The Outer Worlds is an action RPG that was developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Private Division back in 2019, and while the game received generally positive reviews from critics, players have often considered it to be one of the weaker Obsidian RPGs.
Nevertheless, the game is definitely worth checking out if you are into sci-fi RPGs and love traveling between planets, exploring unknown worlds, and meeting strange characters along the way.
But what if you have already finished The Outer Worlds and are looking for a similar experience? Fear not, because we have prepared a list of twenty games that are likely to scratch that itch, so let’s check them out.
Outer Worlds Game Features
| 📅 Release Date: | October 25th 2019 |
| ⚙️ Developer: | Obsidian Entertainment |
| 📀 Publisher: | Private Division |
| 🎮 Platforms: | PC (Epic Store & Steam), Playstation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, |
| 🕹️ Genre: | Action RPG |
| 🚀 Setting: | Space / Sci-Fi |
| 🧑 Game Modes: | Single Player |
1. Fallout New Vegas
Starting things off, we have Fallout New Vegas, which is another title made by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Bethesda Softworks back in 2010. This action RPG is a spin-off title of the popular Fallout franchise and is widely considered to be one if not the best RPG ever made.
The game is set in the Mojave Desert, in a town called New Vegas, that was created by the remnants of society after the nukes fell and destroyed a wide majority of the population. The player takes control of a character known as the courier who was tasked with delivering a special casino chip. However, on his delivery route, he gets ambushed, shot in the head, and buried in the desert. The courier miraculously survives, and it is then up to the player to find those who ambushed him and uncover the mystery behind the casino chip.
Fallout New Vegas offers a plethora of roleplaying options, branching stories, multiple factions, and a vast world to explore.
- Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
- Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
- Release Date: 19 October 2010
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
2. Beyond A Steel Sky
Beyond a Steel Sky is an indie action-adventure game that was developed and published by Revolution Software Ltd back in July 2020. The game serves as a direct sequel to Beneath a Steel Sky and is set ten years after the events of its predecessor.
The player assumes the role of the protagonist Robert Foster and is tasked with rescuing a child who was abducted in a brutal attack. Following the clues left behind by the abductors, you find yourself in Union City, a cyberpunk utopia completely controlled by AI.
While the game doesn’t share a lot with Outer Worlds in terms of gameplay settings, the unique futuristic setting, the interesting story, and the quirky characters will definitely capture the attention of any Outer Worlds fan.
- Developer: Revolution Software
- Publisher: Revolution Software
- Release Date: 26 June 2020
- Platform: macOS, iOS, tvOS, Windows, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
3. Starfield
Starfield is an upcoming action RPG and the latest title that Bethesda Game Studios is working on. This sci-fi RPG is set to release sometime during 2023 and will be playable on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
Starfield is set in a fictional universe in the year 2330. By that time, human society is capable of traveling between other planets, and even other solar systems. Players take the role of one of the members of Constellation, an organization tasked with finding rare artifacts located across the galaxy.
We don’t know much about Starfield yet, however, right off the bat we can see both Starfield and The Outer Worlds share a theme of space exploration, and since Starfield is a Bethesda RPG, we can expect to come across multiple factions, interesting storylines, dialogue choices, and multiple mysterious planets to explore.
- Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
- Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
- Release Date: 2023
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X/S
4. Far Cry New Dawn
Far Cry New Dawn is a first-person shooter game that was released back in February 2019. Developed by Ubisoft Montreal, and published by Ubisoft, the game is a spin-off title of the popular Far Cry franchise and serves as a direct sequel to Far Cry 5.
The events of Far Cry New Dawn take place seventeen years after one of the Far Cry 5 endings and are set within the fictional town of Hope County. After the nuclear event known as “the Collapse”, the player assumes the role of an unnamed protagonist who struggles to survive in the newly created post-apocalyptic world.
While Far Cry New Dawn’s setting is quite a bit different compared to The Outer Worlds, both of them provide the player with an interesting open world to explore, as well as a plethora of unique characters to interact and form alliances with.
- Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Release Date: 15 February 2019
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Stadia, PlayStation 4
5. Prey
Prey is a first-person shooter developed by Arkane Austin and published by Bethesda Softworks that was released back in May 2017. The game is not to be confused with the shooter with the same title from 2006 and is available on PC, PS 4, and Xbox One.
The events of Prey take place in an alternate timeline in which the Space Race led to much faster development of space technology which resulted in humans creating and living on space stations a lot earlier than expected.
The player takes on the role of Morgan Yu, a scientist who was tasked with researching a hostile shapeshifting alien race known as Typhon. Unfortunately, Typhon manages to escape from its captivity, and surviving on the Space Station TalosI becomes the player’s top priority.
While Prey doesn’t allow as much freedom as The Outer Worlds, in terms of exploration, it does have a similar combat style with a multitude of weapons and role-playing elements at the player’s disposal.
- Developer: Arkane Austin
- Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
- Release Date: 5 May 2017
- Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Cloud Gaming
6. Bioshock Infinite
Bioshock Infinite is a first-person shooter that was developed by Irrational Games and published by 2K games back in March 2013. The game is the third installment of the Bioshock franchise and managed to sell more than 11 million copies across the globe.
