A good sci-fi game doesn’t have to take place 8,000 years in the future, feature space travel, and have dozens of alien races. Some of the best are commentaries on today’s society, or altering the past with heightened and imaginative elements. For example, in the open-world genre, sci-fi fans may enjoy the stealth antics of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain or the dystopian outlook of the delivery system in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, both of which are from a sci-fi master: Hideo Kojima.
10 Classic Sci-Fi Games That Are Perfect From Start To Finish
From hundreds of choices, these classic sci-fi epics that remain perfect from beginning to end rose to the top.
Those are great open-world games with sci-fi concepts, but they are not RPGs. For those looking for open-world games with a sci-fi twist, these are the ones to look into. From shooters to games with tanks, these will be ranked based on concept, execution, and overall quality.
Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora
At Long Last
Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora
- Released
- December 7, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Language, Mild Blood, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
When the first Avatar movie came out, people lost their minds in the theater because they wanted to explore Pandora. There was a tie-in game, but the spiritual successor, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, is a better way to explore Pandora. Players can make their own Na'vi and then go on quests similar to other live-service or online Ubisoft games.
They can hunt for monsters, fight back invading soldiers, search for loot, and more. The world is truly breathtaking with lush jungles and imaginative creatures from both the movies and the original minds of the team, which should satiate fan hunger.
Sand Land
Tank Boy
Sand Land
- Released
- April 26, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- ILCA
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4
Sand Land is the swan song for Akira Toriyama, which was his last manga turned video game project before passing on. It’s an imaginative look at a mixture of fantasy and sci-fi genres set in a post-apocalypse with a desert planet in ruins, with demons and humans fighting over water.
Like every work Toriyama had his hands on, the design of the characters, monsters, and machines is second to none. Players can fight with their demon prince, Beelzebub, in real-time combat, but the best part is jumping into tanks and mechs reminiscent of the Capsule Corp. Designs from Dragon Ball.
Tom Clancy's The Division
Battle Royale
Tom Clancy’s The Division
- Released
- March 8, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Massive Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Open-World
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Tom Clancy's The Division is a cool, albeit scary, idea for a cover shooter as it takes place in New York City following a viral outbreak related to a money scam during Black Friday. With the city in turmoil, only the best of the best, The Division, are sent in to stop the growing number of factions from taking over.
The idea that the city would fall so fast is incredible, along with this secret organization hiding in the background, full of top soldiers. The wintry landscape and more cramped corridors work better for a setting than Washington, D.C. Does in the sequel, even if the shooting is better in that.
Nier: Automata
A Haunting Look Into The Future
NieR: Automata
- Released
- March 7, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Platinum Games
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
The bleakness of Nier: Automata is half of the reason why fans dig it so much, on top of the slick action from PlatinumGames. Set in the far future, humanity now exists in space aboard a station, and periodically, they send battle androids to Earth to take it back from the robots who took it over.
The 10 Darkest Endings In Sci-Fi Video Game History, Ranked
The word "dark" doesn't even begin to describe the bleak endings in these sci-fi games.
On Earth, there are survivors, but mostly robots, good and bad, that are haunted by the past. On the plus side, Earth looks great, and animals are thriving as players can ride a moose to explore the semi-open-world. How many games allow that? The world-building is great, but the lack of a seamless open-world keeps it from ranking higher.
Borderlands 4
The Vault Hunters Of Tomorrow
Borderlands 4
- Released
- September 12, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Gearbox Software
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
Borderlands 4 is the latest entry in the Borderlands series, so it will serve as the example in the world that Gearbox established in 2009. In this interplanetary universe, corporations run everything, mostly arms dealers who make everything from guns to shields.
Like most entries, players are Vault Hunters, treasure hunters essentially, looking for loot from past civilizations to make it big and retire from the chaos. The idea of corporations running things in a war-torn universe may sound bleak, but the tone is silly, making it a bit more palatable than depressing, and the hunt for millions of guns in first-person can be addicting.
The Outer Worlds 2
Money Makes Space Go Round
The Outer Worlds 2
- Released
- October 29, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
The Outer Worlds 2 is also set in a universe where corporations run things, but unlike the first game, where players are part of the chaos, they are soldiers trying to solve issues on planets that are bogged down by the money makers of the world instead.
Players are free to side with corporations if they want, which makes it a more customizable experience from appearance to dialogue choices. The building, ship, fashion, and weapon designs give the game an old-world feel like the pulpy sci-fi novels from the 1960s and 1970s. In third, or first-person, this intergalactic RPG is waiting.
Horizon Forbidden West
A Destroyed West Coast
Horizon Forbidden West
- Released
- February 18, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Guerrilla Games
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
Horizon Forbidden West is the second game in the series, which takes place on Earth far in the future, wherein it has been taken over by robotic animals. Humanity lost, but they persist in small colonies around the U.S., and presumably the rest of the world. Nature has taken things back, making it one of the best-looking post-apocalyptic games ever made.
The first game was set in Colorado, whereas this sequel takes Aloy, the heroine, to the West Coast. With many recognizable buildings and cool robots to take down in third-person combat, Horizon Forbidden West is one of the best open-world games on PS5.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Fantasy Mechs
Xenoblade Chronicles 3
- Released
- July 29, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is the latest entry in the Xenoblade franchise, which is known for combining lush environments with high-concept technology. The game begins with two factions fighting an endless war before transitioning into something bigger.
Best Open-World Games With Science-Based Combat
These open-world games incorporate science and sci-fi into their weapons, ensuring you can zap your enemies to the next life.
The core heroes soon learn to transform into mech-like entities, called Ouroboros, which allows them to fight the big bad organization of the game, Moebius. Players will travel across green forests, dry deserts, and serene beaches as they engage in MMO-style combat that is beyond stylish. Like Sand Land, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a good mixture of sci-fi and fantasy.
Cyberpunk 2077
From Tabletop To Console
Cyberpunk 2077
- Released
- December 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
Cyberpunk 2077 is peak sci-fi, and CD Projekt Red did an amazing job at translating a tabletop game into a fun cyberpunk city to explore. It can essentially be likened to Grand Theft Auto as players can dive into the underground belly of Night City, trying to climb out of the muck.
There are plenty of cars and bikes to cruise around with, along with slick guns that are as fun to shoot as they are to mod. Body modification is also a big part of the game, as players can customize their bodies to tackle missions in open-ended ways. Hopefully, this is the start of a long-running game universe because this is cyberpunk done right.
Fallout: New Vegas
War Never Changes
Fallout: New Vegas
- Released
- October 19, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Fallout: New Vegas will stand in for the entire Fallout universe, as the world that Interplay Productions built in 1997 is one of the best in the industry. The old-world designs of the 1950s mixed with future tech is an aesthetic that is unlike anything that’s out there.
Shooting mutants and raiders to tunes popular in the 1950s is a juxtaposition that never gets old. With Fallout: New Vegas in particular, Obsidian Entertainment did a great job with the Nevada post-apocalypse, which is bleak, but it is filled with curious factions like Roman and Elvis fanatics. The writing is top-notch, adding to the overall vibe of the game that is unmatched.
8 Sci-Fi Games That Would Be Better Than Red Dead Redemption 2 If They Were Just Westerns
Red Dead 2 is an all-time classic, but these games might have been even better if they traded their spaceships and lasers for horses and revolvers.