After years of cryptic teaser trailers and a good few delays, Bethesda Sport Studios’ newest sprawling open-world RPG, Starfield, is sort of right here. Taking gamers to the huge areas of area, the most recent journey from the minds behind Skyrim and Fallout 4 guarantees to be a monstrously large intergalactic journey with loads of planets to discover and celestial candy rolls to steal.
Nevertheless, with Starfield’s launch date nonetheless a few weeks away, there’s loads of time to get into the spacefaring temper. Beneath, we’ve put collectively an inventory of a few of the finest video games to hop into earlier than you conquer the ultimate frontier subsequent month. So, with out additional ado, let’s run via some appetisers to take pleasure in earlier than Starfield takes over our lives on September sixth.
No Man’s Sky
With Starfield boasting over 1,000 distinctive planets to discover, it didn’t take lengthy for gamers to start evaluating it to probably the most expansive area sandboxes ever conceived: No Man’s Sky. Though Howdy Video games’ procedurally generated on-line sci-fi journey didn’t get off to the very best begin, over time, it’s developed into probably the most bold, content-rich cosmic explorer simulators in the marketplace immediately.
Dropping you into an infinite galaxy stuffed with planets to discover, fauna to chart and derelict ships to plunder, No Man’s Sky is a survival recreation with a twist. Each planet you discover is randomly generated and that you must chart it. However that’s merely scratching the floor of how one can work together with No Man’s Sky’s universe. Whether or not you wish to journey with buddies, construct bases, commerce cargo, tame creatures, custom-fit ships or command freighters, No Man’s Sky goals to accommodate all of your spacefaring wants.
The Outer Worlds
Coming from the minds behind Fallout: New Vegas, The Outer Worlds is actually Fallout in area, making it an ideal warm-up for Starfield’s promise of a large open-world RPG set within the remaining frontier. Taking the position of a frozen colonist that awakens in a sardonic future the place mega-corporations management the galaxy, you’ll be tasked with exploring the Halcyon star system within the hopes of awakening your fellow colonists and thwarting a faction referred to as The Board.
Alongside the best way, you’ll create a personality, have interaction in tense gunfights, make ethical selections that drastically alter the end result of the story and stage up your stats. In essence, it’s every thing you’ll be able to hope to count on from Starfield, however with a hearty serving to of black comedy and a good few Firefly references combined in for good measure.
Learn our overview of The Outer Worlds.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Though its fantasy setting is the furthest factor from Starfield’s infinite galactic world, if you wish to get again into the swing of enjoying a distinctly Bethesda-style open-world RPG, Skyrim actually is your finest guess. Not solely is it the defacto Bethesda Sport Studios recreation, however in an interview with Launcher, Starfield director Todd Howard went so far as to explain his newest undertaking as being “like Skyrim in area.”
However no matter how related it’ll be to the workforce’s upcoming sci-fi journey, it’s best to revisit Skyrim purely to get your self again within the temper for journeying throughout an enormous, unknown world. Setting out into the plains of Skyrim to defeat the dragon god Alduin, it doesn’t take lengthy for this fantasy epic to allow you to off the leash and encourage you to discover, permitting you to sculpt your character, embark on perilous quests, study historical magic and weave your legend. It’s an enormous RPG that’s simple to sink numerous hours into and an excellent solution to go the time when you look ahead to Starfield’s launch day.
Learn our overview of Skryim.
Fallout 4
For related causes to Skyrim, you’ll be able to’t go fallacious revising your Bethesda Sport Studios historical past by diving into one other of the workforce’s highly-revered open-world RPGs. The most recent single-player entry within the Fallout collection, Fallout 4 seems to share extra similarities with Starfield than you may count on for a recreation set in an alternate-history post-apocalyptic America. It has a large world to discover, companions to recruit, tense gunfights to partake in and a frankly alarming variety of killer robots that may cease at nothing to tear you limb from limb.
Frozen in a vault and waking up 2 hundred years later, Fallout 4’s foremost marketing campaign sees you crossing the wasteland in quest of your son. Alongside the best way, you’ll battle varied monsters, examine artificial robots posing as people and aspect with one of many main factions making an attempt to rule over the Commonwealth, all whereas choosing up aspect quests and finishing odd jobs. Fallout 4 is a good way to hone your fight and exploration expertise whereas ready to journey via Starfield’s galaxy, however extra importantly, it’s value revisiting to really feel the pure satisfaction of taking a Tremendous Mutant’s head clear off its shoulders with one bullet utilizing V.A.T.S.
Learn our overview of Fallout 4.
