4. FTL: Faster Than Light
If you think about it, being the captain of a random space vessel in a galaxy comprised of people with far more wealth and power would probably kind of suck. Sure you can pick up a string of companions and tackle the depths of space together, but come the time when some lowly bandit-filled cruiser wants to take what's yours by force... you'd never be fully prepared for what was about to happen. FTL is the nearest approximation to that experience so far, creating an addictive balance of upgrading your ship, crew and weapons whilst also having to micro-manage what everyone's assigned to. Want to do more damage? You'll have to take someone off the shields mid-fight to power your rockets, meaning the enemy might break through in the meantime - or you could focus on defence and send some attack drones out instead, risking them being shot down and having no immediate defence if something else comes up. It's a constant dance of death when you engage these other ships, and with random events happening in the galaxy you can engage with, alongside a constant sense of death creeping up behind you as rival fleets vie for control of the galaxy, somewhere along the line one of them is going to bring you down.