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.

All in all, it should be forewarned that many Hard Sci-Fi works are setting-driven stories rather than character-driven. Since they are all focusing on the science aspect, it is natural for character development to be sacrificed for scientific accuracy. As such, the science in the setting is very much the main character rather than the characters themselves, who often act as a mouthpiece to explain shit. This could leave characters feeling rather dry and as charismatic as a brick. There are exceptions of course, such as The Martian or The Expanse, but usually, the setting is what makes Hard Sci-Fi truly hard.

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 famous for the very hard background on the setting's technology, and how it treats the many different biologies of the setting's aliens. While most of the tech in the setting is based around a fictional element that would almost certainly kill whatever it came close to if it actually existed, and whose closest real-world physics equivalent does the opposite of what it does, all of the scientific tech based on the element (read: all of it) at least tries to make sense within the context of what it's established to do and to follow consistent rules. On the other hand, 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) are less clear, and boil down to NANOMACHINES, SON. Still harder than Star Trek.
• 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. For its more fantastical and soft sci-fi cousin, there is Doctor Who.
• 2001: A Space Odyssey is possibly one of THE most famous examples of Hard Sci-Fi as well as one of the most influential. Whilst it does have the magic doodad plot device of the Monolith, overall, the concepts shown such as space stations using centrifugal force for artificial gravity, realistic thrust-based movements and its overall quietness of vacuum makes it one of the earliest form of Hard Sci-Fi in cinema. Although it is not for everyone, as it is very, VERY slow-paced and the characters are dull as ditchwater, save for the homicidal AI.
• Interstellar is its generation's 2001, taking many of the same concepts and expanding on them with better characterization. Although there are some flaws in the film, such as the solid, floating ice clouds, the inconsistency between the planet's time dilation on their orbit around Gargantua, and whatever the fuck is going on with the tesseract, it is respected for its depiction of realistic spacecraft design, zero sound in space, the dangers of inertia, an accurate portrayal of a wormhole as well as its depiction of Gargantua, a black hole so scientifically accurate, it actually influenced real-life astrophysics via Kit Thorne getting access to Hollywood's cutting edge special effect computers.
• Ringworld is the grandaddy of Halo for obvious reasons. It is one of the earliest depictions of Hard Sci-Fi that explores the concept of the titular ringworld, using real-world and theoretical physics to see how such a megastructure could feasibly work. It is so god damned hard that when a couple of high-school students spotted a flaw on the world, the author immediately took the flaw and fixed it in the next novel.