Polygon’s teardown of Jon Watts and Simon Kinberg’s Star Wars: Episode X put the fandom exactly where the fandom always ends up: half the room wants to give the sequel era another chance, the other half is done. Neither camp has to wait around for a film to test how they actually feel about First Order stormtroopers, X-wings versus TIE/fo interceptors, and a galaxy still figuring out what to do with the Skywalker family’s aftermath. The desktop catalogue already covers all of it.
We pulled together the best sequel-era Star Wars games for desktop players who want to live in the Resistance timeline right now. Every pick is on Steam, runs on Windows, and either sits inside the sequel-era timeline directly (Rey, Kylo, Poe, First Order, Resistance) or lets sequel-era fans keep the galaxy alive between movies with adjacent-era stories that connect through Cal Kestis, the New Republic, or nine-film retrospectives. Six actually let you fly, shoot, or saber your way through Episodes 7 to 9 content; the other two frame the era from outside.
What to look for in a sequel-era Star Wars game
Not every “Star Wars” game earns the sequel-era label. Before picking one, decide which of these matter to you:
- Timeline fidelity. Actual sequel-era content (First Order units, Resistance fleets, Rey and Kylo as playable heroes, Starkiller Base, Crait) versus older-era games that only feel like sequel-era in spirit.
- First Order and Resistance representation. Iconic uniforms, hero rosters, and locations from Episodes 7 through 9, not just Original Trilogy asset re-use.
- Campaign versus multiplayer. Some picks are 20 hour single-player stories; others are dogfight-focused multiplayer where you queue with Resistance pilots for the tenth time this week.
- Controller support and PC performance. Every game here works on a Windows desktop with a modern GPU; a couple ask for an Xbox controller for the flight sections.
- Live-service state. A few of these titles stopped receiving new content but still run active servers; know which are frozen before you invest 40 hours.
Quick comparison
| Game | Best for | Sequel-era content | Multiplayer | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Star Wars Battlefront II (2017) | The most Episode 7-9 content in one game | Direct, heroes and maps from all three films | Yes, primary mode | $39.99 base |
| Star Wars: Squadrons | Cockpit dogfights in the Resistance era | Adjacent, set right after Return of the Jedi | Yes, primary mode | $39.99 base |
| Star Wars Outlaws | Scoundrel life between the trilogies | Adjacent, sits between Empire and Jedi | No | $59.99 base |
| Star Wars Jedi: Survivor | Story-driven Force-and-saber action | Adjacent, sets up future New Jedi Order | No | $69.99 base |
| LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga | Playing through Episodes 7, 8, and 9 with friends | Direct, three films in full | Local co-op | $49.99 base |
| Star Wars: The Old Republic | A galaxy to live in between films | Sequel-era adjacent MMO, thousands of hours | Yes, MMO | Free |
| Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection | Comfort food for fans who prefer the older era | None, prequel and OT only | Yes, 64-player online | $34.99 base |
| Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order | The Cal Kestis story before Survivor | Adjacent, groundwork for the sequel canon | No | $39.99 base |
The 8 best sequel-era Star Wars games for desktop
1. Star Wars Battlefront II (2017), most sequel-era content in one package
Star Wars Battlefront II is the game to load first if the Episode 7 through 9 era is the one you actually care about. Rey, Finn, Poe, Kylo Ren, Captain Phasma, and BB-8 are all playable heroes; the maps include Starkiller Base, D’Qar, Crait, Jakku, and Ajan Kloss; and the 40-player Galactic Assault mode rotates through sequel-era battles that no other game covers at this scale. The 2017 loot-box controversy is ancient history at this point; EA rebuilt the progression system into a straight grind and shipped two years of free content before winding the game down in 2020. What’s left is a shooter with more sequel-era units, weapons, and locations than any other title on desktop.
Where it falls short: No new content has landed since 2020, so the meta is frozen. Off-peak servers in some regions can take a few minutes to fill Galactic Assault lobbies. Anti-cheat compatibility on Linux via Proton is inconsistent in certain modes; ProtonDB has the current state.
Pricing:
- Free: trial via EA Play
- Paid: $39.99 base; frequently discounted to about $4 in seasonal sales
Platforms: Windows.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: The right pick when you want Rey, Kylo, Finn, and Poe on a First Order or Resistance battlefield tonight.
2. Star Wars: Squadrons, sequel-era cockpit dogfights
Star Wars: Squadrons is the dedicated space combat game the sequel era needed. The single-player campaign is set right after Return of the Jedi and rotates between an Imperial pilot in the Titan Squadron and a New Republic pilot in the Vanguard Squadron, so the whole thing plays out during the New Republic’s founding, the same historical period Episodes 7 through 9 look back at. Cockpit-view is mandatory, which forces you to actually learn the ships (X-wing, A-wing, Y-wing, U-wing on the Republic side, TIE fighter, TIE interceptor, TIE bomber, TIE reaper on the Imperial side). VR support through Oculus and SteamVR is the sleeper feature; sitting inside a TIE interceptor with an HMD on is as close to Star Wars as gaming currently gets.
