Outer Wilds features an unnamed astronaut player character exploring a solar system that is stuck in a 22-minute time loop, resetting after the star goes supernova.[1] Thus, the player is encouraged to learn why by following secrets of an extinct alien race known as the Nomai, who previously visited the solar system thousands of years ago.[2] For example, in order to use the ship, the player must guide the astronaut to a local observatory, where the launch codes are located. Once the player has done this once, that information will not change in subsequent ones, which allows the player to bypass the observatory and immediately launch the ship with the known codes.[3]
Some events and locations change during the course of the time loop; one example is a pair of planets orbiting so close to each other that sand from one planet is funneled over to cover the other planet, making its cave system inaccessible later on in the time loop.[4][3] The player character has health and oxygen meters, which are replenished when the character returns to the ship or by finding trees on planets. The player character dying before the sun goes supernova has the same effect, which respawns them back on their home planet.[5][6]