Hi every space lovers!

I'd like to play a game like the good old Freelancer, upgrading and buying new ship to fight against pirates, exploration of the universe, trading, mining and if possible with a good background and a strong story. Immersion is also very important.

After some research, these games seem to fit :

- Starpoint Gemini 2 + 2 dlcs : the closest one to Freelancer I guess, looks pretty and tactic
42€ on Gog / 7,79€ on Steam (-80% until 29 nov)

- Starpoint Gemini Warlords : looks even better and add 4x mechanics but only on steam and worse : "early access"
15,40€ on Steam (-33%)

- Rebel Galaxy : interesting too, seems less beautiful and you can't move in 3d so it can break the immersion I guess
20€ on Gog / 6,80€ (-66%)

- X Rebirth : Home of Light : seems pretty and give more immersion (visit the station in fps view, graphics) but the universe is small and only one ship to use
50€ on Gog / 17€ on Steam (-66%)

- No Man's Sky : perfect for exploration, immersion and relaxing but too empty for now. I'll wait for some big update (one is coming) and a big sale
36€ on Gog (-40%) / same on Steam

- Elite Dangerous : looks gorgeous, perfectly immersive, possibility to land on planet, infinite universe, interesting background... but it's a mmo... even in solo online is needed. It could also be a grind fest if I want to buy bigger ship and the publisher is greedy (charging for skin, really ?)
33,50€ on Steam with Horizons DLC (-33%)

I would love any enlightenment you could give me, any opinion or experience you had with one of these or another from this kind.
I buy my games only on Gog but I can make an exception for this one.
I'm not in a hurry, have plenty of things to do so if another gem is coming I'm also interested (that's why I let NMS and Starpoint Gemini Warlords on the list).

Thanks in advance!

Rebel Galaxy is the only one I play from that list... I find the 2D space immersion works but the simple-controls can be a minor bitch

the fact you can have your own music is a big + for me

If you don't mind older games, there's Wing Commander: Privateer, and Privateer 2. The other games from the X series are also worth looking into, X2 and X3 can be really immersive. And for games from other sites, check out StarWraith's games:
http://starwraith.com/

You might enjoy Darkstar One, gameplay is similar to Freelancer in many ways (although with a single upgradeable ship, perhaps larger focus on combat and slightly more repetitive star systems overall). Not discounted on GOG at the moment though (currently 75% off on Steam).

Parkan 1 - GOG
Parkan 2 - only Steam
Space Rangers - GOG
EVE Online - now free to play

This is coming here when Early Access is done.


As for the No Man's Sky update; it's centred around base building, and only the bare fundamentals of it. Don't expect much more than that just yet.

Many thanks for your comments! I took time to answer because I was actually playing Eve Online like NickZah advised.
It's not free to play but free to try (like the goold old demo) and give enough possibilities to check it seriously.
MMO are definitively not my thing but if you have a lot of free time feel free to try!

ussnorway : Ok thanks, it really seems interesting.

SCPM : I play mainly old games for rpg or strategy but this time I'd like to have something visually stunning so no oldies. I already checked evochron but couldn't really enjoy it. I don't know why... maybe the design or the physics...

DreadMoth : I own and used to play Darkstar One, funny but yes you are right, it's really repetitive. Freelancer was better for the immersion part and the background/story. Darkstar looks nice still.

NickZah : For Eve I tried this weekend and it's very cool but too much time consuming and MMO. For Parkan and Space rangers they are very original but RTS or FPS are not really my thing.

micktiegs_8 : oh good for Warlords if it comes to Gog, I would never buy any early access anyway.
For No Man's Sky update, it's available now and looks promissing for a 1.1. If they add few others updates like this one I could absolutely buy it but I would pay 15-20€ max (so at least in a 66% sale in 6months or so).

The weekend is over so I would check it out next weekend I guess. Again, thanks for your comments!

I came here to post exactly Starpoint Gemini 2, so when I saw it on the top of your list I figured I'd double down on recommending it, especially given this: Also, Rebel Galaxy might just fit the bill as well.

