Vega Strike is a first-person space trading and combat simulator, developed for Microsoft Windows, Linux, FreeBSD[1] and OS X systems.

[2] Vega Strike is programmed in C/C++ over the OpenGL 3D graphics API and performs internal scripting written in Python[citation needed] and XML.

Released under the GNU General Public License, Vega Strike is free and open source software.

Financial gains allow players to buy upgrades and/or better vehicles, enabling them to advance into more dangerous and profitable missions.

[citation needed] The existence of a universal currency, open markets, trading items of value to all or most groups, and widespread technologies allows the player to do business practically everywhere and buy from anyone.

Upgrades include repair systems such as the Repair Droids, Reactors for the player's ship, energy shields and hull upgrades, weapons such as lasers and missiles, maneuverability enhancers (like mult jet turn enhancers which increase the ship’s turning rate), and miscellaneous upgrades such as adding extra cargo space, fuel, cloaking devices (that make the ship invisible visually and undetectable by radar/sensors) and ECM systems (anti-missile countermeasures).

The player starts with the Llama class light cargo shuttle, along with some basic upgrades, and later has the option to buy multiple ships.