6DOF games like Descent

[classyk]

Also, yesterday Desecrators has finally left early access on Steam, which is simultaneously well known in the 6DOF scene but also underrated imo. If you like Descent then check this one out too I reckon

[MarrieWhite]

Trying to get that true Descent feeling in modern 6DOF games can be tricky, especially with how different control schemes handle sliding and turning. Some newer games get close, but they often miss the smooth physics that made the original stand out.

[classyk]

I've found a few more during my travels:
Talon (2013) - which looks like it mixes 6DOF "tunnel running" with more traditional space combat which is such an obvious good idea
Terminal Velocity (1995) - a bit of a stretch but I think it might count.
And one minor tragedy, an extremely promising looking game Sol Contingency that never made it past a demo. Here's a few videos of it. It was started around 2013 as a mod (of UE4) using original Descent assets. From what I can tell they reached out to the Descent owners to work out a deal and got a Cease and Desist for their efforts! So they stripped out the Descent stuff and made it an original project.

[Pinback]

[quote data-userid="30162" data-postid="65879"]
And one minor tragedy, an extremely promising looking game Sol Contingency that never made it past a demo. Here's a few videos of it. It was started around 2013 as a mod (of UE4) using original Descent assets. From what I can tell they reached out to the Descent owners to work out a deal and got a Cease and Desist for their efforts! So they stripped out the Descent stuff and made it an original project.
[/quote]
Seem to recall that around about that time some of the devs who were working on Star Citizen left to work on the own game inspired by Descent, not sure if it was that or something else.

[classyk]

And one minor tragedy, an extremely promising looking game Sol Contingency that never made it past a demo. Here's a few videos of it. It was started around 2013 as a mod (of UE4) using original Descent assets. From what I can tell they reached out to the Descent owners to work out a deal and got a Cease and Desist for their efforts! So they stripped out the Descent stuff and made it an original project.

Seem to recall that around about that time some of the devs who were working on Star Citizen left to work on the own game inspired by Descent, not sure if it was that or something else.

The subgenre has pretty much died out and partly because of mismanagement of the Descent brand imo. The offshoot you are talking about is Descent: Underground (I think around 2015) which ended up in court. It rebranded as STFU (Ships That Fly Underground) which is still in development at a glacial pace or not at all (there's not much info in 2025).

[classyk]

Found a few more while revisiting Cell Sword recently:

Ascentroid - hews very closely to the original Descent by the looks of it.

AquaNox: Deep Descent - A multiplayer 6DOF set underwater. Reviews are iffy and it looks a bit slow tbh.

Null Operator - This is a game from about 2015 but apparently other than a demo, it never released. The website is gone but the demo download was on a different server and so might still be around.

[classyk]

More 6DOF games in my never-ending quest

Miner Wars - heavily panned game but the devs went on to make Space Engineers! Gives me hope for Cell Sword lol sob

NeonXSZ - I actually already own this one. Underrated!