistent, ambitious space simulation
- Deep ship ownership and customization
- Trading, exploration, and combat careers
- Active alpha, still in development
Price: Starting at $60 (pledge packages) Platforms: PC
Where to Buy
Available only through the official Star Citizen pledge store (robertsspaceindustries.com), not on Steam or Green Man Gaming.
10. Everspace 2
Why it’s similar
Everspace 2 shares Starfield’s ship-focused space adventure, mixing exploration with combat and loot as you upgrade your ship across a hand-crafted galaxy.
What makes it unique
It plays more like an action RPG in space. Fast, arcade-style ship combat and loot-driven progression give it a tighter, more focused feel than Starfield’s sprawling scope.
Key features
- Fast, arcade-style ship combat
- Loot-driven ship progression
- Hand-crafted star systems
- Strong single-player campaign
Price: $39.99 Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Where to Buy
Available on Green Man Gaming and Steam.
11. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Why it’s similar
KOTOR shares Starfield’s structure of exploring planets, recruiting companions, and shaping your story through choices, set in a beloved sci-fi universe.
What makes it unique
It is a classic, tightly written RPG with one of gaming’s most famous plot twists. Its age shows, but the storytelling still holds up as one of the best in the genre.
Key features
- Classic, acclaimed sci-fi RPG story
- Companion party and choice-driven morality
- Turn-based-style tactical combat
- Legendary twist ending
Price: $9.99 Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, Mobile
Where to Buy
Available on Steam.
12. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Why it’s similar
Jedi: Survivor shares Starfield’s planet-hopping exploration and cinematic sci-fi adventure, sending you across varied worlds as the story unfolds.
What makes it unique
It is a much more linear, action-focused experience. Lightsaber combat and platforming-heavy exploration replace Starfield’s open RPG systems with tighter, more cinematic gameplay.
Key features
- Cinematic Star Wars story
- Lightsaber combat and Force abilities
- Planet-hopping exploration
- Strong platforming and traversal
Price: $69.99 Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Where to Buy
Available on Green Man Gaming and Steam.
13. Destiny 2
Why it’s similar
Destiny 2 shares Starfield’s sci-fi setting and sense of exploring distant worlds, with missions, loot, and character progression pulling you back for more.
What makes it unique
It is built as a live-service looter shooter. Ongoing seasonal content and raids give it a long-term multiplayer structure that Starfield’s single-player campaign does not offer.
Key features
- Sci-fi looter shooter progression
- Ongoing seasonal content and raids
- Class-based abilities and builds
- Cooperative and PvP modes
Price: Free to play Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Where to Buy
Free to play on Steam.
14. Warframe
Why it’s similar
Warframe shares Starfield’s sci-fi progression loop, sending you on missions across a solar system while you unlock new gear, abilities, and customization options.
What makes it unique
It is entirely free to play, with a massive amount of content unlockable through play alone. Fluid, acrobatic combat gives it a very different feel from Starfield’s grounded gunplay.
Key features
- Free-to-play sci-fi progression
- Fluid, acrobatic combat
- Deep character and gear customization
- Huge amount of unlockable content
Price: Free to play Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
Where to Buy
Free to play on Steam.
15. Starbound
Why it’s similar
Starbound shares Starfield’s planet-hopping exploration and sandbox creativity, letting you visit procedurally generated worlds and build your own bases along the way.
What makes it unique
It flattens the experience into 2D pixel art, leaning into sandbox building and RPG questing with a much lighter, more colorful tone than Starfield.
Key features
- 2D procedural universe exploration
- Deep crafting and building systems
- Quests and story missions
- Strong modding community
Price: $14.99 Platforms: PC
Where to Buy
Available on Steam and GOG.
Full Comparison Table
| # | Game | Focus | Price | Platforms |
| 1 | The Outer Worlds | Sci-fi RPG | $59.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox |
| 2 | No Man’s Sky | Space exploration | $59.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| 3 | Fallout 4 | Bethesda RPG | $29.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox |
| 4 | Mass Effect Legendary Edition | Sci-fi story RPG | $59.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox |
| 5 | Elite Dangerous | Space simulation | $29.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox |
| 6 | The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | Fantasy RPG | $39.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| 7 | Cyberpunk 2077 | Open-world RPG | $59.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox |
| 8 | Outer Wilds | Mystery exploration | $24.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| 9 | Star Citizen | Space simulation | Starting at $60 | PC |
| 10 | Everspace 2 | Action space RPG | $39.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox |
| 11 | Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic | Classic RPG | $9.99 | PC, Switch, Mobile |
| 12 | Star Wars Jedi: Survivor | Action adventure | $69.99 | PC, PlayStation, Xbox |
| 13 | Destiny 2 | Looter shooter | Free to play | PC, PlayStation, Xbox |
| 14 | Warframe | Looter shooter | Free to play | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| 15 | Starbound | 2D exploration | $14.99 | PC |
Conclusion
If it was the Bethesda-style freedom that hooked you, start with Fallout 4, Skyrim, and Cyberpunk 2077. They deliver that same wander-off-the-main-quest exploration in different settings.
If you wanted deeper space simulation, Elite Dangerous, Star Citizen, and Everspace 2 push ship-flying and galaxy-scale ambition further. And if the story and companions mattered most, The Outer Worlds, Mass Effect Legendary Edition, and Knights of the Old Republic deliver some of the best sci-fi writing in gaming. Any of these 15 will keep your journey through the stars going well into 2026.
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