After a quarter-century in the making, the upcoming release of Starfield has garnered tremendous anticipation this year. To help ease the wait until its launch on September 6, here’s a compilation of 9 games to keep you engaged.
Bethesda’s forthcoming venture, Starfield, is shaping up to be their most monumental and daring creation yet. The gaming community caught their initial glimpse of the project’s development during its formal unveiling at E3 back in 2018. As the eagerly anticipated release date of September 6, 2023 approaches, excitement continues to mount. While the game holds significant promise and is likely worth the extended wait, there exist other gaming options akin to Starfield that can help fill the gap in the interim.
Starfield has emerged as one of the utmost eagerly awaited games of the year 2023, and as its release draws near, players are in search of analogous titles to bide their time. This futuristic RPG took center stage at the recent Xbox Showcase, where Bethesda showcased its ambitious character customization elements, captivating sandbox gameplay, and snippets of its vast open-world environment. Nonetheless, given the interval before its launch, individuals might be on the lookout for games resembling Starfield to while away the hours.
Endless Space 2
Endless Space 2 emerges as a turn-based strategy masterpiece, adorned with RPG-infused quests and a sprawling, opulent setting. Within its realms, players are tasked with choosing amongst 12 factions, engaging in battles against dominant empires aiming to commandeer and harness the forsaken technologies of the extinct Endless race. Although the gameplay occasionally drifts into repetitiveness and many conflicts are automated, the narrative woven throughout Endless Space 2 serves as a captivating thread, ensuring players remain enthralled until the imminent arrival of Starfield later this year.
Outer Wilds
Outer Wilds, a peculiar and audacious adventure created by Mobius Digital, beckons players into an enigmatic odyssey. The game beckons players to traverse the solar system, delving into the depths of a perplexing time loop positioned a mere 22 minutes prior to a star’s cataclysmic supernova. This temporal cycle becomes integral to the gameplay, concealing specific riddles and locales accessible only during particular intervals. While not as sprawling as the expansive universe expected from Starfield, Outer Wilds delivers a dazzling narrative that will enthrall players, skillfully maintaining their engagement during the anticipation for Bethesda’s forthcoming release.
Astroneer
Crafted by System Era Softworks, Astroneer stands as a relaxed sandbox adventure, granting players the freedom to leisurely traverse open-world planets. Each planet boasts distinctiveness and perpetual evolution, molded by terraforming enacted through procedural generation. Encompassing the role of an astronaut entrusted with planetary colonization, players engage without a fixed narrative akin to Starfield. Nevertheless, the experience remains captivating, offering opportunities to manipulate terrain and devise items like rovers and spacecraft. Despite Astroneer encountering some technical hitches, particularly concerning its frame rate, it remains a delightful space exploration escapade, poised to fill the gap until the unveiling of Starfield.
Prey
Crafted by Arkane Austin and brought to life by Bethesda Softworks, Prey emerges as an immersive space-themed simulation, seamlessly fusing the dynamics of first-person shooting and stealth mechanics. Unfolding within an alternate chronicle, where a hastened Space Race thrusts humanity into early colonization of space stations, players assume the persona of Morgan Yu—a human ensnared aboard a spacecraft teeming with antagonistic extraterrestrial entities known as the Typhon. While Prey’s scope doesn’t extend to the open expanses of Starfield, it captures a unique vignette of the cosmos. This game splendidly caters to those yearning for a narrative-rich sci-fi encounter, allowing players to embark on an engaging journey through its intricately woven storylines and intricate gameplay mechanics.
Elite Dangerous & Elite Dangerous: Odyssey
In its individual capacity, Elite Dangerous stands as a remarkable sandbox for celestial exploration, granting players the liberty to navigate the cosmos unbound. However, it’s the Odyssey DLC that truly encapsulates the essence that Starfield enthusiasts eagerly anticipate. Within the realm of Elite Dangerous and its transformative Odyssey expansion, players are presented with the long-awaited opportunity to traverse planetary landscapes embellished with immersive first-person shooter dynamics. While the visuals and character design might not rival the grandeur touted by Starfield, Elite Dangerous serves as an exceptional gateway to the world of space-faring RPGs, offering a taste of what the genre holds in store.
