In 2019, legendary role-playing game (RPG) developer Obsidian Entertainment launched The Outer Worlds almost a year after the company had been acquired by Microsoft.
Published by Private Division due to preexisting contracts, The Outer Worlds was a hit, delivering something of a cross between Firefly, Cowboy Bebop, and Fallout. It was a fun, space western romp that leaned heavily into satirizing megacorporations while still handing out handfuls of heartwarming stories.
Fast-forward to 2025, and a sequel is launching in a banner year for Obsidian Entertainment, coming just months after the studio already delivered a fantasy RPG for Xbox Game Studios with Avowed, as well as an early access follow-up to its surprise survival hit, Grounded.
After 40 hours, I'm happy to say that The Outer Worlds 2 is more of the same where it counts, with a couple of key improvements that elevate the whole experience. A few bugs aside, it's a game worth making time for.
This review was made possible thanks to a review code provided by Xbox Game Studios. The company did not see the contents of this review before publishing.
