10 Best Space Sci-Fi Movies and Series on Netflix in 2025

Pictures: Netflix / Max Netflix offers many atmospheric and action-packed space sci-fi series and movies. From epic movies like Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon to unique takes such as Scavengers Reign, this list offers a bit of everything.  Space sci-fi is undoubtedly one of my most popular genres in the world (or universe, you never know). While Netflix doesn’t have access to some of the most popular space opera franchises, like Disney has with Star Wars and Marvel, the streamer does have more than a few great space opera series and movies. In this list, we countdown 10 of the out-of-this-world things to watch. Let’s take a tour! 10Captain Nova Genre: Adventure, Family, Sci-FiRating: TV-14Release Date: April 1, 2022Director: Maurice TrouwborstCast: Kika van de Vijver, Marouane Meftah, Hannah van Lunteren, Sander van de Pavert, Anniek Pheifer, Joep VermolenLanguage: DutchRuntime: 86 minWatch on Netflix Space adventures? Time travel? If you like particularly wild sci-fi stories, Captain Nova is the movie for you. Directed by Maurice Trouwborst, the Dutch 2021 movie received harsh criticism upon release, but don’t let that put you off from this fun adventure.  So what’s it about? Captain Nova follows fighter pilot who goes back in time to warn everyone of a global environmental catastrophe. The issue? The form of time travel she uses means she gets de-aged as she travels back. In the year she travels back to, she’s a child, and so those in power decide to not take her seriously.  We should note that this movie is one of the Netflix Originals scheduled to depart the service imminently on April 1st.  9The Midnight Sky Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, ThrillerRating: PG-13Release Date: December 23, 2020Director: George ClooneyCast: George Clooney, Felicity Jones, David Oyelowo, Tiffany BooneLanguage: EnglishRuntime: 122 minWatch on Netflix George Clooney stars as scientist Augustine Lofthouse, a man who remains in the Arctic ring after most of humanity has fled Earth following catastrophic disaster. He decides to remain on the dying planet because he himself is dying, But he eventually finds himself taking on one dying mission, to prevent Sully (Felicity Jones) and her fellow astronauts on the interplanetary Aether craft from returning home to Earth.  8The Wandering Earth Genre: Sci-FiRelease Date: May 5, 2019Director: Frant GwoCast: Jing Wu, Chuxiao Qu, Guangjie Li, Man-Tat NgLanguage: MandarinRuntime: 125 minWatch on Netflix The Wandering Earth is a huge-concept space sci-fi movie. And by that, I mean the entire premise of the movie follows a group of astronauts who put everything on the line to save Planet Earth with the sun dying out. How do they do it? Well, they intent to quite literally shift the planet into an entirely new solar system. The Chinese movie is a whole lot of adrenaline-packed, sci-fi fun. It even got a sequel in 2023, exactly 4 years after the original, but sadly The Wandering Eath II isn’t available on the streamer yet.  7Oxygen Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, ThrillerRating: TV-MARelease Date: May 12, 2021Director: Alexandre AjaCast: Mélanie Laurent, Mathieu Amalric, Malik Zidi, Marc SaezLanguage: FrenchRuntime: 100 minWatch on Netflix Oxygen is your typical pulsating, epic thriller about a woman (Mélanie Laurent) who awakes in a cryogenic chamber, with no recollection of why she’s there. She quickly realises that she’s running out of oxygen, therefore must move fast un order to escape and survive. Despite contacting emergency services through a help of an AI called MILO, nobody is able to help and she’s left to fend for herself.  Oxygen is far from a groundbreaking sci-fi film. It’s a story we’ve seen in so many different formats before. Even so, it’s a ton of fun.  6Orbiter 9 Genre: Drama, Romance, Sci-FiRelease Date: April 6, 2018Director: Hatem KhraicheCast: Clara Lago, Álex González, Andrés Parra, Belén RuedaLanguage: SpanishRuntime: 95 minWatch on Netflix Spanish sci-fi film Orbiter 9 ponders a simple idea: Imagine spending your entire existence in outer space. Would you dream about living on Earth. In this movie, we follow Helena (Clara Lago), who’s spent her entire life aboard the Orbiter 9 spaceship after her parents died by suicide. Her life has been confined between the walls of a ship, even being raised by the craft’s onboard computer.  The movie kicks into gear when engineer Alex (Álex González) enters her ship. A clever blend of space sci-fi, mystery, and romance — Orbiter 9 is a unique watch for viewers seeking something a little different.  