Where it falls short: Multiplayer matchmaking has thinned since launch; fleet battles can take a while to fill. The single-player campaign is short at around 10 hours. No content updates since 2021.
Pricing:
- Paid: $39.99 base; routinely discounted to about $5
Platforms: Windows, VR through Oculus and SteamVR.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: The right pick when the appeal is climbing into a New Republic X-wing cockpit and chasing TIEs through an asteroid field.
3. Star Wars Outlaws, scoundrel life between the trilogies
Star Wars Outlaws is Massive Entertainment’s open-world Star Wars, set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, with Kay Vess and her companion Nix running jobs for three crime syndicates. It’s not sequel-era directly, but it’s the closest existing game to a Solo-style adventure, and the syndicates, cantina culture, and Outer Rim politics land the same “galaxy between the movies” energy that the sequel era leaned on. The 2025 patches sanded down the launch-week stealth punishment, and the Wild Card expansion added Lando Calrissian and a full Sabacc mini-game.
Where it falls short: Ubisoft’s Uplay wrapper still frustrates a share of the Steam audience. Speeder handling in the early acts pulls players out of the fantasy. The reputation grind for late-game syndicate perks skews repetitive.
Pricing:
- Paid: $59.99 base for the standard edition; Gold and Ultimate editions include the season pass
Platforms: Windows.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: The right pick when the appeal is being Han Solo for 40 hours rather than a Jedi or a Resistance pilot.
4. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, story-driven sequel-era groundwork
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor picks up Cal Kestis five years after Fallen Order and turns up every dial: five saber stances, a real ability tree, larger explorable worlds, and a story that sets up the New Jedi Order arc referenced later in sequel-era canon. The game is set during the Imperial era, but Cal’s decisions about what to do with the surviving Jedi holocrons and Force-sensitive kids he protects are the narrative bones that eventually become Luke’s Jedi temple, which Kylo Ren burns down before Episode 7. If you want to understand how a First Order recruits Force-sensitives, Cal’s journey is the closest desktop-playable answer.
Where it falls short: Launched in rough shape on PC; the 2025 patches fixed most of it but the reputation lingers. Some side-content padding in the middle act. Cosmetic customization is thinner than the saber combat suggests it should be.
Pricing:
- Paid: $69.99 base on Steam, often discounted to $30 in seasonal sales
Platforms: Windows, macOS via CrossOver, Linux via Proton.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: The right pick for the most polished modern Star Wars action game with real narrative connective tissue into the sequel era.
5. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Episodes 7 to 9 in one package
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga retells all nine main-line films in one LEGO-flavoured package, and the three sequel-trilogy episodes (The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker) each get their own five-mission campaign with unlockable heroes, ships, and open hub planets. You can play the entire sequel trilogy in whichever order you want, unlock Rey with the Skywalker saber, fly the Millennium Falcon out of Takodana, and dogfight through the Battle of Crait. It’s also the only pick on this list built around local co-op, which makes it the right one to play with a kid old enough to follow the films.
Where it falls short: Cutscene-heavy in the early hours. Some open-world hubs are repetitive. The collectible density in the free-roam sections becomes padding for completionists.
Pricing:
- Free: trial via Xbox Game Pass
- Paid: $49.99 base; often around $10 on seasonal sales
Platforms: Windows, Linux via Proton.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: The right pick when you want to walk through the entire sequel trilogy in one weekend with a friend or a kid.
6. Star Wars: The Old Republic, a galaxy to live in between movies
Star Wars: The Old Republic is the BioWare MMO turned free-to-play megaproject, and it’s the pick when what you actually want is a Star Wars galaxy to log into while you wait for Episode X to release, get delayed, get re-cut, and eventually stream. The eight class storylines are each roughly the size of a KOTOR sequel, the 2025 expansion added a new planet and a fresh Force-user companion, and the free tier is generous enough to play the class stories to credits without paying a subscription. The setting is the Old Republic era, thousands of years before the sequel trilogy, but the sequel-era-adjacent throughline is the same one Episodes 7 through 9 pulled from: political factions in a fragile balance, Sith and Jedi drift, dark-side seduction of promising apprentices. Kylo Ren’s story arc is Old Republic in miniature.
Where it falls short: The free-to-play caps on inventory, currency, and high-level gear push the subscription pressure. UI shows its 2011 origins in places. Combat animations age more visibly than the writing.
Pricing:
- Free with a $14.99 per month optional subscription, plus a one-time Preferred status purchase that lifts most free-tier caps
Platforms: Windows, Linux via Proton.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: The right pick when you want a Star Wars game to live inside for months, not weekends.
7. Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection, comfort food for fans who prefer the older era
Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection is Aspyr’s 2024 re-release of the original Battlefront (2004) and Battlefront II (2005), with 64-player online support, all the previously released bonus maps, and Steam Deck Verified status. There is no sequel-era content here; it’s Clone Wars, Galactic Civil War, and prequel-into-original-trilogy nostalgia end to end. Which is exactly why it earns a spot on a sequel-era list: if Episode X has you frustrated with the Rey and Kylo direction, this is the game that reminds you the arcade Battlefront formula worked with Boba Fett, Yoda, and Darth Vader long before Rey, Finn, and Poe. The Hero Assault mode across all ground maps is the closest desktop version of the classic Battlefront player fantasy.
Where it falls short: Launched with matchmaking issues; Aspyr shipped patches through 2024 that fixed most of them, but early reviews still hurt the Steam rating. No sequel-era content whatsoever. Content is the same 20-year-old design; expect dated conventions.
Pricing:
- Paid: $34.99 base; regularly around $17 in seasonal sales
Platforms: Windows, Steam Deck Verified.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: The right pick when the takeaway from Episode X is that the older era was better and you want to spend a weekend proving it to yourself.
8. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, the Cal Kestis origin story
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is the wildcard on this list because it’s technically Imperial-era, but Cal Kestis’s story is now the narrative bridge that everything the sequel era referenced through the New Jedi Order retroactively runs through. Fallen Order is the first game in the arc, the one where Cal proves the souls-flavoured saber formula works, and it’s the right entry point for anyone starting with Survivor and realising they missed the previous chapter. The world is smaller than Survivor’s, the fast-travel system is thinner, but the storytelling is arguably tighter, and Cal and BD-1 remain one of the strongest sequel-era-adjacent duos in the whole catalogue.
Where it falls short: The fast-travel system was added in patches and isn’t as polished as Survivor’s. Some platforming sections show their 2019 seams. No sequel-era heroes appear directly.
Pricing:
- Free: trial via EA Play
- Paid: $39.99 base; frequently discounted to $5 in seasonal sales
Platforms: Windows, macOS via CrossOver, Linux via Proton.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: The right pick when Survivor is on your wishlist but you haven’t met Cal Kestis yet.
How to pick the right sequel-era Star Wars game
- If you want the most sequel-era content: Battlefront II (2017). It’s the only game with Rey, Kylo, Finn, Poe, and the First Order and Resistance as fully playable factions.
- If you want cockpit dogfights in the New Republic era: Squadrons, in VR if you have a headset.
- If you want an open-world scoundrel adventure adjacent to the sequel trilogy: Outlaws.
- If you want a single-player saber story that connects to sequel-era canon: Jedi: Survivor, with Fallen Order first if you haven’t played it.
- If you want to play through Episodes 7 to 9 with a friend or kid: LEGO: Skywalker Saga.
- If you want a Star Wars galaxy to live in for months while Episode X gets sorted out: The Old Republic.
- If Episode X frustrates you and you want comfort food from the older era: Battlefront Classic Collection.
- If you’re new to Cal Kestis and want to start at the beginning: Fallen Order.
FAQ
What is the best sequel-era Star Wars game on desktop?
Star Wars Battlefront II (2017) is the pick. It has the most Episode 7 to 9 content of any game on Steam: Rey, Kylo Ren, Finn, Poe, Captain Phasma, and BB-8 as playable heroes; Starkiller Base, Crait, D’Qar, and Jakku as maps; and Galactic Assault matches that recreate sequel-era battles at 40-player scale.
Is there a Star Wars game set during the First Order and Resistance conflict?
Battlefront II (2017) is the direct answer for combat, LEGO: Skywalker Saga for a full three-film retelling in one package, and Squadrons for cockpit dogfights set in the same broader New Republic era right after Return of the Jedi. No single-player narrative game is set inside the sequel trilogy timeline itself.
Can I play Rey or Kylo Ren on PC?
Yes, in Star Wars Battlefront II (2017) and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. Battlefront II gives you their combat kits in multiplayer matches; LEGO Skywalker Saga lets you play them through the story campaigns of Episodes 7 to 9.
Which of these Star Wars games are on Linux through Proton?
Jedi: Survivor, Fallen Order, LEGO: Skywalker Saga, and The Old Republic all run well through Proton; ProtonDB has current status. Battlefront II (2017) has anti-cheat issues in some modes; Squadrons runs but VR support on Linux is inconsistent. Outlaws requires Ubisoft’s launcher wrapper, which adds friction.
Is Star Wars Outlaws in the sequel era?
No. Outlaws is set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, which puts it in the Original Trilogy timeline. It earns a spot on this list because the scoundrel-and-syndicate loop is the closest desktop analogue to the “galaxy between the movies” feel the sequel trilogy occasionally reached for.
Are any of these Star Wars games free?
Star Wars: The Old Republic is free-to-play with generous class storyline access, and Battlefront II is included in EA Play at no additional cost if you already subscribe. LEGO: Skywalker Saga is included in Xbox Game Pass rotations. Everything else is paid, though all discount routinely on Steam sales.
