Choose No Man's Sky
Choose No Man's Sky if you want the Online PvP, Online Co-op, and PvP side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 81.6% positive across 180,011 reviews.
No Man's Sky vs Elite Dangerous
No Man's Sky and Elite Dangerous both land in Action, Adventure on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Action, Adventure on Steam. Elite Dangerous (2015) is 1 year older than No Man's Sky (2016). No Man's Sky scores higher on Steam reviews (81.6% positive) than Elite Dangerous (76.7% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Elite Dangerous
Choose Elite Dangerous if you want a Strategy, Simulation, and Massively Multiplayer game with MMO. On Steam, it's currently about 67% cheaper on the Steam Store. 52,491 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both No Man's Sky and Elite Dangerous sit in Action and Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player, VR Supported, and Co-op, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 No Man's Sky |  Elite Dangerous | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2015 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure | Action, Strategy, Adventure, Simulation, Massively Multiplayer, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Playable |
| Price | 59.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 81.6% positive (180,011 reviews) | 76.7% positive (52,491 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op | Multi-player, Co-op |
| Developers | Hello Games | Frontier Developments |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure on Steam.
- Elite Dangerous (2015) is 1 year older than No Man's Sky (2016).
- No Man's Sky scores higher on Steam reviews (81.6% positive) than Elite Dangerous (76.7% positive).
- Elite Dangerous is currently ~67% cheaper on Steam than No Man's Sky (19.99 USD vs. 59.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: No Man's Sky is Deck Verified, Elite Dangerous is Deck Playable.
No Man's Sky vs Elite Dangerous — FAQ
- Which is better, No Man's Sky or Elite Dangerous?
- On Steam reviews No Man's Sky scores higher (81.6% positive) than Elite Dangerous (76.7% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, No Man's Sky is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play No Man's Sky or Elite Dangerous first?
- If you want chronology, Elite Dangerous (2015) came out before No Man's Sky (2016). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are No Man's Sky and Elite Dangerous similar?
- They overlap on Action, Adventure on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Do both No Man's Sky and Elite Dangerous have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: No Man's Sky ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Elite Dangerous ships Co-op.