DarkOrbit has been flying since 2006, and it sits in a different corner of the genre from most of our picks. You do not manage a planet; you fly a ship. You point, lock on to a target and fire, collect the ore that destroyed enemies leave behind, and pour it into a better ship. The publisher describes it as a free space game for your computer, and on a desktop it feels right at home.
Your first choice is which company to serve: Mars Mining Organization, Earth Industries Corporation or Venus Resources Unlimited. That choice is about more than colour. It decides who your allies are on the shared maps and who will shoot you on sight, and it gives even a solo session a sense of belonging to something bigger.
Starting small in the Phoenix
Everyone begins in the Phoenix, a modest starter ship that makes it clear how far you have to go. The early maps are full of alien ships to shoot, and each kill drops cargo with ore and credits. The opening hours are a pleasant loop of hunting, collecting and buying slightly better lasers and shields, with each upgrade making a visible difference.
Combat is simple to learn: select a target, lock on, fire, and manage your distance. Rockets and mines add some variety. It is not deep in the way OGame is deep, but it is tactile, and for players who find build queues dry, there is real pleasure in feeling a ship get tougher and faster under your hands.
Ore, refining and the gear treadmill
The long game is about equipment. Ores such as Prometium, Endurium and Terbium can be refined into stronger materials, and those materials improve your weapons. There are many ships to work toward, with famous top-tier hulls that veterans fly with pride, and a lot of the game’s satisfaction comes from planning the route to the next one.
That route is long. Gear progression is where DarkOrbit asks for the most time, and where our fairness score drops. Credits are earned in play, but Uridium, the premium currency, buys elite equipment more quickly. A free pilot can absolutely progress, but expect a slower climb than someone spending, and plan your goals accordingly.
Company battles and clan life
Once you leave the starter areas, the three companies meet in contested space, and that is where DarkOrbit is at its liveliest. Large fights between companies are noisy, chaotic and genuinely exciting, with support ships covering damage dealers and clans moving together across the map.
Clans are worth joining early. The game encourages you to form a clan with friends and trusted pilots, and a good clan offers escorts, advice on gear and company for the grind. Our alliance score of seven reflects a lively but less political community than Planetarion; clans here are about fighting together more than plotting together.
Galaxy Gates and the PvE endgame
For players who prefer aliens to other pilots, Galaxy Gates offer challenging player-versus-environment content with substantial rewards. They are a natural goal for the mid-game, and a good way to test new equipment without risking a company war.
We enjoyed the gates as structured challenges that give the grind a shape. They are also where the gap between a well-equipped and a basic ship becomes obvious, so treat them as a target to build toward rather than something to rush into on your first week.
DarkOrbit: launch week
- Pick your company with a friend if you can, so you share maps and allies from day one.
- Hunt aliens on the starter maps, collecting every cargo box for ore and credits.
- Spend early credits on lasers and shields before chasing cosmetic or minor upgrades.
- Join a clan by the end of the week for escorts, advice and company battles.
- Set a long-term ship goal and plan your ore refining around reaching it.
What we love
- Direct, tactile combat makes every session feel active.
- Three companies give the shared galaxy a real sense of rivalry.
- Big company battles are chaotic and memorable.
- Galaxy Gates give mid-game players a clear target.
What grates
- Gear progression is slow for free pilots compared with Uridium spenders.
- Early hours of alien hunting can feel repetitive.
- A desktop computer is needed; it is not a phone-friendly game.
The pilot DarkOrbit wants
DarkOrbit is for players who want to fly rather than manage, and who enjoy a long equipment climb with a company to fight for. If you like the idea of a persistent ship that grows with you over months, it fits.
DarkOrbit, docked at the station
DarkOrbit offers something none of our strategy-heavy picks do: a ship you pilot yourself in a persistent galaxy with real factional rivalry. Combat is lively and company wars are a spectacle. The long gear treadmill and the advantages of premium currency keep it in fifth place, but for pilots it remains a solid, long-lived home.
