Choose Star Trek™: Starfleet Academy
Choose Star Trek™: Starfleet Academy if you want the Multi-player and Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 20% cheaper on the Steam Store. Star Trek™: Starfleet Academy launched in 2015.
Star Trek™: Starfleet Academy vs Starship Fighters: Space Combat Simulator
Star Trek™: Starfleet Academy and Starship Fighters: Space Combat Simulator both land in Action, Adventure, Simulation 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, Simulation on Steam. Star Trek™: Starfleet Academy (2015) is 10 years older than Starship Fighters: Space Combat Simulator (2025). Star Trek™: Starfleet Academy is currently ~20% cheaper on Steam than Starship Fighters: Space Combat Simulator (19.99 USD vs. 24.99 USD). 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 Starship Fighters: Space Combat Simulator
Choose Starship Fighters: Space Combat Simulator if you want an Indie and Early Access experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2025) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Starship Fighters: Space Combat Simulator launched in 2025.
Both Star Trek™: Starfleet Academy and Starship Fighters: Space Combat Simulator sit in Action, Adventure, and Simulation on Steam, 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
 Star Trek™: Starfleet Academy |  Starship Fighters: Space Combat Simulator | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2025 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure, Simulation | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 24.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 81.1% positive (106 reviews) | 1 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Co-op | Single-player only |
| Developers | Interplay Entertainment Corp. | Hard Shark Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure, Simulation on Steam.
- Star Trek™: Starfleet Academy (2015) is 10 years older than Starship Fighters: Space Combat Simulator (2025).
- Star Trek™: Starfleet Academy is currently ~20% cheaper on Steam than Starship Fighters: Space Combat Simulator (19.99 USD vs. 24.99 USD).
- Star Trek™: Starfleet Academy has co-op; Starship Fighters: Space Combat Simulator does not.
- Star Trek™: Starfleet Academy is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Starship Fighters: Space Combat Simulator has no Deck rating yet.
Star Trek™: Starfleet Academy vs Starship Fighters: Space Combat Simulator — FAQ
- Should I play Star Trek™: Starfleet Academy or Starship Fighters: Space Combat Simulator first?
- If you want chronology, Star Trek™: Starfleet Academy (2015) came out before Starship Fighters: Space Combat Simulator (2025). 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 Star Trek™: Starfleet Academy and Starship Fighters: Space Combat Simulator similar?
- They overlap on Action, Adventure, Simulation 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.
- Does Starship Fighters: Space Combat Simulator have multiplayer like Star Trek™: Starfleet Academy?
- No. Star Trek™: Starfleet Academy supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Co-op), while Starship Fighters: Space Combat Simulator is listed as single-player only.
- Does Star Trek™: Starfleet Academy run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Star Trek™: Starfleet Academy is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Starship Fighters: Space Combat Simulator doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.