Elite Harmful
One of many core mechanics on the coronary heart of Starfield is area flight, with gamers in a position to have interaction in dogfights and soar via area at gentle pace. Should you’re trying to brush up in your flying expertise earlier than taking the helm of Starfield’s varied area cruisers, there’s no higher recreation to get you into the aviating spirit than Elite Harmful.
Slotting you behind the wheel of assorted starships, the core crux of Elite Harmful’ gameplay is travelling to star methods, taking over missions, raiding ships for cargo and buying and selling with retailers. Alongside the best way, you’ll play no matter character you need, whether or not that’s an area pirate raiding vessels for beneficial loot or a mercenary capturing down ships for a pay cheque. Though the sport has since added on-foot missions, it shines brightest whenever you’re manning a starship and carving a path throughout the galaxy, making it an ideal tone-setter for Starfield’s promise of an infinite intergalactic journey.
Learn our overview of Elite Harmful.
Mass Impact: Legendary Version
Should you’re trying to sink into one other big sci-fi RPG whereas counting down the times till Starfield hits cabinets, Mass Impact: Legendary Version is a good choose. Containing revamped variations of Mass Impact, Mass Impact 2 and Mass Impact 3, this bundle lets you play three of essentially the most revered space-based role-playing video games of all time, full with new visuals, nearly each slice of DLC and loads of quality-of-life updates.
Taking up the position of the fearless Commander Shepherd as they try to cease a mysterious group of historical aliens referred to as The Reapers, you’ll be tasked with crossing the galaxy aboard your trusty ship in quest of solutions, allies and motion. All of the whereas, you’ll should take care of squad-based gunfights, significant selections that form the story and dialogue choices that additional your relationship with your mates and foes. The Mass Impact trilogy is the gold commonplace for what an area RPG may be, and one properly value investing a while into earlier than Starfield monopolises your life.
Learn our overview of Mass Impact Legendary Version.
Stellaris
Though a 4X technique recreation is fairly far faraway from Starfield’s model of first-person exploration, Stellaris is strictly the form of universe-spanning RPG that Bethesda Sport Studios hopes to attain with its newest launch. This grand area simulator sees gamers create a galactic empire and discover the cosmos, with their final purpose various primarily based on the tradition of their species. They could wish to develop right into a diplomatic pressure, uniting their fellow empires, or conquer the galaxy and pressure it to bend to their will.
The way you attain that purpose, nevertheless, is as much as you. It provides you the flexibility to make your individual selections, whether or not that’s who you ally with, what morals information your civilisation or the way you wish to make your mark on the universe. Contemplating Starfield additionally appears to be like to be a recreation about leaving a legacy all through the celebrities, Stellaris may very well be a stable accomplice piece.
Learn our overview of Stellaris.
Everspace 2
One other nice selection for these enamoured by Starfield’s promise of exhilarating dogfights and the flexibility to totally customise starships, Everspace 2 is fully framed round each of these mechanics. Permitting you to tinker together with your ship earlier than flying it via the huge reaches of area, this sci-fi journey has gamers embarking on daring missions and interesting in fierce battles amongst the celebrities.
Whereas charting your method throughout the universe, you’ll be capable of fly quite a lot of ships in each third and first-person, with the flexibility to customise every vessel with new upgrades, elements and weapons. You’ll want them too, with varied factions standing between you and your aims. Everspace 2 is all in regards to the thrill of travelling via a model of outer area the place everybody and every thing desires you useless, and with Starfield hoping to seize that very same feeling, it appears to be like to be an excellent solution to get into the galaxy-hopping mindset.
Learn our overview of Everspace 2.
Outer Wilds
The Outer Wilds is a recreation with a really distinctive promoting level. Waking beside a campfire, you star as a younger alien enterprise his first voyage round his photo voltaic system. After studying the ropes, you’re handed the keys to a beat-up spaceship and start to discover, travelling between planets and investigating the historical past of your galaxy. Sadly, it’s right here your voyage is minimize quick. Twenty minutes after you set forth, the solar explodes, wiping out all life round it. However dying isn’t the top. You awake beside a campfire as soon as extra, returning to the start of your journey together with your reminiscences nonetheless intact and your curiosity in regards to the mysteries of the photo voltaic system formally piqued.
That’s merely the introduction to The Outer Wilds, and from there, you’re solely additional inspired to discover, uncover and study. It’s an expertise that turns info right into a foreign money, with the historical past and secrets and techniques you uncover revealing why the solar retains frying you to a crisp and how one can cease it. However past its fascinating central hook, it’s additionally simply an journey that lets you traverse an enormous photo voltaic system and chart a collection of supremely detailed planets. The Outer Wilds is sort of a blended cocktail of Groundhog Day and Interstellar, with a sprinkle of The Witness on high, and is a top-notch solution to kill a while in area whereas ready for Starfield to hit cabinets.
