Why Star Wars Outlaws Still Feels Like a Han Solo Simulator in 2026

I’ve been a Star Wars fan for decades, and the space side of things is particularly important to me. I grew up on X-Wing, TIE Fighter, Rogue Squadron — you know, the classics. So when Star Wars Outlaws launched on August 30, 2024, I was ready. Now, in 2026, after countless hours of dodging Imperial patrols and accidentally ramming asteroid fields, I can confirm: this is the scoundrel fantasy I didn’t know I needed. But is it a proper Han Solo simulator? Buckle up, because we’re going to hyperdrive.

Space in Outlaws isn’t just a pretty backdrop. Massive Entertainment treated the void around its five open worlds with the same design ethos as the planets themselves. There are secrets, exploration, scanning for opportunities, and living space events. A freighter might get jumped by pirates. The Empire might pull over a smuggling ship. Wrecked vessels cast distress beacons — but are they riches or traps? You can intervene, or you can mind your own business and keep flying. I usually intervene. I’m a scoundrel with a heart of gold, after all.

Then there are space stations, which work like the cities planetside. Cantina? Check. Bar? Check. People to talk to? Check. Opportunities, sabacc tables, secrets, exploration? Double check. It’s like someone took my ideal Friday night and put it in orbit.

The art team had a problem: Star Wars space is mostly black with stars, and that’s hard to make interesting. So they pushed the visuals further than the movies usually do. Each planet gets unique space regions. Here’s a quick breakdown:

Region	Vibe	Danger Level
Regulated space	Imperial-controlled black space with stars	Moderate — lots of patrols
Unregulated space (Toshara)	Dust clouds, debris fields, pirates	High — no big freighters, just trouble
Akiva orbit	Dense asteroid field	Very high — bring a helmet
Other three worlds	Mysterious fun stuff	Unknown, but promising

Massive won’t spill the beans on the remaining three worlds, but promises each will “give some fun stuff for the players to do.” I’ll take that as a challenge.

What really blew my mind is that space isn’t a separate level. The entire galaxy — five planets plus the space between — is one open world. If you get wanted by the Empire on the ground, they’ll chase you into orbit. And if you cause trouble in space, they’ll remember when you land. I once tried to escape a firefight by flying into space, only to find a Star Destroyer waiting. Thanks, Empire. Very rude.

The seamless transition between land and space is technical wizardry. Taking off from a landing pad, going into orbit, landing on a space station — it all feels connected. Loading screens? They’re disguised by hyperspace visuals, so you never lose immersion. Landing on a planet is trickier: you pick a location, the Trailblazer auto-positions, the engine furiously unloads the old map and loads the new one, clouds provide the illusion of descent, and then you’re flying down to the surface. It’s as smooth as No Man’s Sky, but with more scoundrel charm.

Speaking of the Trailblazer, it’s a new ship created by Massive. It’s the last remaining prototype cargo freighter, so the art team had freedom — as long as it looked retro and 70s-inspired. The first reference? A turtle. Why? Because turtles aren’t agile on land, but in water they use jet streams to be fast. That’s the Trailblazer: sturdy enough for valuable cargo, maneuverable enough to evade thieves. Its front vents are based on a Ford Mustang, because of course they are.

You can customize it with turrets, missiles, color schemes, and engine trails. But don’t expect a hardcore flight sim. Outlaws isn’t secretly X-Wing. You can repair your ship, manage shields, and deal with cooldowns, but controls are familiar and accessible. No power diverting from weapons to shields. As Allen Frank says, “Star Wars is for everyone.” And honestly? After a long day of smuggling, I don’t want to study a 200-page manual. I want to blast TIE Fighters and look cool doing it.

The game takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, when Han Solo is trapped in carbonite. But Outlaws still delivers a proper Han Solo simulator. With the Trailblazer and all the space systems, Massive cracked that fantasy. It’s 2026 now, and I’m still flying. If you haven’t played it yet, what are you waiting for? The galaxy won’t smuggle itself. 🚀