| The Outer Worlds 2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
The Outer Worlds 2 Review Overview
What is The Outer Worlds 2?
The Outer Worlds 2 is a sci-fi action RPG by Obsidian Entertainment and the direct follow-up to the 2019 game of the same name. Set in a universe years after the events of the first game, The Outer Worlds 2 follows the story of an Earth Directorate officer coming to terms with the current state of the galaxy and the major players within it.
The Outer Worlds 2 features:
⚫︎ 90+ unique perks
⚫︎ 6 unlockable companions with unique quests
⚫︎ Larger maps with more planets to explore
⚫︎ Faction loyalty system across corporations, cults, and governments
⚫︎ Expanded Flaws and Perks System
For more gameplay details, read everything we know about The Outer World 2's gameplay and story.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Steam |
 Battle.net |
 PSN |
 Xbox |
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| $69.99 | |||||||
The Outer Worlds 2 Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Your Commander, Your Way Much More Compelling Companions World-building Win The Flaw Mechanic is Genius! |
Save State and Loading Issues No Respeccing Was a Questionable Decision |
The Outer Worlds 2 Story - 9/10
The Outer Worlds 2 is a sequel done right. Compelling character writing, vast, interconnected stories, intriguing motivations, and an expanded universe all come together to create a package that outpaces the first game’s admittedly middling story, narrative, and characters. The story runs a bit long, even for an open-world RPG, but is otherwise every bit the spectacle I expected.
The Outer Worlds 2 Gameplay - 9/10
The Outer Worlds 2’s gameplay package includes a few great ideas executed well, some polished mechanics from the first game, genre staples, and some missteps mixed in with all of that. It’s an overall fun and customizable gameplay experience that never gets dull, but does get frustrating with a few bugged quests you may encounter. If not that, then being unable to respec your character is likely to be a major sore spot for the power gamers and build-crafters among you.
The Outer Worlds 2 Visuals - 9/10
The first Outer Worlds always stood out to me for its uniquely retro-futurist meets Wild West visuals, and Outer Worlds 2 only expanded that distinction with better graphics, a larger world, and some of the most vibrant alien landscapes I’ve ever seen. This game is a looker, no matter what planet you land on.
The Outer Worlds 2 Audio - 9/10
The Outer Worlds 2’s voice acting is on par with the industry’s best for this genre, evoking emotion in every syllable your companions utter. Combine that with the beauteous ambiance of a corporate war and the satisfying clicks of your space-age weaponry, and you’ve got a soundscape worth signing over your soul to Auntie’s Choice for.
The Outer Worlds 2 Value for Money - 8/10
Though The Outer Worlds 2 does carry the hefty AAA price tag of $69.99, open-world adventure RPGs are among the very few games with the gameplay and story density to justify such a price. If you can get past the absolute blockade of the game’s price tag (not even mentioning the hardware you need to even play it), you’re very unlikely to regret it.
The Outer Worlds 2 Overall Score - 90/100
From the forward-thinking minds who brought you corporate warmongering, questionable business ethics, and only moderately toxic nutritional paste comes The Outer Worlds 2 — the sequel guaranteed to deliver 100% more adventure, 200% more world-building, and half the calories!
Experience enhanced storytelling, expanded worlds, upgraded graphics, and our patented Flaw Mechanic™ — because here in The Outer Worlds 2, we don’t hide your imperfections… we monetize them!
The Outer Worlds 2 — you’ve played the best, now play what’s next!
Disclaimer: Players may experience problematic save states, bugged quests, mild existential dread, and infrequent game crashes. The Outer Worlds 2 assumes no responsibility for lost progress, lost wages, or loss of faith in the system. All allotted skill points are final, however questionable that may be.
The Outer Worlds 2 Review: New and Improved - Now With 200% More World-Building!
Remember when Obsidian dropped that trailer for The Outer Worlds 2 a few years back? What a riot that was. A perfect parody of those early announcement trailers where there’s barely anything to show—just vague narration, pre-rendered shots, and a flashy title at the end.
That was legendary. Honestly, I half expected karma to catch up with them for that little jab, that somehow the game itself would flop as cosmic payback. Not that I wanted it to happen—I loved the first Outer Worlds—but you have to admit, a No Man’s Sky-style twist with a dash of irony would’ve been pretty funny.
Thankfully, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Obsidian didn’t just deliver; they went above and beyond. The Outer Worlds 2 proves that the studio still knows exactly what it’s doing. It’s sharper, bigger, and bolder in every way, the kind of follow-up only the minds behind the best Fallout entries could pull off.
