Fallout
We’ll get the obvious picks out of the way. If you love everything about the way The Outer Worlds looks, and you haven’t played a Fallout game yet for whatever reason, you should probably get on it now.
Specifically, you’ll want to check out Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas, with the latter being regarded as the all-time best entry in that series. New Vegas, in particular, is beloved for the various well-written factions that you can get acquainted with, such as the New California Republic and the iconic Caesar’s Legion.
Fallout New Vegas has incredible NPCs that you won’t soon forget, and it’s definitely the closest thing you can get to The Outer Worlds right now.
Fallout 4’s great as well, but falls just short behind 3 and New Vegas, and is still worth checking out once you’ve worked your way through the other two massive RPGs.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
There’s a reason why Skyrim‘s been ported to so many consoles — it’s really damn good.
While the setting in Skyrim is completely different from The Outer Worlds’, it’s most definitely almost every bit as immersive as you’d want it to be. Skyrim’s world is extremely well-realized, and also completely filled with so many different factions that you can align with during your journey.
The only qualm we have with Skyrim is that the companions aren’t quite as interesting as the ones we’ve seen in Fallout and The Outer Worlds. If you just want to immerse yourself in a big open world with meaningful quests and stories, though, this is another winner.
Mass Effect 2
On the other hand, if you want a game that focuses hard on the companions that are traveling with you, you can’t go wrong with Mass Effect 2.
Similar to The Outer Worlds, the Mass Effect series is also set in space, with multiple corporations and factions to contend with. Mass Effect is a little more serious in tone, and not quite as goofy as some of the stuff we got in Outer Worlds, but it’s got plenty of great gems as well.
While it is the second entry in the series, Mass Effect 2 is still a pretty great entry point, and it features some of the very best companions in the series. It even brings back a few old faces from the first game if you play the DLC, and features tons of cool companion quests that flesh them out even further.
The companions are easily the best part of The Outer Worlds, and if you want to really foster a sense of camaraderie with your companions, Mass Effect 2 is your go-to.
GreedFall
GreedFall was only just released this year, and while it hasn’t exactly made the biggest splash around, it’s still a worthy RPG to take a look at if you’re looking for more story-driven experiences.
Whereas BioWare hasn’t exactly spent a lot of time producing massive RPGs with interesting, sprawling storylines in recent years, Spiders and Focus Home Interactive stepped up with GreedFall.
While it doesn’t feel quite as character or companion-heavy as Mass Effect or The Outer Worlds, it still provides quite a few decent storylines and quests where your decisions really do affect missions and story outcomes.
The Witcher 3
There’s very little to say about The Witcher 3 that hasn’t already been said at this point, but similar to GreedFall, this game is just unmatched when it comes to world-building and writing stories that resonate with the player throughout the entire experience.
The Witcher 3 has you primarily playing as Geralt, and you will be alone for the most part. However, the game’s also peppered with scenes where you’re interacting with various friends and other people on your journey, and you get to make decisions that will impact your relationships.
Almost every quest in this game is filled with differing outcomes, narrative branches, and every little thing you do or say in the game can actually affect them. Even the optional side quests are incredibly well thought out, and you’ll definitely have a whale of a time making decisions, then regretting them a minute later, and going back to redo them.
Metro Exodus
If you’re hankering for another story-driven first-person shooter, then 4A Games’ Metro Exodus fits the bill nicely.
Sure, while the tone and the world is a lot more dreary and somber than The Outer Worlds – which makes sense considering Metro Exodus centers on a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by radiation and mutated beasts – there are still lots of parallels to Obsidian’s acclaimed interstellar RPG.
Namely, both share large and immersive worlds, blend first-person shooting and exploration, and both offer narrative-focused adventures with multiple endings. Admittedly, the writing is not as charming and witty as The Outer Worlds, but it’s still a memorable journey brimming with creepy monsters to put six feet under.
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