5 Classic Star Wars Video Games That Every Fan Should Play

Zak Wojnar

Sat, February 28, 2026 at 7:22 PM UTC

Star Wars . Need I say more? Well, I have to hit a minimum word count, so yes. I do need. Some people like to pretend like they're too cool for Star Wars, and I get it. Maybe the Disney era is a little oversaturated. Maybe Baby Yoda, err, I mean Grogu, is everywhere. But I don't mind. In fact, I love it. Give me more Grogu! Gimme The Acolyte Season 2, you dirty cowards! Did you even watch that show? It was awesome! And don't get me started on Andor. Hoo, boy. Yeah, The Rise of Skywalker was a bit of a misstep, to say the least, but everyone stumbles here and there.

Over the years, there have been countless Star Wars video games. These days, there are still some here and there, but in the PS1 and PS2 era, it seemed like a new Star Wars game was coming out every month or so. Not all of them were great, but overall, there was a solid mix of quality and quantity. Let's take a look at some classic Star Wars games and see what made them so special. We won't talk about the modern games like Jedi: Fallen Order or Outlaws, since they're still at the top of people's minds when we think of Star Wars games.

The Force Unleashed

Back in 2007, this was the closest we thought we were ever going to get to Episode VII. The Force Unleashed was the perfect game for its era. It was edgy and over-the-top, a bit ridiculous and generally benign, like Star Wars meets Hot Topic. Players took on the role of Starkiller, the secret apprentice of Darth Vader during the reign of the Empire. The game was most notable for its depiction of The Force being, well, unleashed. Starkiller was a "Force" of nature, able to tear through enemies with Force powers and feral lightsaber action. He was more like an anime hero than anything seen in Star Wars up to this point.

Plus, the game felt like a true 'next gen' experience on PS3 and Xbox 360, with crazy ragdoll physics and incredible animations via the Euphoria middleware (the same physics engine used in Grand Theft Auto IV and subsequent Rockstar games). There's also DMM, "Digital Molecular Matter," which allows materials to behave realistically. Use The Force to throw an enemy into a metal wall, and it will dent accordingly. It's a glorious effect that was mind-blowing in 2007 and still looks amazing today. If you have a good time with it, be sure to check out the sequel, The Force Unleashed II, which is also really good, but shorter and more fast-paced than the original. It's like a non-stop, high-octane action movie, and comparable in length.

Starfighter

Presumably, Star Wars: Starfighter has nothing to do with the upcoming film of the same name. That would be crazy, though, if they picked a random 2001 PS2 and Xbox game to turn into a movie. Star Wars: Starfighter was just one of about a thousand video games based on The Phantom Menace, but also one of the last, since it arrived two years after the movie on which it was based. The game tells an original story that ties in with the movie and is actually pretty interesting and engaging. It's not Shakespeare, but hey, neither is The Phantom Menace! ZING!

Starfighter is something of a spiritual successor to Factor Five's Rogue Squadron game. As for Factor Five themselves, they developed the often-overlooked Battle for Naboo video game, which is definitely worth your time if you want to get your hands on what's basically a "lost" Rogue Squadron game. As for Starfighter, it got a sequel in 2002, Jedi Starfighter, which amped up the arcade-style space combat gameplay with Jedi Force powers and a brand new story that tied in with both the original Starfighter (a little) and Attack of the Clones (a little).

Dark Forces

Hey, remember Doom? This is that. Okay, next entry. Alright, not really. But Dark Forces definitely wore its Doom influence on its sleeve, with 2D sprites and first person shooting action with labyrinthine level designs and locked doors with keycards to discover in the environments. If you're a fan of classic Doom and games of that ilk, you're gonna have a good time with Dark Forces.

The best way to play Dark Forces today is via Nightdive's excellent remaster, which is available on PC and all current platforms. These days, the game is best remembered for introducing the world to Kyle Katarn (pre-beard), who would go on to star in sequels with increasingly bizarre names: Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight, Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, and Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy. So, Jedi Academy is basically Jedi Knight III and Dark Forces IV... I guess. Kyle Katarn is no longer canon thanks to the old Legends continuity reboot, But I bet it's only a matter of time before Disney re-introduces a rebooted version of the character into their new continuity.

The Phantom Menace

Like I mentioned before, there were a ton of games created to tie-in with Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Remember Jedi Power Battles? Episode I Racer? The Xbox-exclusive Obi-Wan game? Yeah, there were a ton of games. But for me, the most notable of these was the one which (theoretically) most directly adapted the movie and carried the same title: Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.

Over the course of the game, you play as Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, Padme, or Captain Panaka, depending on the level, fighting bad guys, solving puzzles, and chatting with NPCs in a 3D adventure with a weird camera angle. It's behind the back but also kind of isometric. It takes a little bit of getting used to, but it works. The best part of the game is how little it holds your hand. While some levels are linear affairs, others basically set you loose in a Deus Ex-esque sandbox, allowing you to explore and interact with NPCs... And by "interact," I mean "viciously murder for no good reason." Best of all, the game actually acknowledges this. Kill a bunch of civilians as Qui-Gon in Mos Espa, and Padme will comment on a serial killer who goes around murdering people. It's absurd and I love it! You really get to go nuts if you want and the game will just keep on going. It's nice when a game actually lets you "play," rather than just following what it wants you to do, and it's why The Phantom Menace game is still memorable after all these years.

Knights of the Old Republic

Knights of the Old Republic is like The Wire. If you haven't experienced it, you'll never hear the end of it from those who have. To be honest, some parts of KOTOR haven't aged terribly well (battles in the early game are endless and boring, some of the voice acting is hit-or-miss), but if you can get over the hump, you'll eventually come across a deeply rewarding RPG that feels like an authentic, long-lost Star Wars story.

So many Star Wars stories are tied to the era of the Empire and the Rebellion, and it's bold for KOTOR to go for a setting thousands of years before the destruction of the Death Star. If you don't know the legendary plot twist, you are lucky, since it's one of the most well-known and iconic twists of all time, right up there with Final Fantasy VII and The Sixth Sense. If you're a Star Wars enthusiast, this one is a must-play. If you're a fan of BioWare before the dark days of Mass Effect Andromeda and Anthem , this one is a must play. If you're a fan of role playing video games in general, this one is a must play. And don't get me started on Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. That's a story for another day.

This story was originally published by GameDaily on Feb 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the Features section. Add GameDaily as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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