Elite: Dangerous

Space flight and combat is the name of the game, and Elite Dangerous' cinematic launch trailer provides plenty of both. While it doesn’t consist of actual gameplay, it achieves its goal: to get your adrenaline pumping in anticipation of the game's release next week.

Originally Kickstarted in 2013, Elite: Dangerous plots out more than 400 billion star systems modeled after the Milky Way. Switching careers on the fly – from discoverer and fighter pilot to pirate and trader – lets players carve their own chunk out of the ever-expanding abyss. A host of spacecraft and their upgrades will ensure you’ll never have too many space credits on hand.

Along with the trailer, developer Frontier Developments announced that 1,000 in-game starting credits will be given to all players, new and returning, as part of the game's gamma 2.00 release. Progress made in pre-release versions of the game will transfer over when the game releases next week.

Watch the launch trailer below, set to Royal Blood’s “Out Of The Black,” for an idea of the thrill the game seeks to emulate.

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Elite: Dangerous is coming to PC on December 16. For actual gameplay footage, check out our preview.