Learn our overview of Outer Wilds.
Hardspace: Shipbreaker
Whereas most sci-fi video games provide the potential to assemble and fly a spaceship, Hardspace: Shipbreaker comes at you with a barely totally different hook. As a substitute of constructing a spaceship, why not destroy it as an alternative? Employed as a Shipbreaker by the Lynx Company, your job all through Hardspace: Shipbreaker’s marketing campaign is to systematically tear area crafts aside, promoting particles and scrap for money.
Alongside the best way, you’ll should take care of hazards, utilizing varied laser-powered instruments to outlive being crushed by hovering particles or blown up by unstable turbines. It’s just like the assorted guide labour simulators which have change into large lately, besides as an alternative of flipping homes or energy washing factories, you are lasering open derelict freighters with the information that one fallacious transfer might ship you flying into the huge, endless void of area… don’t you simply love a pleasant, cosy recreation?
Learn our overview of Hardspace: Shipbreaker.
Prey
A criminally underrated area thriller, Prey marks one other of Bethesda’s greatest studios taking over the sci-fi style, with Arkane creating one among its hallmark immersive sims aboard a haunting area station. You play as Morgan Yu: a scientist that wakes up aboard a starship referred to as the Talos I with no reminiscence of how or after they received there. Nevertheless, their amnesia is the least of their worries. Not solely is the ship falling aside, but it surely’s additionally infested with a mysterious alien species referred to as the Typhon.
Hoping to find what occurred to the opposite passengers and find the supply of the Typhon outbreak, you should discover the ship in quest of solutions, battling alien threats and buying new gear alongside the best way. As anticipated from the minds behind Deathloop and the Dishonored collection, Prey boasts a dynamic world that welcomes you to work together and manipulate it, whether or not that’s utilizing highly effective talents like Mimic Matter to shift into cups and conceal from enemies or ascending to inaccessible platforms with the helpful glue gun.
There are few experiences that enable you really experiment together with your arsenal of talents in a sandbox that welcomes true inventive freedom, however Prey is one among them and an expertise that will provide you with loads to do within the window earlier than Starfield releases.
Learn our overview of Prey.
FTL: Sooner Than Mild
Providing a extra strategic spacefaring journey, FTL: Sooner Than Mild is one more recreation that sees you flying throughout the galaxy aboard a starship in quest of fame, glory and journey. Nevertheless, whereas different video games lodge you within the cockpit and focus fully on hovering via area, FTL is a punishing roguelike that has you handle your ship’s methods fully from a top-down perspective.
After making a small crew and choosing a ship, you’ll be informed you’ve intercepted a knowledge package deal with info on methods to defeat an unstoppable fleet of enemies referred to as The Insurrection. From right here, each photo voltaic system, ship and planet you work together with shall be randomly generated. Your purpose is to cross the galaxy, ship the data to the Galactic Federation and keep away from the Insurrection. However that’s a lot simpler mentioned than executed. En path to the drop-off level, you’ll want to take care of your ship’s methods, preserve your crew alive, endure battles with rival star cruisers, evade bandits and improve your gear.
FTL is a tricky recreation, and it is made even harder by the truth that each dying resets your full run. Nevertheless, it’s that problem that makes it such a rewarding expertise for people who study its methods and overcome its threats. For these in search of one thing to essentially sink their enamel into whereas ready for Starfield, you’ll be able to’t go fallacious with FTL.
Learn our overview of Sooner Than Mild.
EVE On-line
Starfield guarantees to be a completely single-player RPG that focuses fully on the participant exploring the huge reaches of area alone. So, for these in search of one thing just a little extra communal earlier than they step foot into Bethesda Video games Studios’ newest open-world sandbox, EVE On-line may very well be a stable guess.
This big starship-based MMO provides a nigh-on infinite galaxy filled with alternatives for its 1000’s of each day customers. However whereas different video games would add strict guidelines to that world, EVE On-line lets its gamers arrange their very own guidelines, create their very own factions and totally immerse themselves within the position of an area explorer in search of fortune amongst the celebrities. The end result is a dynamic open-world journey the place gamers can wage big area battles alongside a whole lot of allies, make money by mining assets, declare bounties and customarily play as any character they need. Should you’re trying to dive into a really immersive area expertise alongside a thriving group, EVE On-line is the MMO you’re looking for.
Callum Williams is a freelance media author with years of expertise as a recreation critic, information reporter, guides author and options author.
