Star Wars Video Games in Chronological Story Order
Every major Star Wars game placed on the in-universe timeline, from the Old Republic to the sequel era, with release years and canon or Legends status.
Star Wars games have been released in a very different order from the one in which their stories happen. A 2003 role-playing game is set thousands of years before the films, a 2019 action game takes place five years after Order 66, and a 2026 tactics game jumps back to the last year of the Clone Wars. To play through the galaxy’s history in sequence, you need a map.
This guide arranges the major story-driven Star Wars games by era, from the Old Republic to the New Republic, noting each release year and whether the story is canon or Legends. Party games, LEGO titles and online-only games are left aside because they retell the films loosely or do not tell a fixed story.
How Star Wars Dates Work: BBY and ABY
Star Wars stories are dated around the Battle of Yavin, the moment Luke Skywalker destroys the first Death Star at the end of A New Hope. Events before it are counted in years “Before the Battle of Yavin” (BBY), and events after it in years “After the Battle of Yavin” (ABY). The Phantom Menace is set in 32 BBY, Order 66 and Revenge of the Sith in 19 BBY, and Return of the Jedi in 4 ABY.
The numbers help explain why Cal Kestis can meet an aging Saw Gerrera and Kay Vess can run into Jabba the Hutt: the games are deliberately slotted into gaps between the films.
Canon and Legends in one paragraph
On April 25, 2014, Lucasfilm announced that the existing Expanded Universe of novels, comics and games would be rebranded as “Star Wars Legends.” The six films and The Clone Wars series became the core of a new canon, coordinated by a new Lucasfilm Story Group. Earlier games, such as Knights of the Old Republic and The Force Unleashed, are therefore Legends; later story games such as the Jedi series, Squadrons and Outlaws are canon. The Legends label only tells you whether later films and shows must respect a game’s events.
The Old Republic Era: Thousands of Years Before the Films
The oldest stories in Star Wars gaming come from BioWare and Obsidian, and they all belong to Legends.
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003) – Set roughly four thousand years before the films, it follows an amnesiac hero caught up in a war against the Sith Lord Darth Malak. Its central twist about Revan remains one of the most famous in the series.
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords (2004) – Obsidian’s sequel takes place a few years later and explores the aftermath of the wars, with a more philosophical, grey view of the Force.
- Star Wars: The Old Republic (2011) – The online role-playing game is set about three centuries after KOTOR; it is mentioned only to complete the era, as its story is spread across class campaigns.
A KOTOR remake was announced in 2021 but has had a troubled development and is not listed here.
The High Republic gap
The High Republic, a publishing era set around two hundred years before the prequels, has been central to books and comics since 2021 but has barely appeared in games; the main touch point is Jedi: Survivor‘s Dagan Gera, a Jedi from that period. Quantic Dream’s Star Wars Eclipse, announced in 2021 as a High Republic game, had not been released as of October 2026.
The Prequel and Clone Wars Era (32–19 BBY)
The prequel films and the Clone Wars are well served by both continuities.
- Star Wars Episode I: Racer (1999) and The Phantom Menace (1999) – Direct film tie-ins set in 32 BBY, now Legends.
- Star Wars: Bounty Hunter (2002) – Shows how Jango Fett became the template for the clone army before Attack of the Clones. Legends.
- Star Wars: Republic Commando (2005) – A squad-based shooter following the clone commandos of Delta Squad through the Clone Wars, beginning at the Battle of Geonosis. Legends, although Delta Squad later made cameo appearances in canon animation.
- Star Wars Zero Company (2026) – Bit Reactor and Respawn’s turn-based tactics game, published by EA on August 27, 2026, is set in 19 BBY, the final year of the Clone Wars, and runs into the start of the Empire. You lead a mercenary team investigating a cult, so it fits neatly just before the Jedi series.
The Imperial Era and the Jedi Purge (19–0 BBY)
The two decades between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, with a dominant Empire, hunted Jedi and the first sparks of rebellion, have become the most popular setting for modern Star Wars games.
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019) – Respawn’s action-adventure is set five years after Revenge of the Sith, during the Great Jedi Purge. Padawan Cal Kestis, hiding as a scrapper on Bracca, is exposed and hunted by the Inquisitors. Canon.
- Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (2023) – Set five years after Fallen Order, with an older Cal still fighting the Empire. Canon.
- Vader Immortal (2019) – A three-part virtual reality series set on Mustafar between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, with Darth Vader at its centre. Canon.
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (2008) and The Force Unleashed II (2010) – Vader’s secret apprentice Starkiller hunts Jedi and becomes entangled with the founding of the Rebel Alliance. Both games are Legends; the canon version of the Rebellion’s founding is different.
The Galactic Civil War (0–4 ABY)
The original trilogy years have the longest gaming history, since the earliest games adapted the films directly.
- Star Wars: Dark Forces (1995) – Mercenary Kyle Katarn steals the Death Star plans before A New Hope in the Legends version of events; the canon account is now Rogue One.
- Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (1998) – Arcade-style starfighter missions with Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles in the years after Yavin. Legends.
- Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (1996) – Smuggler Dash Rendar’s story, set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Legends.
