Starfield is a 2023 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. In the game, the player character joins a group of space explorers who must venture 50 light-years around the Sol System to acquire mysterious artifacts. The game features an open world in the form of a volume within the Milky Way galaxy, containing both fictional and non-fictional planetary systems.
Starfield takes place in a space-themed setting, and is the first new intellectual property developed by Bethesda in 25 years. It was described by its director, Todd Howard, as "Skyrim in space". Like Bethesda's previous games, it was powered by the Creation Engine, though it was heavily modified to accommodate the game's procedural generation system. Active development of the game started following the release of Fallout 4 in 2015.
Announced in 2018, Starfield was delayed several times. The game was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox Series X/S on September 6, 2023. A PlayStation 5 version was released on April 7, 2026. It received generally positive reviews from critics, with particular praise for its open world, setting, and soundtrack, though its story and exploration were divisive.
Gameplay
Starfield is an action role-playing video game. The player can switch between a first-person and third-person perspective at any time. The game features an open world in the form of a volume within the Milky Way galaxy, containing both fictional and non-fictional planetary systems. The player is able to land on more than 1,000 planets and an unspecified number of moons and space stations. The majority of the landscapes within the game were procedurally generated, depending on the star of its system and its atmosphere, as well as locations of interest as the player approaches a planet, with modified and handcrafted content developed around them. The largest city in the game, New Atlantis, is the largest fictional city Bethesda has developed. As the player explores the game world, they encounter various non-playable characters (NPCs), some of whom have the option to join the player's crew. Such NPCs may aid the player in combat, carry items, speak to other NPCs on the player's behalf during confrontations, and comment on choices the player makes. The player may station crew members at any of their constructed outposts. Each companion character has their own unique skills and abilities. Some recruitable NPCs can be romanced by the player.
At the start of the game, the player can customize their character, a silent protagonist. This includes choosing their body type, appearance, facial features, background, and traits. Choosing the background of the player character unlocks three starting skills. As the player progresses, they will unlock additional traits which can aid or hinder them. For instance, the Introvert trait grants the player more endurance when travelling alone, but reduces their endurance when travelling with a companion. Traits are removable through quests or certain actions. As the player progresses, they gain experience and level up, allowing them to unlock abilities found in five distinct skill trees: Physical, Social, Combat, Science, and Tech. Each skill can be ranked up by completing related challenges.
A variety of firearms, explosives, and melee weapons can be used to defeat enemies. Most weapons are customizable via attachments. Equipping a telescopic sight enhances a weapon's accuracy while equipping a suppressor can engender a stealth-oriented playing style. Various items can aid the player in combat by restoring health or applying status effects. The player is additionally able to equip various jetpacks (called "boost packs"), which aid the player in both combat and traversing impassable or challenging environments. When landed on a celestial body, the gravitational force acting upon the player varies depending upon the body's mass and can affect combat, jump or boost height, as well as fall damage received. Certain items looted from structures or enemies are considered contraband and getting caught while smuggling them to other planets can get the player fined, jailed or attacked, such as a time-slowing drug Aurora, which is only legal in the city of Neon.
Prior to landing, the player can scan planets and asteroids to view their natural resources, such as iron or lithium. These must be extracted or harvested to fulfill many crafting recipes. Outposts can be erected by the player, which can serve as homes or facilitate resource-extraction operations. The player can install laboratories in their outposts to research craftable items and upgrades, which are sorted into five categories: Pharmacology, Food & Drink, Outpost Development, Equipment, and Weaponry. Workbenches are also used to craft specific items. Outposts can be constructed in either first-person perspective or isometric perspective.
The player can construct, purchase, or commandeer spaceships. At various spaceports located on planets or space stations, the player can buy and sell parts and spaceships, or have their own repaired. The game features a modular ship customization system, allowing the player to modify their ships' central components, facilities, rooms, paint color, decorations, and weapons. Larger spaceships may possess greater storage capacity and living space, but a lower maximum speed and shorter maximum Jump Range. Weapons must be equipped to defend the player's spaceship during ship combat. Ships feature a "power allocation" system, whereby the player must prioritize which systems receive levels of power at any given time. During combat, the player can opt to allocate power to weapons systems rather than their ship's "Grav Drive." Both hostile and peaceful NPC-piloted spaceships can be boarded. The player can plunder, commandeer and destroy ships, as well as speak to, trade with, and kill their occupants.
