Star Wars is composed of dozens of different stories, many of which have been told outside of the mainline movies. One of the most prominent sources since the franchise’s creation has been video games, with studios reimagining Star Wars’ existing stories and characters or creating new ones across dozens of gaming genres, including racing games, shooters, flight simulators, and role-playing games. And the addition of new stories in the Star Wars universe hasn’t slowed down. In the next few years we’re expecting entries across a diverse range of genres, including the racing game Star Wars: Galactic Racer, the turn-based-tactics game Star Wars: Zero Company, and the narrative adventure Star Wars Eclipse.
In addition to video games, lots of tabletop games, board games, and card games have let players craft their own adventures in the Star Wars universe. For the purposes of this list, we’ve primarily focused on video games, but we’ve included a handful of tabletop games as well for good measure. Also, this list is arranged chronologically, from the long, longest ago to modern day.
Looking ahead, there are many other Star Wars games in development that could shake this list up in the future as well. Star Wars is just going to keep growing, and we’re here for it.
Star Wars: TIE Fighter
Developer Totally Games’ Star Wars: TIE Fighter is a flight simulator meets space combat game set in the Star Wars universe that wowed fans back in 1994 and surprisingly still holds up in several ways today. It begins immediately following the events of The Empire Strikes Back and continues until the final battle of Return of the Jedi, having you play as a talented TIE pilot charged with going after pirates or traitors to the Galactic Empire. It’s a shame that TIE Fighter is no longer canon, as it tells a superb story about what it was like to be an Imperial during the events of the original Star Wars trilogy. The game provides insight into “the bad guys” of Star Wars, showing that most Imperial soldiers weren’t Emperor Palpatine-level evil. It’s a perspective that other Star Wars video games–like Battlefront II and Squadrons–have tried to replicate, but have never quite done as well as TIE Fighter. Star Wars: TIE Fighter is available for PC.
Star Wars Episode 1: Racer
Now this is podracing. In the effort to merchandise the absolute poodoo out of the cinematic event that was Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, the film’s memorable podracing scene was turned into a white-knuckle racing game. The movie depicts podracing as, essentially, a soapbox connected to two jet engines, and who wouldn’t want to try that? The game lets you play as Anakin or Sebulba, the two rivals from the movie, along with a bunch of the other weird-looking characters who raced alongside them. Like podracing in the film, you’re looking to beat other racers to the finish line while also avoiding obstacles that can damage your remarkably fragile vessel, and you can pause for repairs but it will cost you valuable time. It’s a fun, different take on the arcade racer.
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
Developer Raven Software’s Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast is the third game in the Jedi Knight series, which began with 1995’s Dark Forces. The series follows Kyle Katarn, a mercenary-turned-Jedi who briefly embraces the Dark Side and thus can use all manner of Force abilities. In Jedi Outcast, Kyle has forsaken the Force, only to learn that he needs to reconnect with his Force sensitivity in order to combat a threat posed to the New Republic. Jedi Outcast is the point in the Jedi Knight series where combat fully transitions to a hybrid of shooter and lightsaber combat. That, along with the really good single-player campaign, makes Jedi Outcast the best of the Jedi Knight games. Jedi Outcast also sees Kyle meet with several popular Star Wars characters, like Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian, providing a look at their lives (admittedly, one that is no longer canon) after the events of Return of the Jedi. Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast is available for PS4, Switch, Xbox, GameCube, and PC.
See our Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast review.
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Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II
The sim-like cockpit action of the TIE Fighter and X-Wing games were fantastic on PC, but for GameCube, the Rogue Squadron games were among the best Star Wars action you could find. The second game, Rogue Leader, let you pilot a variety of iconic Star Wars vessels like the X-Wing and Millenium Falcon, alongside deeper cuts like the B-Wing and T-16 Skyhopper. It even had unlockable missions that let you take the yoke as Darth Vader and shoot down rebel scum. The Rogue Squadron games were known for their quick dogfighting action and impressive setpieces, and Rogue Leader is the best of the bunch.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Developer BioWare’s Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is beloved by Star Wars fans as one of the best (if not the best) Star Wars games ever made. Set thousands of years prior to the events of The Phantom Menace, KOTOR sees you exploring the Star Wars galaxy in an effort to find a way to stop Darth Malak, a Sith who killed his master, Darth Revan, to take over the Sith armada and launch an invasion against the Galactic Republic and a fractured Jedi Order. Along the way, you recruit new allies, learn Force abilities, and make meaningful choices that influence both how the story ultimately ends and whether you embrace the Light or Dark Side of the Force. KOTOR also introduces some of the best Star Wars characters ever created, such as Jedi Knight Bastila Shan, Twi’lek street urchin Mission Vao, and assassin droid HK-47. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is available on Xbox, Switch, PC, and both Android and iOS devices. A KOTOR remake is currently in development, though release plans have not been announced.
See our Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic review.
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Star Wars: The Old Republic
Developer BioWare Austin’s Star Wars: The Old Republic has come a long way since its launch in 2011–this massively multiplayer online role-playing game is still kicking too, with a thriving playerbase several expansions. Taking place hundreds of years after the events of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, The Old Republic allows you to play through eight distinct storylines during the ongoing conflict between the Sith Empire and Galactic Republic. Each storyline sees you recruiting different squadmates, responding to different moral-based dialogue choices, wielding different weapons and abilities, meeting different characters, and having the chance to fall in love with different romance options. So you basically have eight different story-driven RPGs here, all of which feature missions you can tackle alongside well-written NPC companions or real-world players. Star Wars: The Old Republic is available for PC.
