Do You Have to Play 'Jedi: Fallen Order' Before 'Survivor'? We Asked the Cinematic Director (EXCLUSIVE)

Set five years after Episode III, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order introduced longtime fans to Cal Kestis, one of the few surviving Jedi following Order 66. The game was well-received by fans, expanding further on the canon Star Wars timeline.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is set another five years after the first game, taking players on yet another adventure through the galaxy, but can those new to Cal’s story hop right into the new game? Do you have to play Jedi: Fallen Order before Jedi: Survivor?

As noted in Distractify’s preview of the game, Jedi: Survivor is a much more expansive title than Jedi: Fallen Order, While Jedi: Fallen Order is a relatively linear narrative, Jedi: Survivor offers players plenty of side quests and new areas to explore. It promises to offer tens of hours of playtime for those looking to uncover all of the secrets available.

Thankfully, even if you haven’t played Jedi: Fallen Order, you should be able to jump into Jedi: Survivor without feeling lost.

“From the narrative standpoint, the gloves are off. [Jedi: Fallen Order] was an introduction story, Cal is introduced. He finds himself, he finds out what he’s about," cinematic director Dori Arazi said. "[In] Survivor, he’s there. He’s a Jedi Knight. He’s a force to be reckoned with."

Though Cal starts the game with all of the Force skills and lightsaber stances he ended Jedi: Fallen Order with (and then some), you won't have to have played through the first game to pick up the controls in this one.

"The combat team [and] design team did an amazing job with their tutorials leading you into these new mechanics," Dori continued. "I think any player can just pick it up."

All this being said, if you're a fan of the franchise and looking to piece together this new chapter in the long and confusing timeline that is Star Wars, then it may do you good to pick up the first game before Jedi: Survivor releases. Though every player will have an entirely unique play experience, to fully understand the story being set up in Jedi: Survivor, you'll want to play Jedi: Fallen Order.

Jedi: Survivor is also intended to come to the same conclusion, no matter how you tackle your playthrough of the game. Though this is a much less linear experience than Jedi: Fallen Order was, every player is meant to come to the same ending of the game.

"We've added a whole bunch of systems just to provide you with exploration of this living world. Secrets you can hunt down, quests, all kinds of small lures that take you into completely different stories and areas," Dori said. "And then we bring you back into this engaging, strong linear story toward the conclusion. So it's not just a straight shot, it's a lot of breadth ... It's a very designed story to have a very specific type of engagement."

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is set to release for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on April 28.