Oolite is a free and open-source 3D space trading and combat simulator built “in the spirit of” the classic 1984 game Elite — its name is short for object-oriented Elite, a nod to the Objective-C language it is written in. First released in July 2004, it remains in active community development to this day. You pilot a starship (the ever-reliable Cobra Mk. III) through a retro-styled galaxy, trading cargo, running missions, fighting pirates, and carefully docking at the iconic rotating Coriolis stations.

Key Features

• Open-world space sandbox — freeform trading, combat and exploration across a large galaxy of star systems, with no story railroading you
• Docking & stations — the classic Elite experience of lining up with large rotating stations (Coriolis and others) to dock and trade
• Trading & economy — buy low, sell high, ferry cargo and passengers between systems, and navigate a working legal system of fines and bounties
• Real-time combat — laser cannons, missiles and escorts, with energy management and an optional flight-assist-off model for a sim-like feel
• Huge expansion ecosystem — well over a thousand user-made expansion packs (OXZ/OXP) installable from the in-game Expansion Manager on version 1.80 and later
• Scriptable missions & shaders — JavaScript mission writing and shader support let you build custom campaigns, ships and visual effects
• Cross-platform — runs on Windows and Linux (AppImage and Flatpak), with macOS releases up to version 1.90

Why Use Oolite?

Oolite is completely free: the source code is GPL-2.0-or-later and there are no paywalls, ads, DRM or accounts. It is one of the most faithful and well-maintained open-source homages to the Elite tradition, kept alive for more than two decades by an enthusiastic modding community. If you want a deep, atmospheric single-player space sandbox you can play offline at your own pace — trading, fighting and exploring at leisure — Oolite is a polished place to start.

Use Cases

• Fans of Elite and classic space-trading sims looking for a free, modern, open-source take on the genre
• Relaxed single-player trading and exploration with no internet connection, account or subscription required
• Heavy modding — installing, tweaking and creating your own OXZ/OXP expansion packs and JavaScript missions
• Playing on Windows or Linux machines, including via Flatpak on modern distributions

Platform

Windows · Linux · macOS (up to version 1.90)

Licence

GPL-2.0-or-later (source code); game resources dual-licensed under GPL-2.0-or-later and CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 — see the repository LICENSE.md

Website

oolite.space

Similar Open-Source Games

If you enjoy commanding a starship in free space, try Endless Sky — another free and open-source space trading and combat simulator in the same Elite lineage.