So, you’ve rolled credits on Starfield, yet something is still picking at your brain, like an itch that’s just out of reach. You want more. You NEED more. With Starfield 2 likely a long way off, why not try out some of these other games like it in the meantime?
Mass Effect
If the sweeping scale and narrative of Starfield is what gripped you, then you should check out the Mass Effect series. Bioware’s landmark spacefaring RPGs are regarded by many as some of the greatest games ever made, in no small part due to their deep lore, rich characters, and compelling stories that extended beyond the main quest through to the smaller moment-to-moment encounters.
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What makes Mass Effect even more compelling is the Legendary Edition, which collects the three original games, as well as nearly every piece of DLC, together into one remastered, optimized package. You’ll struggle to find a trilogy of games with a better overarching, interconnected narrative, even if the ending is famously divisive in its execution. You could also check out Mass Effect: Andromeda, but that’s only if you’re really desperate since it’s a shadow of the original series.
Outer Wilds
While Starfield certainly appeals to our innate sense of adventure and exploration, arguably no other games have captured those factors quite like Outer Wilds. A much smaller and more curated experience, 2019’s Game of the Year for many asks players to stop the end of the galaxy by leaving behind their cozy home and exploring the surrounding planets. Everything in Outer Wilds is intentional in its design as the developers clearly wanted players to figure out how the systems all work together to create an unforgettable experience.
The central mechanic of the time loop that continually begins the game upon the destruction of the universe prompts players to really test the limits of Outer Wilds. Why play it safe when you know everything is going to end in 20 minutes? Hop into your ship and venture into the great unknown with little abandon. Who knows what you might find? Hopefully something that can prevent the sun from blowing up…
Fallout 4
The last single-player RPG Bethesda made before Starfield, the fourth numbered entry in the long-running Fallout series is more combat-focused than any other game in the franchise. While some have taken issue with the lack of true role-playing elements, the minute-to-minute action is where all the fun is. There’s tons of enemies, quests, and items to uncover in the Boston Wasteland, even if its scale is much smaller than Starfield’s.
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For an added bonus, the loot system was so popular that Bethesda effectively lifted it from Fallout 4 and dumped it into Starfield. If you’re a pack rat that loves collecting cool weapons, then you’ll be right at home here. The above also applies to base building, another strong aspect of Fallout 4 that’s unfortunately let down by an irritating NPC. Gotcha Preston, I’ll go check out that endangered settlement soon, I promise!
Everspace 2
Let’s be honest with ourselves, the best part of any sci-fi RPG is the ability to fly around in your own starship! While Starfield allows players to make their own ship with an incredibly robust system, Everspace 2 is all about providing the sense of excitement that comes with engaging in a dogfight in a planet’s upper atmosphere. The level of customization and loot on offer in Everspace 2 is genuinely impressive and easily rivals that found in Bethesda’s latest game.
The battles in Everspace 2 are its real crown jewel as you’ll need to make your past entire squadrons of enemy fighters if you want to reach your destination and successfully escape with all your new gear. There’s genuine depth to Everspace 2’s combat that players who found Starfield’s dogfighting a little shallow will adore.
EVE Online
Hear me out. EVE Online may not look or really feel like Starfield in the most basic mechanical sense, but you won’t find any other games that match its scale. If the idea of factions declaring war on one another with flotillas of warships sounds appealing, then you won’t get much better than EVE Online. The gradual increase in wealth and the acquisition of bigger and better ships is a key part of the gameplay that’s managed to keep players hooked for decades.
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Of course, it’s not lost on me that a great deal of EVE Online is spent trawling through a series of increasingly more complicated menus, but if you enjoyed Starfield in any capacity then you should already be used to confusing UIs!
The Outer Worlds
Not to be confused with Outer Wilds, The Outer Worlds feels like Starfield condensed into a tight, 30-hour experience. The combat, loot, dialogue, and exploration all feel very similar, especially when it comes to how they’re presented to the player.
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Beyond the size difference, perhaps the biggest difference between Starfield and The Outer Worlds is in how they approach tone. The former is a hopeful glance into the future while the other is a satirical lampoon on the corporatization of space. Both have merits; one just happens to be much funnier than the other. I’ll let you guess which is which…
No Man’s Sky
Saved for last because it’s the most obvious touchstone, No Man’s Sky walked so Starfield could run. While it was a disaster when it launched in 2016, Hello Games has refined its space exploration experience into something truly special. With an unprecedented amount of content, deep customization, combat, and a universe bristling with opportunities, No Man’s Sky feels like it was a major inspiration for Bethesda.
The only aspect that may underwhelm is the narrative. While No Man’s Sky has a story, it’s not foremost, like Starfield and some of the other games on this list. If having some kind of motivator other than exploration is necessary for you, then you’re better off looking elsewhere. Still, what’s there is entertaining enough and given the number of systems on offer in NMS, I highly doubt you’d get bored any time soon.
