Star Wars Outlaws: Everything we know so far
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Star Wars Outlaws is set to bring us the "first-ever" open-world game set in a galaxy far, far away. As one of the biggest upcoming Ubisoft games on the near horizon, there's already plenty to get excited about when it comes to our adventure as scoundrel Kay Vess.
Recently, we got a brand new trailer during Gamescom 2024, and we got a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Star Wars Outlaws, which you can read all about in our extensive Star Wars Outlaws big preview hub, where we explore everything from bringing Jabba the Hutt to life, to the single sentence that led the direction of the upcoming adventure. We've also learned plenty about the gameplay, from the wanted system to the blaster, which you can get more details about below.
Counted among a slate of exciting upcoming Star Wars games on the way - alongside the likes of Star Wars Eclipse - Star Wars Outlaws is easily one of our most anticipated new games for 2024, and we can't wait to see what's in store for us in the Outer Rim once it launches in a few days.
But, ahead of its big release, here's a full recap of everything we know so far about Star Wars Outlaws.
Star Wars Outlaws news
Star Wars Outlaws doesn't let you kill or steal from friendly civilians
Star Wars Outlaws Kay Vess was inspired by Han Solo but is "a little bit more relatable"
Star Wars Outlaws will let you betray Jabba the Hutt, if you're feeling bold
Star Wars Outlaws' open world is designed to offer "full freedom of approach"
Star Wars Outlaws devs chose not to include free-flying above the game's planets
Star Wars Outlaws release date and platforms
Ubisoft officially confirmed the Star Wars Outlaws release date will be August 30, 2024. This release date news was announced back in April, along with a fancy trailer, giving us our first look at the new Star Wars game.
We also know that Star Wars Outlaws will be released for PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X, with pre-orders now available across all platforms. The upcoming adventure is also getting special Gold and Ultimate editions, which both come with certain bonuses, including three days of Early Access, meaning you can play from August 27.
But, be warned, they come with hefty price tags - the Gold edition is $109.99 (￡94.99), and the Ultimate edition clocks in at $129.99 (￡114.99).
Star Wars Outlaws open world setting
Star Wars Outlaws is touted as the first open world Star Wars game ever, taking place across focused maps and areas pertinent to the story. The events of the story occur between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi in the Star Wars timeline. As we explored in our behind-the-scenes look at the making of the open-world, we'll setting off to four planets, with Star Wars Outlaws will also introducing us to Toshara – a new moon location for the Star Wars universe (which you can catch a glimpse of at the 1:20 and 2:10 marks in the first trailer).
We learned all about the creation and inspirations behind Toshara at the Massive studio in Malmo, Sweden, as well some interesting landmarks and dangers we'll encounter when we venture to the savanna moon.
We know we will be revisiting the home planet of Jabba the Hutt as part of our journey across the Outer Rim in Tatooine, with multiple other crime syndicates to work with or against as Kay carves a path through them. Other worlds include the frozen lands of Kijimi, the verdant jungle planet Akiva, and Kay's home world of Cantonica with its casino city, Canto Bight.
Star Wars Outlaws story
You can watch the official Star Wars Outlaws story trailer above.
Star Wars Outlaws will introduce you to Kay Vess, a scoundrel who is trying to survive in the galactic underworld. The core storyline will see Kay attempting to pull off one of the biggest heists in the Outer Rim, all while trying to outmaneuver the reach of the Empire, the grasp of the Syndicates, and elements of her past. Kay is hoping to use the gains from the heist so that she can start a new life, although if I know my Star Wars, that's always easier said than done.
The game will involve a crime system that is not dissimilar to those used in the likes of GTA and Red Dead Redemption 2. "As a scoundrel, you live and die by your reputation, meaning that Kay will have to navigate the underworld and its various crime syndicates, making choices that will impact her reputation, her experience, and her support throughout the game," says creative director Julian Gerighty.
All this to say, you'll gain and lose alliances depending on which contracts you carry out. The idea of being chased across the galaxy by notorious crime bosses sounds thrilling enough. Still, in the context of the broader Star Wars universe, it stands out as a unique offering compared to the more noble questing of our Jedi warriors in the Fallen Order games from Respawn.
