The Outer Worlds 2 review: An explosive adventure

The Outer Worlds 2 is the latest gem from Obsidian Entertainment, following up the first game from 2019 and expanding on its quirky, otherworldly style. If you’re a fan of sci-fi ARPGs, chances are that you’ll fall in love with this title.

Below, you’ll find The Escapist’s full, spoiler-free review of The Outer Worlds 2, completed on a PS5. I’ll be looking at everything from the visuals and performance to the combat and the overall game world. 

The Escapist recaps

• The Outer Worlds 2 is set to come out on October 29, 2025. Players who’ve purchased the Premium Edition will be able to nab up to five days of advanced access, letting them dig into the story earlier.
• The Outer Worlds 2 is Obsidian Entertainment’s latest sci-fi ARPG, following up on the beloved 2019 title, The Outer Worlds. It’s similar in tone and style to the original, but feels like a polished addition with plenty of new elements. 
• Gameplay in The Outer Worlds 2 is what you’d expect from a quality ARPG – smooth combat, interesting dialogue, and a vibrant world to explore. As a completionist, I was delighted with the amount of collectibles and treasures on offer.
• The Outer Worlds 2 looked solid and performed well during my time with it, with no notable quirks or performance issues popping up during my review sessions.

High-octane, quirky fun 

In The Outer Worlds 2, you’ll be placed in the shoes of an Earth Directorate agent, tasked with getting to the bottom of mysterious, deadly rifts that threaten the fate of humankind. No pressure.

Your mission takes you to Arcadia, where you’ll initially be locating another agent and retrieving crucial information, before events quickly spiral. Arcadia isn’t a peaceful place by any means – you’ll encounter a variety of different factions and characters, each with vastly different backgrounds and personalities. 

The world (or colony) in The Outer Worlds 2 feels lively, with plenty of secrets and treasures to pick up, along with a vibrant roster of NPCs to chat with. As a completionist who likes to try and net as many achievements as possible in the game, I found Arcadia rewarding to explore.

The core gameplay loop generally revolves around exploration, dialogue, and combat, with your character’s background and skills playing a big role in how you can approach the world. Combat and movement felt smooth and enjoyable throughout.

Something that immediately jumped out to me when digging into The Outer Worlds 2 is that it’s a game with a good sense of humour.

While the story does dig into heavier or more emotional beats sometimes, it doesn’t take itself too seriously – and this comes across beautifully in the narrative. It’s fun and approachable, but still engaging and dramatic when it needs to be. Fans of the first game should resonate with the tone of this sequel. 

An emphasis on player freedom

One of the best things about The Outer Worlds 2 was the amount of autonomy it gave me as a player.

Right from the get-go, I felt like my decisions mattered and that my choices had an impact on how the game would play out. Even the very first missions in the game presented multiple paths to go down, letting me fit the game to my personal play style (stealth over combat) and tackle the threats in a way that I enjoyed. 

This was also evident in the character creation screen. I spent more time than I care to admit making my character – there were plenty of fun cosmetic options, like unique haircuts and funky piercings – and the bulk of this time was spent looking at the character-building options. 

There were six backgrounds to choose from in the character creation screen, ranging from professor to renegade, each providing its own unique traits and experiences. In the next few tabs, there were traits – positive and negative – and special skills, too.

I opted for the gambler background and found that it directly impacted elements like my dialogue options, making my run feel truly tailored to my character. 

Outside of the sheer level of player freedom and creative options on offer, The Outer Worlds 2 looked fantastic and felt great to play. I didn’t encounter any visual quirks or performance problems while reviewing it on the PS5.

The Outer Worlds 2 was a delight to explore, and I can’t wait to dip back into the game to build a character that’s the polar opposite of my first one. Arcadia felt both rewarding and dangerous to venture through, and the story stayed consistently entertaining throughout. Fans of the original should get a kick out of it, but new fans of the series will enjoy it, too. 

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References

1. The Outer Worlds 2 on Steam (Steam Store)