Sci-fi casts a wide net. There’s a lot of ways to approach the genre, and storytellers have been proving that for ages. For instance, althoughStar WarsandStar Trekmay seem like ageless rivals, they paint two very different pictures of the distant future:Star Trekexplores elements of utopia, whileStar Warsdepicts a galaxyconstantly and repeatedly plunged into war and strife. In a similar way,Starfieldoffers a very different picture of outer space from, say,The Outer Worlds 2.Both games tell stories about humanity settling the deep reaches of space, but they do so in their own ways.
It’s a little ironic thatStarfieldandThe Outer Worlds 2both got some of the spotlight at Microsoft’s E3 2021 conference. Since both games are being developed by Microsoft subsidiary studios, it would seem that Microsoft is generating competition for itself. That could harm game sales on both fronts. On the contrary,StarfieldandThe Outer Worlds 2have what it takes to peacefully coexist. They may both be games about space travel, but the similarities only barely stretch beyond that. These games offer totally different visions of outer space, which means they should compare and contrast nicely on Xbox.
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Starfield’s Vision of Outer Space
Starfieldgameplay is still a mystery in a lot of ways. However, Bethesda is slowly becoming more open about the game and its themes. TheStarfieldtrailer revealed at E3 2021 gave fans a good sense of the game’s tone and themes.Starfieldseems built on a sense of awe for outer space’s mysteries that feels very relatable at humanity’s current stage of space exploration, in spite ofStarfield’s obvious advances in technology. That tone plays intothe ‘NASA punk’ aestheticthat Bethesda wants the game to focus on.Starfieldis a sci-fi game through and through, but it’s still pretty grounded at heart.
In spite of all the unanswered questions aboutStarfield, that gives fans a lot of implied information.Starfieldseems poised to be very realistic for a sci-fi game, leaning heavily on real NASA technology for its design choices and focusing on the human element of space travel. Planets may not beas outlandish asStar Warsplanetsare. In fact, there’s a good chance thatStarfielddoesn’t even feature aliens. Instead, it’s specifically and exclusively about the human experience and the planet Earth’s relationship to the rest of the universe.
Fans of thoughtful, philosophical sci-fi will probably be drawn toStarfieldas opposed toThe Outer Worlds 2.It’s not clear yet just how meditativeStarfieldcan get, but there’s clearly something very contemplative baked into the game’s concept alongside the more exciting elements. At the very least,Starfieldsounds much more rooted in realitythanThe Outer Worldsis, which will appeal to fans of near-future sci-fi as opposed to the distant future thatThe Outer Worldsdepicts.Starfieldis a game about humanity’s potential and the things that space travel could make possible if the technology is given time to advance.
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The Outer Worlds Has Wilder Dreams
Frankly,The Outer Worlds 2is a little more mysterious thanStarfieldat this point.Starfieldhas been public knowledge for a couple of years, butThe Outer Worlds 2got announced in the same conference whereStarfieldgot a proper trailer and a release date. SinceThe Outer Worlds 2isn’t a direct sequelto Obsidian Entertainment’s first installation in the series, fans don’t entirely know what to expect. Still, a lot of the game’s design philosophy is clear. The heavily sarcastic and quippy announcement trailer for the game made it clear that it’s leaning on the same cutting wit that the first game was built on.
Obsidian Entertainment has already confirmed thatThe Outer Worlds 2won’t take place in Halcyon or star the same crew that the Stranger assembles over the course of the game. However, odds are looking good that the new crew will still encounter the Board or a similar group of megacorporations. The trailer contained the Moon Man mascot of Spacer’s Choice, which should encourage fans eager to fight villainous businesses reigning terror over another space colony. Based on this direction, it’s clear thatthe entireOuter Worldsbrandintends to focus on the impact of self-interested corporations on space travel as well as everyday human life.
There’s also good odds that plenty of new alien creatures and outlandish weapons will appear inThe Outer Worlds 2.If it’s another action RPG adventure in the same vein as the first game, then it’ll be a lot flashier and ridiculous thanStarfield.Xbox users who preferThe Outer Worlds' explosive, comic brandof sci-fi will be glad to haveThe Outer Worlds 2as an alternative toStarfield.There’s no doubt thatThe Outer Worldsis very tonally different fromStarfield,which is a huge selling point even if the two games release around the same time.
Starfield and The Outer Worlds Offer Good Options
StarfieldandThe Outer Worlds 2aren’t rivals. On the contrary, they make good companions.The wistfulStarfieldwith its highly realistic spacecraftand technology couldn’t be more different fromThe Outer Worlds 2’s eccentricity and inclination toward chaos. These games introduce some valuable diversity to the Xbox game library. EvenThe Outer Worlds 2releases within range ofStarfield’s release in November 2022, they’re such different games that they’ll appeal to very different audience. Odds are low that they’ll have much impact on each others' sales, even if they come out at the same time.
Flexibility is a great trait in any genre. In fact, another group of games developed by Microsoft’s studios suggests that.FableandAvowedmight both be fantasy RPGs, butFablelooks whimsical whereasAvowedhas a much darker tonein mind. Just likeStarfieldandThe Outer Worlds 2,these games will do well on the merit of their different tones, which result in totally different plots and settings. In the near future, Xbox fans will reap the benefits of all these different takes on famous genres.Starfieldwill probably be one of the Xbox Series X’s heavy-hitting games in 2022, but if it’s also out next year,The Outer Worlds 2can be a big hit too.
Starfieldreleases Jun 03, 2025 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.The Outer Worlds 2is in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
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