Starfield: Everything we know about Bethesda’s upcoming space RPG

All you need to know about the biggest Xbox exclusive of 2023

Starfield’s release date is fast approaching, and we already have plenty of details about Bethesda’s sci-fi open-world RPG. The June 2023 Starfield Direct gave us the longest glimpse into the game’s world, story, character creation, skills, space flight and more.

Here’s everything you need to know about Starfield ahead of the game’s launch, including release date, platforms, system requirements, features, game editions and pricing, as well as how to pre-order and get early access.

What is Starfield's release date?

Bethesda

The Starfield release date is set for September 6, 2023, and the game will be launching for Windows PC and Xbox Series X|S simultaneously. The game was initially slated for November 2022, but was later pushed back to the first half of 2023 and then delayed again to its current September launch.

Starfield preload and early access

Bethesda

You can already preinstall Starfield on your Xbox Series X|S console if you have pre-ordered it from the store or are a Game Pass subscriber. This will install a placeholder file on your console, and automatically download the full game when it becomes available a few days before early access launches. When installing, make sure you also select all bonus content you get based on the edition you purchased, to get this installed too.

On PC, you can preinstall Starfield already from the Xbox app, if you have pre-purchased the game there or if you have an active Game Pass subscription. Steam users will likely also get to preload the game a few days before launch, but details about exact preload times are yet to be announced.

Starfield is getting five days of early access, starting on September 1, if you pre-order the digital Premium Edition and the more expensive physical Constellation Edition. Game Pass subscribers who will be able to play the Standard Edition of the game for free on September 6, can pre-purchase a Premium Edition Upgrade to also jump into the game earlier and receive all other premium perks. 

Will Starfield be free?

Yes and no. Starfield’s Standard Edition will be added to Mircosoft’s Game Pass service from day one at no additional cost for subscribers, so if you have an active subscription, you will be able to play it for free starting on September 6.

If you don't plan to have a Game Pass subscription or if you want additional content or a physical copy of Starfield, you'll have to purchase one of the other Starfield editions.

How much will Starfield cost?

Starfield is available at various price points, depending on the edition you choose to buy, and the game will also be offered for free to Xbox Game Pass subscribers at launch date. Here are the prices of the various editions of Starfield:

• Standard Edition (digital or physical) - $69.99 or free with Game Pass (digital only)
• Premium Edition (digital only) - $99.99
• Premium Edition Upgrade (digital or physical; does not contain a copy of the game) - $34.99
• Constellation Edition (physical collectors’ edition with a digital copy of the game) - $299.99

What are Starfield’s editions and pre-order bonuses?

Bethesda

Starfield’s Standard Edition will be coming to Game Pass on launch day at no additional cost to subscribers, but for those who aren’t paying for Microsoft’s service or are looking for bonus in-game content, early access and digital and physical collectibles, there are several editions coming with various extras, as well as a pre-order bonus that you receive for pre-purchasing any edition.

Starfield pre-order bonus

Pre-ordering any edition of Starfield, or just claiming the free Standard Edition included with Game Pass before launch, will give you access to the following in-game bonus cosmetics:

• Laser Cutter
• Deep Mining Helmet
• Deep Mining Pack

Starfield Standard Edition

The Standard Edition is available both for Xbox and PC, as a digital purchase or a physical version, costs $69.99, and includes the full game plus the pre-order bonus items listed above, if purchased before launch date. Game Pass subscribers are getting to play this edition on day one for free. The physical version of the Standard Edition will include a disc, Bethesda has confirmed.

Starfield Premium Edition (Digital only)

The Premium Edition is a digital-only version that includes the full game or a digital download code (if purchased from a third party) plus additional content, and is priced at $99.99. Apart from the base game, you get the following:

• Shattered Space story expansion, when it is released
• 5 days of early access, starting on September 1
• Constellation Skin Pack, which includes Equinox Laser Rifle, Spacesuit, Helmet and Boost Pack
• Access to the Starfield Digital Artbook and Original Soundtrack

Starfield Premium Edition Upgrade

The Starfield Premium Edition Upgrade allows players who have purchased the physical Standard Edition or plan to play the game via Game Pass to also get all premium perks for $34.99. The Premium Upgrade is also offered as a physical version which includes all Premium Edition features listed above, plus a SteelBook display case and a Constellation patch.

