Top Space Pirates and Zombies Alternatives for Your Next Space Adventure
Space Pirates and Zombies (SPAZ) offers an exhilarating blend of action-packed top-down space combat, deep ship customization, and a sprawling, persistent galaxy to explore. With its full physics simulation, engaging zombie ecosystem, and the freedom to interact with warring factions, SPAZ has carved out a unique niche. However, if you've conquered every star system, researched every ship, or simply crave a fresh cosmic challenge, you're likely searching for a compelling Space Pirates and Zombies alternative. Look no further! We've compiled a list of fantastic games that offer similar thrills and expand on various aspects of the space combat and exploration genre.
Best Space Pirates and Zombies Alternatives
Whether you're after more open-world freedom, intense ship-building mechanics, or a rich narrative, these alternatives offer diverse gameplay experiences that scratch that same itch SPAZ provides. Dive in and discover your next favorite space game!
Endless Sky
Endless Sky is a fantastic free and open-source alternative to Space Pirates and Zombies, available on Mac, Windows, and Linux. It allows you to explore other star systems, earn money through trading, passenger transport, or missions, and upgrade your ship and weapons. Its emphasis on exploration, trading, and a persistent galaxy makes it a great choice for players who enjoyed the economic and exploration aspects of SPAZ, offering a sandbox experience with quests and survival elements.
Destination Sol
Destination Sol is another excellent free and open-source option, playable on Mac, Windows, Linux, and Android devices, including tablets. It features a seamless open world of space and planets, much like the expansive galaxy in SPAZ. Players pilot their ship, discover new equipment and allies, and engage in combat. Its procedurally generated universe and open-world gameplay make it a compelling single-player alternative for those who enjoyed the freedom of exploration in Space Pirates and Zombies.
Captain Forever
Captain Forever, a freemium web-based game, is often described as "Meccano Asteroids" due to its unique modular spacecraft construction. While it simplifies the galaxy exploration of Space Pirates and Zombies, its core gameplay of piloting and simultaneously building your ship offers a highly engaging and customizable experience that will appeal to players who enjoyed outfitting their fleet in SPAZ. It's a pure gaming experience focused on creative ship design and combat.
The Ur-Quan Masters
The Ur-Quan Masters is a free and open-source space adventure game, available on Mac, Windows, Linux, and BSD. It's a modern re-creation of the classic Star Control series, offering a massive single-player experience with a rich story and strategic elements. While its combat is different from SPAZ's real-time physics-based action, its grand scale of exploration and interaction with various alien races makes it a fantastic alternative for those who appreciated the depth and narrative potential within the SPAZ universe.
Reassembly
Reassembly is a commercial game available on Mac, Windows, and Linux via Steam that places a strong emphasis on crafting and designing your perfect spaceship. Similar to SPAZ's detailed ship outfitting, Reassembly allows players to meticulously build their vessels block by block, focusing on aesthetics, power, agility, and defensive capabilities. Its unique approach to ship construction makes it an excellent choice for players who enjoyed the customization and strategic fleet building in Space Pirates and Zombies.
Captain Forever Remix
Captain Forever Remix is a commercial, officially-licensed re-imagining of the indie classic Captain Forever, available on Mac, Windows, and Linux via Steam. It expands on the original's modular ship-building concept, allowing players to construct and protect their Command Core bit-by-bit. If you loved the freedom and creativity of designing and upgrading your ships in Space Pirates and Zombies, Captain Forever Remix offers an even deeper and more refined take on this core mechanic.
VoidExpanse
VoidExpanse is a commercial game available on Mac, Windows, and Linux via Steam, offering a compelling open-world sandbox experience in space. Players can mine asteroids, upgrade their ship, trade, complete missions, and advance their character, all while engaging in fast-paced combat with hostile entities. Its blend of exploration, resource management, and action-oriented combat makes it a strong contender for those seeking a Space Pirates and Zombies alternative with even more RPG elements and open-world freedom.
Unending Galaxy
Unending Galaxy is a freemium Windows-based game that provides a top-down 2D sandbox, simulation, and strategy experience in space. While SPAZ focused more on direct combat and exploration, Unending Galaxy delves deeper into the strategic and simulation aspects of managing a space empire. If the grander scale of faction interactions and long-term strategic decisions in Space Pirates and Zombies appealed to you, Unending Galaxy offers a more in-depth take on galactic management and single-player strategy.
Wayward Terran Frontier: Zero Falls
Wayward Terran Frontier: Zero Falls is a commercial Windows game that offers a space exploration adventure RPG experience where you command a massive battleship crew in a story-driven sandbox universe. Its emphasis on a crew, storyline, and deep sandbox gameplay provides a different flavor than SPAZ's more direct combat focus. For players who enjoyed the freedom and sense of progression in Space Pirates and Zombies but crave a richer narrative and command over a larger vessel, this is a strong alternative.
The universe of space games is vast and diverse, and while Space Pirates and Zombies offers a unique blend of combat and exploration, these alternatives provide compelling reasons to venture into new cosmic frontiers. Whether you prioritize deep customization, open-world freedom, or strategic empire building, there's a perfect fit among these options for your next interstellar adventure!