Neither really perfectly captures Freelancer (a game I've never played, but am a bit aware of). Gemini is more action / rts / rpg with you in control of one capital ship and Rebel Galaxy is squarely action with some light but satisfying RPG aspects.

Both can suffer a bit from the "samey-ness" of games in this genre, but there's more than enough fun to be found. I think either will scratch the itch nicely, without being perfect matches for what you're looking for.

And *phew* to seeing that EVE is free trail only, and not free to play. I've ALWAY wanted to dip my toe in EVE (ha!) though was a bit scared off by the learning curve. If it were free to play I might finally dive in. I think I dodged a bullet learning it was only a free trial - otherwise I might be popping up bug eyed from a weeklong binge wondering what the hell just happened to my life LOL ;)

Generally considered a failure, even with Egosofts admirable approach to trying to improve the game after launch, this one was dead by the 1 ship constraint.

Have you considered X3? I still play it, recently went through a run to buy the stupidly overpriced vanity project that is "Avarice" (with some help from folks here I managed it). If you've already marked them off then sure, look for more. If you haven't tried those, then they're well worth the time.

The Ur-Quan Masters scores high on all count! But, be aware that it's 2D. Free download here:
The Ur-Quan Masters
The Ur-Quan Masters HD (beta)

Get X3. Even Reunion is still a gorgeous game in 2016, and so deep it'll make Freelancer look like a rail shooter. Also, dat music.

Hard as nails, though, so beware of that.

I didn't realise it was already out. Hopefully GOG updates it today/Monday, since the weekend isn't a thing around here. Could be a bit of a saving grace.

Star Citizen might have what your looking for.... personally Earth and Beyond was my one and only true love, that had everything and i miss it so much :(

After jumping on everything that bears a passing resemblance to Freelancer and going home disappointed every time, I've come to the conclusion there isn't another space sim like it. At best these other games offer chunks of what made Freelancer great, but never the whole package.

Ixamyakxim : I do think like you, they should be like great games I would enjoy but not exactly what I want (but I guess it's always like this, hard to find the game we dream of if it even exists). The fact that there are only on sale on steam for now make me feel that I should resist untill christmas sales anyway. Anybody knows when it starts for Gog ?
For Eve, I don't know what you mean by "free trail", it's actually pretty smart : you can play anytime and as much as you want but there are limitations you will meet later in the game (maximum credit you can make and limits on upgrade/skills you can choose). If you don't want to suscribe, at least with this you won't see your time disappear in a wormhole :)
For the learning curve, as a beginner the tutorials were very efficient but stopped too soon, so for somebody who want to invest himself in the game, internet is needed I guess.

wpegg: yup, the 1 ship of X rebirth is very disturbing but it was the same for Darkstar One.
I have X3: Reunion somewhere but when I tried few years ago I was discouraged by the menu and couldn't really progress. I should maybe give it another chance but it won't be stunning for sure.

KasperHviid : yeah! I have played Ur-Quan Masters and I love this game! A game with adventure, strategy, action, rpg... and so funny! And yes you have ship to upgrade, fight against pirates, exploration, trading, mining, good background, cool story and charismatic characters but it's not what I had in mind :)
The same in nice 3d with better fight system (I suck at it in UQM) would be my dream game in fact : take No man's Sky for the mining and exploration planetside, take Freelancer/Starpoint Gemini for the dog fight mechanics, take UQM for the universe, the background and the story, and take X3/Starpoint Gemini Warlords to progress in the universe creating my own empire...

Draek : Yep if I can't make a choice, I will reinstall X3 Reunion and try it seriously.

micktiegs_8 : I tried to post the list of all the updates but it was too long for the forum. You can find it on youtube or on the official website. Having not played NMS I can't say if it fixes enough problems or add enough content but the list itself is huge! Still too expensive for me when it does not contain a real story and living universe.

Starkrun : Star Citizen looks more than stunning, I don't even expect this level of details but I don't want a mmo. I'll see what happen with Squadron 42 but I don't think it's really for me.

markrichardb : that's the problem when you experience something really good, hard to enjoy something else without a bad feeling of "it's not what I felt before" .