Games in the neighborhood of Star Fleet Battles and Starfire

Tactical starship combat, fleet-scale space wargames, and the strategic layers around them · researched August 2026

Only real online option

Talon (GMT) — fully implemented on Board Game Arena, plus an official Vassal module.

On Board Game Arena

2 of 25 — Talon and Space Empires: 4X. Neither SFB nor Starfire is there, and nothing space-combat themed is in the BGA pipeline.

Where the rest live online

Vassal and Tabletop Simulator. Vassal is the standard for hex-and-counter titles; TTS for miniatures games.

Closest in feel to SFB

Babylon 5 Wars (per-arc shields, hit locations) and Talon (energy allocation, impulse movement).

Your two reference points

Baseline for comparison.

Game	Publisher	Status	Online version	BGA	Links
Star Fleet BattlesEnergy allocation, impulse chart, one ship per player	Amarillo Design Bureau	In print	SFB Online — licensed subscription client	No	Publisher BGG Play
Starfire / Ultra StarfireTactical combat plus a built-in tech & campaign engine	Starfire Design Studio	In print (PDF)	No play client; PDFs via WargameVault	No	Publisher BGG

Tier 1 — Closest matches, still in print

Same design DNA: hex map, ship record sheets, energy or system management.

Game	Publisher	Status	Online version	BGA	Links
TalonThe pick if you want to play online tonight. SFB's energy allocation and shield facing, ~1 hour	GMT Games	In print (3rd ptg)	BGA + official Vassal module	Yes	Publisher BGG BGA Vassal
Federation CommanderSame designer, same universe, ~95% fewer die rolls than SFB	Amarillo Design Bureau	In print	SFB Online (combined subscription); community TTS mods	No	Publisher BGG Play
A Call to Arms: Star FleetSFU ships at fleet scale, bucket-of-d6, no energy allocation	ADB (was Mongoose)	In print	None	No	Publisher BGG
Attack Vector: TacticalTrue 3D Newtonian movement with tilt blocks; 1–2 ships a side	Ad Astra Games	In print	Vassal (0.9 demo), TTS mod	No	Publisher BGG Vassal
Squadron StrikeAV:T's engine made setting-agnostic; 300+ weapon traits, ship construction	Ad Astra Games	In print (2E)	None found	No	Publisher BGG
StarmadaPoints-based universal ship construction; can emulate other settings	Majestic Twelve Games	In print (2024 core)	Vassal "Starmada 2024" (alpha), TTS mod	No	Publisher BGG Vassal
Red Alert: Space Fleet WarfareRichard Borg's Commands & Colors engine applied to hex space combat	PSC Games	In print	None	No	Publisher BGG
Battlestations: Second EditionShip-vs-ship on a hex map, but each player crews a station aboard	Gorilla Games	In print	None	No	BGG

Tier 2 — Fleet-scale miniatures systems

Lighter per ship, many more ships. Several have free rules.

Game	Publisher	Status	Online version	BGA	Links
Full ThrustFree rules, 2D vector movement, the long-running indie standard	Ground Zero Games	Free PDF rules	Vassal v2.1 (updated 2025), TTS mods	No	Publisher BGG Vassal
Dropfleet CommanderOrbital combat above a planet; free full rulebook PDF	TTCombat	In print (2E)	Vassal module, two TTS mods	No	Publisher BGG Vassal
Firestorm ArmadaRevived by Warcradle in Oct 2025; free 3rd Ed. open beta rules	Warcradle (was Spartan)	3E beta	TTS mods (old edition only)	No	Publisher BGG Beta rules
Warfleets: FTLFree, model-agnostic, deliberately streamlined capital-ship combat	One Page Rules	Free rules	None	No	Publisher BGG
A Billion SunsSecret-orders fleet combat; 2nd edition due Dec 2026	Osprey Games	2E incoming	None	No	Publisher BGG
Homeworld: Fleet CommandTactical skirmish under the Homeworld license	Modiphius	In print	None	No	Publisher BGG
Star Trek: Attack WingX-Wing-style dials and dice; line is dormant, last releases 2024	WizKids	Dormant	Community TTS mods	No	Publisher BGG
Star Wars: ArmadaCommand dials, maneuver tool; development ended June 2024	Atomic Mass Games	Discontinued	Well-maintained Vassal module, TTS	No	Publisher BGG Vassal
Battlefleet GothicOOP since 2013; GW has actively suppressed Vassal and TTS distribution	Games Workshop	Out of print	Blocked. Video games only: BFG: Armada 1 & 2	No	BGG Video game

Tier 3 — Classics worth hunting down

Mostly out of print, but several have excellent free digital implementations.

