For the last 41 years,Star Warshas had a consistent place in the video game industry, whether that’s movie tie-in games, first-person shooters, third-person action-adventures, kart racers, RPGs, or any other genre thatStar Warshas found itself in. And over the course of the last four decades, fans have, naturally, formed strong attachments to their favoriteStar Warstitles. But while personal opinions onexpandedStar Warsmediavary wildly from person to person, there’s one game fans unanimously agree is excellent, and that’sStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
Originally released on June 19, 2025,Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republicturns 20 years old today, and it’s somehow remained relevant this entire time. Developed by BioWare,Knights of the Old Republicmade a huge splash when it first launched, delivering fans an expansive RPG set in an unseen era of the franchise, and coasting off the hype surrounding the prequel trilogy releases of the time. When looking back 20 years later,Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republicstill holds up in countless ways, and for many fans, it’s managed to retain that top spot of the bestStar Warsgame, even despite some fierce competition.
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20 Years Later, Knights of the Old Republic Is Still the Best Star Wars Game
It isn’t perfect, and it’s definitely starting to show its age in some areas, butStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republicis still one of the most complete and satisfyingStar Warsvideo game experiences ever created. Much like every other BioWare game,Knights of the Old Republic’s biggest assets are its story, characters, and world-building, and they’re all some of the best ever seen in not just aStar Warsgame, but an RPG in general.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republictakes fans4000 years before the events ofPhantom Menaceand shows them the same galaxy far, far away that they know and love, but with some fresh twists. In this era, the Jedi and Sith are at their peak of power, locked in a galactic-wide war that was far-reaching ripple effects on the entire galaxy. This is an exhilarating place to start aStar Warsstory, and it only gets better the more players progress, with BioWare’s usual RPG decision-making and conversation systems putting the story in the player’s hands.
Along the way, players will also encounter a slew of now-iconic characters, all of whom feel as though they’ve been ripped straight out ofthe originalStar Warstrilogy, but all with a unique set of motivations and a distinct identity.Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republicperfectly blends big bombastic plot beats with quieter, personal storytelling moments, and that’s something that’s been absent from the vast majority ofStar Warsgames ever since. While it’s easy to make space battles look and feel exciting, it’s much harder to make players care about each member of their crew so actively, butKOTORabsolutely nails that.
BioWare’s passion and understanding of theStar Warsuniverse can be seen in every single second ofStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republic’s gameplay and cutscenes, and that passion is what’s kept the game relevant and beloved for 20 years now. And whileStar Wars Jedi: Survivorhas that same level of passion, there’s a certain magic aboutKnights of the Old Republicthat’s impossible to describe, but is certainly there, and when players return to it all these years later it’s hard to shake the feeling that it’s all just so authenticallyStar Wars.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republicis available on PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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