5Stowaway Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, ThrillerRating: TV-MARelease Date: April 22, 2021Director: Joe PennaCast: Anna Kendrick, Toni Collette, Daniel Dae Kim, Shamier AndersonLanguage: EnglishRuntime: 116 minWatch on Netflix Joe Penna helms Stowaway, a forgotten sci-fi movie that has a stacked cast that includes Anna Kendrick, Daniel Dae Kim, and Toni Collette. The trio plays astronauts heading on a two-year mission to Mars. But on their journey, they find a stowaway, played by Shamier Anderson. The issue? The team only has enough oxygen for themselves. They simply can’t complete their mission with another crew member.  Naturally, the movie brings up numerous moral issues. How do you get rid of the stowaway, when all your lives are in danger? You can’t exactly throw them out to their death in outer space, can you? 4Space Sweepers Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-FiRating: TV-MARelease Date: February 5, 2021Director: Sung-hee JoCast: Daniel Joey Albright, Seon-kyu Jin, Song Joong-Ki, Milan-Devi LaBreyLanguage: KoreanRuntime: 136 minWatch on Netflix If you’re looking for a space sci-fi film that’s just pure, adrenaline-fuelled fun, Space Sweepers is the movie for you. Set in 2092, when Earth is no longer habitable, humanity looks up into the stars. The Korean film follows 3 space sweepers — and one android — as they travel through space collecting all sorts of debris. When they come across a crashed space shuttle, they find a mysterious 7-year-old girl inside. Curious as to her situation, they soon find themselves in the middle of a perilous ransom with the UTS Space Guards.  3Spaceman Genre: Adventure, Drama, Sci-FiRating: RRelease Date: March 1, 2024Director: Johan RenckCast: Adam Sandler, Carey Mulligan, Paul DanoLanguage: EnglishRuntime: 107 minWatch on Netflix Based on the 2017 novel Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfař, Netflix’s Spaceman stars Adam Sandler as Jakub — an astronaut on his sixth-month solitary mission in outer space. The film is a hugely atmospheric (and very claustrophobic) story about a man not only pondering the universe, but also his home and his wife.  The movie also stars Paul Dano as the voice of Hanuš, an enigmatic creature Jakub finds on the craft. Spaceman received mixed reviews upon release. It currently stands at a meagre 50% on Rotten Tomatoes, but don’t let that put you off! 2Scavengers Reign Genre: Animation, Adventure, DramaRating: TV-MARelease Date: May 31, 2024Cast: Sunita Mani, Wunmi Mosaku, Bob StephensonLanguage: EnglishRuntime: 24 minsWatch on Netflix This might seem like a slightly controversial pick for #2, but hear me out. Sure, Scavengers Reign might’ve been very unfairly axed after season 1, but the animated series is one of my favorite shows on Netflix. Originally an HBO Max series, Scavengers Reign was cancelled there and later found a home at Netflix… where it sadly didn’t garner enough attention to merit more instillments.  The series follows a group of scavengers who crash land on a bizarre planet, rife with life, but where nothing makes any sense. Scattered on the world, the series follows their respective journeys across the wilderness, and the natural events they come across; whether beautiful, dangerous, or something in-between. Scavengers Reign is a masterfully crafted, atmospheric insights into what lurks on a secluded world. And yes, I’m still very bitter that it got canceled.  1Lost in Space Genre: Adventure, Drama, FamilyRating: TV-PGRelease Date: December 1, 2021Cast: Molly Parker, Toby Stephens, Maxwell JenkinsLanguage: EnglishRuntime: 60 minWatch on Netflix Netflix’s Lost in Space premiered back in 2018, but the story itself dates back decades. The Robinson family was first put to screen in the 1960s series of the same name. And then again as a movie in 1998. Despite a cult classic original series, and a rather disappointing ’90s movie, Netflix decided to revive the franchise in 2018.  The Netflix series was more than a reboot. It stood on its own as a stellar series in its own right. The show follows the Robinsons, a family space colonists, who crash land on a distant, mysterious planet. While there, they must learn to adapt to its harsh environments and survive. Lost in Space ran for 3 seasons bringing the show to a natural conclusion. Unlike most reboots, the series was widely praised by fans of the original series, while also being loved by newcomers. Of all the sci-fi shows on Netflix, Lost in Space is absolutely a must-watch!