Is Outlaws really the first open-world Star Wars game?

A big debate between Star Wars fans has been ignited recently: Is Star Wars Outlaws actually the first true open-world game for the franchise? Ever since the reveal of Ubisoft’s upcoming title, fans have taken issue with it being labelled as such. But while many have used various triple-A Star Wars games for evidence, they might not be what they initially thought.

A game that may have open-world elements in its overall design isn’t necessarily classified as an open-world game. Because of that, many popular Star Wars games that are being compared to Outlaws might not have achieved the same milestone Ubisoft’s game is aiming for.

What makes a true open-world game?

The most widely accepted definition of the open-world genre revolves around a focus on freedom and rewarding exploration from the start. Games that are designed with an open world in mind allow you to roam around the large environment at your leisure, even though there may be a main quest or narrative you can follow. Grand Theft Auto, No Man’s Sky, Assassin’s Creed, and Horizon Forbidden West; each has a large area to roam, with tons of interactive elements within to make the worlds feel like they’re thriving or dynamically changing, adding to the immersion of the experience.

You will be able to go around and interact with aspects of the open world without having to engage with the main story, and still have hours of enjoyment. Exploring offers its own rewards, allowing you to stumble upon immersive interactions, gorgeous scenery, fun bits of lore, or an interesting side quest.

Even if there are guides nudging you in a certain direction, an open-world game will still let you feel like there’s breathing room to roam and interact with what’s around you. That is the central focus of the core experience, with everything else being secondary.

Star Wars games with open-world elements

But this is where a lot of the debate between fans about Outlaws and other Star Wars titles heats up. Star Wars games constantly mentioned in the discussion have characteristics of open-world games in them, but they are not true open-world experiences. There’s a big difference between an open-world game, and one that has big levels where exploration is secondary to its core experience. That’s not a true open-world game. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 has some RPG elements, but people would look at you funny if you called it a full role-playing game.

Star Wars games that are constantly referenced in this matter would be Knights of the Old Republic, Galaxies, and even LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. Each of these titles has some sort of element that lets you roam around large environments, but they aren’t designed to be fully open world. None of them have locations that are built to be thriving worlds in the same way as Horizon Zero Dawn or Grand Theft Auto, where dynamic events can happen, and multiple interactive elements are constantly changing.

Galaxies and Knights of the Old Republic are less about exploring and engaging with the world around you, and much more focused on just pushing you through the main story as quickly as possible. Sure, there are some side quests you could do, but why would you? There’s barely any reward for exploring on your own terms.

But what about games like Jedi: Survivor and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga? Many fans bring up how they are closer to open-world games than most others, and while it’s true they have larger environments and more events going on within them, they’re both still fairly linear, level-based games. The freedom you have in both titles is very limited, despite things opening as you progress towards the end. 

Star Wars Outlaws will be the first open world Star Wars game

When you look over everything after understanding what an open-world game actually is, then you’ll realize that we have yet to see one in the Star Wars galaxy. Ubisoft is trying to create an experience for Star Wars fans that will feel different, in a way that looks to validate what they’ve claimed. Star Wars Outlaws is going to be an open-world game built from the ground up in the same vein as other true open-world titles, not something with added open-world elements.

This may be the game that finally lets us freely travel around the galaxy in an era of Star Wars that many have dreamed about being a part of for years. We’ll get to see how true that is when Ubisoft releases Star Wars Outlaws in 2024.