The game takes place in the year 1912 within the floating city of Columbia. The player assumes the role of a detective called Booker DeWitt who takes on the job of retrieving Elizabeth, a mysterious woman kept captive within the city of Columbia.
Similar to The Outer Worlds, Bioshock Infinite features a dystopian society and offers a variety of RPG mechanics and numerous weapons which you can use to dispatch your enemies.
- Developer: Irrational Games
- Publisher: 2K Games
- Release Date: 26 March 2013
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, OS X, Linux
7. Borderlands 3
This action RPG first-person shooter is the fourth main installment within the Borderlands franchise and serves as a direct sequel to Borderlands 2 which launched back in 2012.
Developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K, Borderlands 3 was released in September 2019 on multiple platforms and received an updated version later in November 2020.
Borderlands 3 takes place on the planet Pandora which is rumored to contain hidden vaults filled with treasure and advanced technology and it is up to the player to stop a pair of evil twins from getting their hands on it.
When it comes to similarities with The Outer Worlds, there are quite a few that they share including the combat, the loot system, and a wide variety of quests and missions.
- Developer: Gearbox Software
- Publisher: 2K
- Release Date: 13 March 2020
- Platform: macOS, Stadia, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5
8. Metro Exodus
Metro Exodus is a first-person shooter that was developed by 4A Games and published by Deep Silver. The game was released in 2019 and is the third installment of the Metro franchise.
Set in the year 2035, the game takes place after the events of Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light with the player assuming the role of Artyom who sets out to find humans who managed to survive the nuclear war.
Metro Exodus puts the player in an unknown environment filled with hostile monsters for the player to eliminate, so if you enjoyed that aspect of The Outer Worlds, then this game should be right up your alley.
- Developer: 4A Games
- Publisher: Deep Silver
- Release Date: 15 February 2019
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, Luna, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Linux, macOS
9. Grounded
Grounded is a survival game that is currently in early access and being developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Xbox Game Studios. The game is currently playable on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S and is scheduled to be fully released on September 27, 2022.
Grounded can be played by up to four people, and as such has four protagonists. Each protagonist is a child that had been shrunk to a size of an ant via some kind of science experiment and is trapped in the backyard.
Without any means to return to their regular size, the children are tasked with collecting resources and crafting tools and equipment they create in order to survive various threats and hazards that lurk in the backyard.
Unlike The Outer Worlds, Grounded puts a heavy emphasis on crafting and survival gameplay elements, however, it will satisfy your need for exploration just like The Outer Worlds.
- Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
- Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
- Release Date: 28 July 2020
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
10. The Outer Worlds 2
The Outer Worlds 2 is an upcoming sequel to The Outer Worlds and is currently in its early development stages. The game is being developed by Obsidian Entertainment and will be published by Xbox Game Studios.
According to the latest information available, The Outer Worlds 2 has been in development since 2019, however, it has been stated that its release date is a long way off. While we don’t have any more precise information about the release date, we do know that the game will be available on Xbox Game Pass on day one.
Since The Outer Worlds 2 is nowhere close to being released, we don’t have much information about its plot, gameplay elements, or anything else for that matter. However, according to Obsidian, it will be a “New solar system, new crew, same Outer Worlds,”.
- Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
- Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
- Release Date: Unknown
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X/S
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11. Outer Wilds
Outer Wilds is an action-adventure game that was released in May 2019. Developed by Mobius Digital and published by Annapurna Interactive the game was released for PC, Xbox One and PS4. The game received an expansion titled Echoes of the Eye in 2021, and s PS5 and Xbox Series X/S version of the game was released in 2022.
The player is put in the shoes of an unnamed character who finds himself in an unknown solar system that is stuck in a time loop. The player is then required to solve puzzles and explore the environment to uncover the sectors of the ancient civilization known as Nomai.
Just like The Outer Worlds, Outer Wilds is set in space and has a large world that you can freely explore, however, its gameplay mechanics are entirely different.
- Developer: Mobius Digital
- Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
- Release Date: 28 May 2019
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch
12. Subnautica
Subnautica is an open-world action-adventure survival game that was developed and published by Unknown Worlds Entertainment and first released in January 2014 as an early access game for PC. Over the years, the game received multiple releases for different platforms as well as a sequel titled Subnautica: Below Zero which was released in May 2021.
Subnautica puts you in the shoes of Ryley Robinson, a lone survivor who ends up stranded on an alien planet known as 4546B after your spaceship called The Aurora is hit by an energy beam and crashes on the planet.
When it comes to gameplay, Subnautica puts the main focus on gathering resources and crafting, and very little emphasis on combat. However, just like The Outer Worlds, it provides you with a mysterious world filled with wonder that you can freely explore which is what lands it on this list.
- Developer: Unknown Worlds Entertainment
- Publisher: Unknown Worlds Entertainment
- Release Date: 23 January 2018
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, macOS, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
13. Fallout 4
Fallout 4 is an action RPG that was released back in 2015 and is the fourth main installment of the Fallout franchise.