Let’s dive right in, commander.
Same Galaxy, Brand-new Taste!
The first thing you’ll notice about The Outer Worlds 2 is that it’s very much a sequel. The giant “2” on the box might give it away, but even if you somehow missed that, the game’s seamless continuation of the first title’s world makes it clear enough.
Where the original Outer Worlds followed a colonist from one of Halcyon’s doomed settlements and mainly served to introduce the series’ corporate-dystopian take on space exploration, The Outer Worlds 2 skips the introductions entirely. This time, we’re dropped straight into the thick of a sprawling space opera already in motion.
Set roughly a decade after the events of the first game, the sequel revisits a galaxy still strangled by unchecked capitalism, though now viewed through a slightly different lens. You play as a commander for the Earth Directorate, a private military organization tasked with protecting the planet’s interests—often by interfering in the shady dealings of galactic corporations.
When a critical mission collapses in disaster, your character is forced into an escape pod and left drifting through the void. Ten years later, you’re pulled back into a universe that’s changed in all the wrong ways, facing a familiar yet fractured galaxy as you try to uncover what went wrong and how to fix it.
Right from the start, I was impressed by how much had changed during that supposed ten-year gap. Aunty Cleo has completely taken over Spacer’s Choice, resulting in a nightmarish corporate merger that birthed the galaxy’s newest consumerist monstrosity: Auntie’s Choice. Meanwhile, massive spatial rifts have begun tearing open across star systems, swallowing ships and people without warning, and rumors of new wars and brewing conflicts ripple through the colonies.
Sure, it’s a terrible time to be a citizen of this universe—but as a player, I can’t help but love it. The chaos, the tension, the uncertainty—it’s all the perfect fuel for storytelling. And if the opening hours are any indication, The Outer Worlds 2 is shaping up to be one hell of a ride.
Stepping Foot Into A Bigger Galaxy
Let’s start our journey through this new universe by looking at the core gameplay before working our way outward. Like its predecessor, The Outer Worlds 2 is an open-world action RPG set across multiple planets and star systems. This isn’t No Man’s Sky, of course, so don’t expect fully explorable planets, but the sequel still manages to greatly expand its scope.
Where the first game offered only a few sizable maps like Monarch and Timber Hearth, the sequel more than doubles that lineup. Worlds such as Eden, Cloister, Praetor, and Dorado are just the beginning of what’s now a far more ambitious galactic sandbox.
If you’ve ever played a modern Fallout or Elder Scrolls title, you’ll feel right at home here. It’s that same first-person mix of exploration, combat, and oddball encounters that keeps things lively. You’re the “Chosen One” equivalent in this story—a key player in the fate of the galaxy—and The Outer Worlds 2 wastes no time letting you prove it.
Character creation is straightforward and accessible. Instead of the Fallout-style S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system, you simply assign points to a series of skills and layer perks on top. It’s a clean, simplified approach that feels like a modern evolution of New Vegas’s stat system.
Customization follows next, offering the usual mix of sliders and options, though this time with some welcome inclusivity—yes, that includes prosthetics. It’s not groundbreaking, but given how much of the game is spent behind helmets or heavy armor, it does the job just fine.
Once you’re through setup and dropped into the field, The Outer Worlds 2 immediately starts showing its hand, introducing a few standout mechanics that set the tone for the adventure ahead.
Your Commander, Your Way
Healing items, gadgets, weapons, armor, and mods all carry over from the first game with minimal changes. The perk system remains largely the same too, as does most of the gear you’ll find. Where The Outer Worlds 2 really starts to evolve, however, is with your role as commander.
During character creation, you’ll choose an origin trait that defines your life before joining the Earth Directorate—anything from a background in crime or danger to one in vocation or sheer competence. It doesn’t lock you into a particular playstyle, but it does influence how your character can respond during dialogue.
These origin-based options appear frequently, often more so than standard perk checks, and they give conversations a richer sense of personality and replayability. It’s a subtle system, but it goes a long way in making you feel like your own kind of agent in this universe.
Dialogue choices and branching paths also see a major upgrade. Practically every terminal interaction, mission scenario, and conversation with key NPCs presents meaningful choices that adapt to your perks, traits, origins, and stats. The level of freedom feels far more dynamic this time around, giving the game the spirit of a true sandbox RPG where your build and your decisions actually matter.
I won’t spoil too much, but certain decisions can even wipe out entire places from your charts for the rest of the playthrough, so choose carefully and with integrity.
You’ll need to put just as much thought into your skill point and perk allocations too, since The Outer Worlds 2 does not allow respeccing. It’s a deliberate design choice meant to make players commit to their builds instead of constantly tweaking them like in most open-world RPGs. Personally, I’m not a fan—I’m fickle, and I don’t want to restart the whole game every time I get a new idea for a build. But for players who enjoy being more deliberate and strategic with their choices, this system might be right up their alley.
Can’t Get Enough of These New Companions!
Now let’s talk about one of The Outer Worlds 2’s strongest elements—the companions. Like any good RPG, you won’t be facing the galaxy alone. You’ll recruit a colorful cast of allies along the way, each tied to one of the universe’s major factions, including your starting group, the Earth Directorate.
Your first companion, Niles Abara, represents that faction perfectly. He starts off as a bright-eyed idealist with big dreams and an even bigger sense of duty, but give him time, especially after the time skip, and you’ll see why he’s bound to become a fan favorite.
Without spoiling too much, two others I’ve particularly enjoyed are Mirasol and Inez. Mirasol is a cold, calculated assassin from the newly introduced Order of the Ascended, while Inez serves as a combat medic under the banner of the newly merged Auntie’s Choice conglomerate. Both are incredibly effective in the field—Mirasol’s precision and crowd control make her deadly in combat, while Inez is the kind of healer you’ll never want to part with.
What really stands out, though, is how much more alive these companions feel compared to the first game’s roster. They still follow familiar systems—companionship quests, loyalty perks, and dynamic banter—but their personalities are far more nuanced and expressive. Don’t get me wrong, I still adore Parvati, but if I’m looking for a heartfelt conversation mid-mission, Inez wins that spot easily.
There are plenty more companions waiting to be discovered, including a rather unhinged cultist whose presence I’ll leave for you to experience firsthand. Trust me, it’s worth meeting them all.
Flawless Flaw Mechanic
Another system returning from the first game—this time bigger, bolder, and a lot funnier—is the Flaw System. In the original Outer Worlds, flaws gave you a context-based debuff in exchange for a perk point. Simple, effective, but nothing too crazy. The Outer Worlds 2 flips that on its head. Here, you don’t get extra perks at all—just bizarre, often hilarious trade-offs that can be as rewarding as they are punishing.
Some of them make sense, like the Kleptomaniac flaw, which gives you a chance to automatically steal nearby items while also increasing the resale value of stolen goods. Logical enough, right? But then there are the more ridiculous ones, like Foot-in-Mouth Syndrome, which you earn if you skip too many dialogue lines. This one occasionally picks dialogue options for you on its own, but on the plus side, you’ll gain extra experience for every conversation you survive.
There’s even a flaw for players who are terrible at keeping companions alive. Lose enough of them in combat, and you’ll unlock one that prevents fallen allies from being revived mid-fight, but in return, surviving companions enter a rage, boosting their damage. It’s darkly funny, perfectly in tune with the series’ humor, and surprisingly useful if you play your cards right.
The first game used flaws mainly as risk-versus-reward modifiers, but here they serve double duty as narrative flavor and mechanical twist. They make your playthrough feel messier, more personal, and far more entertaining. And yes, if you take on too many flaws, the game actually gives you another one just for that. I won’t spoil what it does, but let’s just say… I couldn’t resist taking it.
A Huge Galaxy is Bound to Have a Few Bugs Here and There
Unfortunately, The Outer Worlds 2’s expanded scope comes with a few growing pains. The larger the game, the more moving parts there are, and with more moving parts come more chances for things to go wrong. Case in point: softlocked saves and bugged quests.
The game relies on a mix of autosaves and quicksaves. Normally, you’d hit a quicksave before doing something reckless—say, taking out some random NPC who rubbed you the wrong way—but autosaves handle the rest automatically, often mid-mission or right before critical objectives. Most of the time, this system works just fine. A reload here, a little backtracking there—no big deal.
That is, of course, when it actually loads properly. Occasionally, important interactables fail to register, dialogue triggers simply stop working, or, in some bizarre cases, quests complete themselves out of nowhere. It’s nothing catastrophic, but when you’re forced to replay an entire mission because the game decided to softlock your progress, the frustration adds up fast.
Still, these are the kinds of bugs that tend to get patched out in the early weeks after release. They’re not game-breaking, just annoying enough to notice. My save was on a pre-release build, so these bugs might not even show up anymore by the time the game hits the shelves. I’d recommend keeping a few manual saves handy, just in case.
