by theygamesThere’s a lot of variety to the best space games. Starfield keeps the action simple and approachable. Everspace 2 offers a Diablo-like game that puts combat first. Elite Dangerous presents scale and spectacle. No Man’s Sky enables vast player customization. Eve Online is an intricate web of systems and social interactions. Leaning towards the back half of that list is X4: Foundations, a tremendously deep simulation sandbox game that is probably ‘too much’ for some. A new update, however, has just revolutionized its entire flying model to make your adventures feel “smoother, more responsive, and more immersive than ever.”
X4: Foundations starts you out as a single fighter pilot, allowing you to fly across the stars and take on basic missions. From there, however, it grows out into a sprawling management sim – as your empire grows you have the ability to build out space stations, coordinate entire fleets, and negotiate interstellar politics. At any time, however, you still retain the ability to jump back into a single ship and just enjoy the space game’s flight sim aspects.
Developer Egosoft’s new flight model update has just landed, and aims to dramatically improve ship handling and balance with a list of extensive changes. The underlying physics of ship control and flight pathing have been revamped to feel “more natural and precise.” The boost system has been separated out into its own dedicated energy pool to allow for more strategic deployment. The Gravidar’s functionality has been improved to make it more useful in both navigation and combat.
A new ‘behavior inspection mode’ allows you to analyze and adjust individual ship behaviors to help you diagnose and solve any problems among your fleet. There are new tools including a velocity indicator and a wide-area sensor array module. Egosoft has rebalanced every ship in the game, with refined engine, thruster, and component interactions, and has also made improvements to aspects of the game’s economy such as trade dynamics and resource flow. There are also new sectors to explore with more trade routes to be set up.
Beyond that, you can expect some big graphics upgrades, including support for both DLSS and FSR 3. If you’re looking for even more, Egosoft has launched a new piece of paid DLC. The X4 Hyperion Pack reintroduces one of the community’s most-requested ships from its history. Larger than a frigate, it punches hard with six main gun mounts and heavy-duty equipment set against its sleek, lightweight frame. You can start a new game in the Hyperion, or go through a new story-driven quest chain to earn it.
X4: Foundations patch 7.50 is out now on Steam. The X4 Hyperion Pack is available to purchase for $6.99 / £5.99. You can read the full patch notes for the update courtesy of the official Egosoft forum.
Alternatively, try another of the best simulation games or the best sandbox games to play on PC in 2025.
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