Game	Publisher	Status	Online version	BGA	Links
Babylon 5 WarsThe closest analogue to SFB in per-arc shield and hit-location detail	Agents of Gaming (defunct 2002)	Dead license	Fiery Void — free browser implementation, actively played	No	Fan archive BGG Fiery Void
TriplanetaryElegant drift-marker vector movement; free rules PDF	Steve Jackson Games	In print (2018)	Unofficial fan Vassal module	No	Publisher BGG Free rules
Silent DeathSmall-craft dogfighting; rights moved from I.C.E. to Metal Express, still sold	Metal Express	In print	Vassal module v1.0, TTS mod	No	Publisher BGG Vassal
Renegade Legion: InterceptorTrademark now with Budgie Smuggler Games, but no reprint — only an RPG	FASA (OOP)	Out of print	Vassal module v1.2; 1990 SSI PC game (abandonware)	No	BGG Vassal
BattleTech AeroTech 2Heat, thrust, crit tables at fighter/DropShip scale; rules folded into Total Warfare	Catalyst Game Labs	Sold out	MegaMek — mature open-source client, actively developed	No	Publisher BGG MegaMek
Brilliant Lances / Star CruiserTraveller-universe Newtonian combat with sensor and detection layers	GDW → Far Future Enterprises	PDF only	None	No	Rights holder BGG
Battlestar Galactica: Starship BattlesMechanically a strong fit, but Ares lost the license — secondhand only	Ares Games	License ended	None	No	BGG

Tier 4 — The strategic layer above tactical combat

Starfire's campaign side has more relatives here than in the tactical tiers.

Game	Publisher	Status	Online version	BGA	Links
Space Empires: 4XHidden-movement fleet counters, tech trees; the other BGA option	GMT Games	In print (5th ptg)	BGA, two Vassal modules, TTS	Yes	Publisher BGG BGA
Federation & EmpireThe strategic game sitting directly above SFB, same universe	Amarillo Design Bureau	In print	ADB-sanctioned Vassal module v2.1 (hosted by ADB only)	No	Publisher BGG
Victory By Any MeansCampaign engine designed to wrap around whatever tactical rules you like	VBAM Games	3rd Ed. 2025	None	No	Publisher BGG
Stellar HorizonsHard-SF solar system grand strategy with a tactical combat subsystem	Compass Games	In print	None	No	Publisher BGG
EVE: War for New Eden4X with meaty fleet-combat resolution	Titan Forge / CCP	In print	None	No	Publisher BGG
Star Trek: Ascendancy4X, not tactical — combat is dice pools. Reprint funding on Gamefound	Gale Force Nine	Reprint in production	Community TTS mod	No	Publisher BGG

Takeaways

Board Game Arena is nearly a dead end for this genre. Talon and Space Empires: 4X are the only two, both GMT titles designed by Jim Krohn. Nothing space-combat themed appears in BGA's development pipeline.
Vassal is where this genre actually lives online — Full Thrust, Talon, Silent Death, Renegade Legion, Federation & Empire, Starmada and Star Wars: Armada all have modules, most of them free.
Two standout free digital implementations: Fiery Void (Babylon 5 Wars, browser-based) and MegaMek (BattleTech aerospace, open source). Both are more actively developed than most commercial options here.
If you want SFB's texture without SFB's page count: Talon first, then Federation Commander. If you want it heavier and in 3D: Squadron Strike or Attack Vector: Tactical.
Free rules to evaluate at zero cost: Full Thrust, Dropfleet Commander, Warfleets: FTL, Triplanetary, and the Firestorm Armada 3E beta.

Compiled 13 August 2026. Status and links verified at time of research; publisher pages for GMT and WizKids block automated checking and were confirmed indirectly. Out-of-print titles are noted as such — availability shifts, so check current stock before buying.