Starfield Constellation Edition

Finally, there’s the collector’s edition of Starfield, which comes with a digital copy of the game and the following physical and digital bonuses. The highlight of this edition is the Starfield Chronomark watch, a replica of the in-game watch you get from your companion Barret. The real-world watch syncs with the game to display in-game environmental information in real time as you play. The other physical bonuses have the same design as their Premium Edition counterparts. Here’s everything included in the Starfield Constellation Edition:

• Starfield Chronomark watch and watch case
• Constellation patch
• SteelBook display case
• All digital items from the Premium Edition

How big is Starfield?

Bethesda

Starfield’s approximate size is 125 GB, according to the game’s listings on the Xbox Store and Steam. The actual installed size and download file may be smaller than this, but it is bound to increase as patches and updates are released post-launch. Starfield is a huge game, promising a vast number of worlds to explore, so naturally, it requires more storage space than any previous Bethesda games.

How many hours will Starfield take to beat?

Bethesda

Starfield’s length is expected to be about 35-40 hours for the main story. This estimate is based on an interview given by Starfield game director Todd Howard. “This one’s ending up a little bit longer, and we may tune that some still”, he told IGN. Some of Bethesda’s previous games to which Howard is probably comparing Starfield include Skyrim and Fallout 76, and the main stories of those two take around 30-35 hours to complete.

What platforms is Starfield on?

Bethesda

Starfield is launching for PC and Xbox Series X|S only. A PS5 version was reportedly in the works but got scrapped at some point, and no ports for other platforms have been officially announced or rumored to be in development.

Is Starfield PC only?

No, Starfield will release on Windows PC via the Microsoft Store, Steam and other retailers, but it will also be available on Microsoft’s current-gen Xbox Series X|S consoles.

Will Starfield be on PS5?

Starfield won’t be available on PS5 or any other PlayStation console, as it is an Xbox and PC exclusive game. Starfield was reportedly in development for PlayStation consoles at some point, but following Microsoft’s acquisition of developer Bethesda in 2021, the game’s PS version was scrapped.

More recently, Bethesda head of publishing Pete Hines explained that focusing only on Xbox and PC was a significant benefit for the team and that it wouldn’t have been possible to release Starfield this September if the game was also coming to PlayStation 5.

Is Starfield an Xbox exclusive?

No, while on console Starfield is exclusive to Microsoft’s Xbox current-gen consoles, it will also be available on Windows PCs, both via the Microsoft Store and Steam, and from other retailers. Starfield is, however, not available on the Epic Games Store.

What are the PC system requirements for Starfield?

Bethesda

Despite having a vast open world and promising tons of content with great visual fidelity, Starfield’s minimum system requirements don’t seem particularly demanding and most mid-range PC configurations purchased in the last five years should be able to run it at a playable frame rate at least on minimum settings. 

AMD was recently revealed as Starfield's exclusive partner on PC. This does not mean you won't be able to play on Intel/Nvidia PC configs, but it does mean that the game was optimized with AMD tech in mind, so it won't support Nvidia's DLSS AI-driven graphics enhancement technology, believed by many to be superior to AMD's FSR.

Here are the Starfield minimum and recommended specs for PC, as they appear in the game’s listing on Steam:

Starfield minimum specs

• OS: Windows 10 version 22H2 (10.0.19045)
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 2600X, Intel Core i7 6800K
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 5700, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Ti
• DirectX: Version 12
• Network: Broadband internet connection
• Storage: 125 GB available space
• Additional notes: SSD required

Starfield recommended specs

• OS: Windows 10/11 with updates
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X, Intel i5 10600K
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080
• DirectX: Version 12
• Network: Broadband internet connection
• Storage: 125 GB available space
• Additional notes: SSD required

Do you need an SSD for Starfield?

