Tomorrow is May 4th, aka Star Wars Day. You see, May 4th sounds kind of like “may the force,” which is part of the franchise’s famous phrase “May the Force be with you.” Yeah, it’s kinda dumb, but as is now something of an annual tradition, a bunch of digital storefronts have old and new Star Wars games on sale to mark the occasion. So I’ll ignore how silly the whole concept of Star Wars Day is if I can get some cheap games out of it.
To help you on your own personal journey to spend some cash on Star Wars, I’ve put together a list of 11 games that are currently on sale and worth grabbing. Based on this post on the official Star Wars website, these sales are running now, though just how long you have to take advantage of them depends on the platform. The Xbox and Switch sales wrap up on May 5, all the Steam deals end on May 6, and all the PlayStation discounts go away on May 11.
Star Wars: Battlefront II (2005) – Xbox, Steam
It may not be the flashy and fancy new Battlefront, but the classic Star Wars Battlefront II is a third-person shooter still worth grabbing for cheap thanks to its fantastic amount of modes and options. Want to play a bot-filled free-for-all battle between Jedi and Sith characters? You can do that. Want to play as Wampas fighting rebels on Hoth? You can do that, too. The game even has a fun, Expanded Universe-inspired single-player campaign starring the 501st Clone Troopers.
Star Wars Bounty Hunter – PS4
Boba Fett may be the more famous bounty hunter, but the clone’s dad, Jango, is pretty cool too and Bounty Hunter lets you slip into his boots for an original adventure. Originally released on PS2 and GameCube, Bounty Hunter is a third-person action-adventure game set before the events of Attack of the Clones. It was ported to PS4 and cleaned up a bit, though be prepared for some 2002-era camera control and gunplay.
Star Wars: Dark Forces – PS4, Steam
It’s a little unfair to say this is just Doom + Star Wars, but also, that’s a great pitch for a game and it turns out that Dark Forces is pretty damn good. Some have even called it the best Star Wars game ever. I wouldn’t go that far, but it perfectly captures the look and feeling of the original films in an exciting classic FPS that still holds up in 2022.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed – Switch, Xbox, Steam
Force Unleashed is a silly, over-the-top, at times straight-up bonkers third-person action game starring Darth Vader’s apprentice, Starkiller. Even back before Disney removed most of the EU from canon, this game always felt too absurd, even for Star Wars. But don’t let the absurdity and wild action scare you away. No, all of that is why Unleashed is on this list. If you’ve ever wanted to play a big-budget action game that felt like Star Wars fan-fiction written by a 13-year-old, here you go.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic I/II – Xbox, Mobile, Steam, Switch (Only KotOR 1)
If you are making a list of the best Star Wars games to buy or play or whatever, it has to include both Knights of the Old Republic and its sequel. This is just the law. So here is my legally obligated KotOR entry. Thankfully, these fantastic RPGs set in the far-off past of the Star Wars universe are available on a variety of platforms including mobile and PC. You can even play the original on Switch.
Read More: Holy Shit, There Are A Lot Of Star Wars Games Coming
LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga – Xbox, Steam
Sure, the recently released Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a wonderful game, filled with worlds and missions based on all 9 mainline films. But the classic Complete Saga (which ironically isn’t complete anymore…) is still worth checking out for its own lower-budget charm and silliness. While I prefer the new game over the old one, there’s no denying that Complete Saga—with its older, chunkier Lego pieces—is a very nostalgic game that mostly holds up thanks to simple but fun gameplay and controls.
Star Wars: Racer Revenge – PS4
While it’s not the first Star Wars racing game ever made, it’s easily the best. Building upon the podracing action found in the original Pod Racer on N64, Racer Revenge—first released on PS2— improves just about everything, adding more tracks and racers while also greatly improving the visuals and controls. Even in 2022, it still looks and plays well.
Star Wars: Republic Commando – PS4, Switch, PC
A tactical first-person shooter set during the Clone Wars starring a badass group of elite clones sounds like one of those fan projects you read about for years but never gets released. But nope! Back in 2005 we actually got this game and it turned out great. Still to this day, fans dream of a sequel that can tie up the cliffhanger ending of the original Republic Commando. While that seems unlikely, you can at least pick up this game on a few different platforms for cheap during the ongoing sales.
Star Wars: Empire at War Gold Pack – Steam
Do you know what kind of Star Wars game we haven’t gotten in a long time? A real-time strategy game. That sucks. But at least we did get Empire at War back in 2006. This Gold Pack combines both the original game and its expansion, Forces of Corruption, into one great, complete package. On Steam, Empire At War even has Workshop support and online multiplayer after a 2017 update.
Star Wars: Squadrons – Xbox, PS4, Steam
There have been a lot of great Star Wars space combat games and the most recent one, Squadrons from EA, is a perfect place to start if you’ve not played many (or any) of the previous X-Wing or TIE Fighter games. It might not be as complex as other Star Wars space combat sims, but it looks amazing and features a solid Star Wars narrative focusing on both sides of the classic war seen in the original trilogy of films. Just know that multiplayer in Squadrons these days is a bit dead. Sad, but not a dealbreaker.
Or, if you just want all of the Star Wars games, you can also check out the Star Wars Complete Collection on Steam. This package bundles together 20+ Star Wars games, including every game on this list (except Bounty Hunter and Racer Revenge) into one giant collection. Normally it costs about $300. But you can get it right now for only $76. That’s a steal that would make any smuggler or bounty hunter proud.
If you want to see the full list of games on sale until May 11, check out Star Wars.com.