The Best Star Wars Games Ever Made

It’s hard to not let your heart swell with nostalgia for this classic. In all its vector graphics glory, this Star Wars cabinet stood out among the many machines at your local arcade. So much so that they’re rereleasing the cabinet—along with two other classics—in 2019.

The joy and terror of many Super Nintendo gamers, Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back is one of the hardest games ever made for the SNES. But pure nostalgia and our memories of unfathomable nerd rage carves this game into a special place in our heart.

Super Star Wars and Super Return of the Jedi are also great, but there's just something special about riding a Tauntaun.

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While TIE Fighter could never exist with 1993's X-Wing, this game holds our attention because it gives us a look at the inner workings of the empire—one of the first games to ever do so. While making small improvements over its predecessor, TIE Fighter is a game we find ourselves returning to more than 20 years later.

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Think Doom, but Star Wars. The game introduces Kyle Katarn, which is perhaps its greatest feat as the character went on to become beloved in expanded universe circles. But Dark Forces was also a damn entertaining first-person shooter, even if Republic Commando would go on to do it better.

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A weird duck in the world of Star Wars games, Shadows of the Empire follows Dash Rendar and contains many different types of games in one. While it's mostly a third-person shooter, in Shadows, players also fly around in snow speeders and swoop bikes.

Based on a series of books, Shadows of the Empire was one of the first games on Nintendo 64, and developers were still finding their feet when exploring 3D worlds. But despite a noticeable lack of polish, the game means a lot to many Star Wars fans.

A short and sweet game from Sega, Star Wars Trilogy Arcade lets you relive the most iconic moments in the original Star Wars trilogy. And you get to duel with Boba Fett and Darth Vader—if you have enough quarters, that is.

The first time an X-Wing appeared in Star Wars, you know you wanted to fly one, and Rogue Squadron II lets you do just that. Building off the success of 1998’s Rogue Squadron, Rogue Leader leveraged everything Nintendo’s GameCube had to offer, creating one (of the sadly very few) must-have titles for the console.

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Jedi Outcast just barely edges out Jedi Academy on our list. This game—which features Kyle Katarn from Dark Forces—is a great shooter, lightsaber battle simulator, and has a better story compared to its successor. Also, the game’s somewhat disturbing stormtrooper decapitation cheat still haunts us to this day.

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There aren't many positive things to say about Attack of the Clones, but at least it gave us Jango Fett and the game Bounty Hunter. Only later Battlefront games were able to recreate the feeling of being an elite galactic bounty hunter—but this game focuses entirely on that aspect. It's an inventive third-person shooter and it makes us want a Boba Fett sequel (especially after its re-release on the PS4.)

Many Star Wars fans are busy playing Star Wars: The Old Republic, but the original Star Wars MMO was Galaxies. With a vibrant community in the early aughts, Galaxies allowed players to live a virtual life in the Star Wars galaxy, exploring other planets and choosing different classes ranging from a medic to an entertainer.

With the dawn of World of Warcraft and some questionable decisions by the developers (the botched introduction of the Jedi and the New Game Enhancements), Galaxies lost its fanbase and shutdown in 2011. But if you know where to look, fans are still out there and eager to play Galaxies again.

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Simply, the best.

Released in 2003, KOTOR proved to fans and gamers that a Star Wars story can be something more than just a Skywalker tale. Set several millennia before the events of A New Hope, KOTOR weaves together incredible gameplay and storytelling to make a game that’s simply unforgettable.

Not only is it one of the best Star Wars games ever made, it’s one of the best games—ever—and would go one to influence Bioware's other Star Wars Games, which were good but never quite as good.

Not all great Star Wars games are video games. Star Wars miniatures feels like the beta test to Fantasy Flight's great miniatures lineup (seriously, play Legion), but the game was set up like an easy-to-understand wargame that you could pick up and play immediately.

With fun scenarios, easy-to-understand rules, and an overall well-balanced system, it was easy to lose hours to this addictive game (and the miniatures fit well with any Star Wars Roleplaying game you might be playing).

Unfortunately, Wizards of the Coast applied an aggressive pricing strategy, making it hard for casual players to make squads that could be competitive. The game was discontinued in 2010, but it's a game fondly remembered.

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Star Wars fans were introduced to clone troopers after 2002’s Attack of the Clones, and one elite group of soldiers was known as the Republic Commando. Made up of four elite troopers, the Republic Commando goes on missions your average clone trooper couldn’t handle. The result was a thrilling game with inventive tactics and HUD system.

Its only drawback? It wasn’t long enough.

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I mean, what’s not to love?

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With the advent of online shooters, it wasn’t long before the Star Wars franchise would throw its hat in the ring. While 2004’s Battlefront was good, its sequel in 2005 let us cut up players with ultra-powerful Jedi—and that’s just plain fun.

Created by Wizards of the Coast (who also make Dungeons & Dragons), Star Wars Roleplaying Game: Saga Edition closely resembles D&D but makes the game feel very Star Wars. Built upon the less-than-stellar Revised Edition, Saga learns from its mistakes and builds something that lets you truly explore the Star Wars Universe.

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The Force Unleashed is like if someone’s fanfic became a video game—and it’s fun as hell. LucasArts amps force powers to 11 as the protagonist, Starkiller, can pull entire Star Destroyers out of the sky.

The plot is a bit head scratching and often doesn’t really fit with the overarching Star Wars universe, but this is one game we just couldn’t put down.

After Disney acquired Star Wars, video games have been slowed down to a near crawl (and the disastrous launch of Battlefront II didn't help things). But when it comes to Star Wars board games, it's been a golden age.

Star Wars: X-Wing is the ultimate tabletop strategy game featuring Star Wars signature space battles. Pilot the most iconic ships from the franchise and battle your opponent. Cards provide power-ups to your spacecraft so victory can be assured.

This is a sprawling game filled with tons of expansions, so it's much more than just an average board game.

From the creators of Tiny Tower, Tiny Death Star is a simple mobile game where Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader have learned the power of retail. Now, it's up to you to create the ultimate Death Star shopping experience. Build shops, apartments, and imperial levels and slowly grow your own little Death Star—with tons of easter eggs for diehard fans to enjoy.

Unfortunately, Disney pulled the game from the app store in 2014, but APKs of the original game can still be found online.

Also from Fantasy Flight Games, Imperial Assault pits a crack team of rebel agents who must go up against the mighty Empire. Much like Fantasy Flight's other popular dungeon crawler Descent, Imperial Assault brings Star Wars to life on your table top.