2025 is packed with awesome-looking upcoming space games, but even amongst the crowd, we think Xbox and Obsidian's The Outer Worlds 2 could be special. After the more ambitious structure of Bethesda's Starfield, it's time for a tighter action-RPG set in outer space that doesn't sacrifice spectacle, and this anticipated sequel might just be that. Here's everything we know about The Outer Worlds 2 so far.
The Outer Worlds was released in 2019 and remains an effective dark (but comedic) satire of a potential 'corporate space age' that could happen sooner than we expect. If you've played other games from Obsidian Entertainment in the past, you know they all excel at telling compelling stories loaded with thoughtful explorations of humanity and serious themes. Avowed has just reminded us that the now-Microsoft-owned company still has the juice when it comes to crafting absorbing RPGs, and we can't wait to see how devs have improved on Outer Worlds' flexible formula and off-beat tone.
Of course, it'll also be interesting how Xbox Game Studios' backing has affected the scope and production values of this sequel, as the first Outer Worlds was notoriously released feeling a bit half-baked despite all its strengths. This also means The Outer Worlds 2 will be joining our list of space games on Xbox Game Pass on launch day.
Looking for different upcoming space adventures among the stars? Directive 8020 is looking like an excellent Halloween-season release, and Metroid Prime 4 will make a splash this year on Nintendo's portable hardware if nothing changes. When it comes to other big RPGs, we genuinely can't wait for Exodus either.
The Outer Worlds 2 release date
The Outer Worlds 2 doesn't have a release date yet. However, it's been teased time and again as having a 2025 release window, so we're just waiting for a concrete date now. Given how meaty the trailer released in December 2024 was, we're reasonably sure it won't be delayed into 2026.
What platforms will The Outer Worlds 2 be available on?
The Outer Worlds 2 will launch on Xbox Series X|S, PC (Xbox app & Steam), and PS5 at the same time. It'll also be available on Game Pass day one.
While the IP is now owned and published by Xbox Game Studios, it's among the huge franchises that will continue to launch new games simultaneously on Sony's consoles. This will also apply to Doom: The Dark Ages this year, among others.
The Outer Worlds 2 trailers
Two major trailers for The Outer Worlds 2 have been released so far. Thankfully, one of them is loaded with in-game gameplay footage, so that's nice. We're fully expecting far meatier previews to drop in the coming months, and we'll be keeping this article updated.
The Outer Worlds 2 was unveiled on June 13, 2021, with a CG trailer that chose to poke fun at the average AAA debut video game trailer while... doing exactly that same thing. Honestly? We dig this sort of humor. You can watch it below:
Three and a half years later, on December 13, 2024, the first official gameplay trailer reminded us that the project was very much alive and looking solid. It came with a proper look at the shiny new graphics, hard-hitting action, and a number of vast alien-looking locales. Check it out here:
What is the plot of The Outer Worlds 2?
Spoilers for The Outer Worlds ahead.
The first game, which was unsurprisingly filled with deep narrative choices and diverging story paths, followed 'The Stranger' (a custom character) in the distant year of 2355, after they're defrosted inside the colony ship Hope by a wanted scientist named Phineas Welles.
Long story short? The ship was travelling through space for more years than it should have after its skip drive malfunctioned. During that time, rampant capitalism and incompetent corporations have run the distant Halcyon star system into the ground. The mission? To help Phineas save the other colonists aboard the ship, as they could 'fix' the system because they're simply more intelligent than the people currently running things across the Halcyon system.
To the surprise of no one, things spiral out of control quickly, and without getting into deeper spoilers, a number of moral dilemmas are put in front of the player, who might either doom or save the colonies in the end. Regardless of the choices you make in the end, we don't know for sure whether they ultimately changed things for the better/worse, or whether everything remained the same (aka on the verge of collapse).
We've yet to learn how (or if) the decisions made in the first game are going to directly affect the sequel's overall narrative. In any case, it's sounding like Obsidian has chosen to let the sequel be its own wacky thing with a "new star system" and a "new crew," according to the official posts so far. Fallout co-creator Tim Cain, who co-directed the first game, has remained aboard the sequel's development as a consultant.
While the December 2024 trailer wasn't exactly filled with story exposition, the accompanying Xbox blog post shared some juicy story/lore details: Players will play as an 'Earth Directorate agent' who's tasked with "uncovering the source of devastating rifts threatening the entire galaxy." That sounds quite familiar to Avowed, actually, but we're sure paths diverge only a few hours into the game. There's also a "factional war" happening between the Protectorate, a religious order, and a corporate mega power, so expect plenty of headaches and decision-making as the Arcadia star system descends into chaos.
What type of game is The Outer Worlds 2?
The Outer Worlds 2 will continue to be a first-person action-RPG, though we're not completely ruling out the possibility of the game also getting a third-person view mode after Avowed's dev team chose to accommodate more potential players with the option.
The easiest comparison that can be made is to Bethesda's modern take on the Fallout series. In fact, Obsidian developed Fallout: New Vegas, so it made sense that so much of that DNA was injected into a sci-fi adventure. It covers similar topics, is built around a first-person view, and features a lot of familiar exploration and RPG systems. While the game worlds we visited in The Outer Worlds weren't as huge, alive, or interactable as those in the Fallout series or Starfield, the surface-level similarities were there.
The Outer Worlds 2 is expanding on this formula, allowing players to freely explore many colorful places, chat with NPCs, recruit and command a team of space explorers and warriors, and use plenty of weapons and skills as they take on both main and secondary quests. We haven't learned the specifics of all-new gameplay elements or major changes yet, so we'll be updating this piece with new information as it comes.
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