Starfield: Release date, platforms, gameplay & more

Starfield is the highly-anticipated sci-fi adventure game from Bethesda, but when can we get our hands on it? Here’s everything we know about its release date, whether it has multiplayer, along with gameplay details.

Bethesda hasn’t launched a new IP in 25 years, with existing franchises like The Elder Scrolls, Doom, and Fallout dominating their releases. All that is set to change though, with space RPG Starfield set to blast players into the cosmos.

Described as “Skyrim in space” by studio head Todd Howard, Starfield immediately captured the attention of gamers when first announced at E3 2018, and is comfortably one of the biggest games coming in 2023.

June 2022’s Xbox Games Showcase gave us a look at gameplay for the first time, and unsurprisingly, fans are more eager than ever to get their hands on the title. Here’s everything we know about Starfield, including news on when it will release, platforms, multiplayer, and more.

• Release date
• Platforms
• Xbox Game Pass
• Starfield gameplay
• Is Starfield open world?
• Starfield multiplayer
• Character creation

Starfield release date

Starfield is currently scheduled to release on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. The hotly-anticipated RPG was originally slated for early 2023, but the devs announced in March it has been pushed until later on in the year.

Bethesda had originally intended to drop Starfield on November 11, 2022, but announced in May 2022 that they had taken the difficult decision to delay it until 2023.

In a statement, which also broke the news that Redfall was also delayed, Bethesda stated that the teams had “incredible ambitions for their games,” and wanted to ensure that players “receive the best, most polished versions.”

Will Starfield be available on PS5?

Unfortunately for owners of the Sony console, Starfield won’t be available on PlayStation 5.

Starfield will be exclusively available on Xbox Series X|S and PC. This shouldn’t come as too much of a shock, considering that Microsoft bought Bethesda in 2021.

Will Starfield be on Xbox Games Pass?

Good news! Starfield will be available on Xbox Game Pass, which means if you already subscribe to the service, you won’t have to pay full price to enjoy the game.

Even better, Starfield will be available on Game Pass from day one, which means you’ll be able to play it on release day.

Starfield Gameplay

We finally got our first look at Starfield in June 2022, with 15 minutes of gameplay shown at the 2022 Xbox and Bethesda Showcase.

While introducing the video, Todd Howard briefly discussed the 1000 planets that players will be able to explore, before allowing the gameplay to do the talking for itself.

In the reveal, we’re taken to Kreet, a moon of the planet Anselon. There, players encounter wild creatures on their way to a research center, where they fight off pirates who are looting the place. We’re then taken to New Atlantis before embarking on some space travel and combat.

Is Starfield open world?

Yes, Starfield is an open-world game, allowing players to investigate and discover over 1000 planets in 100 different solar systems.

Accompanied by your helpful robot companion Vasco, you’ll meet friends and foes, encounter creatures from different planets, and fly across the galaxy in the hunt for adventure.

“For me, Starfield is the Han Solo simulator,” said Managing Director Ashley Cheng. “Get in a ship, explore the galaxy, do fun stuff.”

Is Starfield multiplayer?

As confirmed by Todd Brighton in 2020, Starfield will not have a multiplayer mode. You will travel across the universe alone, with no help from your friends.

Starfield character creation

According to Howard, Starfield has the “most flexible” character creation tool the studio has ever released, allowing players to customize every element to create the perfect character.

A preview, shown in the gameplay reveal above, reveals tools to alter body shape, facial structure, skin tone, and even walking cadence. Players can also use genetics facilities dotted around the galaxy to upgrade or change their look.

Backgrounds and Traits

Each character also comes with a background. These not only give your creation a backstory but also come with three starting skills to help you on your journey. In the video, we see 16 backgrounds, along with some of the skills that come with them.

Background	Starting Skills
Beast Hunter	N/A
Bouncer	N/A
Bounty Hunter	N/A
Chef	– Gastronomy: Craft speciality food and drinks, and research additional recipes at a Research Lab– Dueling: Melee weapons do 10% more damage– Wellness: Immediately gain 30 points of health
Combat Medic	– Pistol Certification: Pistols do 10% more damage– Medicine: Med Packs heal 10% more– Weight Lifting: Increase total carrying capacity by 10 kilograms
Cyber Runner	– Pistol Certification: Pistols do 10% more damage– Security: You can attempt to hack Advanced locks, and 2 auto attempts can be banked– Persuasion: Gain an increased chance of success on speech challenges
Cyberneticist	– Medicine: Med Packs heal 10% more– Robotics: You deal 10% more damage to Robots and Turrets– Lasers: Laser weapons do 10% more damage
Diplomat	– Persuasion: Gain an increased chance of success on speech challenges– Diplomacy: You can force a target NPC at or below your level to stop fighting for a while– Bargaining: Buy items for 5% less and sell for 10% more
Explorer	N/A
Gangster	N/A
Homesteader	N/A
Industrialist	N/A
Long Hauler	N/A
Pilgrim	N/A
Professor	N/A
Ronin	N/A

Players will also be able to select three traits, that come with unique advantages and disadvantages.

Skills

If you’ve played a Bethesda game before, you’re well accustomed to skill trees. Unsurprisingly, they feature in Starfield too, with Skills unlocked by leveling up and spending Skill Points.

To rank up a skill though, you’ll need to complete a set of challenges, making it more challenging, but ultimately more rewarding, to upgrade your character.

---

That’s everything we know about Starfield so far, but we expect even more information to drop over the next few months as we build to that 2023 release date. For more on the biggest upcoming games, check out these other guides:

Counter-Striker 2 | Grand Theft Auto 6 | Star Wars Jedi: Survivor | CoD: 2023 | Diablo 4 | Resident Evil 4 | Dead Island 2

Image Credits: Bethesda