Elite Dangerous
A 1:1 scale open-world space simulation in the Milky Way.
Last updated
It is the first Elite game to feature massively multiplayer gameplay and first-person on-foot gameplay.[1] The game's Milky Way replica contains roughly 400 billion star systems, built at a 1:1 scale.[2][3]
Making and release
A PC Gamer article from November 2014 stated the game was in Beta 3 and cost £50/$75 to play.[4] The Windows version of the game launched in December 2014.[5] On Windows, Elite Dangerous is compatible with the majority of virtual reality headsets.[6] David Braben served as the development lead until August 2022.[6]
The Horizons paid expansion became available on 15 December 2015.[7] The Odyssey paid expansion became available on 18 May 2021.[7] Starting 27 October 2020, Horizons was bundled at no extra cost with the base game.[7]
What the cited sources add
The ArsTechnica article by Lee Hutchinson describes the "Power Play" update as a free major expansion that transforms the game's lore into a central gameplay component.[8] The same article notes that Power Play gives players bored with existing activities an in-game reason to continue.[8] The GamesRadar review states that dogfighting in Elite is "a thrill, like being in a Star Wars battle."[3] That review also says the game was "not really finished" at its December 2014 release.[3]
The Elite Dangerous Astrometrics website reported that as of 17 June 2026, 195,463,043 star systems had been catalogued.[9] The System Colonisation Guide notes that the Trailblazers update introduced a new way to leave a mark on the galaxy.[10]
References
- Wikipedia, "Elite Dangerous" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Elite Dangerous Gameplay Demo - IGN Live: Gamescom 2014", 15 August 2014 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Elite Dangerous" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Elite: Dangerous Newsletter #36", Frontier Developments, 15 August 2014; "Elite: Dangerous | Gameplay + David Braben interview", 18 August 2014; Parkin, "The Video Game That Maps the Galaxy", 9 July 2014 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Elite: Dangerous review", gamesradar.com, 18 December 2014. facts only, no text reused. gamesradar.com
- "Elite: Dangerous release date set for next month", PC Gamer, 7 November 2014. facts only, no text reused. pcgamer.com
- Wikipedia, "Elite Dangerous" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Elite: Dangerous release date set for next month", PC Gamer, 7 November 2014; Microsoft, "XBOX One store page for Elite Dangerous" (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Elite Dangerous" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jamie Feltham, "Frontier developments launches Elite dangerous with oculus rift support", VRFocus, 16 December 2014 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Elite Dangerous" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Annual Reports and Accounts 2022", Frontier Developments, 14 October 2022; "Annual Reports and Accounts 2022", Frontier Developments, 14 October 2022 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Lee Hutchinson, "Details revealed about major Elite: Dangerous overhaul: "Power Play" in May", ArsTechnica, 23 April 2015. facts only, no text reused. arstechnica.com
- Wikipedia, "Elite Dangerous" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Elite:Dangerous Astrometrics", Elite:Dangerous Astrometrics (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "System Colonisation Guide", Elite Dangerous, 28 February 2025. facts only, no text reused. elitedangerous.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Elite Dangerous (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Simulation Games
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Elite Dangerous (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the , each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced