When The Outer Worlds launched back in 2019, it felt like a love letter to classic Obsidian-style RPGs. It was funny, sharply written and mechanically sound, even if its relatively small scope left some players wanting more. The first Outer Worlds game earned 4.5 (of 5) GiN Gems in our review and several Game of the Year nominations. The DLCs that followed were not quite the same lightning in a bottle as the original but were still quite a lot of fun to play.
With The Outer Worlds 2, Obsidian didn’t just build on that same formula. They expanded it, refined it and, in many ways, finally let the series become the space opera it always wanted to be. It’s out now for the Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5 and for the PC through Steam.
This time around, players aren’t a lost colonist scraping together a living on the fringes of Halcyon. Instead, you step into the role of an Earth Directorate agent, which immediately changes the tone of the entire adventure. You’re still operating in morally gray territory, but now you’re part of the system rather than fighting against it from the outside. That shift gives The Outer Worlds 2 a much stronger narrative backbone, and it’s one of the best decisions Obsidian could have made.
The storyline in The Outer Worlds 2 is genuinely excellent, filled with political intrigue, corporate absurdity and meaningful player choice. Being an Earth Directorate agent opens up new dialogue paths and story opportunities that feel far more reactive than in the first adventure. One standout example in The Outer Worlds 2 was after I bought the Space Ranger perk, which let me lean fully into the archetype of a classic, overconfident space hero in the middle of otherwise serious conversations. It was often hilarious and fit the tone perfectly. NPCs reacted to my speeches too, as if they expected something like that from a space hero. The perk was also mechanically rewarding, granting 2.5 percent bonus damage for every level of my Speech skill up to 50 percent. My pen really was as mighty as the sword, and my electric shotgun too.
That combination of narrative flavor and tangible gameplay benefit is something The Outer Worlds 2 does consistently well. Dialogue perks aren’t just for role-playing flavor anymore. They matter, and the title constantly rewards you for committing to a specific character identity, both within your own party and when interacting with the universe of strange inhabitants at large.
Combat in The Outer Worlds 2 feels amazing. It’s smooth, fast and surprisingly flexible, to the point where I occasionally felt like I was playing a Borderlands game, albeit one with a better story. Weapon mods are plentiful and impactful, and you can even craft them yourself, allowing you to radically alter how guns or melee weapons behave. You can change damage types, add explosive effects, increase projectile counts or turn an otherwise standard weapon into something delightfully unhinged that matches your preferred character build.
The moment-to-moment gunplay flows naturally, enemy encounters feel well-paced and builds actually matter in combat. Whether you’re playing a silent sniper, a sneaky assassin, a boisterous bruiser or a smooth-talking problem solver who still knows how to pull a trigger, the systems support it.
In fact, you can specialize however you want, from pure combat roles to dialogue-heavy builds or strange hybrid setups. Taking flaws during character creation or through gameplay lets you lean even harder into your chosen identity. And in one of the smartest moves I have ever seen in a game, The Outer Worlds 2 watches how you play and responds, offering you brand new, optional character flaws combined with unique perks that perfectly mirror your playstyle.
My favorite example was the Consumerism flaw, which I received early on because I was buying a lot of ammo and mod recipes from vendors. The game broke in and said that The Earth Directorate found a flaw in me, that I was a bit of a shopaholic. From that point on, friendly vendors who wanted to do business with me offered a big discount on anything I purchased, but paid me less when I sold things back. For me, that was a perfect flaw and perk combo, so I quickly accepted it. I earned others too based on my combat style and the fact that I was always sneaking around and stealing things.
You can accept or reject any offered flaw, but most let you embrace your character build like no other title I’ve ever played. I even earned the Flawed Hero trophy for having taken on three flaws, but I took on many more after that too. I was more than happy to accept additional flaws (and their requisite perks) because they felt like part of my character’s story.
As for other characters in the adventure, your companions were one of the highlights of the first game, but The Outer Worlds 2 takes them to another level. Your new crew feels more reactive, more opinionated and more emotionally invested in your choices. They absolutely remember how you treat people, how you solve problems and whether you act like a principled agent or a self-serving corporate tool.
That familiar “they will remember that” feedback shows up at key moments, and unlike many titles that use that mechanic, it genuinely pays off. Companions argue, bond and grow closer or further apart based on your decisions, and the result is a crew that feels like a strange, dysfunctional family rather than a collection of stat bonuses. That dynamic is reinforced by your ship, The Incognito, which feels lived-in and personal. It’s cluttered with plants, gear and odd decorations that reflect your journey, making it feel more like a cozy home filled with odd family members rather than just a hub menu.
From a mechanical standpoint, The Outer Worlds 2 is also incredibly satisfying. The inventory system is a particular standout. There are no weight restrictions, no artificial limits on what you can carry and no constant inventory management busywork. Yes, it’s unrealistic that players can carry dozens of weapons and armor sets at once, but this is a space opera RPG, not a survival sim. Being able to loot freely, experiment with gear and sell everything later without penalty is liberating.
The Outer Worlds 2 feels like Obsidian firing on all cylinders. It’s smarter, deeper and more confident than its predecessor, with stronger writing, more satisfying combat and systems that genuinely respect player choice. The humor is still sharp, the satire still lands and the role-playing mechanics finally have the space they need to breathe.
In fact, this is the sequel that The Outer Worlds deserved. It’s a space opera that understands what makes RPGs special and isn’t afraid to let players be weird, flawed and wildly effective in their own ways.
Developers: Obsidian Entertainment
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Steam, Xbox Series X