Yes, both the minimum and recommended systems specs for PC list running Starfield from an SSD as a requirement. Given that the game features a vast open world with hundreds of planets to visit, it is no surprise that it will need to load assets often and at high speed.

Is Starfield open-world?

Bethesda

Yes, Starfield will be an open-world game and is expected to feature Bethesda’s biggest open world to date.

How many planets are in Starfield?

There will be more than 1,000 different planets available to explore in Starfield at launch, as developer Bethesda has promised an entire “simulated galaxy” available for players to traverse. Starfield’s galaxy will be a mix of hand-crafted worlds and procedurally generated locales. According to game director Todd Howard, “about 10% of those planets will have life on them.”

Will Starfield be bigger than Skyrim?

We don’t know exactly how big Starfield’s open world will be in terms of total area, but given Bethesda's promise of a thousand planets to land on, it is safe to assume that Starfield will be much bigger than Skyrim.

When it comes to file size, at 125 GB, Starfield will be five to ten times bigger than Skyrim, which is about 23 GB on Xbox consoles and 12 GB on PC for the Special Edition.

Will Starfield have mod support?

Just like Skyrim and other Bethesda titles that have grown huge modding communities, Starfield will have mod support, as it is built on the latest iteration of Bethesda’s Creation Engine, previous versions of which have been used to develop Skyrim and Fallout 76, and which features full support for mods.

Will Starfield be multiplayer?

No, Starfield will be a strictly single-player game at launch, with no multiplayer mode or co-op. Bethesda has not commented on any plans to introduce multiplayer or co-op options post-release. Although these are unlikely to come to the game in the near future, the developers are known for having multiplayer games in their other signature series, with releases such as Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout 76.

Is Starfield 30 fps?

Bethesda

On both Xbox Series S and even the more powerful Xbox Series X console, Starfield’s performance will be locked at 30 fps, in a 1440p and 4K resolution, respectively. Starfield director Todd Howard explained the decision with the team’s goal to prioritize visual fidelity while keeping performance consistent. Xbox head Phil Spencer reiterated that the decision is a “creative choice” aimed at keeping the experience consistent while providing the most polished visuals possible.

On PC, the game will be able to run at 4K 60fps, that is, of course, if your PC config meets the recommended system requirements. Theoretically, it should be possible to run Starfield at higher fps, as long as you have a really powerful machine, as there is no reason to believe that the game will be capped at any specific frame rate on PC.

Will Starfield have vehicles?

Bethesda

Starfield won’t feature any driveable land vehicles at launch, and there won’t be mountable creatures. The player-character will have a Boost Pack, which allows for high jumps to avoid obstacles. However, a big part of the game will be the spaceships you’ll use to travel across the game’s galaxy. We already saw a demo of space flight, space combat, docking and boarding other ships, as well as landing during the June 2023 Starfield Showcase.

Is Starfield like No Man’s Sky?

Bethesda

On the surface, Starfield might look similar to No Man’s Sky as both have a sci-fi space setting, an explorable universe of procedurally generated planets, but that's where the similarities end, as Starfield seems much more ambitious in scope and focused on story and RPG elements.

Unlike No Man’s Sky, where each planet is procedurally generated, Starfield will offer a mix of hand-crafted worlds with procedurally generated elements.

Starfield’s focus on story rather than just exploration means that, unlike No Man Sky, the game will offer more cutscenes, dialogue options that affect the story, and an overall emphasis on player choices and interactions with other characters. As an RPG, Starfield will feature more ship customization as well as weapon customization options, and greater focus on combat, both in space and on the planets’ surface.

Starfield is also expected to have a more realistic and cinematic feel to it, from what we’ve seen in trailers and showcases, with planets featuring fully-fleshed sprawling cities, built by different factions and cultures and each having a unique style.