- Star Wars Outlaws (2024) – Massive Entertainment’s open-world game, published by Ubisoft on August 30, 2024, is set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Scoundrel Kay Vess and her companion Nix work for and against the Hutt Cartel, Crimson Dawn, the Pyke Syndicate and the Ashiga Clan. Canon.
- Star Wars: Squadrons (2020) – Its prologue begins shortly after the destruction of Alderaan, but most of the campaign takes place after the Battle of Endor, so it straddles this era and the next. Canon.
After Return of the Jedi: New Republic and Sequel Era
Games set after the Empire’s defeat are fewer but include notable canon stories.
- Star Wars Battlefront II (2017) – The single-player campaign begins during the Battle of Endor and follows Iden Versio, commander of the Imperial special forces unit Inferno Squad, as the Empire collapses, then jumps decades ahead to connect with the sequel trilogy. The campaign is canon; multiplayer mixes heroes from every era.
- Star Wars: Jedi Knight (1997), Jedi Outcast (2002) and Jedi Academy (2003) – Kyle Katarn’s later adventures as a Jedi, set years after Return of the Jedi. All Legends.
- Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge (2020) – A virtual reality game set on Batuu during the sequel era, tied to the Galaxy’s Edge theme park land. Canon.
Timeline Table: Release Year, Era and Canon Status
The games above in approximate story order; multi-era games are placed where most of their story happens.
| Game | Released | Era | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knights of the Old Republic | 2003 | Old Republic | Legends |
| Knights of the Old Republic II | 2004 | Old Republic | Legends |
| The Old Republic | 2011 | Old Republic | Legends |
| Episode I: Racer | 1999 | Prequels | Legends |
| Bounty Hunter | 2002 | Prequels | Legends |
| Republic Commando | 2005 | Clone Wars | Legends |
| Zero Company | 2026 | Late Clone Wars (19 BBY) | Lucasfilm-era release |
| Jedi: Fallen Order | 2019 | Imperial era | Canon |
| Vader Immortal | 2019 | Imperial era | Canon |
| Jedi: Survivor | 2023 | Imperial era | Canon |
| The Force Unleashed | 2008 | Imperial era | Legends |
| The Force Unleashed II | 2010 | Imperial era | Legends |
| Dark Forces | 1995 | Rebellion | Legends |
| Rogue Squadron | 1998 | Rebellion | Legends |
| Shadows of the Empire | 1996 | Rebellion | Legends |
| Outlaws | 2024 | Rebellion | Canon |
| Squadrons | 2020 | Rebellion / New Republic | Canon |
| Battlefront II (campaign) | 2017 | New Republic to sequel era | Canon |
| Jedi Knight / Jedi Outcast / Jedi Academy | 1997 / 2002 / 2003 | New Republic | Legends |
| Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge | 2020 | Sequel era | Canon |
Zero Company is marked differently because, at the time of writing, this guide could not confirm an official Lucasfilm canon designation for it.
Suggested Ways to Play Through the Timeline
Playing every game above in order would take hundreds of hours and mix two continuities that disagree, so most players are better served by one of these paths.
The canon-only route
Start with Jedi: Fallen Order and Jedi: Survivor, then Outlaws, then Squadrons and finally the Battlefront II campaign. This covers roughly four decades, from the early Empire to the eve of the sequel trilogy, all consistent with the films and series. If you have a VR headset, Vader Immortal slots in before Outlaws.
The Legends route
Begin with the two Knights of the Old Republic games, move to Republic Commando and Bounty Hunter for the prequel years, play The Force Unleashed pair, and finish with the Kyle Katarn games from Dark Forces to Jedi Academy. This gives you a self-contained alternative history with its own heroes and villains, and many of these games have been re-released on modern platforms.
The release-order route
Some players prefer release order to see how the technology and storytelling evolved, from the flight games of the 1990s through the cinematic action of the 2000s to the open worlds of the 2020s.
Common Mistakes When Ordering Star Wars Games
- Assuming every game is canon. Anything released before April 2014 is Legends, even if it was hugely influential. KOTOR’s Revan, for example, is a Legends character, though later canon material has borrowed ideas from that era.
- Treating multiplayer modes as story. Battlefront‘s online battles let Darth Maul fight Rey; only the 2017 campaign has a fixed place in the timeline.
- Confusing the two Battlefront IIs. Pandemic’s Battlefront II (2005) has a Legends campaign told by a veteran clone trooper; EA DICE’s 2017 game of the same name has the canon Iden Versio story.
- Forgetting that some games span eras. Squadrons and the 2017 Battlefront II campaign both begin earlier than most of their stories.
- Counting announced games as released. The KOTOR remake and Star Wars Eclipse have been announced but, as of October 2026, neither has a release date.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Star Wars game is set earliest in the timeline?
Knights of the Old Republic and its sequel, around four thousand years before the films.
Do I need to play Fallen Order before Survivor?
It is strongly recommended. Survivor assumes you know Cal, Cere, Greez, Merrin and BD-1, and its emotional payoffs work best in order.
Where does Outlaws fit compared with the films?
Between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, while Han Solo is frozen in carbonite, which is why Jabba the Hutt and the underworld loom so large.
Are the Legends games worth playing if they “don’t count”?
Yes. The KOTOR games, the Jedi Knight series and Republic Commando are regularly cited among the best Star Wars stories in any medium; the label is about continuity, not quality.
