Hard Science Fiction

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Science fiction with emphasis on the "science." Seems to be popular with people who prefer simulationist RPGs and/or physics/calculus. As you may expect, it is diametrically opposed to "Soft Science Fiction."

A possible way to describe it is "a story where the fiction is informed by the science."

Major discrepancies between fact and fiction have been discussed ad infinitum. Important points include:

• Alien civilizations resembling human archetypes;
• Faster than light travel;
• Combat and stealth in space;
• Violation of thermodynamic laws.

Many would consider the very idea of a trans-galactic society beyond hard science fiction since conventional matter and physical information cannot travel faster than c, and even approaching that speed with considerable invariant mass regularly would take more energy than the universe can supply, though quantum mechanics have proven that some form of information travels even faster via the Pauli Exclusion principle.

Jules Verne's works, when seen in the context of the time they were written, can be considered hard science fiction.

Settings with HSF elements

• Traveller is a very old example, and even its modern versions are practically impenetrable for the uncompromising rules that desperately try to simulate reality as closely as possible. Building a spaceship and spacesuit in your backyard to go have actual space adventures requires about the same skillset and level of effort as playing Traveller.
• Albedo is the work that gave us the word "furry." It also features detailed cutaway techno-porn diagrams of all the ships in the game and discussions of how the tech works for the curious, and is built on a complicated, realistic mix of politics and military action.
• Diaspora is, in many ways, a version of Traveller for the sorts of people who view dying (in or out of character) during character creation to be a bug rather than a badge of pride to filter out the riff-raff. All the physics is internally-consistent and unforgiving, and the system includes a lot of cultural and economic realism right there in the rules. The Dresden Files RPG-style communal campaign-building also helps ensure that everyone gets to do the kinds of things they want to do in the game.
• Battletech is a... contentious example, as the whole thing revolves around human-shaped warmachines, but outside of that, the game focuses on simulating believable socio-economic conditions and technology, and comes up with a believable explanation for man-piloted walker-mechs. (Namely, the real-world fact that the biological human inner-ear is far superior to anything tech can replicate when it comes to preserving balance, and the mechs require it not to fall over in the derpiest possible fashion.)
• Mass Effect of Bioware fame is often mischaracterized for its hard background on the setting's technology, and how it treats the many different biologies of the setting's aliens. Although harder when compared relatively to its contemporaries like Halo or Star Trek. The keyword here is relative. Whilst it does respect certain aspects of Hard Science-Fiction, mainly in the concept of heat management, the vacuum of space, and the fact that all of the tech-based on the element (read: all of it) makes somewhat sense in context. Most often than not, it can just be as silly as Star Wars in terms of its techno-babble. Case in point, the titular Element Zero which creates the Mass Effect, a property that reduces the mass of an object to...well...zero. This in itself, already breaks several laws of physics and is pretty hilarious if you take the moniker of Element Zero to its literal extant since the only material that is closest to this in real-life would be Neutron Degenerate Matter...whose ridiculous density and radiation does the direct opposite of Eezo. Moreover, most of the aliens are 6ft tall and follow the human body plan (though this is probably mostly due to engine limitations), the Reapers and the methods they use to convert humans to impossibly durable warships and troops (spoilers, BTW) is less clear, and boils down to NANOMACHINES, SON. So yeah, Mass Effect on paper is Hard Sci-Fi, in actuality, it is the least Hard Sci-Fi franchise on the list, yes, even less than Battletech.
• Transhuman Space is a GURPS/Steve Jackson Games setting that is about as hard as possible. Focuses more on transhumanism than the usual science fictionery.
• Worm claims (and attempts) to more or less be one (e.g., "precognitive" powers are actually simulations), although the mechanism by which superpowers are HSF is a spoiler. How well it succeeds is up for debate.
• The Expanse book series and TV show. In here, spaceships have to turn themselves around halfway to their destination and fire their engines in reverse to slow down (the so-called "Flip and Burn") just like real life. The only artificial gravities are the ones created by centrifugal force or acceleration. And you have no way to ignore G-forces other than taking drugs that keep you conscious a little longer.
• Xeelee Sequence makes heavy use of concepts from theoretical and speculative astrophysics, such as dark matter, time dilation, quantum mechanics, general relativity, Planck's constant, the Heat Death of the universe, and the Great Attractor. While some aspects of the series are now considered outdated since science marches on and palaeontology not being Baxter's strong suit, overall, the Sequence holds up very well. No surprise since the author of the series has an actual degree in mathematics and engineering. Other than its absurd Grimdark and high octane nightmare fuel, the Xeelee Sequence is a rarity and an exception amongst its peers, for being a Hard Sci-Fi universe that could Godstomp the majority of fiction due to how scarily overpowered a Type V Kardashev civilization is depicted.