There aren’t many film franchises that have spawned the plethora of popular video games as Star Wars, which has been going strong since the 1980s. The first game, The Empire Strikes Back, was released on the Atari 2600 in 1982, and from there, hundreds followed. We recently ranked the top ten best LucasArts Star Wars games, but that left some of the franchise’s best games out, as LucasArts ended in 2021. To cover all the bases, we at ComicBook got together and found the top ten Star Wars games of all time, regardless of publisher, and ranked them.
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10) Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire was released in 1996 for the Nintendo 64, and it’s one of the best Star Wars games on the console. The game is a third-person shooter featuring numerous vehicles used by Dash Rendar, the player character. It’s set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The game explores various familiar locales and characters throughout its four chapters. Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire wasn’t a huge hit when it was released in ‘96. Still, many fans love it today for its accurate recreation of the Battle of Hoth and for various elements from the franchise. It’s since been ported to modern devices and is available on Steam.
9) LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
As of writing, there are ten LEGO Star Wars games, and while everyone has their favorites, for most people, their list is topped by LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. It’s the sixth installment in the series and was released in 2022. The game adapts all nine films, known as the “Skywalker Saga,” into a single game released on all major consoles and PC. This title differs from others in the franchise by allowing the player to start whichever trilogy they want, making it somewhat nonlinear. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga was a huge success, selling more than 5 million copies since its release.
8) Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
One of the franchise’s most beloved eras is The Old Republic, and only a handful of games have explored the period. The second, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, is one of the best Star Wars games ever made, as it carries on the story established by its predecessor, though it’s set five years later. The game’s story and characters are easily its best features. Additionally, it’s been lauded for many aspects of its presentation, mechanics, and adherence to continuing the story set 4,000 years before The Phantom Menace. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords sold over 1.5 million copies and remains incredibly popular to this day.
7) Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
When Star Wars: The Force Unleashed came along in 2008, it upended Star Wars gaming as a massively popular exploration into a new character who is apprenticed to Darth Vader. The game follows Galen “Starkiller” Marek, a newly-trained Sith apprentice on the hunt for survivors of the Great Jedi Purge. Gameplay involves acquiring and upgrading various Force powers, allowing for more diverse interaction than in any previous franchise title. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was a tremendous success, spawning a sequel. While Starkiller has yet to make the transition from Legends into canon, the game’s appeal cannot be denied, as it sold more than 9 million copies.
6) Star Wars: Battlefront II
While there’s a 2017 Electronic Arts game titled Star Wars: Battlefront II, this entry is about the 2005 LucasArts version. The game was the second in the Star Wars: Battlefront series, and it upped every feature over its predecessor, including the addition of new characters, vehicles, maps, missions, and improved game mechanics. It also includes an overarching narrative centered around a veteran Clone Trooper who recounts his exploits during the Clone Wars and soon after. Star Wars: Battlefront II has since been re-released and remains popular, having sold over 6 million copies.
5) Star Wars: Empire at War
Most Star Wars games focus on individuals, and while they might take part in massive, pivotal battles, their stories are comparatively small. That doesn’t describe Star Wars: Empire at War, which is a real-time strategy game set throughout the Star Wars galaxy. Players take control of entire factions and fight in one of three game modes in space and in battlespaces on various worlds. The game’s story is a lead-up to the events of A New Hope, dealing with the Empire’s construction of the Death Star. Star Wars: Empire at War remains popular long after its 2006 release, as an active modding community continues to make additions and tweaks. It sold over 6.7 million copies and is a fantastic RTS game in and out of the franchise.
4) Star Wars: Jedi Survivor
While Star Wars: Fallen Order was a massively successful original game featuring loads of lore and great characters, its 2023 sequel is a superior follow-up. Star Wars: Jedi Survivor continues the story of Cal Kestis (Cameron Monaghan), set five years after the events of Fallen Order, where he continues to fight against the Galactic Empire. Like the first game, Jedi Survivor features large areas to explore, a brilliantly written campaign, and combat mechanics that set it apart as a superior entry in the franchise. It’s unclear how many copies of Star Wars: Jedi Survivor sold, but according to Electronic Arts’ earnings reports, the number is likely close to 15 million.
3) Star Wars: TIE Fighter
Star Wars: TIE Fighter is a 1994 spaceflight sim and the sequel to Star Wars: X-Wing. The game shifts the player’s perspective to the Empire’s, as the story picks up after the Battle of Hoth. It has a fantastic story, though the player character is unnamed within the game’s narrative. Regardless, they take flight in a TIE Fighter, and every element of the game is significantly improved over its predecessor, from its mechanics to the graphics and sound. While it’s dated compared to modern space flight sims, Star Wars: TIE Fighter is easily one of the best Star Wars games, and it remains popular today, thanks to multiple re-releases.
2) Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader
Another flight-based game, Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader, was released exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube in 2001. The game spans all three films in the Original Trilogy. It allows the player to control either Luke Skywalker or Wedge Antilles, arguably the two best fighter pilots in the Rebel Alliance. It features ten missions set across various worlds, as the player must fight the Empire and its massive fleets of starships. Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader features excellent graphics, gameplay, and music, though it lacked multiplayer. This was a minor complaint, and most players consider it the best entry in the Rogue Squadron trilogy, having sold over 2 million copies.
1) Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic
If you know anything about Star Wars games, and let’s face it, you wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t, you probably expected to find Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic at the number one spot. The game absolutely redefined what Star Wars video games could be, incorporating a massive, expansive open-world concept to a galaxy-wide adventure that explores the Old Republic period set 4,000 years before the events of The Phantom Menace. While it’s no longer canon, many gamers and franchise fans hope it will be taken out of Legends, which seems possible with the announcement of Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic at the 2025 Game Awards. KOTOR remains popular through re-releases, though it’s yet to be remade, and it sold over 3.2 million copies.
Which Star Wars game is your all-time favorite? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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