10 Best Star Wars Games Where You Don't Play A Jedi
Summary
- Jedi can get repetitive in games, so try Star Wars games with non-traditional protagonists like mercenary Dash Rendar in Shadows of the Empire.
- In Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, play as Jango Fett to capture a fallen Jedi and dive into the criminal underworld of the Bando Gora syndicate.
- Star Wars Battlefront series offers a diverse range of characters and battlefields beyond Jedi, making it a safe pick for non-Jedi gameplay.
Jedi Knights are one of the key building blocks of Star Wars lore. They get bestowed amazing Force powers that can do all sorts of things, which are sometimes made even cooler and more effective in the games, as well as wield weapons known as lightsabers. But ultimately, they're a little overrated and quite heavily overused in a video game capacity.
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PostsLuckily, there are Star Wars games that take risks and deviate from the traditional use of a Jedi protagonist, because working with lightsabers and getting to customize them only goes so far in entertainment value before things get repetitive. Here are Star Wars games where the Force need not be with you!
10 Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire
Release Date
December 2, 1996
Platforms
Nintendo 64, PC
Developer
LucasArts
Shadows of the Empire is a treat of a Star Wars game because it gives you a side you don't really get from the main canon, bringing characters and storylines from a 1996 Legends novel of the same name. Your protagonist is a Rebel-aligned mercenary and smuggler named Dash Rendar and the compelling villain is Black Sun leader Prince Xizor.
This game is set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, except it follows the insidious plot of Prince Xizor seeking to claim Darth Vader's position with the Emperor by vowing to kill Luke Skywalker. To stop Xizor, Dash Rendar seems to be the Rebel Alliance's only hope in this mission.
9 Star Wars: Lethal Alliance
Release Date
December 5, 2006
Platforms
PSP, Nintendo DS
Developer
Ubisoft Montreal
While there may not be a Rogue One Star Wars video game adaptation following characters Jyn Erso, Saw Gerrera, Cassian Andor, or the rest of the squad, there already exists a game with a similar premise of stealing the Death Star plans. It's the PSP and Nintendo DS-exclusive Ubisoft game called Lethal Alliance, which instead entrusts this crucial task that would turn the tide in the Civil War to a Twi'lek mercenary named Rianna Saren.
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PostsIt's probably one of the lesser-known Star Wars games, yet remains an underrated gem. The design is a very linear, level-based approach with an emphasis on blaster combat and platforming sections. As Rianna, you meet characters like Princess Leia and Kyle Katarn and also gain a companion droid named Zeeo that helps you throughout your journey much like BD-1.
8 Star Wars Episode 1: Racer
Release Date
May 17, 1999
Platforms
Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color, Sega Dreamcast, PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Developer
LucasArts
Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace has long been ridiculed as one of the worst things about the prequel trilogy, but it did bring some iconic droids, battle sequences, characters, and ideas. One of its best parts was the podracing activity involving a young Anakin Skywalker, so, of course, that element would fit perfectly for a Star Wars version of a racing game.
Is it the best-looking or most exciting Star Wars game? Not particularly when compared to newer Star Wars games, but you'll still have a whole lot of fun and engagement competing with others across different podracing maps. Although you do get to play as Anakin Skywalker before he grows into a traitorous Jedi, there are over 20 other podracers to choose from.
7 Star Wars: Empire At War
Release Date
February 16, 2006
Platforms
PC
Developer
Petroglyph Games
Why be in the shoes of a rebel soldier, Jedi, or Imperial fighter on the battlefield when you can control the fate of battle and all its moving parts in an RTS setting? That's precisely the vision Star Wars: Empire at War tries to achieve, allowing you to manipulate the course of the Galactic Civil War from either side.
Like all real-time strategy games, you get to put down and control various kinds of units going into battle, from vehicles to machines to infantry units (in this case, all the ones present in Star Wars canon). Jedi may play a role in that, but they're not the main focus. It's more about the campaigns and conflicts fought across iconic locations in the Star Wars universe as well as in space.
6 Star Wars: The Old Republic
CloseStar Wars: The Old Republic
MMO Released December 20, 2011 Developer(s) BioWare Publisher(s) Electronic Arts Platform(s) PC Powered by Expand CollapseIf BioWare set out to make a large-scale Star Wars MMORPG and did not allow you to roleplay anything other than a Jedi, that would've been a massive letdown. Thankfully, The Old Republic allows for a diverse set of classes within its character creator, which range from Smuggler to Trooper, Imperial Agent, and even Bounty Hunter.
