Deal | “A hallmark of excellence”: Critically acclaimed space exploration game gets a sizeable Steam discount

The critically acclaimed Outer Wilds (not to be confused with Obsidian's The Outer Worlds) has returned to Steam with a sizeable 40% discount, dropping the price of the space exploration game from $24.99 to $14.99. For those who already own the base game, its Echoes of the Eye expansion is also discounted by 40% during the sale, dropping from $14.99 to $8.99. Or, if you want to one-shot both, the Archaeologist Edition, which bundles the base game and expansion, is available for $22.78.

The promotion runs until September 5. Outer Wilds puts players in the role of the newest recruit to Outer Wilds Ventures, a small space program exploring a miniature solar system caught in an endlessly repeating time loop. Unlike regular games where you get upgrades as you progress, knowledge will be your only friend here. Each expedition can reveal another piece of information about its planets, ruins and long-dead civilisation, gradually opening paths that previously appeared impossible.

Moment-to-moment gameplay combines free-form planetary exploration, environmental puzzle-solving and physics-driven spaceflight. Players pilot a ramshackle spacecraft between small handcrafted worlds, each with its own hazards and rules, before continuing on foot with tools such as a signalscope, scout launcher and translator. Outer Wilds is bereft of traditional combat systems, quest markers, or anything that drives players in a certain direction; progression instead comes from observing the environment, following clues and figuring out how the solar system’s interconnected mysteries fit together.

SteamDB’s price tracker confirms this isn't the lowest price Outer Wilds has ever reached on Steam, but it was just 2$ cheaper. Furthermore, the game has done a decent job of retaining its player base, a common struggle with single-player games. Outer Wilds had around 1,520 concurrent players at the time of writing, alongside a 24-hour peak of 1,728. Its all-time Steam peak stands at 7,936 concurrent players, recorded on September 29, 2021. SteamDB also lists more than 107,000 reviews, with an aggregate rating of 94.21%.

It has also been praised by fans and critics alike. Outer Wilds’ overall Metacritic score stands at 85 with 29 critic reviews. On Steam, 95% of its 52,000 reviews are positive, earning the game an “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating. Recent sentiment remains almost as strong, with 94% of over 1,100 reviews posted during the past 30 days being positive.