ComparisonUpdated October 2026

Space MMO comparison

Quick answer

EVE Online is the deepest player-driven space MMO, Albion Online the biggest full-loot sandbox (fantasy, on mobile too), Star Citizen the most detailed space sim (still in alpha), Elite Dangerous the best for flight and exploration with optional PvP, and Starbase the deepest block-built space MMO (quiet since late 2024). Vermillion Online is a small, free playtest that combines block-built ships with EVE-style markets, security tiers and full loot.

Six games, one table. How Vermillion Online stacks up against the big space and sandbox MMOs on price, platforms, ships, flight, PvP and what you lose when you die. We'd rather be accurate than flattering, so tell us if something is off.

Facts as of October 2026Corrections welcome on Discord

The summary matrix

Scroll sideways on a phone. Each game links to a full head-to-head page.

Space and sandbox MMOs compared, as of October 2026
Game	Stage	Price	Platforms	Ships	Flight	PvP	When you die
Vermillion Online	Free playtest, wipes possible	Free	Mac, Windows	Built block by block, multi-part systems	Flown, Newtonian	4 security tiers, Secure to Lawless	Full loot: half the cargo gone, rest in the wreck
EVE Online	Live since 2003	Free Alpha, Omega subscription	Windows, Mac	Fixed hulls, fitted with modules	Point and click	High, low, null-sec, wormholes	About half of modules and cargo drop; hull insurance
Albion Online	Live since 2017	Free, optional Premium	PC, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS	No ships; gear sets	Top-down	Blue, yellow, red, black zones	Full loot in red and black zones
Star Citizen	Playable alpha	Game package; ships also sold	Windows	Fixed models, bought or earned	Flown, Newtonian	Armistice zones, crime stat, lawless systems	Insurance claim; cargo can be lost
Elite Dangerous	Released 2014	Buy once	Windows	Fixed hulls, outfitted, Engineers	Flown, flight assist	Optional: Open, Private Group, Solo	Rebuy cost; cargo lost
Starbase	Early Access since 2021, quiet since late 2024	Buy once	Windows	Built part by part, bolts, YOLOL	Flown, physics	Safe zones, PvP outside	Ships stay in the world and can be salvaged

Sources: each game's official site, Steam page and patch notes. Prices and rules change; check the official pages before you buy.

How to read this

These games aren't all trying to do the same thing, and a table hides that. A few things to keep in mind before you pick:

Size and stage. EVE, Albion and Elite are established games with large populations and years of content. Star Citizen is a huge project still in alpha. Starbase is in Early Access and has had no updates since late 2024. Vermillion is a small, early playtest with a handful of pilots per session so far.
Who builds the ships. In EVE, Elite and Star Citizen the studio designs the hulls and you choose the fit. In Starbase and Vermillion you design the ship itself.
How optional PvP is. Elite lets you skip other players entirely. EVE, Albion and Vermillion grade the risk by location but keep everyone in one world.
How much you lose. Insurance and rebuys soften the blow in EVE, Elite and Star Citizen. Albion's red and black zones and Vermillion's ship losses are full loot.
Mac players. Only EVE, Albion and Vermillion run natively on macOS in this list.

Each game in a paragraph

EVE Online

The reference for player-driven space. Single-shard, enormous, with a market and politics nobody else matches. You fly by orders, not by hand, and ships are fixed hulls you fit. Vermillion borrows its market, security tiers and full-loot stakes, and changes the ships.

Albion Online

EVE's sandbox ideas in a fantasy world, free to play and on every platform including phones. Local city markets, crafted gear, and full loot in the red and black zones. Vermillion runs the same risk loop with ships in space.

Star Citizen

The most detailed first-person space sim around, with seamless planets and multi-crew ships, still in alpha. Ships are studio-made and can be bought. Vermillion is tiny next to it, and lets you design the ship instead.

Elite Dangerous

A 1:1 Milky Way and some of the best flight in games, with optional PvP and rebuys. Since 2025 players can colonise systems and build stations. Vermillion shares the flight-assist-off feel and adds block-built ships and full-loot PvP.

Starbase

The other block-built space MMO, with deeper construction (bolts, wiring, YOLOL programming) and player stations. Development has been quiet since late 2024. Vermillion is simpler to build in and built around a PvP economy.

Twenty small block-built ships in mixed paint liveries lined up in one frame — Block-built ships in different liveries. In-engine render.

Every head-to-head comparison

One page per game, each with a facts table and a straight answer on who should play which.

vs EVE OnlinePlayer market and full loot, fixed hulls vs built ships. vs EVE FrontierTwo takes on a harsher frontier. vs Albion OnlineThe same risk loop, fantasy vs space. vs Star CitizenBuy a ship or build one. vs Elite DangerousOptional PvP and rebuys vs full loot. vs StarbaseTwo block-built space MMOs. vs Dual UniverseVoxel MMO, now on community servers. vs Space EngineersSandbox servers vs one PvP economy. vs Space Engineers 2Keen's sequel in Early Access. vs EmpyrionSurvival building vs PvP economy. vs AvorionGalaxy sandbox vs shared server. vs From the DepthsSame modular ideas, offline vs online. vs X4: FoundationsSimulated economy vs player economy. vs No Man's SkyExploration vs risk. vs Star ConflictArena space combat vs an open-world economy.

Vermillion Online facts

Vermillion Online at a glance, as of October 2026
Genre	Player-driven PvP space MMO with block-built ships
Status	Free playtest; progress may be wiped
Price	Free download on itch.io; no price set for later
Platforms	macOS and Windows
Server	One EU server (Nuremberg); everyone shares one world
Map	One zone, 19 sectors over about 200 km; 6 stations
Ship building	1 m blocks: 68 armour shapes in 5 materials plus about 140 parts; engines, thrusters, cannons, radar and mining lasers are multi-part assemblies
Flight	Newtonian, 6 axes, flight assist toggle; thrust comes from where you placed the thrusters
PvP rules	4 security tiers: Secure (no damage), High security (police destroy attackers after 20 s), Low security (no police), Lawless (no rules)
On death	Full loot: half the cargo destroyed, the rest left in the wreck; hulk salvageable; free Rookie Ship
Economy	Player order book at every station, 2% tax, no global inventory
Players	Early: a handful of pilots per session so far

Where Vermillion Online fits

Vermillion is for players who want two things at once: an engineering game where the ship is your own design, and an MMO where losing that ship to another player is a real possibility. Ships are 1 m blocks: 68 armour shapes in 5 materials plus about 140 parts, with engines, thrusters, cannons, radar and mining lasers built from assemblies. Flight is Newtonian and comes from where you placed the thrusters. The world is one zone of 19 sectors with four security tiers, six stations with their own order books, and the best ore where the law ends.

It's a free playtest on Mac and Windows, one EU server, and progress may be wiped. If that sounds like your kind of early, start with the playtest bulletin or the FAQ.

More guides

Games like EVE OnlinePlayer markets, full loot, real risk. Games like StarbaseBuild your own spaceship, online. Games like From the DepthsModular engines and cannons, per-block damage. What is a player-driven space MMO?The genre, explained.

See for yourself

Tables only go so far. The Vermillion playtest is a free download, and your first ship costs nothing.

Play the playtest Free download · Mac & Windows Join the Discord Read the playtest bulletin

Playtest: progress may be wiped. One EU server. The builds are unsigned, so macOS and Windows warn you once on first launch.