Video games have evolved dramatically since they first appeared, but one of their most remarkable journeys has taken them far beyond Earth. This isn’t about games that happen to be set among the stars — these are games that physically traveled into space.
Whether accompanying astronauts on individual missions or making their way to the International Space Station, video games have unexpectedly become part of spaceflight history. Astronauts and cosmonauts have demanding schedules while in orbit. After all, launching people into space costs enormous amounts of money, and governments expect them to focus on mission objectives rather than spending their time playing Halo above the planet. Even so, crews have occasionally been allowed to bring along a few games for their limited leisure time.
So buckle up as we take a look back at the fascinating story of video games that have made the trip into space.
During the early 1990s, the recently formed Russian Federation was still operating Mir, the world’s first modular space station.
Among the cosmonauts assigned to a 196-day mission aboard Mir was Aleksander Serebrov. When he wasn’t occupied with his duties or adding to his record-setting tally of spacewalks — a milestone that was later exceeded by Anatoly Solovyev — Serebrov spent some of his spare moments playing a Game Boy loaded with the iconic Russian puzzle title Tetris.
That achievement not only made Serebrov the first known person to play a video game in space, but also served as a notable example of Russian technological pride.
Years later, in 2011, Serebrov’s Game Boy and his copy of Tetris were sold at auction in New York for $1,220. Included with the items was a signed note confirming their history, which stated: “Like all cosmonauts, I love sport. My particular favourites are football and swimming. During flight, in rare minutes of leisure, I enjoyed playing Game Boy.”
Staying with the Mir space station, one of its final missions took place in 1998 when STS-89 launched from Kennedy Space Center.
Among the American astronauts on board was mission specialist Andy Thomas. In addition to his expertise as a mechanical engineer, aerodynamic scientist, and astronaut, Thomas apparently had an interest in gaming. For entertainment during his stay aboard the Russian station, he brought along a PC title called Monty Python’s Complete Waste of Time.
For those unfamiliar with it, that may be a fortunate thing. The game is essentially a collection of FMV-based mini-games and interactive comedy segments that fully embraces its own title. Why anyone would choose to spend six months inside a cramped and aging space station with such a game remains something of a mystery, but it nevertheless earned a place in history as the second video game known to have been played in space.
The International Space Station, which holds the distinction of being the longest continuously inhabited space station ever built, is one of humanity’s greatest engineering accomplishments. Alongside generations of astronauts, it has also temporarily hosted one of the most celebrated strategy games in science fiction gaming.
In 1999, the STS-96 mission delivered the first crew members to live aboard the ISS. One of them was Daniel Barry, who decided to bring a copy of StarCraft because he was an enthusiastic fan of the series. For a science-fiction real-time strategy game, there could hardly be a more fitting location than outer space itself.
Although Barry’s stay on the station lasted only about a month, he later explained in a 2017 interview that StarCraft represented more than just entertainment. Part of the reason he selected the game was because it helped maintain a connection with his family back on Earth.
Barry often played the game with his partner and daughter, frequently launching Zerg rushes against them, and bringing the copy into orbit was a symbolic way of carrying that shared experience with him. Unfortunately, he never actually had the opportunity to play the game while in space. The copy that traveled beyond Earth eventually found a permanent home at Blizzard’s headquarters.