EVE Online
Nestled within the sprawling expanse of the New Eden Star cluster, EVE Online stands as a captivating MMO adorned with a resplendent cosmic panorama and intricate strategic gameplay. The narrative tapestry it weaves is a profound and multifaceted one, encomapssing centuries of interstellar warfare and intricate political intrigues. Against the backdrop of Earth’s downfall and humanity’s expansion to distant planets, players are invited to engage in gameplay that remains pleasantly unpredictable. From acts of piracy to real-time skirmishes, EVE Online empowers players to forge substantial and enduring alterations within its virtual realm. This game proves to be a haven for those in search of an immersive, detailed, and delightfully communal gaming experience.
Kerbal Space Program 2
Kerbal Space Program 2 emerges as a source of laughter and delight, replete with a sandbox mode that unfetters players’ creativity, enabling them to craft spacecraft for interstellar journeys. Despite the endearing facade of these diminutive green extraterrestrials, the game harbors an unexpected complexity that offers both amusement and education. Underneath the surface, KSPS2 ingeniously employs physics to impart authentic astronautic skills, rendering the experience both challenging and enlightening. As players navigate progressively intricate levels, venturing deeper into the cosmos, the game artfully sets them up for challenges, yet its experimental essence maintains an element of enjoyment. In the grand scheme of things, Kerbal Space Program 2 undeniably serves as an exploratory gem that warrants attention prior to immersing oneself in the spacecraft construction of Starfield.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition
The Mass Effect Legendary Edition amalgamates the trio of timeless Mass Effect games into a cohesive hub, enriched with modernized quality-of-life enhancements that usher the series into contemporary gaming. Set in the year 2148 CE, humanity stumbles upon the remnants of the ancient Prothean race, alongside their advanced technology, enabling intergalactic starship travel. Guiding Commander Shepard, players undertake the mission to the Eden Prime colony, where they’re tasked with recovering a recently unearthed Prothean beacon—an endeavor that swiftly becomes fraught with complications. Mass Effect beckons adventurers across the cosmos and into realms beyond, offering immersive lore and engaging combat to captivate players, ensuring they remain wholly engrossed until the forthcoming arrival of Starfield in September.
Fallout 4
Yet another creation from Bethesda, Fallout 4 stands as an excellent choice for gamers in search of an all-encompassing universe and diverse gameplay. While the entire series merits recognition, Fallout 4 emerges as the pinnacle of advancement in terms of shooting mechanics and world construction. This installment empowers players with the capability to forge their very own colony, granting an additional layer of engagement. The narrative weaves a captivating tale, entrusting players with the role of a Vault 111 inhabitant navigating the post-apocalyptic terrain in pursuit of their missing child. Beyond the central storyline, the game presents a plethora of avenues for players to occupy themselves, from cultivating their settlements to embarking on an abundance of enthralling side quests.
No Man’s Sky
In No Man’s Sky, players assume the role of an extraterrestrial humanoid embarking on a voyage through an uncharted cosmos, only to encounter a mishap that leaves their spacecraft marooned on the fringes of the galaxy. A plethora of discoveries awaits, manifested in a multitude of planets already present, dynamically shaped by the utilization of procedural generation. The remarkable crafting mechanics grant players the power to forge innovative technology and enhancements for their vessels and weaponry, achievable by unearthing valuable data that can subsequently be exchanged for invaluable blueprints.
Despite its rocky launch, replete with issues including multiplayer setbacks, the trajectory of No Man’s Sky has witnessed an extraordinary transformation over time. It has morphed into one of the premier interstellar gaming experiences on the market, a testament to its enduring dedication to improvement and innovation.