For the last 41 years, Star Wars has 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 that Star Wars has found itself in. And over the course of the last four decades, fans have, naturally, formed strong attachments to their favorite Star Wars titles. But while personal opinions on expanded Star Wars media vary wildly from person to person, there's one game fans unanimously agree is excellent, and that's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
Originally released on July 15, 2003, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic turns 20 years old today, and it's somehow remained relevant this entire time. Developed by BioWare, Knights of the Old Republic made 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 Republic still holds up in countless ways, and for many fans, it's managed to retain that top spot of the best Star Wars game, even despite some fierce competition.
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, but Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is still one of the most complete and satisfying Star Wars video 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 a Star Wars game, but an RPG in general.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic takes fans 4000 years before the events of Phantom Menace and 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 a Star Wars story, 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 of the original Star Wars trilogy, but all with a unique set of motivations and a distinct identity. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic perfectly blends big bombastic plot beats with quieter, personal storytelling moments, and that's something that's been absent from the vast majority of Star Wars games 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, but KOTOR absolutely nails that.
BioWare's passion and understanding of the Star Wars universe can be seen in every single second of Star 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 while Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has that same level of passion, there's a certain magic about Knights of the Old Republic that'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 authentically Star Wars.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is available on PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
