Starfield: Release date, trailers, platforms & everything we know

Starfield marks the biggest Xbox Series X exclusive yet. Here’s what all the fuss is about.

If you’re one of the gamers that’s spent any time playing an Elder Scrolls or Fallout game, you’re likely plenty excited for Starfield.

Bethesda Game Studio’s first new IP in over twenty-five years, Starfield has been referred to as “Skyrim in space” by Game Director Todd Howard, and appears poised to consume all of our time when it lands in 2023.

After a few delays, though, the marketing cycle has been a little less smooth than Microsoft likely hoped when it purchased Bethesda, and as a result, you may be wondering what all the fuss is about.

Here’s everything you need to know about Starfield.

Is there a Starfield release date?

Bethesda/Microsoft

Yes, despite being delayed twice, we now know Starfield will be released on September 6, 2023.

Originally, Starfield was set to release on November 11, 2022 but was pushed back to 2023 along with Redfall.

Then, all the knowledge fans were given is that it will be coming in the first half of 2023 until March 8, 2023, when it was announced that the game would be delayed yet again, only this time a full release date was revealed.

Will Starfield be on PlayStation or Xbox Game Pass?

If you’re on Sony’s console, we have bad news — Starfield is launching as an Xbox Series S|X exclusive on console, and coming to PC. It seems a fair assumption that Elder Scrolls 6 will follow suit, but we don’t know for sure.

As a first-party title, it’ll come to Xbox Game Pass and Game Pass for PC on day one, too.

In a Bloomberg interview in 2020, Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, said that the company would honor the contracts already in place for games like Deathloop and GhostWire Tokyo. Moving forward, though, Bethesda’s new releases would be exclusive to Xbox hardware and systems that support Xbox Game Pass.

in an interview with The Telegraph, Todd Howard discussed the decision to make Starfield an Xbox and PC exclusive. 

“You don’t ever want to leave people out, right? But at the end of the day, your ability to focus and say, this is the game I want to make, these are the platforms I want to make it on, and being able to really lean in on those is going to make for a better product.”

What is Starfield?

Bethesda/Microsoft

Starfield is a new RPG that takes players to the Settled Systems, a series of planets and space stations 50 light years from our own galaxy.

While we don’t have much to go on story-wise, players can expect first or third-person combat and exploration across a thousand planets — yes, that’s right, a thousand — spread throughout a hundred systems.

Players begin working for Constellation, a series of explorers dealing with the fallout (get it?) of a huge, universe-spanning war.

Bethesda/Microsoft

In true Bethesda Game Studios fashion, though, the narrative setup is very much a jumping-off point for letting players explore the galaxy at their own pace.

There are branching paths, multiple dialogue options, and even the chance to build your own spaceship in your image.

As you’d expect from the team behind Skyrim (or as we like to call it, the “sneaky archer simulator”), character builds will play a huge part in Starfield, too — with players able to select skills, set a series of traits when starting their adventure, and research new upgrades as they progress.

There are factions, too:

• United Colonies – a futuristic Space Republic (think NCR in Fallout New Vegas)
• Freestar Collective – a space western fantasy, people out on the frontier trying to survive (think Minutemen from Fallout 4)
• Ryujin Industries – which represents corporate life in space. Described as the “best start” for the player, but they’ll need to “apply for [their] job.”
• Crimson Fleet – Pirates and the game’s main villainous faction. The player can side with the pirates and spy on them. This lets them play for the bad faction while still remaining a good guy. Or the player can join the pirates fully.
• The Red Mile – We don’t know much about them, but they got teased in the latest Xbox showcase as an organization beyond the reach of civilized space.

Character Creation

With Starfield, Bethesda has said they’ve given players more options than ever before. You start off by picking from around 40 preset characters and then alter them from there. All the usual Bethesda facial tech is there, with nose, chin and facial hair all being fully customizable. You can also choose backgrounds and traits.

Backgrounds: These come with a collection of three basic skills and help start flesh out who your character is and where they’ve come from. They can come in handy in random situations, depending on if your backstory fits the brief.

