Elite Dangerous
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
Genres: Action, Adventure, Open World, Shooting and Simulation
Released: December 2015, updated in 2016. Added to this library 4 months ago, last updated 11 weeks ago.
Overview
This is a new version of the classic 1980s space game Elite. Like the original it’s a space exploration, trading and combat game that provides a huge and rich universe rather than a specific story. You can trade goods, become a bounty hunter, fight for one of the many factions or become a space-miner. Your ship can be customized for every roll.
The scope of the universe is one of the attractions, as there is an endless array of systems to explore. Finding ways to earn money and progress through these systems is another unusual aspect of the game. It’s a sedate space simulation to inhabit most of the time, interspersed with trading, combat and navigation.
There are ongoing updates grouped as follows:
- Elite Dangerous Horizons: In this expansion it’s also possible to land on the surface of rocky planets in order to explore them. The game can be played offline, or online.
- Elite Dangerous Beyond: Expansion that focuses on improvements to the core gameplay along with improvements to the game's crime and punishment system, better trading data, new wing missions, new ships.
This game is good if you want to take on a mountainous challenge, play PEGI 16 and 18 games but aren't old enough, inhabit another world, play old games like new or control and order things.
Commitment
Players: This is a single player game. You can play with up to 32 players online. You can encounter up to 32 other players in your immediate vicinity. But there will be thousands of other players to engage with in the wider universe.
Costs
There are expansions packs. "Horizons" is a paid pack that adds important enhancements to the game allowing players to land on non-atmospheric planets, modify their ships and use the character creator. "Beyond" is a free pack that advances the narrative and introduces upgrades and enhancements. There are smaller paid cosmetic items to customise your ship.
You will need PlayStation Plus to play online with PlayStation 4. You will need Xbox Live Gold to play online with Xbox One.
Ratings
The game is set apart by the fact that players can partake in a number of illegal activities, such as shooting down civilian ships or the buying and selling of slaves, stolen goods, narcotics and weapons on the black market. These transactions are never directly seen, however, but rather simply referenced from a transactions menu and bulletin board.
This game has been rated ESRB EVERYONE 10+.
Users Interact: The game enables players to interact and communicate with each other, so may expose players to language usually associated with older rated games.
Accessibility
System settings: Windows has extensive accessibility features. Some, like colour correction, work with games. Lots of accessibility software can be used with PC games, from voice recognition to input device emulators. PlayStation 4 has a range of accessibility settings. Some are system only, some work in games (invert colours and button mapping). Xbox One has a wide range of system features including some that can be used on all games, like the excellent co-pilot mode... read more.
Similar Games
The following games address a similar topic or offer a similar way to play. They are good options to play after Elite Dangerous, and also offer a range of alternatives for different age ratings.
The Eternal Cylinder
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Genres: Action, Creative, Fighting, Open World, Simulation and Strategy
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Costs: Purchase cost.
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Costs: Purchase cost.
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No Man's Sky
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Costs: Purchase cost.
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Players: You can play this with 24 players online.
Costs: Purchase cost. In-game purchases.
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Planetside 2
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Costs: Free-to-start. Season pass and in-game purchases.
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Mass Effect (Series)
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Costs: Purchase cost. In-game purchases.
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DayZ
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Players: You can play this with 60 players online.
Costs: Purchase cost. In-game purchases.
Day Z (DayZ) is a post-apocalyptic open world survival game. The population are infected with an unknown virus and you play as one of the few who are immune. You fight other survivors for limited resources and weapons. However If you die there are no...
Elite Dangerous is in These Lists
In addition to the similar games listed above, which have been linked to this game specifically in the database, you may find games with a similar theme to Elite Dangerous in the following lists:
Inhabit Another World
The games in this section invite you to spend time in spaces that have a sense of place, life and character. Worlds that hold history and lore in their landscapes, flora, fauna and inhabitants; environments that respond to your presence and invite you to restore them to their former glory.
Exuberant Games For Pre-16 Year-Olds
We go through some really good examples of these exciting, fast-action game for a range of ages. They are all PEGI 12 or under, apart from Halo, which we have included as this is a lower ESRB TEEN rating in the US for the latest release and mostly features space-themed rather than realistic violence.
Wield Absolute Control
If games offer an escape from chaos, these games are particularly good at granting a sense of satisfying agency and power as they do that. Whether it’s ordering the perfect stock room in Wilmot’s Warehouse, organising your island in Animal Crossing, perfectly controlling the flow of traffic in Mini Motorways or even build civilisation just the way you want it in Civilization the sense of satisfaction and calm from the achievement is second to none.
Attempt The Impossible
This might be grappling with the flying mechanics in Rocket League, getting endlessly lost trying to find the next guardian in Shadow of the Collosus or coming up with the right tactic to get enough money for the ship you need in Elite. Of course, some of these games can be made easier, but to play them at their best is to ramp up the difficulty to max (crushing on The Last Of Us for example) and let them give you all they've got.
Reimagined Retro Classics
The games in this list have been recreated (sometimes officially and sometimes unofficially) by developers who love and respect the original while also wanting to update it for modern technology and players.
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