The 8 Best Games That Let You Manage A Space Station

Summary

Players can build and manage space stations in games like The Spatials, Trappist, and Heliopolis Six.
Games like Starmancer and Ixion offer unique challenges in building and managing space stations in different settings.
Halcyon 6 and Galaxy Pass Station combine various gameplay elements, such as base-building, strategy, and management, for an engaging experience.

Space is a popular setting for video games, and space stations themselves are fascinating, often serving as hives of activity for interstellar travelers. Many acclaimed games like No Man’s Sky and Mass Effect feature space stations as hubs where players can trade, pick up quests, or purchase and maintain ships, but some want more control over the whole station.

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Plenty of games allow players to manage and maintain a spaceship, such as FTL: Faster Than Light, and in Galaxy on Fire 2, players can own the Kaamo Club, but with little to no management elements involves. The following games allow full control over space station operations, from building additional structures to giving orders to personnel, and they are ranked based on a combination of their overall quality and popularity.

8

The Spatials: Galactology

Build A Station And Colonize A Planet

Platform: PC
Released: 2018-04-18
Developer: Weird and Wry
Genre: Base Building, Management

Created by a small development team, The Spatials: Galactology is a base-building game set thousands of years in the future. An upgraded version of The Spatials, the main goal is to build a space station and colonize a planet while keeping crew safety and happiness in mind.

There are plenty of areas to research, tasks to assign, and buildings to construct, with potentially hostile aliens and even the ship’s own crew posing a threat to the station’s stability. Spaceships can be built to explore other planets, and finances and general inventory must be carefully managed. The game is still in active development, but so far, it’s showing promise, and there is plenty of depth already there to keep players interested.

7

Trappist

A Colony Builder Set In Deep Space

Platform: PC
Released: 2024-03-01
Developer: Sirrah
Genre: Colony Simulation

A solo-developed project, Trappist, takes place over 40 light years from Earth in the Trappist-1 solar system. Aboard the Ark, a central hub station, players can freely explore the system, colonize planets, meet alien civilizations, and uncover an interesting story about the system. Trade can also be initiated between the different settlements and the main spaceship, which is automated, so players only need to concentrate on the fun stuff.

The Ark itself will gradually be built up as players progress and find new resources, with a variety of building options and even the ability to construct robot workers to take care of micromanagement. Trappist is still receiving updates and has so far received an overwhelmingly positive response from players.

6

Heliopolis Six

Build A Thriving Station In Space

Platform: PC
Released: 2023-05-25
Developer: Acid Mines Software UG
Genre: Colony Simulation, Management

For players who crave something a little more complex, Heliopolis Six is a perfect fit. The sole focus is building and controlling the space station, ensuring that the needs of the crew are met, and avoiding the dangers of mismanagement. The tutorials are very useful in the early game, though some players have complained that it becomes a bit difficult later on.

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Members of the crew have their own personalities and desires, which players will need to satisfy with certain resources or additional rooms on the station, and assigning tasks best suited to them goes a long way to success. Strategic positioning of the various constructions, combined with careful resource management, are absolutely vital in the harsh and unforgiving environment of space.

5

Starmancer

An AI In Control

Another game with a small development team that is currently in Early Access, Starmancer puts players in charge of a space station lost in a strange star system. Controlling a human-AI hybrid trapped in the Starmancer core, the main task is to build a station capable of sustaining human life and then help those people survive the many trials of space.

The consciousnesses of millions have been stored in the memory banks, so if all humans are killed by pirates, aliens, natural dangers, or their own foolishness, the player can simply create more. There are plenty of morally dubious decisions to be made and a fully customizable station to be carefully built and managed if players choose to play that way.

4

Ixion

Combining City-Building With Survival

Systems

Released: December 7, 2022
ESRB: t

Taking place after the destruction of Earth, Ixion puts players in charge of the space station Tiqqun (pronounced “tycoon”) as it travels through space in search of a viable alternative planet for human life. The journey itself is fraught with danger, but players still need to explore and extract resources as part of the game’s story missions.

Survivors aboard the station are themselves a potential threat, as their desires and happiness at work must be met if players want to avoid strikes or even a full-on mutiny. There is an end if the story is completed, but the destruction of the ship or being overthrown as the administrator also results in game over, so it’s imperative to observe, construct, and manage well.

3

Halcyon 6: Lightspeed Edition

Elements Of XCOM And FTL

Platform: PC
Released: 2017-08-10
Developer: Massive Damage
Genre: RPG, Strategy, Turn-Based Tactical

The enhanced version of the Kickstarter-funded strategy game Halcyon 6: Lightspeed Edition is a much more streamlined and better-paced experience, combining role-playing, base-building, and turn-based tactical gameplay. Reclaiming and rebuilding a long-abandoned space station, the goal is to prevent an invading alien force from conquering Earth.

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There are many aspects to keep in mind, such as which rooms to build, where to assign the crew, and choices to make during story events that could alter the course of the game going forward. Space and ground combat are turn-based, and crew members can be sent on exploration missions to nearby star systems to find resources or meet alien races who might be potential allies.

2

Galaxy Pass Station

Silly And Enjoyable Station Management

Platform: PC
Released: 2023-09-13
Developer: Galactic Workshop
Genre: Management

A more lighthearted entry that is set in the year 3020, Galaxy Pass Station bears some similarities to Papers, Please, plus some space station management and plenty of humor. Despite the more casual approach, there are still sinister characters like pyromaniacs and thieves trying to cause trouble, so players must decide who to grant entry to the station.

The procedural generation of alien visitors means that there are potentially infinite appearance variations of the 15 different alien races, ranging from somewhat regular humanoids to mecha cats. Features and facilities need to be constructed in the station to turn a profit, such as karaoke bars and aesthetically pleasing decor, and the necessities like electricity and storage require attention too.

1

Startopia

Rebuild And Manage Many Space Stations

Startopia

After an apocalyptic galactic war prior to the events of Startopia, many of the galaxy’s space stations were destroyed or left in a state of disrepair, and it’s up to the player to return them to their former glory. There are 16 stations in total across the main campaign, plus a sandbox mode, and players can determine the level of micromanagement they desire when controlling station operations.

The different alien races each have their own characteristics, sources of pleasure, and special skills, so players must be mindful of how to butter them up and utilize their abilities. The tone is somewhat humorous at times, though some monsters and enemy agents are looking to cause trouble, so security droids or alien guards are necessary to maintain order.