Endless Sky
Open-source space trading and combat sim in the Escape Velocity tradition. Hundreds of star systems, faction politics, ship outfitting, and an optional story.
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Play Endless Sky →Opens in a new tab on the original host.
Controls: Mouse to target and navigate. WASD or arrow keys for thrust and turn. Tab to target nearest. Land on planets by flying over them and pressing L.
Endless Sky is Michael Zahniser’s love letter to Escape Velocity, the 1996 Ambrosia Software game that defined what a top-down space trading simulator could be. The mechanics are familiar to anyone who played that era: you start with a small ship, take courier jobs to build capital, upgrade your engines and weapons, and gradually work toward the kind of ship that can take on the more interesting contracts.
The galaxy is large. There are hundreds of star systems connected by hyperspace lanes. Each system has planets you can land on, governments that track your reputation with them, and economies that fluctuate based on what you buy and sell. The story involves alien factions, human politics, and the origins of faster-than-light travel — but the story is optional. You can play for a hundred hours doing cargo runs and piracy without touching the main quest.
The ship outfitting system is where the depth lives. Ships have limited space for engines, weapons, shields, and cargo. The right combination for a freighter is completely different from the right combination for a fighter escort, which is different again from the right combination for the kind of stealth ship that can slide through hostile territory without being scanned. Figuring out what combination works for your playstyle is most of the game.
The project is GPL-3.0. The assets — art, music, data files — are Creative Commons licensed. Community mods add new systems, ships, and storylines.
Why it’s on the guide: GPL-3.0, ten years of active development, the best open-source successor to a 1996 classic that defined a genre.