Listmania!
10 space sims for the PC
Eve Online (PC)Eve Online (PC)
Buy used from: £8.00
No.1, but... a learning-curve steeper than a cliff, and a monthly pay-to-play fee. Actually an MMO but big enough to do your own thing.
Freelancer (PC CD)Freelancer (PC CD)
Buy used from: £7.50
Microsoft nailed the mass-market space sim in 2003, although the graphics are looking a little old now. Community expansions such as Discovery have kept the game alive.
Freespace 2Freespace 2
Buy used from: £12.50
The developers have released the source code for free, and the fans have fixed it up as the FreeSpace 2 Source Code Project (SCP) with modern graphics.
Tachyon: The Fringe (PC CD)Tachyon: The Fringe (PC CD)
Buy used from: £0.15
Galactic Civilizations 2: Ultimate Edition (PC CD)Galactic Civilizations 2: Ultimate Edition (PC CD)
Buy new: £7.85 / Used from: £24.99
X3 Reunion 2.0 - Game of the Year 2007 Edition (PC DVD)X3 Reunion 2.0 - Game of the Year 2007 Edition (PC DVD)
Buy used from: £0.99
Another painfully steep learning-curve.
X3: Terran Conflict (PC DVD-ROM)X3: Terran Conflict (PC DVD-ROM)
Buy used from: £29.99
Successor to X3 Reunion 2.0, but no improvement in the graphics (which are excellent anyway). Another painfully steep learning-curve.
Sins Of A Solar Empire (PC)Sins Of A Solar Empire (PC)
Buy new: £11.03 / Used from: £8.05
Spore (Mac/PC DVD)Spore (Mac/PC DVD)
Buy new: £24.99 / Used from: £22.00
Spore, a space sim? Yes, it is in the later stages. Although it possibly won't appeal to hardcore gamers. Ignore the anti-DRM fools who lowered the 5-star rating.
FRONTIER ELITE II (2) [DOS, DOSBOX]FRONTIER ELITE II (2) [DOS, DOSBOX]
Buy used from: £9.49
Ah, Elite. You started it all, then Frontier (Elite 2.0) was bungled because the idiot publishers rush-released a bug-infested mess. There are folks keeping the dream alive, with Oolite, Evochron