Since science-fiction games are set in the future, or an alternate reality in which technology has far advanced what audiences are familiar with in their times, it makes sense for these sci-fi games to encourage a great foundation of world-building. All games should strive to put the player in a lived-in world that feels new to the player yet familiar to those living it.
Plenty of sci-fi games have brilliant world-building, and the moment players start their adventure in said game, they are entirely immersed in the world, its features, and the characters involved. There’s a great level of detail deserving of appreciation for these kinds of games.
8 Halo: Combat Evolved
From the opening scene of Halo: Combat Evolved, players are completely engrossed in the content. As a large spaceship ventures towards a halo ring amid unknown space, players are quickly introduced to the characters involved, the Master Chief, and the intergalactic war between mankind and the Covenant.
Halo: Combat Evolved masterfully crafts a universe just waiting to be explored in future Halo books and video games, even with the smallest of mentions like Reach becoming a hit video game. Halo: Combat Evolved has intense creativity with its vehicles, characters, and dialogue, and it only grows with each scene.
7 Mass Effect
As a science-fiction role-playing action game, Mass Effect offers an intense world-building game from the get-go. Mass Effect has the player enter a galaxy inhabited by sentient alien life, all of which with their identifiable characteristics and culture. As Commander Shepard, the player will choose their identity and power and embark on a mission with their elite recon squad.
What makes world-building so great in Mass Effect is not only the fact that the developers have built a lived-in world for players to hop into but the fact that they can assist the world-building themselves. The game is dependent on the choices that each Commander Shepard makes, making for a different world with different outcomes.
6 Destiny
From the team behind the original Halo, Bungie reinvented the sci-fi genre with an online-only, first-person multiplayer shooter known as Destiny. The build-up and anticipation of Destiny was full of mystery and desire over this wonderful yet dangerous new frontier of light versus dark. A world that is also further explored in readable lore in-game.
Destiny has continued to evolve with Destiny 2 and further expansions. With no clear end in sight, Destiny is very welcoming to new players who will find themselves as Guardians. Being a veteran of Destiny is its own reward, as players will feel like they have saved the world countless times and guide new Guardians to further fortune and valor.
5 Cyberpunk 2077
Hello, Night City. As a multicultural metropolis, Night City brims with life, but not all good. The central location of Cyberpunk 2077 is sprawling in this dystopian cyberpunk world. Audiences of Cyberpunk are already familiar with the locations and characters in the table-top RPG, but CD Projekt RED brought many of the lore to life with Cyberpunk 2077.
The world of Cyberpunk 2077 is enthralling, and Night City’s bristling invasion of corporations, corruption, organized crime, and gang activity is what makes it feel so alive. Players will feel the desires of V as they seek to become a Night City Legend like the ranks of Johnny Silverhand.
4 Death Stranding
After a series of supernatural events plague the near future of mankind, Death Stranding provides audiences with a future where mankind is scared to connect. With a mass extinction imminent, only Sam Porter Bridges can save the day by reconnecting humanity by traversing the ravaged wasteland of a prosperous American nation.
When players begin their journey through Death Stranding, they may find themselves confused, as everyone has seemed to adapt to the new world. It’s great to see world-building in which everyone has seemed to move on to the new age.
3 BioShock
After a horrifying plane crash over the ocean, the protagonist is left stranded at night until the underwater city of Rapture reveals itself. BioShock has a lot of horror elements in the crazed and murderous enemies, but even the innocence of the Little Sisters can be terrifying.
BioShock houses a lot of elements that add to a sci-fi intrigue. The game is great for world-building, as Rapture has its own culture, ripe with its own set of laws and wild society. There are a lot of questions that players might have about Rapture, including the Big Daddies, but the game answers them if the player is paying attention and exploring.
2 Horizon: Zero Dawn
A vibrant world is present in Horizon: Zero Dawn. It’s an era in which the Earth is no longer ruled by mankind but by machines that dominate the post-apocalyptic landscape. As players embark on their journey as Aloy, they must discover what it means to be a shunned outcast and find the purpose of their existence.
The game is rich with lore, and the player will jump into the shoes of Aloy to find out all the answers both the player and the protagonist seek to solve the mystery of a forgotten civilization that came before.
1 Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
It may be considered cheating to add a game that already has the world-building established 45 years ago, but Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order takes the Star Wars universe to some interesting places, all while giving the power of the Force to the player. There’s a lot to unpack in this Star Wars game, with the story being set hot off the heels of Order 66.
The game itself follows Cal Kestis, a young Jedi Padawan who had to abandon the Force for his safety but soon finds himself wielding his lightsaber again to battle the Inquisitors and forces of the Empire. The galaxy in Star Wars is inspiring and adventurous, with great original world-building ideas throughout.