Outer Worlds 2 Review: More Weapons, More Jokes — Fewer Consequences?

The Outer Worlds 2 is a first-person sci-fi RPG from Obsidian Entertainment, published by Xbox Game Studios. The game adds more content compared with its 2019 predecessor, including more weapons, enemies, locations, traits, and faction systems, and was reviewed on Windows PC using a prerelease download code provided by Microsoft.

1. First impressions and setting
2. Gameplay and exploration
3. Choices and consequences
4. Combat, weapons and builds
5. Companions and story structure
6. Platforms and release details

First impressions and setting

The game places the player in the Arcadia system after an initial sequence involving the Earth Directorate. Arcadia is divided by a three-way conflict between Auntie’s Choice, the Protectorate, and the Order of the Ascendant. In addition, the map includes localized rifts that affect space and time. Early objectives include reaching a relay station located inside an active warzone.

Gameplay and exploration

The Outer Worlds 2 follows a first-person RPG structure with a main arc and multiple side quests across distinct planetary zones. These zones are large areas with many points of interest rather than a single open world. The opening zone contains dense, interlinked content and environmental cues that can lead to hidden routes.

For example, players can encounter incidental events such as a farmer who overfeeds a crab with sugary cereal, a Protectorate deserter facing execution, and a hidden power line in grass that leads to a relay station entrance. Other discovery examples include a cave sewer entrance and a missable NPC who becomes important later. There are also small, scripted moments — like a rescued stuffed animal influencing NPC behavior — that appear when players explore carefully.

Choices and consequences

The sequel expands the number of decision points, but several decisions have limited downstream impact on the main narrative. Some side quests present moral choices that result only in brief dialogue changes rather than significant story divergence. In many instances, the game provides multiple routes to bypass challenges: locked areas often have more than one entry method, and terminals or keycards can be used in place of specific skills.

Moreover, the game signals many optional paths and alternative routes explicitly, and in at least one mid-game scenario the game provides a way to remove a penalty tied to an ethical choice regardless of the player’s skill build. As a result, players can frequently complete objectives without suffering long-term disadvantages for certain choices.

Combat, weapons and builds

Combat in The Outer Worlds 2 features an expanded weapon roster and mixed enemy encounters (monsters, humans, and robots). The game encourages experimentation with different weapon types and tactical approaches. Examples of weapon types encountered include silenced sniper rifles, pistols with exploding rounds, frost-based weapons, poison revolvers, and rocket launchers.

There are also more unusual weapons, such as a two-handed hammer that can be loaded with shotgun shells. Stealth remains a viable playstyle but generally requires dedication to stealth-focused traits and skills to reach top effectiveness. A reviewer reported assembling a varied arsenal and noted that certain optional alliance paths change how skills and traits are used during play.

Companions and story structure

The main storyline continues to center on corporate influence and social systems, with a broader focus on how institutions affect individual identity. Narrative design links major plot events with companion arcs at times, and relationship systems build through repeated, smaller interactions rather than only a few milestone conversations.

Companion reactivity is mixed: while relationships can change over time, some actions that might be expected to provoke strong reactions do not always do so. For instance, there are documented cases where companions did not respond strongly to items taken from faction-related locations. Meanwhile, companion-to-companion tension is limited once characters join the same party, with only occasional passive-aggressive remarks rather than open conflict.

Platforms and release details

The Outer Worlds 2 is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC. The premium edition released on October 24, and the wider release occurred on October 29. The review copy used for coverage was a Windows PC prerelease download code provided by Microsoft.

Sources: information drawn from the game’s materials, reviewer playtime notes, and the publisher’s release schedule.