THE OUTER WORLDS 2

Smarter, Tighter, and Unexpectedly Sincere

- Reviewed By: Marcus Kenneth

Developer: Obsidian Entertainment Publisher: Xbox Game Studios ESRB Rating: M (Mature) Release Date: 10/24/2025 Played On: PlayStation 5 Reviewed By: Marcus Kenneth

It's funny how returning to a familiar universe can feel both comforting and brand new. The Outer Worlds 2 opens with a banger of an intro that reminds you what made the first game special, while getting out in the open, things have changed in significant and meaningful ways. From the opening scenes, it's obvious that Obsidian looked hard at what worked before, what didn't, and then rebuilt almost every piece with more confidence and heart. The first Outer Worlds was clever, stylish, and packed with sharp satire, but it sometimes felt torn between being a shooter, an RPG, and a send-up of corporate dystopia.

The sequel doesn't have that identity crisis. It knows what it is: a more mature, emotionally grounded story set in a universe that finally feels alive.

What caught my attention right away wasn't the shooting or the shiny visuals. It was the tone. There's a weight to the writing this time, a sense that the team wanted to say something beyond the punchlines. The jokes are still there, and if anything, land better, but they hit because they aren't thrown in your face all the time. The crew you meet aren't just colourful archetypes or delivery systems for quips; they're people who second-guess themselves, who regret things, who break a little when they think no one's watching. Each companion's story feels carefully written to matter, and that care shows. I found myself hesitating at choices not because I was chasing a better outcome, but because I didn't want to disappoint someone who'd earned my trust. That's a kind of emotional connection the first game never quite reached.