Given its place in the Star Wars canon, we also know there will only be one ending written into Star Wars Outlaws. This focus on a tighter narrative experience while leaving plenty of room for nuance in how you see it through sounds like an intriguing new direction for a Star Wars game.
After speaking with Massive, it's clear that it was crucial that they tell a different kind of Star Wars story.
Star Wars Outlaws Kay Vess
Kay Vess is a brand new character to the Star Wars universe. She's a scoundrel attempting to survive the criminal underworld, against the backdrop of the Empire's ongoing war against the Rebel Alliance. We know that Kay will be looking to pull off the biggest heist the Outer Rim has ever seen, although she may have some bigger things to worry about. From the debut trailer, it's made clear that Kay has a bounty on her head.
In our behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the Star Wars Outlaws characters, you can learn more about the inspirations behind the cast, how the team brought fresh faces to life, and get closer to the smaller details of the Kay, Nix, and ND5's design that all tell a story - from the droid's jacket, to Kay's wrist tattoo.
Star Wars Outlaws gameplay
During Gamescom 2024, we got a new trailer for Star Wars Outlaws that shows off some gameplay, and it appears that Massive Entertainment is building a Rockstar-style adventure in space. As Kay Vess, you'll be tooling around the criminal underbelly of the Outer Rim, doing what you can to survive – even if that means making dirty deals with Syndicates, double-crossing the Empire, and betraying whatever few friends you have left.
In a galaxy far, far away
What Star Wars Outlaws planets and locations are in the game?
When Ubisoft Massive said it was building an open world Star Wars game, it wasn't kidding. While Outlaws will thread you through more contained areas for missions – which you'll have the opportunity to stealth through, or go all-action with a blaster in hand – you are able to hop on a speeder and whip around planets. There will be different towns and cities to explore within each planet, and if you get on the wrong side of the ruling party, you'll be able to hop into your spaceship (the Trailblazer) and use hyperspace.
That's right, Star Wars Outlaws features a full reputation and wanted system. As we learned from Massive, there are various levels to the wanted system, not unlike GTA, with level 6 being the highest. With options to play around with the settings of the system, the devs explained how you can "mess with it" to give yourself the ultimate self-imposed challenge. Reputation will also "ebb and flow" depending on your actions, with ways to improve your standing with the crime syndicates if you make mistakes by taking on contracts.
You'll also have complete freedom to pilot your ship, get into dogfights, and navigate a vast system of planets, with options to customize your both the trailblazer and speeder to your liking. And of course, you'll be outfitted with a blaster gun that will have different modules in order to deliver variety, or in the words of lead gameplay designer Fredrik Thylander, a "full-fat shooting experience".
Star Wars Outlaws progression
Rather than XP, skill trees, or levels, Star Wars Outlaws instead, has you seek out elusive experts in the world who will pass on their skills to you once you help them. As lead systems designer Matthieu Delisle explained, this was designed to "reward player curiosity" and encourage exploration.
With each skill you learn becomes its own adventure. Every new ability can also be developed by completing set challenges, which is again done to make you "see the open world as a solution to a problem" and view it in new ways.
Star Wars Outlaws cast
The two confirmed Star Wars Outlaws cast members surround the two lead characters, Kay Vess and Nix. Kay is being brought to life by Humberly González – who has starred in Killer High, In the Dark, Utopia Falls, and Ginny & Georgia.
Kay's loyal companion, Nix, will be played by Dee Bradley Baker – a voice actor who you'll recognize from Star Wars: The Bad Batch and Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Star Wars Outlaws developer
Star Wars Outlaws is in development at Massive Entertainment. That's the studio responsible for The Division and The Division 2, and a couple of upcoming Ubisoft games including Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
Creative director Julian Gerighty says this of the new Star Wars game: "When we first imagined the first open-world Star Wars game, we explored where and when it could take place, and quickly realized that we had all the right ingredients for the journey of a scoundrel."
"These outlaws live life under the thumb of the Galactic Empire but can still thrive given the opportunities that the criminal underworld opens up for people looking to take advantage of the turmoil. The time is ripe for a new outlaw to make their name, and Kay Vess is written in the stars."
While we wait for more Star Wars Outlaws, you can check out our lists of the best Star Wars games of all time and all the upcoming PS5 games heading our way.