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5 Star Wars: Squadrons
Star Wars: Squadrons
Action Flight Simulator Released October 2, 2020 Developer(s) EA Motive Publisher(s) Electronic Arts Platform(s) PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC Powered by Expand CollapseStar Wars: Squadrons is by no means the first game to be based entirely on the dogfighting element of the series, but it is, however, the most polished, well-executed, and narrative-driven one available. It also breaks new ground for LGBTQ+ representation in Star Wars canon with non-binary Vanguard pilot Keo Venzee, bisexual female Grand Admiral Rae Sloane, and gay Imperial squadron commander Varko Grey.
The game is set after the events of Return of the Jedi and might be even more enjoyable in VR mode. You'll be immersed in the first-person view of an X-wing or TIE fighter's cockpit, depending on which side you're pitted against during missions, and the visuals, sound, and combat will truly make you feel like you're experiencing the movies.
4 Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster
Release Date
February 28, 2024
Platforms
PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch
Developer
Nightdive Studios, LucasArts
It's 1995, and Star Wars also wants to hop onto the trend of crafting something similar to early FPS games like Doom, System Shock, and Wolfenstein 3D. The end result is Star Wars: Dark Forces, which has now received an official 2024 remaster and remains an overall solid FPS entry in the roster of Star Wars video games.
With a similar narrative setup to Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (even though Dark Forces came first), the game has you take on the role of Kyle Katarn, a former Imperial officer-turned-freelance mercenary who joins the Rebel Alliance. Katarn's mission is to put an end to the Empire's Dark Trooper Project supervised by General Rom Mohc, one of the most compelling villains the Star Wars games have to offer.
Kyle Katarn does eventually become a Jedi, but that moment will come long after this game. You can see him as a Jedi in Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2, Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast, and Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy.
3 Star Wars: Bounty Hunter
Release Date
November 19, 2002
Platforms
PS2, GameCube, PS4
Developer
LucasArts
Why be a Jedi when you can play as the legendary Jango Fett in Star Wars: Bounty Hunter? This game is also your chance to learn more about Jango Fett's backstory prior to the events of Attack of the Clones and to spend a little more time with him in general than you had in the movie. Let's face it, he's a pretty cool bounty hunter who deserved a much better arc.
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PostsIn this game, Jango must infiltrate the criminal underworld of the Bando Gora syndicate to capture its head Komari Vosa, who also happens to be the former Jedi Padawan of Count Dooku who fell to the Dark Side. You also get to see how Jango met fellow bounty hunter Zam Wesell and claimed his ship. Although an older game that launched the same year as Episode 2, a PS4 version is now available.
2 Star Wars Republic Commando
Star Wars Republic Commando
FPS Released February 28, 2005 Developer(s) LucasArts Publisher(s) LucasArts, Aspyr, THQ Nordic Platform(s) PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox (Original) Powered by Expand CollapseThe best first-person shooter story with no Jedis in its lead cast, however, is Star Wars Republic Commando. What makes this game great is that you're an original Clone Trooper in charge of a team of commandos known as Delta Squad, and the gameplay is largely reliant on you giving your squad members orders they can carry out.
It's pretty much akin to the squad-based combat of Mass Effect, Spec Ops: The Line, or Ghost Recon Wildlands but in a Star Wars context. Delta Squad is sent on a variety of missions, and you get to experience more of the world from the point of view of a clone trooper in the events between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.
1 Star Wars Battlefront Series
CloseStar Wars Battlefront
Third-Person Shooter FPS Released September 24, 2004 Developer(s) Pandemic Studios, Beenox Publisher(s) LucasArts, Aspyr, THQ Platform(s) PS2, Mobile, Xbox (Original), PC Powered by Expand CollapseWhen it comes to non-Jedi games, the Star Wars Battlefront series is a safe bet. Not only because of the variety of games that exist now, but also because of the variety of characters and battlefields you get to experience throughout each installment. It's been going strong ever since 2004, later evolving into the modern 2015-2017 reboots Battlefront and Battlefront 2 (though we suggest avoiding the 2024 Battlefront Classic Collection).
You can still always be a Jedi or Sith if you want, but there's a wide range of options, including battle droids and notable non-Jedi characters from the movies and shows. 2017's Battlefront 2 was also notable for delivering a campaign where you play as Iden Versio, a new female TIE fighter pilot for the Empire who defects to the Rebel Alliance and is put in command of a new squadron there called Inferno Squad.
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