Traits: These are completely optional skills that give you certain advantages and disadvantages. You can choose up to three, and they vary from selecting a certain religion to having an “adoring fan” who will follow you around and find items for you

Gameplay

Skills

There are five different skill trees for you to put experience into, and each one will change the way you interact with the game. for example, the Xenosociology skill will allow you to mind-control aliens, while Boost Pack gives you extra mobility. Skills allow for a variety of different areas for you to invest in, including stealth, combat, and of course, speech. The skill trees are: Physical, Social, Combat, Science, and Tech.

Building

You can also construct your own outposts, which allows you to harvest resources, rest your companions, and. There’s a dedicated base building mode that gives you more clarity when planning, and you can also place objects and buildings manually. You can even add crafting and resource stations that automatically harvest items when you’re away.

Ship Customisation

Every space port will allow you to buy and sell ships, as well as add modifications to them. Each individual part of the ship, such as weapons and shields, can be upgraded and adjusted on it’s own. You’re also able to change the overall shape, look, and paint job.

Changing ships also changes what they look like on the inside, and allow you to add additional features like rest areas for NPCs. Your companions can also bring new skills to the table, and you can carry crewmembers onboard to change how your ship operates.

Combat

The Starfield team has overhauled animations and the “feel” of combat, and has included the largest system of weapon mods in any Bethesda game. Using boost packs is a significant part of gameplay, and Zero-G areas add a new mechanic to fighting because bullets will propel you backwards. Energy weapons allow you to fight from more stable positions. We also saw some mysterious gravity powers being used in the latest trailer, which could hint at a more supernatural side to the game.

Starfield preorder deals

As Starfield rockets towards its September release date, many players are now looking for the best preorder deals. There are three different editions of Starfield available for preorder, each with its own unique bonuses.

Starfield Constellation Edition preorder

The Constellation Edition of Starfield comes with a whole host of bonuses including the following:

• Base game
• Starfield Chronomark watch and case
• Constellation patch
• Starfield steelbook display case
• Shattered Space Story Expansion (upon release) 
• Up to 5 days early access
• Constellation Skin Pack: Equinox Laser Rifle, Spacesuit, Helmet and Boost Pack 
• Old Mars Skin Pack
• Access to Starfield Digital Artbook & Original Soundtrack 
• Credit Stick with Laser-Etched Game Code

This ultimate edition will set you back $299.99 and is available to preorder at the following stores:

Starfield Premium Edition Upgrade preorder

The Starfield Premium Edition offers players plenty of bonus content for an extra $34.99.

• Base game is sold separately
• Shattered Space Story Expansion (upon release) 
• Up to 5 days early access
• Constellation Skin Pack: Equinox Laser Rifle, Spacesuit, Helmet and Boost Pack 
• Old Mars Skin Pack
• Access to Starfield Digital Artbook & Original Soundtrack 

Starfield Standard Edition preorder

For those that are looking for just the base game, the standard edition is the one for you, costing $69.99. If you preorder the base game, you’ll also gain access to the Old Mars Skin Pack.

Trailers

Check out a chunky 15-minute slice of gameplay below, narrated by Todd Howard. The video showcases exploration, combat, and even the size of the game’s universe.

Believe it or not, the game was revealed back in 2018 with a short teaser which you can see below.

The 2023 Xbox Games Showcase also featured a story trailer for Starfield ahead of the game’s dedicated direct.

Is Starfield multiplayer?

If the idea of exploring a huge galaxy with friends appeals, we’re sorry to say that Starfield is single-player only.

Thankfully, No Man’s Sky and Elite Dangerous both offer multiplayer spacefaring adventures, so all is not lost.

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So, there you have it. That’s everything we know about Starfield so far. For more on the biggest upcoming titles, be sure to check out the following:

GTA 6 | Assassin’s Creed Infinity | Wolverine | Spider-Man 2 | Forspoken | KOTR Remake | Wonder Woman | FFXVI | Avatar Frontiers of Pandora | Dragon Age 4