Kay Vess is an upstart outlaw who lives in the criminal underworld of the planet Cantonica with her buddy Nix. Together with ND-5 and other characters, they form a crew for the ultimate mission with only 1 goal: her freedom. Because Kay has enough enemies, this mission won't be easy. It's life or death.

You explore various planets of the Star Wars universe in Star Wars Outlaws, such as Tatooine, Cantonica, and Toshara. Each planet has its own climate and characteristics, so every planet looks different. Fly through space in your ship the Trailblazer, and discover every corner of a planet with your speeder.

Even if Kay Vess is an outlaw, it's not the life she wanted for herself. There's a new underworld boss names Sliro. Kay was in his way, and now he wants to find her. He's hired the best bounty hunters and your only way out is completing an impossible mission.

Surviving as a villain in the underworld requires useful skills. You learn new skills, like forcing doors and distracting enemies from various experts spread across the open world. You don't find these experts very easily, which makes this often challenging. Your buddy Nix also has skills that help you while exploring. For example, he can sense where enemies are so you can silently take them out.

You can explore space and help other ships in need for extra credits with the Trailblazer. With your lasers and missiles, you fight enemy ships and your reputation goes up with each win. You also earn or lose reputation points as you interact with other characters or for performing contracts. This also affects how easily you walk into places.