Wide Variety of Sights, Sounds, Biomes, Movements, and Builds
As you’d expect from an open-world RPG, The Outer Worlds 2 gives you exactly that—an open world. Only this time, the canvas is far larger and far more ambitious than before. And Obsidian clearly made the most of it. The variety on display here is staggering: over four alien planets, each bursting with unique ecosystems, factions, wildlife, and visual identities that make every landing feel like a new adventure.
It’s a refreshing change of pace from the drab, dusty dystopias that dominate so many sci-fi settings. Each location feels alive, distinct, and worth exploring just to see what kind of chaos (or beauty) you might stumble into.
And stumble, you shall, because there’s a bevy of new movement options for you to enjoy in this game, too, as part of its expanded scope. For one thing, double jump can now be earned through a quest, granting the game some much-needed verticality over the first one. You can now mantle over ledges as well, making parkour an integral part of the gameplay experience.
The same goes for build variety, which is easily one of the game’s biggest strengths. While origins and stats provide some nice flavor, it’s the perk system that really lets you define who you are. These perks range from practical to downright absurd, and the synergies between them can lead to some truly wild combinations.
Of course, every open-world RPG needs a test run of that classic “stealth archer” archetype from Skyrim. In my case, I went with a stealth sniper build—stacking weak point damage, sneak bonuses, and reduced detection radius, backed by some silver-tongued persuasion and a knack for lockpicking. The result is a charming, unseen spymaster who could talk or shoot his way out of anything.
But that’s just one of countless possibilities. Maybe you’d rather go full Dishonored with a stealth melee setup, or turn into a tech savant who reprograms every automechanical into your personal army. Or perhaps you just want to grab a two-handed rocket hammer and smash everything in sight. Whatever your flavor, The Outer Worlds 2 gives you the freedom to go wild—the galaxy really is your Auntie’s Choice freeze-dried oyster.
An Improved Product Worth Your Brand Loyalty
All in all, I think Obsidian more than earned the right to poke fun at other studios with that original parody trailer. They didn’t just talk the talk; they walked it, then lapped the competition while doing so. If a bad sequel can sink a franchise, a great one can breathe new life into it, and The Outer Worlds 2 does exactly that. It’s a smarter, sharper, and more confident follow-up that improves on nearly every front.
It’s bigger. It’s better. It’s glossier without feeling bloated. It takes what worked from the first game, polishes it to a shine, and adds new layers of depth and personality that make the whole experience feel fresh again. Like a product line that knows exactly how to adapt to its market, The Outer Worlds 2 evolves without losing its identity.
If Auntie’s Choice ever decided to branch out into game development and launched something this polished for their debut, I’d gladly enlist as one of their most loyal—and most disposable—troops.
Is The Outer Worlds 2 Worth It?
A Great Value Purchase at $69.99 — Buy Now!
Let’s be honest, singing the praises of a game that costs the modern premium of $69.99 usually sounds ridiculous. For most titles, that kind of price tag comes with hesitation, maybe even skepticism. But for The Outer Worlds 2, it’s completely justified. You’re not just paying for another sequel, you’re investing in a game that delivers real value on every front.
You’re getting a massive, visually stunning experience packed with sharp gameplay, an engaging narrative, and some of the best companion writing this side of the galaxy. More than that, though, you’re supporting a studio proving that quality, creativity, and respect for the player’s time are still the best ways to win people over.
Even if you don’t care about the statement that makes, you’re still walking away with one of the finest open-world RPGs since New Vegas. And honestly? That alone makes it worth every Bit.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam |
Battle.net |
PSN |
Xbox |
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| $69.99 | |||||||
The Outer Worlds 2 FAQ
Will The Outer Worlds 2 Have Any DLCs?
Yes. Two yet-untitled post-launch DLCs have been confirmed for The Outer Worlds 2, both of which are available for free if the game’s Deluxe Edition is either purchased or pre-ordered.
Does Outer Worlds 2 Have Third-Person Mode?
Yes. You can change the game’s POV from its settings menu, choosing between the default first-person view, third-person near, and third-person far.
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The Outer Worlds 2 Product Information
 |
|
| Title | THE OUTER WORLDS 2 |
|---|---|
| Release Date | October 29, 2025 (PC, PlayStation, Xbox) |
| Developer | Obsidian Entertainment |
| Publisher | Xbox Game Studios |
| Supported Platforms | PC (Steam, Battle.net) PlayStation 5 Xbox Series X|S |
| Genre | Action, Shooting, RPG |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | ESRB M 17+ |
| Official Website | The Outer Worlds 2 Website |