Synopsis Setting Starfield takes place in the Settled Systems, a region of space extending outwards from the Sol System for approximately 50 light-years. Through the 21st and early 22nd centuries, exploration and colonization of the Solar System occurs at a gradual pace until the invention of the "Grav Drive" in the 2150s, which makes faster-than-light travel possible. Soon afterwards, Earth's magnetosphere begins to destabilize, gradually rendering the planet uninhabitable. Humanity is forced into a mass exodus from Earth to settle other star systems, starting with Alpha Centauri in 2156. The United Colonies is formed as the self-declared successor to the governments of Earth in 2159, based in the city of New Atlantis on Alpha Centauri's planet Jemison.
In 2189, the Freestar Collective breaks away from the United Colonies, intending to allow more autonomy and self-governance among its loose confederation of colonies. This new faction's capital is established in Akila City, on the planet Akila in the Cheyenne system. The two governments' opposing efforts for control of the Settled Systems eventually result in the Colony War from 2308 until a tense truce is declared in 2311. Other factions include: House Va'ruun, a reclusive and militaristic cult; the Ryujin Corporation, a near-omnipresent megacorporation that frequently utilizes corporate espionage; the Crimson Fleet, a tightly organized band of space pirates and smugglers; and Ecliptic, a shadowy order of technologically-advanced mercenaries.See 27 minutes and 7 seconds.
The visual aesthetic of the Starfield universe, inspired by real-world technology such as that used by NASA, was dubbed "NASApunk" by director Todd Howard.
Plot In the year 2330, the United Colonies and Freestar Collective enjoy an uneasy peace. The player assumes the role of a space miner working for the company Argos Extractors, who has been commissioned by the enigmatic Constellation—a famed group of galactic explorers—to locate an Artifact with strange gravitational effects buried underground. After extracting the Artifact, the player character experiences a vision propelling them through time and space. They awake to learn that their client is en route to collect the Artifact. Shortly after meeting the client and defending the mining operation from a Crimson Fleet attack, the player travels to New Atlantis, the capital of the United Colonies, to deliver the Artifact to Constellation's Lodge. From there, the player joins Constellation in their quest to locate more of the Artifacts, believing them to be one of the greatest mysteries left for humanity to uncover.
Over the course of their journey, the player has the opportunity to join various factions throughout the Settled Systems, including among others the UC Vanguard, a volunteer force dedicated to protecting United Colonies space, and the Freestar Rangers, who defend the people of the Freestar Collective above all else.
After meeting the remaining members of Constellation and collecting several more Artifacts, the player is directed to investigate an anomaly that corresponds with the presence of an Artifact, but is significantly stronger. There, they uncover an ancient temple and activate it, which gives the player the ability to use supernatural powers. The player then joins Constellation's benefactor and fellow member Walter Stroud in his efforts to obtain an Artifact from the pleasure city of Neon. After retrieving the Artifact, they are accosted by an unknown and unrecognizable entity calling itself "Starborn". The Starborn demands the Artifact, but Constellation are able to escape.
Constellation's mission to collect the Artifacts continues, spurred on by the competition they now face from the Starborn. In an effort to increase their scanning range to locate more Artifacts, the player is directed to help fix The Eye, Constellation's satellite in orbit. During this mission, the player receives word that Constellation's Lodge is under attack from a Starborn. The player can choose between defending The Eye or the Lodge. Depending on which location the player defends, one of Constellation's members dies in the attacks. Constellation surviving members escape with the Artifacts, much to the surprise of the attacking Starborn, "The Hunter", who allows the player to leave, promising that they will meet again.
Following a series of clues, Constellation track down the Hunter, who is meeting with another Starborn, called the Emissary, about the player's escape. Under a flag of truce, the player boards the Starborn ship and learns that the Starborn are not aliens, but humans from a parallel universe. The Emissary is a parallel version of the Constellation member who died in the Hunter's attack. The Emissary and the Hunter reveal that whoever is able to assemble all the Artifacts within a given universe will be able to reach "the Unity", the center of that universe and a gateway to further parallel universes. The Starborn have been competing for the Artifacts across countless parallel universes.
Excited at the possibility of exploring parallel universes, the members of Constellation become determined to retrieve the remaining Artifacts before the Starborn. The player travels to the ruins of Cape Canaveral, on Earth, to retrieve an Artifact. There, they learn about the Artifacts' role in the creation of the original Grav Drive, and how its development led to the destruction of Earth's magnetosphere. Shortly thereafter, the player is given a choice between aiding the Hunter, aiding the Emissary, or refusing to assist either of them.