Star Wars Outlaws: Everything we know about the open world heist adventure

Star Wars Outlaws has a heist in the works, but this one doesn't have Han Solo and Chewie behind it. Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment announced Outlaws in June and revealed that it's an open world adventure spanning multiple planets, hyper-jumping through systems, and seedy underworld dealings culminating in one big job. 

While Outlaws moves on from the intergalactic smuggler we’re all familiar with, Massive’s take keeps things familiar with another quirky duo, Kay Vess and Nix. The pair are brand new to Star Wars, and tracking the details on every Star Wars game in the works is getting as complicated as its Expanded Universe and canon. To help guide you through it, here’s everything we know about Star Wars Outlaws, including details on Kay, Nix, and its new moon setting, Toshara. 

When is Star Wars Outlaws’ release date?

Star Wars Outlaws will release in 2024. That’s as specific as Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment were willing to get during the 2023 Summer of Gaming, but other reports narrow that window further.

According to Kotaku, “Project Helix,” the codename for Star Wars Outlaws, is planned for March 2024–so it falls in this fiscal year. It’s an ambitious project, and unsurprisingly the report notes sources aren’t confident in that timeline and predict it will instead launch sometime between April 2024 and March 2025. 

As for platforms, Star Wars Outlaws will release on PC with no official word on third-party storefronts like Steam or the Epic Games Store yet. In the past, Ubisoft has prioritized its own launcher, Ubisoft Connect, for PC releases. 

Here's the Star Wars Outlaws reveal trailer

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… Ubisoft revealed its open world action-adventure Star Wars game from developer Massive Entertainment with battles against the Empire and, more importantly, the Pyke Syndicate. Actually, the debut was a bit more recent at the Microsoft Games Showcase on June 11, 2023, but it feels like we’ve been dreaming of something invoking the same tone and scale for millennia. 

In 2021, Lucasfilm Games announced several Star Wars projects in the pipeline with multiple studios and publishers. This is our first look at Ubisoft’s Star Wars Outlaws, but other spacefaring games include Respawn’s Jedi series and a narrative-driven adventure from Amy Hennig. 

Is Star Wars Outlaws open world?

Yes, Star Wars Outlaws is an open world game. It’s worth hammering that point home, as creative director Julian Gerighty told IGN, "It’s the first-ever Star Wars open world experience. It’s the scoundrel adventure."

Gerighty described Outlaws as the Star Wars journey of childhood dreams. The studio considered how a project of this scope would also serve as the perfect vehicle to showcase Star Wars staples. He noted players can navigate through Outlaws using iconic speeders and spaceships—or resort to a good ole hoofin’ it. The game includes different planets, systems, and deep-space landscapes, too.

What is the rest of Star Wars Outlaws’ gameplay like?

We’ve established you’ll play freely in a sprawling sandbox, but the first gameplay footage demos reveal how you’ll navigate Outlaws’ world. Kay and Nix will tag team obstacles, showing off their unique skills in firefights and stealth missions. In this first look, we see Kay wielding her blaster after blowing her cover while Nix sneaks around to open the way and flees from encounters that get too hot. 

So far, Ubisoft’s preview footage confirms several gameplay specifics, including: 

• Third-person pivoting between shooting and stealth
• Nix is an ally in battles for puzzle-solving and uncovering secrets
• Kay’s blaster will have upgradeable modules that change tactical styles
• Kay also has abilities and other equipment
• Vehicles like Speeders and spaceships
• Dogfights in space and hyperjump travel
• Choices that dictate Kay’s standing in the world
• A wanted system that determines the Empire’s aggression toward Kay
• Heists that reward credits and items
• Discovery and exploration focus aims to deliver "distinct profiles" for every location

You’ll need to earn credits to stay afloat in the cold, dark universe, and that’s much of how Kay’s persona harkens back to Han. She’ll keep the cash flowing from mission to mission, but as an open world adventure, the pacing is up to the player. The developer-guided demo even highlights how player choices are a crucial component to how your life as Kay looks, dictating the value of rewards and how different factions perceive her. 

Where does Star Wars Outlaws fit into the timeline?

Narrative director Navid Khavari confirmed Star Wars Outlaws takes place sometime between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. This was when the Empire was at its most powerful.

What's the story and setting for Star Wars Outlaws?

Star Wars Outlaws begins in the Imperial Era as the Empire’s chokehold is felt throughout the galaxy. The turmoil between the Sith’s regime and the Rebels allows syndicates on a smaller scale to rise to power elsewhere and seize control of their own corners of the underworld.

The story follows a young thief, Kay Vess, and her lizard-dog-like companion, Nix, as they strike out on heists. With a bounty on her head, Kay chases her freedom in a bid to risk it all and start a new life. 

Massive Entertainment hasn’t gotten into all of the specifics around Kay’s circumstances, but we know she partners with a droid, ND-5, as she takes on a risky job the studio describes as the "opportunity of a lifetime." The world premiere features another character, Jaylen, who offers Kay a "dangerous, risky" job that guarantees she "will never have to look over her shoulder again."

As for confirmed locations, Massive’s earliest footage visits Toshara, a moon developed in collaboration with Lucasfilm, and its capital city, Mirogana. She also rides a Speeder to Juanta’s Hope, a settlement on the same moon. 

Who is Kay Vess?

Kay is a budding scoundrel with a bounty on her head who leans into life as a thief as the big rewards enchant her, though her underworld heists grow riskier as she targets the galaxy’s more dangerous factions. In the gameplay demo, she picks up a "priceless sort of mollusk-like object from a lieutenant of the Pyke Syndicate" while on Toshara, and Outlaws’ events escalate from there.

In an introduction to Kay, Ubisoft actor Humberly González describes her character as fearless, charming, and someone who "has to survive because no one else will save her unless it’s her." Kay’s only friend appears to be Nix, a rambunctious critter more akin to family than just a pet. 

Who is Nix?

We’ve moved on from Ewoks and Porgs; the new Star Wars resident cutie patootie is Nix. He’s a Merqaal, a rare critter hailing from an unknown planet. Khavari describes him as "very curious" and "a bit stubborn," but he’s still incredibly loyal to Kay. So far, Nix seems like a goofy little guy who makes a lot of snorty noises and loves a good chew toy—he’s an in-universe pug. 

As your companion, Outlaws lets the player control Nix as an extension of Kay. He’s a helpful gremlin with simple objectives, like pressing far-away buttons, discovering secrets, and surprise attacks.

Who else is in Star Wars Outlaws?

From early looks at Outlaws, there are the obvious major players like the Empire. Massive has also confirmed it will introduce a new syndicate, the Ashiga Clan, and involve others from the series, like the Pykes and Hutts. 

Other Star Wars stories about putting together a ragtag crew for a major heist, like Rogue One or Solo, leads us to believe newcomers ND-5 and Jaylen will stick around for a while. In the developer walkthrough, Massive says ND-5 is a battle droid who was built by the Separatists and fought in the Clone Wars. In Outlaws, he’s taken up life in the underworld and joined her for the big heist.