In this work, we present a comprehensive investigation of the elastic properties (the full elastic tensor, bulk, shear and Young's moduli, and Poisson's ratio) of 23 well-known ceramic alkali superionic conductor electrolytes (SICEs) using first principles calculations. We find that the computed elastic moduli are in good agreement with experimental data (wherever available) and chemical bonding nature. The anion species and structural framework have a significant influence on the elastic properties, and the relative elastic moduli of the various classes of SICEs follow the order thiophosphate < antiperovskite < phosphate < NASICON < garnet < perovskite. Within the same framework structure, we observe that Na SICEs are softer than their Li analogs. We discuss the implications of these findings in the context of fabrication, battery operation, and enabling a Li metal anode. The data computed in this work will also serve as a useful reference for future experiments as well as theoretical modeling of SICEs for rechargeable alkali-ion batteries. (C) 2015 The Electrochemical Society.