Look—I get it. Star Wars Outlaws didn’t top the Game of the Year list in 2024. It’s not the most polished game, but you know what? This game might as well have been custom-made for me—and the rest of you just had to suck it.
That’s right, Ubisoft made a big open-world Star Wars scoundrel adventure, and I loved every second of it—even the parts other people hated. So today, I’m making my case In Defense of Star Wars Outlaws.
Before we dive into gameplay, story, and all the gripes, let’s set the stage. Star Wars Outlaws was developed by Massive Entertainment—the same team behind The Division. It was billed as the first-ever open-world Star Wars game. And when Ubisoft says open-world, you know what that means: exploration, stealth, climbing, looting, and a lot of side activities.
Going in, the hype was pretty wild. People were excited about flying between planets, pulling heists, and living out their scoundrel fantasies. Then launch hit—and reception was…mixed. Critics generally liked it, praising the setting and characters, but some fans bounced off the mission structure, the zero-fail stealth segments, and the fact that this wasn’t Jedi: Fallen Order with lightsabers and force powers and all that.
And honestly? That’s why I loved it even more. Let me explain.
Gameplay
I’m a huge stealth fan. My idea of a perfect mission is one where I ghost through an entire base and nobody even knows I was there. So when people complained about the zero-fail stealth missions early on? I was like—yes, finally! A game that expects you to actually be stealthy.
Now, I get why this annoyed some folks. Failing instantly because a stormtrooper spots you isn’t fun for everyone. But for me? It scratched the same itch that Splinter Cell and Hitman used to.
Then there’s the climbing. Outlaws has this fantastic sense of traversal where you’re always scrambling up vents, scaffolding, and rooftops. It feels grounded—Kay Vess isn’t a parkour expert like you’re playing Assassin’s Creed. But she’s resourceful and athletic enough to access some areas other people in the world overlook.
One of the defining traits of this game has to be the fact that it’s set firmly in the seedy underbelly of the galaxy. You’ll be hanging out with scoundrels and smugglers, taking part in underground gang wars, and you’ll do it all under the watchful eye of the Empire. At this point in the timeline, the Empire has their hands full with the Rebels, but you’ll still find stormtroopers on every planet and there are many, many times you’ll find yourself deep behind enemy lines.
You don’t have the force, you don’t pick up a lightsaber, but I didn’t miss that at all. The Jedi games from EA have that kind of game covered, and Outlaws wouldn’t have much to add if it went that direction. Instead we get blaster fights and dogfights and being constantly alert to your surroundings, because you’re vulnerable. Ex…cept when you’re sneaking up on Stormtroopers. For some reason, you’re able to just bash armored troopers hard enough to knock them out cold… with your BARE HANDS. And yeah, all that’s great. Perfectly serviceable. But my favorite part?
Sabacc.
I’m not joking. Their version of the legendary Star Wars card game is so good that I actually bought an unlicensed Sabacc deck online. I’ve spent hours playing Sabacc matches in-game when I was supposed to be taking down crime syndicates. It’s like Gwent, but with dice and way more smugglers.
Story
Of course, all this sneaking around and gambling only works because of Kay Vess. She’s one of my favorite Star Wars protagonists in years. Constantly in over her head, hustling to survive, and somehow always finding a way to make it work. She’s got that scoundrel swagger, but she’s also got heart.
The voice acting sells it, too—I actually cared about her story. Which is not something I can say about every Ubisoft protagonist.
And then there’s ND-5. My guy. A Clone Wars-era battle droid who just wants self-agency. He’s gruff, he’s loyal, and he’s a perfect balance to Kay’s chaotic energy. He also roots the game in the larger Star Wars timeline without overshadowing it.
That’s something I really appreciate about Outlaws: it connects to the bigger Star Wars universe—but it doesn’t beat you over the head with nostalgia. Sure, you see Tattooine, and yes, some familiar faces pop up—especially in the DLC—but the bulk of this game is on original planets, with original characters, and telling original stories. And I loved that. You wouldn’t have to be a Star Wars fan to enjoy the game, but there’s enough there to make it feel connected.
I think shows like Andor really demonstrate how deep the storytelling can go without the space wizards and magic and stuff. Now I’m not comparing the story here to Andor, don’t get me wrong, but Kay is an interesting, original character with problems of her own. The story doesn’t need to overlap with the movies, and it really carves out its own space in the Star Wars galaxy.
Graphics
Let’s talk visuals. Massive absolutely nailed the ‘lived-in’ Star Wars look. Everything feels just a little beat-up, just a little grimy, just a little out of repair—which is exactly what makes the original trilogy so timeless.
And dare I say—it actually captures that aesthetic even better than the recent Jedi games.
The environments are varied, too—dusty frontier towns, neon-soaked cantinas, and impeccably clean Imperial strongholds. It feels like you’re stepping into every shade of Star Wars scum and villainy.
I think it’s worth noting the soundtrack in this game is great. It always seems to hit the right notes, whether you’re on a heist, exploring a new planet, or having one of those epic Star Wars moments.
This game originally launched on Playstation, Xbox, and PC (including both Steam and Epic), but now that it’s on Switch 2 let’s talk about that one specifically for a moment. This is a big, open world game with tons of content and it’s the first game I know of that has true ray tracing on the Switch 2. Open world games without Zelda in the title have had a pretty checkered past on the Switch 1, but now that I’ve played it in my own hands I can confidently say this is a great port.
