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Star Wars Outlaws: Everything we know so far
Prepare for an epic journey to a galaxy far, far away as Star Wars Outlaws takes us on an open-world adventure set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. You'll become Kay Vess, a determined scoundrel seeking to pull off the biggest heist in the Outer Rim, navigating the dangerous underbelly of the Star Wars universe and confronting familiar faces like Jabba the Hutt. Star Wars Outlaws promises an immersive and action-packed experience with a unique focus on reputation and crime, blending elements of GTA and Red Dead Redemption 2. Get ready for August 30, 2024, when Star Wars Outlaws launches on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X.
Star Wars Outlaws is going to take us to a galaxy far, far away in the "first ever" open-world game set in the Star Wars universe. As one of the biggest upcoming Ubisoft game on the way, we recently got confirmation of an official release date along with another look at the adventure set between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi thanks to a fresh Star Wars Outlaws story trailer. Showing off scoundrel Kay Vess, who we'll be filling of the shoes of, we see her try to navigate the dangerous underbelly of the Outer Rim, with some familiar faces like Jabba the Hutt making an appearance.
Among a slate of exciting upcoming Star Wars games on the way - alongside the likes of Star Wars Eclipse - Star Wars Outlaws has fast become one of the most anticipated new games for 2024. And with more reveals of the new adventure, we're getting a clearer picture of what's in store - Reputation, for example, is going to be everything as we try to deal with crime syndicates with our trusty and adorable sidekick Nix.
For a full recap of everything we know so far about Star Wars Outlaws, read on below.
This round up of everything we know so far about Star Wars Outlaws was updated on April 10, 2024 to add the official release date.
Ubisoft officially confirmed the Star Wars Outlaws release date will be August 30, 2024. 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 3 days of Early Access, meaning you can play from August 27, but they come with hefty price tags - the Gold edition is 129.99 (£114.99).
Star Wars Outlaws is touted as the first open world Star Wars game ever, taking place across focussed 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. Star Wars Outlaws will also introduce us to Toshara – a new 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 know we will be revisiting the home planet of Jabba the Hutt as part of our journey across the Outer Rim, with multiple other crime syndicates to work with or against as Kay carves a path through them.
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 does 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 be gaining and losing alliances depending upon which contracts you carry out. The idea of being chased across the galaxy by notorious crime bosses sounds thrilling enough, but in the context of the broader Star Wars universe, it stands out as a truly unique offering compared to the more noble questing of our jedi warrios in the Fallen Order games from Respawn.
Given its place in the Star Wars canon, we also know that there will only be one ending written into Star Wars Outlaws. This focus on a tighter narrative experience while still leaving plenty of room for nuance in terms of how you see it through sounds like an intriguing new direction for a Star Wars game.
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 – we see members of the Pyke Syndicate and the Hutts here, so it's unclear who exactly is after her.
We've had our first look at Star Wars Outlaws 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.
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. It looks as if 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 to reach somebody different.
That's right, Star Wars Outlaws features a full reputation and wanted system. While we're yet to get complete detail on how this works in practise, it does appear to be influenced by your decisions in missions and by your actions in the open world areas. You'll also have complete freedom to pilot your ship, get into dogfights, and navigate a vast system of planets. Basically, Star Wars Outlaws looks every bit the open world Star Wars games you've always dreamed of playing.
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 recognise from Star Wars: The Bad Batch and Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
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."