Is The Outer Worlds 2 Obsidian’s Third Xbox Success of the Year?

Very possibly — at least from early impressions. Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds 2 nails many of the sequel upgrades players wanted, and it arrives after a busy 2025 for the studio (two other Obsidian releases earlier in the year), giving it a strong shot at being a third win for Xbox. Below I unpack the hands-on impressions, technical choices, early review traction, Game Pass positioning, and what “third success of the year” actually means in context. Sources for each key claim are cited inline.

What the hands-on play shows

In an early-play preview, PureXbox spent several hours in the opening portions of The Outer Worlds 2 and came away impressed: the game preserves Obsidian’s branching-choice DNA while improving systems that felt rough in the first game. Early highlights from that piece:

• The opening hours already present meaningful choices and multiple ways to approach objectives (stealth, talking, brute force).
• Combat feels noticeably improved — snappier, more responsive gun play — credited in part to help Obsidian drew from across Xbox teams. It’s an evolution rather than a complete reinvention.
• The game now offers built-in third-person perspectives (two over-the-shoulder options) alongside first-person, addressing a frequent fan request.
• On Xbox Series X the previewers preferred Performance (60 fps) over Balanced/Quality modes for smoother play; Balanced at the time didn’t hold a stable framerate pre–day-one patches.

Tech, modes, and player-facing options

Obsidian leaned into modern expectations:

• Multiple display/performance modes on Series X (Quality / Balanced / Performance) — performance mode is recommended by early hands-on testers for frame-rate stability.
• Third-person was added well into development after community demand; Obsidian even worked with external help to implement it so it would feel solid at launch. That responsiveness to player feedback is unusual at scale and noteworthy.

These are the kinds of practical quality-of-life upgrades that often sway both critics and players, especially for a sequel where expectations are calibrated by the original.

Early critical reception and metric

At launch/embargo time the game registered “generally favorable” reception on the major aggregators:

• Metacritic shows the game sitting in the mid-80s (critic aggregate) shortly after reviews went live.
• OpenCritic / review-roundups indicate most outlets are leaning positive, highlighting improved RPG systems and writing, while flagging some issues like uneven character depth for a few critics.

That kind of scoring typically qualifies as a successful release for a first-party Xbox RPG — not an instant universal classic, but a clear “win” in the studio’s column when combined with healthy player reception.

Game Pass, price, and distribution strateg

Two distribution facts strengthen the game’s “success” prospects:

• The Outer Worlds 2 is available on Xbox Game Pass day-one, giving it immediate exposure to a large installed audience and lowering the acquisition friction that drives player counts and engagement. That’s a major plus for early success.
• Earlier in the year, Microsoft and Obsidian adjusted their pricing decisions: the game ended up launching at the $69.99 price point after initial discussions about higher pricing, a move that likely reduced friction with consumers. Pricing drama aside, Game Pass membership means many players won’t need to buy it directly to play at launch.

Game Pass day-one exposure historically boosts play numbers and visibility for Xbox-published titles, which feeds into the “success” argument beyond pure critical score.

Why “Obsidian’s third Xbox success of the year” is fair context

PureXbox and others described Outer Worlds 2 as Obsidian’s third major release of 2025. Those other major Obsidian releases are:

• Avowed — released February 18, 2025. A big first-person/third-person fantasy RPG set in the Pillars of Eternity universe; it launched on Game Pass and got continued updates through the year.
• Grounded 2 — launched into early access on July 29, 2025 (Xbox Game Preview / Steam Early Access). The sequel to Obsidian’s backyard survival hit reached players fast and gathered good early engagement.

Both titles had meaningful reach (Game Pass placement, strong early-access uptake for Grounded 2) and positive/solid reception in their spaces. Adding The Outer Worlds 2 — with its favorable early reviews and Game Pass day-one presence — does complete a trifecta of notable Obsidian releases for Xbox in 2025. That’s why outlets are framing Outer Worlds 2 as potentially Obsidian’s third success of the year.

Caveats — what “success” can mean

“Success” is multidimensional: critical acclaim, player numbers, live-service/long-tail engagement, and financial returns all matter.

• Critical/aggregate scores are strong but not perfect; some reviews note uneven character or faction depth even while praising systems. If Obsidian follows up with quick patches and post-launch content, that can push long-term sentiment further positive.
• Game Pass exposure drives high player counts but can complicate raw sales revenue comparisons. For Xbox first-party teams, the tradeoff (bigger audience vs. boxed sales) often leans toward the audience.
• Stability and post-launch support will matter. Early impressions called out some frame rate/patch needs (Balanced mode) and the usual post-day-one fixes for promising-but-imperfect launches. If Obsidian iterates quickly, the “success” label will harden.

---

Bottom line — is it Obsidian’s third Xbox success of the year?

Yes — with reasonable confidence. Across release cadence (Avowed in February, Grounded 2 early access in July, and The Outer Worlds 2 in October), Obsidian has delivered multiple titles that hit their intended audiences. The Outer Worlds 2’s hands-on impressions point to refined combat, deeper RPG systems, meaningful player choice, added third-person options, and solid technical settings — plus positive early reviews and Game Pass day-one exposure. Those combined signals are exactly what a media outlet means when it calls the game Obsidian’s “third Xbox success” of 2025.

• Battlefield 6 Season 1: Roadmap, Maps, Weapons & Modes