The game is set in the year 2287, a decade after the events of Fallout 3. The player is put in control of the only survivor from Vault 111 and is tasked with finding their missing child.
Fallout 4 brings everything you would expect to see in an open-world RPG including fast-paced combat, a variety of weapons, different factions, interesting characters, and dialogue options.
- Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
- Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
- Release Date: 10 November 2015
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4
14. No Man’s Sky
No Man’s Sky is an action-adventure survival game that was developed and published by Hello Games and released back in 2016. While the game’s initial release was rocky, to say the least, over the years, No Man’s Sky has become a video game loved by many.
The player assumes the role of the character known as The Traveller, who wakes up on an unknown planet suffering from amnesia which is where your personal adventure begins.
No Man’s Sky and The Outer Worlds are graphically alike, however, mechanically, they are completely different games. Still, No Man’s Sky provides the player an opportunity to travel to different planets, explore unknown worlds, and fight strange creatures which is what lands it on this list.
- Developer: Hello Games
- Publisher: Hello Games
- Release Date: 12 August 2016
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, macOS, iPadOS
15. Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 is an action RPG based on the tabletop game developed by CD Projekt Red that was released in December 2020.
The game takes place in Night City, a futuristic city with a criminal underbelly run by corrupt corporations. The player is put in control of a character known as V who is tasked with acquiring a unique cybernetic implant. Things quickly escalate, and V finds himself struggling to keep his own personality and identity from being overtaken by a long-dead celebrity.
Both Cyberpunk 2077 and The Outer Worlds take place in the future, however, their settings are nothing alike. Still, both games provide an extremely immersive experience, lots of customization options, a rich world to explore, and cool characters to meet along the way.
- Developer: CD Projekt Red
- Publisher: CD Projekt
- Release Date: 10 December 2020
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, Stadia, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
16. Deep Rock Galactic
Deep Rock Galactic is a cooperative first-person shooter that was developed by Ghost Ship Games and published by Coffee Stain Publishing. The game was fully released in May 2020 for PC and Xbox One, and since then, it was ported to various platforms.
Taking place in the underground depths of planet Hoxxes IV, players are put in control of space dwarves who are tasked with completing missions such as gathering specific materials, stealing alien eggs, or eliminating specific creatures.
Deep Rock Galactic is visually and thematically very similar to The Outer Worlds, however, its gameplay is vastly different. Nevertheless, it is still a game worth checking out.
- Developer: Ghost Ship Games
- Publisher: Coffee Stain Publishing
- Release Date: 13 May 2020
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
17. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion is an open-world action RPG and the fourth main installment of the popular The Elder Scrolls franchise. The game was developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks and 2K Games in 2006.
The events of the game take place in the fictional province of Cyrodiil and the player assumes the role of a customizable character tasked with banishing the evil forces back to the realm of Oblivion and closing the Oblivion gates behind them.
With Oblivion being a medieval fantasy, it goes without saying that its setting greatly differs from The Outer Worlds. However, Oblivion features a vast open world to explore, multiple factions and characters to interact with, an endless amount of side missions to complete, and many customization options.
- Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
- Publisher: Bethesda Softworks, 2K Games
- Release Date: March 20, 2006
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
18. Gothic: Remake
Gothic 1 Remake is an upcoming action RPG that is currently being developed by Alkimia Interactive. The game is a remake of the first Gothic game that was released back in 2001 and will be published by THQ Nordic.
Set in the kingdom of Myrtana, the player assumes the role of an unknown character who was sent to the ore mines for committing a specific crime.
While we don’t know much about the gameplay of the remake, we know that it will stay true to the original game which means that a vast fantasy world filled with unique stories, characters, and factions surely awaits you.
- Developer: Alkimia Interactive
- Publisher: THQ Nordic
- Release Date: Unknown
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5
19. Dragon Age: Inquisition
Dragon Age: Inquisition was released in 2014 and is an action RPG developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts. The game has received multiple DLC packs and a sequel titled Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is currently in development.
The game takes place after the events of Dragon Age II and puts the player in the shoes of a character known as the Inquisitor who is tasked with stopping a demonic invasion while trying to keep the civil unrest within the Thedas at bay.
While the plot and setting of Dragon Age: Inquisition and The Outer Worlds greatly differ, both games focus on the companion characters, their development, and their relationship with the player.
- Developer: BioWare
- Publisher: Electronic Arts
- Release Date: 18 November 2014
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
20. Fallout 3
Fallout 3 is an action RPG that was released in 2008 and a third main installment within the Fallout franchise. It was also the first Fallout game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks upon acquiring the franchise from Interplay Entertainment.
The game takes place in the year 2077 in a post-apocalyptic Washington, D.C. as well as its main surrounding area known as the Capital Wasteland. The player fills the shoes of one of the survivors from Vault 101 who is forced to wander the wasteland in search of his father who has mysteriously disappeared.
In terms of gameplay elements, Fallout 3 provides the now standard package with customizable attributes, weapons, companions, factions, and much more.
- Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
- Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
- Release Date: 28 October 2008
- Platform: Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