It runs at a steady 30 frames per second, the textures and models are pretty true to the original, and it has that real time ray tracing for the lighting, so that all looks great. You can see a difference in the shadows, because they’re pretty low resolution, and I did notice more pop-in than I remember on the PS5. Loading times also felt a little bit longer, but all in all this is a fully functional version of the game that’s step for step with other versions in gameplay and content.
Nothing was left out, the environments haven’t been dumbed down, you get everything, including the season pass and both DLC packs for the game. And you get all that with the ability to play it on a handheld without any real sacrifice. And that says a lot about the Switch 2 or at least this particular port, because this game doesn’t run on a Steam Deck.
If you’re into frame rates and the absolute highest quality presentation, the PC version is still the way to go (assuming you have the hardware to run it), but the Switch 2 version holds its own quite well alongside all the other options because you’re not missing out on any part of the game.
Gripes
Alright, I can’t defend everything. Toward the end, the missions get a little repetitive. You’re sneaking into yet another base, stealing yet another MacGuffin, blasting your way out again. The pacing stumbles.
And when I first played, I had a major gripe: you couldn’t pick up a weapon and carry it with you. Which made no sense in a game where every other smuggler is armed to the teeth. Luckily, patches fixed this, so credit where it’s due.
But yeah—by hour thirty, I was starting to feel the Ubisoft checklist creeping in a little, but I gotta say, for most of this game it didn’t feel like the typical mapfucking Ubisoft is known for.
Which means I saved my biggest gripe for last: the data spikes. Hear me out, every stealth game has some sort of mini game for picking locks and in Outlaws you use your data spike in a little rhythm game. Now, I suck at rhythm games so these are a little harder for me than most people, but it really wouldn’t be too bad… except they mapped the button to the right trigger. A trigger is not a button, it doesn’t just “click” the moment you press it, or even the moment you press it all the way in. No, it “clicks” somewhere in the middle.
So you have a rhythm game that requires precise timing mapped to the least precise button on the controller—and you can’t remap it! Keyboard and mouse players on the PC don’t have to worry about this, and Switch 2 players have the option to use the touch screen in all the mini games, but if you’re playing on Xbox or Playstation, be prepared. I mean most of the time it was fine and the rhythms were pretty easy, but there were a few times where it got really frustrating and I just started jamming the button hoping I could luck my way through it.
Who’s This Game For?
So let’s talk about gamer types, because I love the gamer motivation model created by Quantic Foundry for seeing if this is your thing or not:
Using the Quantic Foundry gamer motivation model, here’s who should smash and who should pass:
- 🟢 The game is very action-y, and while it can feel a bit sluggish while you’re sneaking around, there are plenty of opportunities to go loud and watch the chaos unfold.
- 🟠 There is a bit of strategic thinking involved when trying to figure out a safe path, and now that the zero-fail missions have been tweaked I don’t think there’s a high level of difficulty in the game. But there are plenty of challenges and upgrades.
- 🟢 Are there collectibles and stuff? C’mon, this is still Ubisoft we’re talking about. So yeah, there’s a lot to explore and collect, and they even add new abilities and play styles..
- 🟢 I loved the immersion in this game, and I truly felt like I was in that world and along for the ride in an appropriately fun Star Wars story.
- 🔴 You can customize your appearance and play with different bonuses, but there really isn’t much player expression or experimentation here.
Side note, I highly recommend checking out the gamer motivational models over at Quantic Foundry. I’m not sponsored or anything, I just like this as a framework for talking about games in a way that’s more descriptive than just a genre.
But yeah, the base game hits that sweet spot between having a lot to do and not dragging on too long. Since you’re watching me, there’s a chance you’re a busy gamer who doesn’t have as much time to game as you’d like. Star Wars Outlaws is a pretty good fit for a busy gamer, because the main story and a little side stuff is probably gonna clock in around 20 to 30 hours.
There are a ton of side missions, faction quests, and of course DLC packs and a season pass as well, so you can spend a lot of time in this galaxy if you choose to. It’s also worth nothing that it’s pretty painless to step away from Outlaws for a while pick it back up later. The UI does a good job of making it pretty clear what to do next, and helps you remember your abilities and how to use them.
Final Thoughts
So, Star Wars Outlaws wasn’t quite the open world, go anywhere do anything and make it as a smuggler simulator I thought it might be when it was first announced. You’re limited to just a few planets and the space around them, but within those zones there’s a lot to do, it’s presented well, and it scratches an itch for me very few games do.
Was it the best game of 2024? No. But was it my personal favorite of 2024? Absolutely. It combined stealth, climbing, gambling, scoundrels, and a morally messy Star Wars story in a way that felt tailor-made for me. And if you’re wired like me—if you love sneaking, exploring, and outsmarting instead of out-blasting—then this game is worth your time. Especially now that a bunch of patches and updates have fixed the biggest shortcomings the game had at launch.
Kay Vess and ND-5 deserve their place in the Star Wars pantheon, and I’ll happily defend Outlaws as one of the most enjoyable Star Wars games in years. I’ll put my Sabacc cards down long enough to give it a 👍.
