The Outer Worlds

About The Outer Worlds

Obsidian Entertainment released The Outer Worlds on October 25, 2019 through Private Division. This single-player sci-fi RPG launched across PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and later Nintendo Switch. You wake up decades late on a colony ship bound for Halcyon. A corporate conspiracy threatens the settlement while factions fight for control. Your choices shape who you become and decide the fate of everyone in the system. The game asks you to navigate a future where humanity lives under strict corporate rule. You are the unplanned variable in their equation. The setting feels familiar yet twisted by profit motives rather than alien threats or galactic wars.

Gameplay

Sessions involve walking through colonized planets, shooting enemies with various firearms, and hacking terminals. Dialogue choices during conversations alter relationships with NPCs and change quest outcomes. You spend time managing a skill tree that branches into combat, social, and technical abilities. Exploration reveals hidden loot and lore entries scattered across environments. Combat relies on cover mechanics and weapon variety ranging from pistols to heavy rifles. Side missions often require negotiating or stealing items rather than just killing everyone in sight. The game features no multiplayer modes so the entire experience revolves around your single character progression. You manage inventory and upgrade gear to handle tougher opponents as you progress through Halcyon.

What Players Think

Critics gave this title a solid Metacritic score of 80 out of 100 while IGDB users rated it 81.7 based on 634 reviews. The community lists the vibe as chaotic with one vote for story-driven and another for cooperative despite being single-player only. Players have earned 68 total achievements but only unlock them at an average rate of 18.8 percent. The rarest task is "The Postman" which only 0.80 percent of players have completed. This low completion number suggests the content requires specific actions or multiple playthroughs to see everything. Review snippets often praise the writing and humor while noting some technical issues on launch. Most users seem to enjoy the narrative freedom provided by the character creation system.

PlayPile's Take

This game works best for players who want a strong story with meaningful choices rather than endless grinding. The price varies by platform but the value comes from the amount of dialogue and replayability. You will spend time unlocking those 68 achievements even if most remain out of reach. Obsidian delivered a solid RPG experience without forcing you into repetitive loops. I recommend this if you like shooting in space with good writing. It is not perfect but the character build options keep things fresh for multiple runs.

Storyline

In The Outer Worlds, you awake from hibernation on a colonist ship lost in transit to its destination on the edge of the galaxy, only to find yourself in the midst of a deep conspiracy threatening to destroy the colony. As you explore the furthest reaches of space and encounter various factions, all vying for power, the character you decide to become will determine how this player-driven story unfolds. Lost in transit while on a colonist ship bound for the furthest edge of the galaxy, you awake decades later than you expected only to find yourself in the midst of a deep conspiracy threatening to destroy the Halcyon colony. As you explore the furthest reaches of space and encounter a host of factions all vying for power, who you decide to become will determine the fate of everyone in Halcyon. In the corporate equation for the colony, you are the unplanned variable. Welcome to the future - try not to break it.