Star Wars Galaxies

  • Release date: June 26, 2003
  • Shutdown date: December 15, 2011
  • Developer: Sony Online Entertainment

Star Wars Galaxies was the first ever MMORPG set in George Lucas’ blockbuster sci-fi universe. Its sandbox gameplay and emphasis on socialisation received mixed reviews upon release but have been lauded in the two decades since.

In 2005, the game was subject to two complete overhauls, consequently alienating a large number of players and garnering widespread media attention. Development continued on, but the plug was pulled shortly prior to the release of Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Since then, Star Wars Galaxies has had one of the most active afterlives of any other game in the genre. Thanks to the efforts of countless volunteers, players can once again play SWG in all three of its major incarnations. Many of these projects have also added new content including planets, player species, and quests.

Getting Started

Want to start playing Star Wars Galaxies? Here’s a selection of articles to help you begin your journey.

Features

Galactic Flyby

Brief overviews of Star Wars Galaxies‘ rogue servers, their communities, and what unique content they have to offer.

An Empire Revisited

Ongoing personal blog about my time spent on the SWG Legends rogue server.

Rogue Server Roundup

Monthly roundup of all the news from across every SWG rogue server.

An Empire Remembered – The Star Wars Galaxies Book

A complete history of Star Wars Galaxies can be found in my book The MMO Folklorist’s Guide to Galaxies.

A page spread from the book The MMO Folklorist's Guide to Galaxies. The pages describe the launch of the MMORPG Star Wars Galaxies with images of the game's box art, and items from the Collector's Edition of the game.
A page spread from the book The MMO Folklorist's Guide to Galaxies. One page features a description of the game's player species, while another has full-colour images of them.

Inside, you’ll also find a codex of information about the game’s species, planets, gameplay mechanics and more. All of this is accompanied by over 700 full colour images.

You can download a free digital copy from itch.io, or purchase hardcover and paperback editions from Amazon.