The Outer Worlds 2 review: A game that begs to be played

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A star rating of 4 out of 5.

In The Outer Worlds 2, the world is dominated by ridiculous corporations focused solely on profit.

This funny, sci-fi roleplaying game lets you build a character and get caught up in a huge galactic conspiracy. Expect a mix of laugh-out-loud moments and thrilling action, like intense shootouts.

As you journey between planets, you’ll gather a crew of unique characters, discover a compelling story, and face incredibly difficult choices. This game is perfect for both longtime fans and new players, featuring a fresh cast and exciting locations.

If you enjoyed the original game, you might be surprised by how different the sequel feels – it’s almost like a completely new experience.

You start playing as a brand-new character who’s immediately tasked with a crucial mission. Soon after, you’ll find yourself on a planet where you’re free to explore and decide what to do.

While traveling through the game’s large and visually stunning world (though it’s often filled with dangerous enemies), you’ll encounter a wide variety of tasks, ranging from investigating crimes to settling arguments at work, and many other unexpected challenges.

Like most Fallout games, you’ll quickly face tough decisions and find yourself caught between competing groups. Your choices have real consequences, and things can easily go wrong. Even well-intentioned actions, such as helping others, can have unexpected and negative results.

At the beginning of the game, it’s a little unclear who the different groups are and what they’re fighting over. I really made an effort to follow the story through the dialogue, but honestly, I learn best by seeing things, and there was a lot of text to get through!

Initially, I was concerned the main story felt uninspired. It seemed like the space war was just a setting and a way to move the plot forward, without much substance of its own.

After about five hours of playing, I finally started to understand the characters and the story. As I got more involved with quests and discovered more of the game world, I became increasingly invested in what would happen next and really cared about the characters.

After about twelve hours of playing, I’d met all the characters and realized, much like in Mass Effect 3, they each represented a different faction in the game’s central conflict. That’s when I was completely hooked.

The show features some really memorable characters – they have fantastic designs, quirky histories, and are brought to life by talented actors, making them instantly lovable.

Obsidian developers have chosen not to add romantic relationships with your companions in the game, which some players, including myself, may find disappointing.

Even so, the people making The Outer Worlds 2 clearly prioritize strong characters and engaging conversations. They care so much about it that they’ve designed the game’s opening menu as a conversation!

The game is full of jokes, but it manages to be funny without becoming crude or falling flat. It’s a common thing to say, but I actually found myself laughing out loud on several occasions.

Revealing too much about the story would ruin the fun of discovering it yourself. Let’s just say, the game was so captivating we kept wanting to see what would happen next. It’s the type of game that will make you want to cancel your plans and keep playing all night.

The fighting wasn’t the most fun part of the game. Even though I found lots of different weapons, I quickly found one I liked – a triple-barrelled shotgun – and mostly stuck with it, only upgrading it when I really had to.

Switching weapons required finding the correct ammunition, which in turn meant gathering specific crafting materials. After playing for a while, this felt like unnecessary and tedious work.

If you spend time switching weapons, your opponent will likely have already found a safe spot to hide. To make things simpler and reduce frustration, it’s best to choose one weapon and use it consistently. It’s effective surprisingly often – around 60% of the time!

The menus can be frustrating to navigate. Because fast-travel locations and mission objectives often appear close together on the map, it takes extra time and clicks to select what you’re trying to access.

Navigating the crafting menu and your inventory isn’t always smooth. If you’re focused on having the perfect equipment for every situation, managing everything can feel a bit cumbersome.

Honestly, I’m really loving all the gadgets in this game! It’s not just about getting stronger, but discovering cool new tools that help you in different situations, even pretty late in the game. Some of them are so creative, and it reminds me a bit of those Metroidvania games where getting a new ability lets you go back and explore areas you couldn’t reach before. It’s a really fun feeling!

The Outer Worlds 2 is a truly enjoyable game. It’s filled with a cheerful spirit and memorable, eccentric characters that constantly pull you into new and exciting situations. Exploring the game world is always worthwhile, as you’ll be rewarded with valuable items or interesting story moments.

However, it’s important to remember that key plot points can happen very quickly, and you might not realize you’ve made a significant decision until you see the bad results later on.

The game would benefit from clearer indicators of important story moments and hidden collectibles. It readily displays notifications for minor details, like the new flaws system (which is a neat feature), but doesn’t always highlight what really matters.

The fact that I was eager to complete optional side quests, even with the review deadline approaching, is a really positive sign about the game.

The Outer Worlds 2 would be nearly flawless if its combat felt better and its menus were more user-friendly.

This game features fascinating worlds and characters that are truly worth discovering. If you enjoy RPGs similar to Fallout, you’ll absolutely love this. Just remember to think carefully about your decisions – you might face consequences you didn’t expect!

Players who pre-ordered the Premium Edition of The Outer Worlds 2 can start playing with early access beginning Friday, October 24th.

The game officially releases on October 29th for Xbox Series X/S, PC, PlayStation 5, and will also be available on Xbox Game Pass. We tested the game on Xbox Series X.

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2025-10-23 20:07