Elite Dangerous is such a vast space sim that 99% of it is still unexplored

We’re spoilt for choice when it comes to exploring the universe in space games. You can get behind the controls of Starfield, No Man’s Sky, Eve Online, The Outer Worlds, and countless more to experience different flavors of interplanetary travel. After ten years on the market, however, none do it quite like Elite Dangerous. Part MMO, FPS, and space simulator, Elite Dangerous has an entire persistent universe that players can shape through their actions, and it’s getting even bigger in 2025. Considering how little players have explored the game in the last decade, next year is poised to massively expand what’s on offer.

According to Elite Dangerous developer Frontier Developments, a minuscule 0.06% of the space game’s universe has been explored by players in the last ten years. With a 1:1 representation of the Milky Way Galaxy’s hundreds of billions of stars, I think we’re going to be waiting a long while before we even get close to seeing it all.

Longtime Elite Dangerous players can expect a new email landing in their inbox today, which will bring together all of the statistics from their time playing the game over the last decade. There have also been four new ships added to Elite Dangerous throughout 2024 including the Cobra Mk V, Python Mk II, Type-8, and Mandalay, so there’s ample reason to dive back in if you’ve taken a break.

Frontier Developments just released the huge Elite Dangerous Ascendancy update as well, which is perfect for new and returning players. The team has introduced Powerplay 2.0, a revamp to the in-game system that dictates the standing of different factions across the galaxy, making it more complex and reactive than ever.

The start of the next decade of Elite Dangerous is also looking incredibly promising. System Colonization is the focus of the game’s first update next year, and it’ll introduce even more exploration and player-driven decision-making. You will be able to expand human civilization as you see fit, with player-led, free-form actions spreading out across the Milky Way.

If you want to play even more, we’ve got some of the best simulation games you can try on PC, alongside the best multiplayer games as well.

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