8 /10 16

Elite Dangerous stands as one of gaming’s most ambitious space simulators, offering players a 1:1 scale recreation of the Milky Way with roughly 400 billion explorable star systems. Frontier Developments created a persistent online universe where trading, exploration, combat, and colonization coexist seamlessly. New players entering 2025 will discover a game fundamentally reshaped by recent updates, particularly the Vanguards expansion which overhauled squadron systems and the introduction of planetary colonization. The game commands respect for its scope and technical achievement, though it demands patience and commitment from those seeking mastery in its deep mechanics.

How to Play Elite Dangerous

Begin your career in a Sidewinder, the most basic starter ship, with minimal credits and maximum potential. Success requires understanding the game’s three core progression paths: combat, trading, or exploration. Each activity generates credits to purchase better equipment and larger vessels.

1. Controls – Flight model uses Newtonian physics with optional flight assist. Controller support remains excellent on all platforms, with keyboard and mouse viable for precision in space stations and detailed menus.
2. Progression – Earn credits through missions, commodity trading, mining, bounty hunting, or simple exploration. Higher ranks unlock special ships and access to restricted systems requiring faction standing.
3. Combat and Mechanics – Engage in dogfighting against NPC pirates or player opponents, or pursue peaceful trading and exploration. Ship customization allows building specific loadouts suited to your preferred playstyle.
4. Tips – Avoid Open Play until comfortable with controls. Solo mode or private groups offer safer learning environments. Focus on one activity initially; grinding multiple career ranks simultaneously causes burnout.

Who Should Play Elite Dangerous

Elite Dangerous attracts players seeking role-playing freedom within a living galaxy. The game rewards self-directed goals more than external story missions, appealing to sandbox enthusiasts and VR adopters seeking immersion.

• Exploration Enthusiasts – The game’s procedural generation combined with real astronomical data creates endless discovery opportunities. Reaching unexplored systems yields scientific credits and personal satisfaction.
• Military Strategists – Wing combat, powerplay territory control, and community-driven wars create compelling PvP scenarios for organized groups. Squadrons now offer structured progression with shared resources.
• Economy Builders – Commodities trading, mining operations, and fleet carrier management appeal to players who enjoy economic simulation and long-term wealth accumulation.
• Skip if – You prefer linear storytelling or quick satisfaction. Elite demands 20-100 hour commitments before reaching meaningful progression. Impatient players will find grinding tedious and rewarding moments sparse.

Elite Dangerous Platform Performance

Elite Dangerous scales remarkably across hardware. PC versions support ultra-high settings on premium rigs, while console versions deliver consistent framerates with dynamic resolution adjustments. All platforms receive feature parity on core gameplay, though VR exclusivity remains PC-only.

Elite Dangerous System Requirements

Elite Dangerous runs on extremely modest PC hardware due to its 2014 heritage. Even budget GPUs handle 1080p 60fps easily. Modern systems achieve 4K 120fps with room for supersampling and ray-tracing experimentation.

Similar Games to Elite Dangerous

Elite Dangerous occupies a unique niche combining exploration, trading, and combat. These alternatives offer overlapping but distinct experiences within the space simulation genre, each prioritizing different gameplay elements.

• No Man’s Sky – Also offers endless exploration with procedural generation, but emphasizes base-building and story progression. Lacks Elite’s complex economy and combat depth.
• Star Citizen – More ambitious scope with higher fidelity graphics, but remains in development with limited content compared to Elite’s 10+ years of updates.
• X4: Foundations – Sandbox economy simulator allowing NPC crew management and factory automation. Smaller player base but deeper economic mechanics.
• Everspace 2 – Roguelike action-focus with arcade-style combat. Lacks multiplayer and persistent world but offers faster-paced encounters.

Elite Dangerous vs Competitors

Elite Dangerous maintains supremacy in balanced gameplay combining exploration, commerce, and combat within a persistent multiplayer universe. Its competitive pricing and development longevity set it apart despite some rivals offering higher graphical fidelity.

Elite Dangerous Story and World

Elite Dangerous presents a galaxy shaped by player actions. Rather than linear narrative, the game’s strength lies in emergent storytelling: the galaxy reacts to community goals, factional wars, and alien invasions. The recent Thargoid War narrative arc drew global engagement as players fought alien incursions. Planetary landing via Horizons and on-foot activities through Odyssey deepened world immersion. The background simulation governs NPC economies, making each star system feel inhabited and dynamic. This player-driven narrative sandbox rewards those investing time in faction relationships and exploration.

Elite Dangerous Multiplayer and Online

Elite Dangerous pioneered meaningful persistent multiplayer within a 1:1 scale galaxy. Recent Vanguards update revolutionized squadron organization, introducing shared carrier ownership and collective progression mechanics unavailable before.

• Open Play – Shared galaxy with full PvP enabled. Encounter pirates, cooperate with traders, or engage in faction warfare. Maximum chaos and reward.
• Private Groups – Invite-only persistent universe. Perfect for friends-only sessions without fear of griefing.
• Wings and Squadrons – Form groups of up to four players (wings) or join permanent organizations (squadrons) with shared carrier ownership, banks, and ranks. Vanguards update expanded squadrons to 15 customizable ranks.
• Cross-Play – Not supported between platforms; PC, PS4, and Xbox ecosystems remain separate.

Elite Dangerous DLC and Expansions

Elite Dangerous follows a hybrid model: base game offers complete gameplay loop, while expansions unlock major features. Horizons became free in 2020, but Odyssey remains paid content. Regular seasons deliver free quality-of-life updates alongside cosmetic purchases.

• Horizons Expansion – Once $19.99, now bundled free. Adds planetary landings, surface vehicles, engineering system, and ship-launched fighters.
• Odyssey Expansion – $14.99 (base) or $24.99 (Deluxe). Enables first-person on-foot gameplay, planetary colonies, new ships, and settlement exploration.
• Cosmetic Packs – Paint jobs, suit skins, and ship armor available via ARX (premium currency). Purely cosmetic; no gameplay advantage.
• Free Updates – Vanguards (2025), Trailerblazers, and quarterly patches continuously expand content. Thargoid wars, colonization mechanics, and new ships added regularly.

Elite Dangerous Community and Support

Elite’s community spans forums, Discord, Reddit, and YouTube with active roleplay, trading, and exploration communities. Frontier maintains active development roadmaps published quarterly, ensuring transparency about future content.

• Official Forums – Frontier’s forums host developer updates, patch notes, and community challenges. Galnet provides in-universe news affecting gameplay.
• Reddit and Discord – Thriving communities at r/EliteDangerous and numerous faction Discord servers organize wings, teach newcomers, and coordinate powerplay efforts.
• Mod Support – Limited first-party mod support, but community tools like EDEngineer and EDDI enhance HUD information and streamline tasks. No Steam Workshop integration.
• Updates and Support – Quarterly major updates ensure consistent content. Developer communication improved significantly post-2023 community criticism regarding communication gaps.