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Prologue Previews Point to a More Reactive, Polished Outer Worlds 2

Hands-on access covered only the prologue, leaving broader judgments for the October 29 release.

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Screenshot of The Outer Worlds 2 preview running on Xbox Series X.
I had a lot of fun with this basic combat, but I never got to play with the more advanced weaponry or abilities.

Overview

  • Multiple outlets replayed the opening with different builds and reported materially different routes and dialogue outcomes driven by backgrounds, traits, and skills.
  • The prologue supports immersive‑sim‑lite options such as Engineering, Hacking, and Lockpicking paths, alongside viable stealth or guns‑blazing approaches with returning Tactical Time Dilation.
  • Presentation and feel are notably upgraded over the 2019 original, with sharper cinematics, cleaner movement and gunplay, and generally stronger production values.
  • Companions are being expanded with deeper arcs and utility, with six in total, including Niles as a mobile workbench and Val as a non‑sentient automech fallback; a ship pet system was also teased.
  • The sequel shifts to the Arcadia colony with players cast as an Earth Directorate agent, and it launches October 29 on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC with day‑one Game Pass availability.