Star Wars Outlaws review – Ubisoft’s sci-fi GTA is a must-have Switch 2 game

When Star Wars Outlaws launched on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S last year, it didn’t exactly take me by storm. The idea of a GTA-style romp in George Lucas’ vast universe should be an exciting concept, but the launch version struggled to realize it fully. Massive Entertainment’s open-world adventure joins the Nintendo Switch 2 lineup, and I’m happy to say it’s finally worth your time.

If you didn’t check out Star Wars Outlaws last year, here’s what you need to know plot-wise. Master criminal and Zerek Besh leader, Sliro Barsha, kills rival syndicate leaders to consolidate power, while our unlikely hero, Kay Vess, tries to flee Cantonica for a new life in the Core Worlds. Forced to perform a heist in a lavish compound, it doesn’t take long for things to go wrong.  Kay escapes, stealing a ship called the Trailblazer, which she crashes on Toshara due to damage, while Sliro puts a death mark on her for the heist.

From there, the real adventure begins, as you journey from Toshara all the way to Tatooine and other planets along the way. Unlike Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Outlaws is a fully open-world game. Respawn’s Cal Kestis-led games are certainly big, but Massive Entertainment’s time on The Division series doesn’t take long to come to light. Each biome relishes in that same attention to detail you’ll find in The Division’s New York City, for example. The seedy underground markets invite me to interact with various stalls in Toshara’s crumbled moon surface.

Other areas later in the game, such as Mos Eisley, are a dream to walk through. Star Wars games rarely feel inauthentic in recreating legendary locales and points of interest, but Massive truly excels in this regard. It’s the same warm feeling of familiarity that the original Star Wars Battlefront offers, as it takes me back to Heroes vs Villains fights on my PSP in the dead of night. Better yet, I could hop over to Mos Eisley quicker, because Ubisoft gives you the ability to port over your save from other platforms.

Initially, I started a fresh save for this review to see how early sections fare. No matter which area I come across in this version, Outlaws’ art direction and aesthetic are often great to look at, but it is rough around the edges. The reliability of hitting 30 FPS consistently is strong on the Switch 2, though. Docked, Outlaws hits 1440p resolution and is the best way to play, in my opinion. Handheld mode knocks down the resolution to 720p, and it’s very apparent.

The addition of Ray Tracing is impressive on the Nintendo Switch 2, but I do wish there was an option to toggle it off in return for a performance boost in this instance. Loading times are notably longer, as you may expect, though. This can be a stinger when I fall off the map during platforming sequences or meet an unexpected demise, as it takes at least ten seconds to get back into the fight. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but it can be annoying during harder sections down the line.

The good thing, though, is that the awful decisions regarding stealth are gone. When Outlaws debuted, bizarre choices to punish players during sneaking segments broke up the game’s flow. Forced stealth is always a bad design direction in my opinion, and it sticks out in a Star Wars experience of this caliber. As the Switch 2 version comes with the game’s previous patches, I can blast my way through any section I want now, as Outlaws lets me play my way.

Of course, shooting everyone in sight isn’t always a good idea if you care about your reputation. Outlaws presents Kay with various factions to take missions from, all of them offering various rewards, access to otherwise unseen locations, and discounts at shops. Favoring one gang over another causes rifts to unravel, putting you in some tough spots the further down the rabbit hole you go. Some decisions impact the story in stronger ways, but ‘bad’ decisions can make survival in the galaxy deadly.

It reminds me more of inFamous than Red Dead Redemption’s honor system, letting me decide whether this playthrough is an evil or good run. I appreciate that there isn’t necessarily a ‘right’ choice, but just the one that suits my style of play. For me, firing my blaster into anyone who crosses my path is the only way to become a space scoundrel. This is Massive’s bread and butter, after all. Because of this, combat is always a good time.

Getting into gunfights echoes those The Division highs, whether it’s firing rogue shots back behind cover or breaking out into the open to finish off foes with my fists. There’s even a decent slide to deploy, which engages the FPS game brain in me to try and slide cancel my way to victory like the galactic sweat I am. Involving Nix, Kay’s Merqaal sidekick, opens up possibilities to steal items and distract enemies, too. Battling Stormtroopers, bandits, and droids on the ground is where Outlaws’ combat is the best, but I can’t say the same about dogfights.

Don’t get me wrong, they’re not terrible. Yet, anytime the story thrusts me into a space skirmish, I can feel myself start to check out. Movement feels clunky, and while that might reflect the heft of maneuvering a huge spacecraft, it isn’t necessarily fun as a player. I’m thankful that most of Outlaws’ story is spent on the surface, which includes more to do when you’re done with it. The Nintendo Switch 2 version brings two expansions, Wild Card and A Pirate’s Fortune, to the table. I won’t spoil too much here about them, but you’ll meet some familiar faces here.

I find Outlaws’ overall story to be decent, but it doesn’t match the highs of Jedi: Survivor in recent years. Despite this, the prospect of a GTA-style Star Wars adventure is alive in Outlaws now; it just needed a few patches to get there. I’m glad the Switch 2 version is launching with these improvements, as increasing my Imperial wanted level is a thrill in itself. Fending off forces on my speeder and forcing myself into duels in the desert are the stuff of space cowboy greatness.

Star Wars Outlaws earns itself a spot as one of the best Switch games you can get right now, and a must-have for your Nintendo Switch 2 roster. If you’re looking for something different, other than games like GTA, such as a horror game, then our Cronos: The New Dawn review tackles Bloober Team’s handheld terrors.