It’s been quite a while since Ubisoft first announced that a new Star Wars game was coming from The Division developer Massive Entertainment in 2021, but now the title — revealed to be Star Wars Outlaws in 2023 during Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase — is just a few days away from its scheduled August 30 release date. The open world adventure is expected to be one of 2024’s biggest games, and ahead of its launch, its review embargo has officially lifted and critical evaluations of the experience are now live.
According to the review aggregation site Metacritic, Star Wars Outlaws has an average “Generally Favorable” score of 77/100 based on 100 reviews conducted across Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC systems. Most reviews are positive with scores in the 75-85 range, though roughly a fifth of them convey more mixed feelings. Here are some scores and quotes that’ll give you an idea of the range of opinions:
- Gamers Heroes (95/100): “Massive Entertainment created breathtaking environments across the galaxy, delivered a fast-paced combat system true to the scoundrel style, and crafted a story that rivals the modern movies. Star Wars Outlaws is, simply put, the Star Wars game of a generation.”
- VG247 (80/100): “It’s not the best game I’ve played this year, but it’s certainly the best I’ve felt playing one in a long time. It’s got a just-one-more-mission moreishness that made it very difficult to file this copy on time and is such a liability for sleeping habits that it should come with a health warning.”
- TechRadar (80/100): “Star Wars Outlaws serves up an extremely enjoyable open-world Star Wars experience that proves the wait for such a game was worth it. While there are a few frustrations, the mix of beautiful worlds, a crime-rich underworld, compelling and tense missions with multiple routes to success, a strong cast, and a fun narrative to boot, makes it a superbly fun experience.”
- IGN (70/100): “Star Wars Outlaws is a fun intergalactic heist adventure with great exploration, but it’s hindered by simple stealth, repetitive combat, and a few too many bugs at launch.”
- TheGamer (70/100): “Star Wars Outlaws is a frustrating experience to critique because its high points are numerous, from spending an entire hour infiltrating a deceptively vast imperial outpost to upgrading Kay’s skills by engaging with the open world in ways that feel natural and rewarding. There are times when I didn’t want to put this game down, which only made its glaring omissions all the more noticeable. A lacklustre story, a bizarre lack of polish for a production of this scale, and a main character that isn’t the step forward she should have been all hold the game back from excellence.”
- Eurogamer (40/100): “Star Wars Outlaws, by comparison, feels like it’s blagging it – much as Kay can, when regularly caught out by some far more worldly syndicate boss. The result is a series of quite painful comparisons: it lacks the branching, open stealth of an Arkham game, the systemic options of a Dishonored or the incisive, relentlessly satisfying speed of picking enemies off in Assassin’s Creed. It lacks the linear polish and charisma of Uncharted. Lacks the animation flow to its yellow-ledge platforming next to a Horizon, or the sheer joy of taking platforming and making it into an actual game in itself, as in Star Wars Jedi.”
Takes on the game’s story and writing as well as its combat and stealth systems vary quite a bit, though there are two aspects of the title that most reviewers agree on. The first is that Star Wars Outlaws’ open world zones are gorgeous and a joy to explore, and are full of exciting secrets for attentive players to discover as they journey across the galaxy far, far away. The second is that it has some significant issues with performance and stability on PC, as well as a laundry list of gameplay-related bugs that intrude on and detract from the adventure.
In case you’re wondering, Windows Central reviewed the game, too, with my colleague Rebecca Spear publishing her full thoughts earlier this morning. “If you like stealth mechanics, open-world RPGs, and Star Wars, then you really ought to check out Star Wars Outlaws,” she wrote in our review, awarding the new release a score of 4/5 stars. “There are definitely some mechanics that could use a bit more polish, but overall, it’s a very satisfying game. Focusing on the criminal underworld and giving players choices provides a strategic element that allows you to take in a very different side of a galaxy far far away, one that we haven’t seen as much of in other Star Wars games.”
All in all, Star Wars Outlaws seems to be a good game, and I’m looking forward to jumping in once I pick it up. It may be a while before I do so, however, as its $69.99 MSRP is rather steep and I’d also like to wait until some of its PC performance issues are addressed in patches. Notably, it’s not on Xbox Game Pass, but PC players can play it through a $17.99/month Ubisoft+ Premium subscription. Opting for that route gives you access to Star Wars Outlaws’ Ultimate Edition for as long as you’re a member, and will allow you to play the game three days early (Early Access kicks off tomorrow).
I haven’t decided if I’m going to subscribe to Ubisoft+ Premium for a month to play Star Wars Outlaws yet, but it’s probably the only way I’ll be checking it out without there being a discount on the full purchase. Luckily, deals on recently released games are surprisingly common these days, so I suspect it won’t be too long before there’s a decent sale.
Star Wars Outlaws is headed to Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5 later this week on August 30, and will surely be one of the best Xbox games and best PC games you can play in 2024 if you’re a huge Star Wars fan. Prices for editions of the game start at $69.99, though you also have the option of checking it out through Ubisoft+ Premium if you’re a PC player.
