Starting all the way back in 1977 withGeorge Lucas’s revolutionary space opera,Star Wars, the eponymous franchise has become the biggest transmedia franchise in history. Over the course of the decades, the massiveStar Warsuniverse has been the home of several movies, TV shows, books, and video games, all of varying levels of quality.
When it comes to video games, it’s pretty much impossible to achieve true flawlessness —but there are a few that come so admirably close to perfection that they become classic must-plays. Thankfully forStar Warsfans, the franchise has produced a few games like that. From iconic shooting games likeBattlefront IIto trend-setting RPGs like theKnights of the Old Republic Games, the galaxy far far away has produced some of the best sci-fi games in history.
10’Star Wars: TIE Fighter' (1994)
Developed by Totally Games
There have been manyStar Warsgames that incorporate space combat into their gameplay loop, as well as games entirely focused on this mechanic. Very few video game space battles, though, are as fun and dynamic as those inStar Wars: TIE Fighter. In a move that’s all-too rare inStar Warsgames,TIE Fighterputs the player in the shoes of an Imperial pilot, battling space pirates, Imperial traitors, and Rebel scum.
This is by far one of the best space combat games in history.
The game is based on the engine ofStar Wars: X-Wing, another exceptional classic, and builds on top of it beautifully. This is by far one of the best space combat games in history. It’s fun and easy to control, it’s fair yet challenging, it looks great for a game of its age, and it offers things that no other game in the franchise does. Taking on the perspective on the Empire is admittedly its main selling point, but everything else about it works almost just as nicely.
9’Star Wars: Battlefront II' (2005)
Developed by Pandemic Studios
Particularly after the unprecedented popularity of Cartoon Network’sStar Wars: The Clone Wars, the Clones have becomesome of the most beloved characters in the franchise. Fans were already getting great Clone-centric products well beforeThe Clone Wars, though. Case in point:Star Wars: Battlefront II, a first and third-person shooter about a veteran Clone Stormtrooper reminiscing about his tours of duty for the Republic and for the Empire.
The game’s predecessor, 2004’sStar Wars: Battlefront, was great enough. However,it was by adding awesome new game modes, gameplay mechanics, and playable charactersthat the sequel became the legendary game it’s remembered as today. The story is compelling and playing through it is always a blast, making this as entertaining as shooters come.
Star Wars: Battlefront II
Play as the foot soldier of the galaxy’s greatest factions and wage war across countless planets.
8’Star Wars Jedi: Survivor' (2023)
Developed by Respawn Entertainment
EA and Respawn Entertainment took the world by storm withJedi: Fallen Orderin 2019, telling the story of Order 66 survivor Cal Kestis as he flees the Empire’s persecution. The sequel,Jedi: Survivor, takes place five years later, following Cal as he continues his fight against the Empire.This sequel does what all great video game follow-ups should do: Elevate what worked about the previous gameand fix everything that didn’t.
As great asFallen Orderwas, it’sSurvivorthat truly comes close to perfection.
As great asFallen Orderwas, it’sSurvivorthat truly comes close to perfection.It takes on its predecessor’s Metroidvania, Souls-like, andThe Legend of Zeldainfluences and keeps building on top of them with the utmost creativity. It was a bit of a performance mess at launch, but has since gotten significantly better. Now, players can appreciate the full visual beauty, impressive scale, and delightful creativity of what Respawn put together.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
7’Star Wars: Republic Commando' (2005)
Developed by LucasArts
Released for Xbox and PC about a month before the release ofEpisode III — Revenge of the Sith,Star Wars: Republic Commandois the perfect tactical first-person shooter forStar Warsfans. Players take on the role of “Boss”, the leader of a Commando Clone squad, also indirectly controlling their three squad mates to complete various missions during the Clone Wars.
Throughout its history,Star Warshasredefined the sci-fi genre on multiple occasions. WhileRepublic Commandodoesn’t exactly redefine the FPS, it does use the formula of the genre in the freshest and most consistently exciting ways. The ambiance is enveloping and the mechanics are simple to get the hang of, allowing players to quickly start feeling like they’re truly in the heat of the battle. For fans of the Clone Wars era, this is a must-play.
6’Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II — The Sith Lords' (2004)
Developed by Obsidian Entertainment
Taking over development duties from BioWare, who made the originalKnights of the Old Republicgame, Obisian Entertainment madeKnights of the Old Republic II — The Sith Lords. With graphic and gameplay similarities with its predecessor, it follows The Exile, a Jedi Knight exiled from the Order finding the person who exiled them ten years before, who tasks them with finding other Jedi to fight the Sith.
