Our galaxy.  Its an awe inspiring, beautiful, vast place; with billions of star systems, planets, moons and asteroid fields just waiting to be explored, and exploited. The triumvirate superpowers of the Empire, Federation and Independents dominate their core system volumes and constantly skirmish to outmaneuver one another on their frontiers. Outside their influence, in the vast majority of the galaxy, anarchy reigns supreme and spectacular discoveries await the bold.

Its dog-eat-dog out there – you need to keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.

Whether you want to trade for profit between systems, take part in multiplayer co-op mission alliances, free-for-all group battles and team raids to bring down planetary economies, even tip the balance of power in the galaxy (for your own advantage, of course..), or simply explore the wonders of the galaxy (and who knows what you’ll find out there..) is up to you.

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 powered by stunning new tech, and explore with unrestricted freedom from a first person, feet-on-the-ground perspective.

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. Diverse settings, objectives, and NPCs will offer endless mission variety and a near infinite amount of content to enjoy.

We wanted to share an update with you regarding the ongoing development of Elite Dangerous: Odyssey.

2020 was a difficult year for many, but in spite of those challenges we are pleased with our progress towards what is a truly ambitious new era for the game. We’ve been delighted with the excitement and positive response to our development diaries, interviews, streams and trailers and want to thank all of you for your continued support.

The ongoing impact of the pandemic however, including the renewed lockdowns in 2021, continues to put added pressure on our teams and ultimately our development timeline. We have therefore had to make the difficult decision to make some adjustments and changes to our existing development roadmap.

Our PC plans have only been affected by a small amount, however our plans for the console release will unfortunately see a larger development shift. Please do know that these difficult decisions have been made with a focus on making Odyssey as incredible as it can possibly be for all our Commanders regardless of their platform, while also respecting realistic project deadlines for our teams during this difficult global situation.

We would like to sincerely apologize to all of our community. We know you have been waiting patiently and how disappointing and frustrating this must be. With that in mind, we would like to share with you our latest roadmap so that you are fully aware of our plans.

Alpha – Early Spring 2021

We are continuing with plans to bring Alpha access to our PC players and get boots on the ground. This will now be a little later than originally planned, in early spring.

Much like our original Elite Dangerous release, we will be taking a phased approach to our Alpha, bringing new features and systems online throughout the period. This will allow us to focus and best consider our community feedback while also providing vital user testing on key areas of the game. We will be sharing further information including details of feature drops and Alpha plans as we get closer to release.

Elite Dangerous: Odyssey Deluxe Alpha and Lifetime Expansion Pass holders will get access to this release.

PC Release – Late Spring 2021

Following the completion of our Alpha phase we are targeting a full launch on PC in late spring.

As with every era in Elite Dangerous’ history, we will be closely engaging with our community and continuing to react to feedback refining Odyssey through to the console launch.

Elite Dangerous: Odyssey pre orders will be able to access the game with this release.

Console Release – Fall 2021

After continued feedback, iterations and balancing, we are targeting our release on PlayStation®4 and Xbox One in the autumn of this year.

We understand that for many, this additional delay will be frustrating. Once again, we would like to apologize wholeheartedly to our community, especially our console Commanders. However, as mentioned previously, we feel it is vital to ensure that the content being released on consoles meets the highest standards and this will require this additional extension to our roadmap.

Throughout this time we will continue to bring more news, videos and content of the development in progress. We would like to thank you all for the ongoing support and we are very excited to bring in this new era to the game with you. Your feedback, support and involvement is a vital part of this process and we are looking forward to a shared Alpha experience, which will be touching down very soon.

Exploration has always been at the core of the Elite Dangerous experience. With the highly anticipated arrival of Elite Dangerous: Odyssey in early 2021, this fundamental aspect of the game takes on a completely new dimension by introducing on-foot exploration of atmospheric planets. Players will leave the protection of their spaceships and venture out and discover the secrets and hazards those new worlds have to offer, experiencing the thrill of leaving their footprints over previously unexplored terrain.  

The Elite Dangerous: Odyssey development team is lavishing great care and attention to detail in the authentic recreation of the ice and rocky planets players will be landing on. Surface pressure, volcanism, atmospheric composition and other geological agents all play a key part on the structure and natural features of each world, capriciously moulding their appearance and making them unique and distinctive.

One of the most stunning changes Elite Dangerous: Odyssey’s on-foot exploration will bring to the game is a completely new perception of scale. When disembarking from their spaceships, players will notice never seen before details, like alien vegetation. This exotic flora can be analysed to obtain genetic information from every new variant encountered, and players can profit from their discoveries by trading in the data.

Conflict will rage as players venture into Elite Dangerous: Odyssey’s intense combat experience. Coordinating with your teammates and selecting the right equipment for the mission at hand will be key to master a multi-layered, tactical sphere of group combat where Commanders, SRVs and starships converge.

Though the Elite Dangerous universe can be a cutthroat, unforgiving place, players can find solace and regroup in social hubs spread throughout the galaxy to plan their next contracts, form new alliances and even procure the coveted services of the Engineers. These public spaces are also the ideal place to acquire and upgrade weapons and gear to suit each Commander’s own gaming style.

Your second-to-second actions could have you taking the roles of trader, pirate, bounty hunter, leader, team player, opportunistic assassin, grand schemer, and more. You are at the centre of the action any time, any place and any way you choose – each action has a consequence, and influences the galaxy around you.

Starting with a few credits and a basic starship, carve your own path through the richest, largest gaming sandbox ever created, set against a backdrop of raw anarchy, galactic powerplays and intrigue.  Do whatever it takes to upgrade your ship’s hull, engines, weapons, defences, cargo hold; constantly improve your capabilities and influence on your journey towards the most coveted rank in the history of gaming - ‘Elite’.

Fight, trade, hunt your way across a giant galaxy of billions of star systems, starting with a basic starship and a few credits. You can make money from trading goods between the many star systems, by destroying pirate ships (and collecting bounty), or even by attacking traders and collecting their cargo (which in turn will get a bounty on your head!). There will be missions too, and exploration. Most people will do some combination of these things. Upgrade your ship and specialize in one activity - have a trader with a huge cargo bay, or use the space for weapons and maneuverability.

• Real Freedom - Go where you like, be what you like - pirate, bounty hunter, trader, assassin, or some mix of all of these.
• Trade - Buy low, cross dangerous space lanes, evade or destroy pirates en route, then sell high, if you make the journey!
• Fight - Take on the pirates or be one yourself
• Progress - Get your pilot rating all the way from "Harmless" to "Elite"
• Explore - Head out to the far reaches of space and discover amazing sights

And the best part - you can do all this online with your friends, or other "Elite" pilots like yourself, or even alone. The choice is yours...  

Pre-order is available now for PC via Steam, the Epic Games Store and FrontierStore.net. Prospective Commanders can now pre-order the Elite Dangerous: Odyssey expansion with an SRP of £29.99/$39.99/€34.99. Also available today is the Deluxe Alpha expansion pack, with an SRP of £39.99/$54.99/€46.99, including the Odyssey expansion, Alpha/Beta access and the official soundtrack. Both pre-order packs grant access to the exclusive Pioneer suit skin as a pre-order bonus.

Elite Dangerous is available for Ps4, Xbox One and PC.