Paul Farrelly is a Contributing Writer for Screen Rant’s Gaming section and the founder of GeekGasm.org, a site dedicated to celebrating all things gaming, from triple A blockbusters to weird and wonderful indie hits.
We now officially have the confirmed list of games coming to Xbox Game Pass for January and one is a definite standout. As of January 13, all Xbox Game Pass subscribers have the chance to blast their way across the galaxy in Ubisoft's very own underrated Star Wars Outlaws.
With months of updates and gaming tweaks under its belt, now might be a great time for those who played it at launch, to give it another try. With plenty of short Game Pass games currently available, it's quite nice to get a huge blockbuster like Star Wars Outlaws to try out for free. Star Wars Outlaws Is Headed To Xbox Game Pass You really should give this one a chance With so many great games coming to Game Pass this month, it might be difficult to know what to play first. Star Wars Oulaws made a bad first impression with many hardcore Star Wars fans, but it really does deserve your attention. Many improvements have been made since launch and getting to pull off heists in a galaxy far, far away might just kick-start the year in a very fun way. Its arrival on Game Pass after months of gameplay tweaks, content updates and bug fixes feels timely. Ubisoft has worked hard to sharpen the edges of its Star Wars sandbox. If you skipped it the first time around, maybe now is a great time to jump on Kay Vess' speeder bike and take it for a spin. In Star Wars Outlaws, you play a Kay Vess, a scrappy, low-level thief who is trying to scrape her way out of life under the control of syndicates and earn her fortune. Set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, the planets you'll visit will be instantly recognizable. No lightsabers or Jedi destinies here, just a galaxy grifter and her furry pet Nix looking for the next big score. Each planet you visit in Star Wars Outlaws feels like a different flavor of danger. Toshara's dusty hubs are bustling with low-level informants while taking a trip to Tattooine could see you having some blue milk in a smoky cantina or getting into a high speed blaster shootout on your speeder bike. It's An Underrated Open-World Treasure Search your feelings, you know it to be true Star Wars Outlaws launched in 2024 to a brutal public reception. Star Wars fatigue aside , this game lost a lot of love thanks to its undercooked mechanics and rather strange gameplay choices. Buggy AI, poor character models and forced stealth all helped to leave a rather sour taste in most players' mouths at launch. Spend a few hours in Kay Vess' boots today, though, and a very different picture emerges. Through major patches and gameplay updates, Star Wars Outlaws has become one of the best Star Wars sandboxes since Knights of the Old Republic. Gone are the long forced stealth sections that were so maligned. No more instant fails if you get spotted, you now get to blast your way out of a sticky situation which feels more fitting for a rogue like Kay. Stealth sections that once felt rigid and difficult, now feel more free flowing with better enemy AI, decent cover shooting mechanics and the opportunity to play the game the way you want to. Looted guns no longer fall off your back when you climb a ladder and you can even shoot naturally while flying along on your speeder bike. All these improvements allow for a more free-flowing Star Wars experience. Where the game shines is in its mood setting and world building. The sense that you're visiting lived-in worlds within the Star Wars universe feels almost overwhelming. Add to that the game's updated 'space missions' and you'll find hours of content that will see you dog fighting in your ship 'The Trailblazer' across the galaxy. There's no greater feeling than rushing from a dimly lit cantina to the neon-drenched criminal quarters. Your pockets heavy with riches and a contraband weapon you managed to slip past security. Every job you take on nudges your reputation up or down for one of the four factions in the game. If your rep falls too low for one particular faction, you can expect to be hunted and shot on site if you go wandering into their territories. Star Wars Outlaws leans into a fantasy roleplay that is rather satisfying. One minute you're dogfighting in space and the next, you're boots on the ground, scouting out a compound before trying to pull off a heist. Whether using your fists or your friendly pet Nix, stealth is usually the path of least resistance. Though it generally feels fun when everything goes wrong, and you end up blasting your way out of a tricky mission. The Ubisoft Loop, for Better or Worse This will make or break it for most players. The Ubisoft gameplay loop is ever present in Star Wars Outlaws. The checklist isn't as egregious as, say, early Assassin's Creed games, but it's there. For some, the gameplay loop is a satisfying grind that repeats until completion. For others, this grind feels too repetitive and may see players dropping off before the credits have rolled. With anywhere between 20–40 hours of gameplay, there's certainly plenty to see and do in Star Wars Outlaws. You'll tail suspects, eavesdrop on conversations, sneak through enemy compounds and more. That gameplay loop will feel comforting and satisfying to Ubisoft fans, but for others, it may feel too formulaic and repetitive. In its defense, it's all about context. I feel here, for example, grinding a contract for a syndicate isn't just about ticking a box. There is a skill tree with abilities that only unlock when you complete certain challenges which adds a bit more intent to everything you do. You can use these unlocked skills to build a certain type of Kay that suits your play style. It's not a full RPG, but I appreciate the variety. Subscribe to the newsletter for Game Pass picks like Star Wars Outlaws Discover which Game Pass titles are worth your time by subscribing to the newsletter. Receive curated picks, clear analysis, and hands-on perspective for games like Star Wars Outlaws to help you pick what to play next. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. Jumping from ground level grubby jobs to blowing up tie fighters in a tense space battle feels both seamless in transition and bombastic to play. Ubisoft offers up a gameplay loop of risky heists, narrow escapes, and small wins that actually feel well-earned. The push and pull of your reputation between factions adds a little edge to your missions and although your character's story arc is a little generic, there's still a lot of fun to be had here. What Game Pass Players Can Expect A wise little green man once said 'Do, do not. There is no try'. Well, Yoda clearly wasn't a Game Pass subscriber, as trying is exactly what's on offer here. As a member, you can try out Star Wars Outlaws without having to shell out any extra cash. This is a great way to get more eyes on a game that was tarnished by a bad release. Don't be put off by complaints at the time of release. In little over a year, Ubisoft has really put in the work, and made some genuine quality of life improvements to the game. The removal of force stealth really opens the game up to playing the game in the way you want. Space contracts are a fun addition and the immersive worlds you get to explore have always been impressive. January is shaping up to be a strong month in gaming for Xbox Game Pass subscribers. Star Wars Outlaws joins those list of games on Game Pass you should try at least once. It's not perfect, and it's still an unmistakably Ubisoft game, but Star Wars Outlaws might be one of the most grounded, gritty takes on the Star Wars universe that we've seen in years. So why not spend an evening or two in a galaxy far, far away? 8/10 Star Wars Outlaws Like Follow Followed Open-World Action-Adventure Systems OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 75/100 Critics Rec: 68% Released August 30, 2024 ESRB T For Teen // Violence, Simulated Gambling, Mild Language Developer Massive Entertainment Publisher Ubisoft, Lucasfilm Games Engine Snowdrop Franchise Star Wars Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date September 4, 2025
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