The quantity of bugs and glitches unfortunatelypreventsThe Sith Lordsfrom competing with its predecessor, but it’s just as extraordinary an RPG. There’s plenty of independence in player’s decisions, with a cool Dark-or-Light-Side system thatStar Warsfans are sure to love. The writing, the combat, and the mechanics are all about as flawless as one could hope for, making up for whatever flaws the game may have.
5’Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga' (2007)
Developed by Traveller’s Tales
LEGO is the bestselling toy company on the planet, and as such, they have dipped their toes into all imaginable forms of entertainment. This includes some ofthe best-ever movies based on toys, as well as some of the greatest video games based on toys. Traveller’s Tales' series of LEGO games started all the way back in 2005 withLego Star Wars: The Video Game, based on the prequel trilogy. In 2006, a second game came out based on the original trilogy. In 2007,Lego Star Wars: The Complete Sagacame out, compiling both games in an absolute blast of a package.
Though other games in the franchise are also great, this is the one that fans love the most.
LEGO games are admittedly not for every gamer’s taste, but those who enjoystraightforward multiplayer puzzle games with fun platforming, nice graphics, and a charming sense of humorcan’t possibly go wrong withThe Complete Saga. It’s an enchanting take on the first six movies of the Skywalker saga, and though other games in the franchise are also great, this is the one that fans love the most.
4’Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast' (2002)
Developed by Raven Software
A sequel toStar Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces IIand the third installment in theStar Wars: Jedi Knightseries,Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcastis a first and third-person shooter set in theLegendscanon. It follows returning protagonist Kyle Katarn, a former Jedi now working as a mercenary for the New Republic. Katarn must reconnect with the Force to stop a branch of the Imperial Remnant.
…the story is deeply compelling…
Jedi Outcastis pure intergalactic fun,with some of the coolest force powers and most accomplished lightsaber combat in the whole franchise. The level design and the amount of freedom that players are given regarding how to approach combat make this one of the most thoroughly funStar Warsgames ever, and the story is deeply compelling. Every day that passes withoutKyle Katarn in the main canonis a sad, sad day.
3’Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader' (2001)
Developed by Factor 5 and LucasArts
WhenStar Wars: Rogue Squadroncame out for PC and Nintendo 64 back in 1998 (a few months before the release ofEpisode I — The Phantom Menace),it became the new standard forStar Warsspace combat games. The fact that its GameCube sequel,Rogue Leader, was able to elevate the formula to such tremendous heights is commendable, to say the least.
The player pilots an X-Wing, perhaps themost iconic ship from theStar Warsoriginal trilogy, as either Luke Skywalker or Wedge Antilles, fighting the Galactic Empire across ten distinct levels. This is easily the most perfect space battle game in theStar Warsgenre — perhaps even the best in the genre. Its take on the universe that fans know and love is flawless, its level of challenge really does hit the spot, and the addictive gameplay loop makes the game impossible to stop playing.
2’Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II' (1997)
The second installment in theJedi Knightseries,Jedi Knight: Dark Forces IIfollows Kyle Katarn as he discovers his connection to the Force and “the Valley of the Jedi”, an ancient source of unimaginable power. The mercenary then embarks on a quest to face his father’s killers and find the Valley before them.
This is about as good asStar WarsFPSs get, asDark Forces IIperfects the corridor-shooter formula in all sorts of thrilling ways. The game is virtually faultless, with great graphics and the perfectStar Warsatmosphere, both of which complement the riveting story perfectly.The lightsaber combat is some of the most refined and entertaining the franchise has ever seen, and the ability to choose between the Light and Dark Side is always a welcome addition.
1’Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic' (2003)
Developed by BioWare
There really is no question about it:Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republicis the greatestStar Warsgame ever made, with some critics and gamers even going so far as to call it one of the best video games of all time, period. Its story, set millennia before the formation of the Galactic Empire, sees a Dark Lord of the Sith unleash a Sith armada against the Galactic Republic. The player, an unnamed Jedi, must travel the galaxy to stop this evil plan.
Awesome RPG mechanics, endlessly fun turn-based combat, and a gripping story.
With awesome RPG mechanics, endlessly fun turn-based combat, and a gripping story that features some ofthe coolest non-canonStar Warscharacters, the presentation ofKOTORis so flawless that it’s hard to believe. Unlike many greatStar Warsgames, this one is recommendable even for those entirely unfamiliar with the world of George Lucas’s creation. It’s just that good.
KEEP READING:10 ‘Star Wars’ Video Games With Better Stories Than ‘The Rise of Skywalker’
