You’re standing on a ridge in Toshara. The wind is whipping through Kay Vess’s hair, and in the distance, you can see the shimmering heat haze of a Galactic Empire fuel depot. It looks like Star Wars. It sounds like Star Wars. But as you hop on your speeder bike and zip across the grassy plains, the question hits you. Is Star Wars Outlaws good, or are we just looking at Assassin’s Creed with a thermal detonator skin?
Honestly, the answer isn’t a simple yes or no. It’s a "yes, but."
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Massive Entertainment, the folks behind The Division, promised us the first-ever truly open-world Star Wars game. No Jedi. No lightsabers. Just a scoundrel, a desert, and a very cute axolotl-looking creature named Nix. It’s a refreshing pivot from the high-stakes Force drama of the Jedi: Survivor series, but it carries the heavy baggage of the "Ubisoft Formula" that some players have grown to loathe over the last decade.
The Scoundrel Fantasy: More Han Solo, Less Luke Skywalker
Most Star Wars games make you feel like a god. You deflect bolts, move mountains with your mind, and cut through stormtroopers like butter. Outlaws flips that. Kay Vess is scrappy. She’s kind of a mess. When she gets into a shootout, it’s frantic and desperate. You’re diving for cover, overheating your blaster, and screaming for Nix to go fetch a grenade off a fallen enemy.
This shift in power dynamic is where the game shines. You aren't the chosen one; you're a thief trying to pay off a death mark. This grounded perspective makes the world feel massive and intimidating in a way that Fallen Order never quite managed.
The Reputation System is the beating heart here. You aren't just checking boxes on a map. You’re juggling relationships with the Pyke Syndicate, the Crimson Dawn, and the Hutt Cartel. If you betray the Pykes during a mission on Kijimi, don't be surprised when their hit squads start hunting you across the dunes of Tatooine. It creates a dynamic tension. You’re constantly weighing whether a short-term credit payout is worth a long-term bounty on your head.
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Nix is the Secret Weapon
Let’s talk about Nix. He isn't just a mascot for plushie sales. He’s your primary gameplay mechanic. While Kay handles the shooting and climbing, Nix is your remote interface. You can send him to sabotage alarm panels, distract guards, or even play dead to lure a scout into a takedown range.
It feels tactile. It feels clever.
Where the Hyperdrive Stutters
If you're asking is Star Wars Outlaws good, you have to look at the stealth. It’s... divisive. Early in the game, there are several missions where getting spotted results in an instant "Game Over" screen. In 2024 and 2025, that feels like a relic from the PlayStation 2 era. It’s frustrating. It breaks the flow of an otherwise immersive world.
The combat, while functional, lacks the depth of a dedicated third-person shooter. You have one blaster. You can upgrade it, sure, but you can’t permanently carry enemy weapons like A-300 sniper rifles or heavy repeaters. Kay drops them the moment she needs to climb a ladder or interact with a console. It limits your tactical options and makes the late-game encounters feel a bit repetitive.
Then there’s the "Ubisoft of it all."
The worlds are gorgeous, no doubt about it. Walking through the humid jungles of Akiva or the snowy streets of Kijimi is a masterclass in art direction. But the map is still littered with icons. Go here. Loot this chest. Sabotage this tower. If you’ve played Far Cry or Ghost Recon, you’ll recognize the skeleton underneath the Star Wars skin immediately. For some, that’s comfort food. For others, it’s a chore.
Technical Gremlins and the 2026 Perspective
Looking back at the launch and the subsequent patches, the technical state of the game has been a roller coaster. At launch, players reported massive VRAM leaks and broken quest triggers. Massive Entertainment has been diligent with updates, fixing the egregious stealth AI and smoothing out the frame rates on consoles.
If you’re playing it now, you’re getting a much more polished experience than the reviewers saw in August 2024. The lighting, specifically the Ray Reconstruction on PC, makes the cantinas look oily and lived-in. It’s arguably the best-looking Star Wars media outside of the The Mandalorian’s Volume sets.
The Scale of Space
Space combat is often an afterthought in open-world games. Here, it’s a bridge between planets. Your ship, the Trailblazer, handles well enough. It’s arcadey. Don't expect Star Wars: Squadrons levels of flight simulation. It’s more about the transition—blasting through an asteroid field to reach a space station feels seamless. It adds to the "Star Wars" feel without overcomplicating the controls.
Is the Story Actually Any Good?
Kay Vess isn’t Han Solo, and that’s a good thing. She’s younger, more naive, and way more prone to making mistakes. Her relationship with ND-5, a trenchcoat-wearing BX-series commando droid, provides the emotional core of the narrative. It’s a story about found family and the desperate lengths people go to when they’re trapped by the systems of the Empire and the Underworld.
It doesn’t reinvent the wheel. You won't find the philosophical depth of Andor here. But it’s a fun, pulpy adventure that fits perfectly between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
The Final Verdict for Your Wallet
So, is Star Wars Outlaws good?
If you love the "scum and villainy" side of the galaxy, yes. It captures that specific vibe better than almost any other game. If you're looking for a tight, linear action game or a deep RPG with branching dialogue trees, you might be disappointed. It sits right in the middle—a high-budget, beautiful, slightly flawed sandbox.
Wait for a sale if you aren't a die-hard fan. The Ubisoft "Gold Edition" pricing was a sticking point for many, and the base game often goes on deep discount during seasonal sales.
Actionable Next Steps for New Players
- Prioritize the "Experts": Don't just follow the main quest. Hunt down the Experts (special NPCs) early. They unlock your core abilities like better hacking, improved sliding, and new Nix tricks. Without them, Kay feels underpowered.
- Abuse the Manual Save: The autosave system can be punishing, especially during stealth sections. Save often when you aren't in a restricted area.
- Don't Fret Reputation Early: You literally cannot keep everyone happy in the first ten hours. Pick a side (Crimson Dawn has some of the best early-game gear rewards) and stick with them until you get their unique blaster skin or charm.
- Upgrade the Speeder First: You spend a lot of time traveling. Improving the speeder's boost and jump height makes navigation significantly less tedious on planets like Toshara.
- Check the Settings: Turn off "Film Grain" and "Motion Blur" immediately. The game's default cinematic settings can make the image look muddy, and disabling these lets the high-quality textures actually pop.