EVE Online cost to play

EVE Online is a single-shard space game that has been running since 6 May 2003. Its economy is largely run by players, and one item, PLEX, links that economy to real money: you can buy PLEX with pounds and sell it to other players for the in-game currency, ISK. That is why EVE's famous losses can be given a real-money value, a story told in our history of EVE's real-money moments.

How it plays

EVE Online is an online multiplayer game (MMO) set in New Eden, a galaxy of more than 7,000 star systems. Fenris Creations describes it as player-driven: players run the economy, lead corporations and form alliances, and the wars between them are fought by real players.

You fly and customise starships, choosing from more than 350 hulls and fitting them with modules, components and SKINs. What you do with them is up to you. You can explore, scanning for relics and lost technology and travelling through wormholes; join large fleet battles, some of which have set Guinness World Records; or take the PvE route of mining, manufacturing, trading and running missions, progressing at your own pace.

The game can be played for free as an Alpha clone (see whether EVE Online is free to play for what Alpha can and can't do). An Omega subscription unlocks every ship and faster progression, as covered under What it costs below.

What it costs

EVE has been free to play with limits, as an "Alpha" clone, since November 2016. Full access needs an Omega subscription. On Steam UK:

Omega plan	Price	Per month
1 month	£16.00	£16.00
3 months	£38.40	£12.80
6 months	£67.20	£11.20
12 months	£115.20	£9.60
24 months	£211.20	£8.80

The 24-month plan is 45% cheaper per month than paying monthly.

What PLEX costs

PLEX is sold in packs. Bigger packs are cheaper per PLEX:

Pack	Steam UK price	Per 100 PLEX
100	£4.00	£4.00
500	£20.00	£4.00
1,000	£36.00	£3.60
1,500	£52.00	£3.47
3,000	£100.00	£3.33
6,000	£192.00	£3.20
12,000	£336.00	£2.80
20,000	£520.00	£2.60

There are no paid random items to price, so EVE isn't in the drop-rate index.

Players

The 30-day peak on Steam Charts was 5,914 concurrent players on 3 October 2026. Its all-time Steam peak is 10,229, in November 2020. Players on CCP's own launcher aren't counted.

How we checked

Prices and ratings come from the Steam UK store and Valve's store data, read on 3 October 2026. The developer and publisher, CCP Games until 2026, is now Fenris Creations: it says on its own site that it returned to independent ownership from Pearl Abyss in May 2026 and changed its name (read 4 October 2026). Release and free-to-play dates come from CCP's own announcements and EVE's history. The player figures are from Steam Charts on the same day. The gameplay description is based on the publisher's Steam store page.

Card art and page images: screenshots from the EVE Online Steam store page. © Fenris Creations. EVE Online is a trademark of Fenris Creations. This is fan-created content. GamesChart is not endorsed by or affiliated with Fenris Creations.