Elite Dangerous: Odyssey takes on Star Citizen, allows on-foot combat and exploration

By Asher Madan
last updated

There are a lot of changes coming.

Elite Dangerous
Elite Dangerous (Image credit: Frontier Developments)

Elite Dangerous

Source: Frontier Developments (Image credit: Source: Frontier Developments)

What you need to know

  • Elite: Dangerous is a popular space simulator by Frontier Developments.
  • The game is getting a massive expansion that allows you to explore planets on foot.
  • The developer detailed a number of changes.
  • You can purchase Elite: Dangerous for $30 on the Microsoft Store (opens in new tab).

For years now, I've been wanting Elite Dangerous to become more like Star Citizen. It looks like it's finally happening in 2021. Today, Frontier Developments said that the upcoming Odyssey expansion will allow you to land on planets and explore on foot, even engaging in combat and other interactions like diplomacy and trade.

The press release Windows Central received said the following. The expansion should launch during the early months of next year.

It is time to disembark and look up at the stars once more. Frontier Developments proudly announced today Elite Dangerous: Odyssey, a new major expansion for Elite Dangerous, arriving in early 2021. Elite Dangerous: Odyssey marks the birth of a highly anticipated new era for the long-running definitive space simulation, allowing players to touch down on countless new planets. Taking life on the frontier of space to new depths, Elite Dangerous: Odyssey's emergent gameplay will let players forge their own path through a wide variety of missions, ranging from diplomacy and commerce to lethal stealth and all-out combat.

David Braben, Founder of Frontier Developments, said the following.

Odyssey is our most ambitious Elite Dangerous expansion to date. Extending coverage to the super-fine scale that is needed for on-foot gameplay while maintaining the vast raw distances measured in light-years is a huge achievement by the team and greatly extends the already rich Elite Dangerous experience. We hope you will join us to continue this journey of discovery and adventure when Elite Dangerous: Odyssey launches in early 2021.

I hope you're as excited for Odyssey as I am. Keep in mind that this is a paid expansion. We finally have a tangible game that's like Star Citizen!

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Elite: Dangerous

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The Elite: Dangerous - Standard Edition is a bundle that includes Elite Dangerous: Arena, Elite: Dangerous, and the Elite Dangerous Core. It's your first step into this expansive universe.

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Asher Madan
Asher Madan

Asher Madan handles gaming news for Windows Central. Before joining Windows Central in 2017, Asher worked for a number of different gaming outlets. He has a background in medical science and is passionate about all forms of entertainment, cooking, and antiquing.

3 Comments
  • EPIC! I really need to dive into Elite Dangerous. I bought the Horizons expansion which allowed landing on planets and have barely ever scratched the surface of the entire game. Wow. Just wow.
  • I've played Elite Dangerous on and off or years, I've barely even done everything that can be achieved in my ship, let alone on planet. But I will likely load it up again once this drops and sink another few hundred hours into the game.
  • Is Star Citizen basically a scam or just a very very niche game for some hardcore nuts? I mean, every time I look up what it is, I find support to both.