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Starfield

If you have the time to spare, Starfield is a worthy investment into another gaming universe that delivers a truly immersive experience
Starfield Game Cover
70%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
optimization, stability
56% User Score Based on 115,259 reviews
Critic Score 89%Based on 81 reviews

Platforms

Xbox Series X|SPCXbox Game PassCloudXbox Cloud GamingXboxWindows
Starfield Game Cover

About

Starfield is a single player open world role playing game. It was developed by Bethesda Game Studios and was released on September 5, 2023. It received positive reviews from critics and neutral reviews from players.

"Starfield is an upcoming role-playing game set in a new universe created by the developers of Skyrim and Fallout 4. In the year 2330, players will embark on a journey to explore and uncover humanity's greatest mystery with unparalleled freedom. The premium edition includes early access, an expansion, and exclusive in-game skins and items."

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56%
Audience ScoreBased on 115,259 reviews
story12.4k positive mentions
optimization2.7k negative mentions

  • The graphics are stunning, with a captivating 'nasa-punk' aesthetic and detailed worlds that enhance the atmosphere.
  • The faction quests are engaging and well-written, offering depth and interesting storylines that stand out.
  • The New Game+ feature adds replayability, allowing players to explore different character builds and choices.
  • The game suffers from significant performance issues, including long loading screens, stuttering, and graphical glitches.
  • The main storyline is often described as repetitive and uninspired, primarily consisting of fetch quests with little variance.
  • The monetization strategies, including microtransactions and paid mods, have been criticized as a cash grab that detracts from the overall experience.
  • story
    59,767 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in "Starfield" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it lackluster and repetitive. While the main quest is often described as a series of uninspired fetch quests, some players appreciate the depth and engagement of faction storylines, particularly those involving the UC Vanguard and Crimson Fleet. Overall, the game offers a vast universe with numerous side quests, but many feel that the narrative fails to deliver the compelling storytelling and character development expected from a Bethesda title.

    • “The planets are gorgeous and varied, the outposts are intricate with thoughtful details, the cities feel lived-in and bustling in their own way, the faction quests weave beautiful and engaging tales, and the characters are all incredibly interesting, each with their own backstories and motivations that draw you in.”
    • “The faction quests are all phenomenal - the Freestar Collective's frontier vibe, the United Colonies' political intrigue, and the Crimson Fleet's adventures stand out as highlights.”
    • “The main story is quite boring as well.”
    • “The main story features little variance, and outside of a single choice at the end of the story, the only place where a choice actually felt significant was during the Crimson Fleet faction questline.”
    • “The main story is a series of fetch quests with some combat mixed in.”
  • gameplay
    16,212 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of Starfield has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its familiar mechanics reminiscent of previous Bethesda titles like Fallout and Skyrim, but with significant drawbacks. Critics highlight issues such as excessive loading screens, repetitive gameplay loops, and a lack of depth in exploration and quest design, leading to a sense of monotony. While some players appreciate the shipbuilding and combat mechanics, the overall experience is often described as uninspired and lacking the innovation promised during its marketing campaign.

    • “The gameplay is spot on as well.”
    • “The game has that same addictive gameplay loop of classic Bethesda games like Skyrim and Fallout 4.”
    • “The gameplay and game mechanics work as intended and are pretty cool.”
    • “Skip the space flight and just fast travel across the galaxy (which removes an entire mechanic of the game that was/is heavily emphasized) instead of going through 3 loading screens and 2 unskippable cutscenes.”
    • “The gameplay loop is to fast travel (from your ship) to different planets, go to them and do something and fast travel again.”
    • “The gameplay is boring, just feels like fallout 4 but somehow worse.”
  • graphics
    9,984 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in "Starfield" have received mixed reviews, with many players praising the stunning visuals and the "nasa-punk" aesthetic that enhances the game's atmosphere. However, there are significant criticisms regarding performance issues, including frequent loading screens and graphical glitches, which detract from the overall experience. While some players find the graphics to be a step up from previous Bethesda titles, others argue that they fall short of modern standards, especially when compared to other recent AAA games.

    • “The graphics are stunning, the worlds are incredibly detailed, and the storyline is captivating from the very beginning.”
    • “The visuals are stunning, with each planet its own sky that matches the solar system it's in.”
    • “Starfield's graphics and game play are excellent.”
    • “Really not very good, not much fighting in the first few hours, laggy, bad graphics, bad gameplay, just super low effort ngl.”
    • “The graphics look to be at least a decade old and Bethesda seems to be completely oblivious to the fact that Cyberpunk 2077 even exists, let alone was released several years before this absolute graphical dumpster fire.”
    • “The graphics are absolutely bullshit from a AAA game released for 70 euro in 2023.”
  • optimization
    7,876 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization of "Starfield" has received overwhelmingly negative feedback from players, with many citing severe performance issues, including stuttering, frame rate drops, and long loading times, even on high-end systems. While some users report improvements following patches and the introduction of DLSS, the game is still considered poorly optimized overall, particularly for NVIDIA graphics cards. Many players recommend waiting for further updates or relying on mods to enhance performance, as the game's current state is seen as unacceptable for a AAA title.

    • “I find the creation engine to be beautiful visually, and it plays amazingly well in terms of performance.”
    • “Performance: it runs great on my end.”
    • “It's surprisingly well optimized running at 4k on a 4070ti. I had 90-120 fps with no stutter and loading times were crazy fast, so hats off to them for that.”
    • “Terribly optimized; can't run it with an i7 and 4070.”
    • “The game is poorly optimized, and it's missing quality functions (like survival mode, ship fuel requirements, or realistic O2 consumption) that were planned from the get-go and then scrapped rather than just making them optional.”
    • “The performance is absolutely unacceptable.”
  • stability
    5,330 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The stability of "Starfield" has been a significant point of contention among players, with many noting the presence of numerous bugs and glitches typical of Bethesda games. While some users report that it is the least buggy release from the studio to date, others have experienced frequent crashes, freezes, and game-breaking issues that hinder progress. Overall, the game is described as a "buggy mess," with many players expressing frustration over its performance and stability, suggesting that it may require further patches and updates to reach a more polished state.

    • “Starfield is probably the most bug-free Bethesda game.”
    • “The game runs great on my RTX 3080 and ultrawide monitor and is reasonably bug-free; a few little quirks here and there but nothing game-breaking.”
    • “Overall, definitely the game I wanted and remarkably bug-free at launch.”
    • “All the Bethesda jank is still present with the positively ancient game engine they stubbornly continue to use, tons of bugs and glitches that won't ever be officially fixed, and awful balancing with the skills and weapons.”
    • “The game is a buggy mess, constant glitches and a 'meh' story.”
    • “Despite being a buggy mess as with most Bethesda launches, it is still fun and worth playing as with all Bethesda games.”
  • grinding
    3,156 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of "Starfield" has received overwhelmingly negative feedback from players, who describe it as tedious, repetitive, and often unfulfilling. Many reviews highlight the excessive reliance on fetch quests, monotonous resource gathering, and a convoluted skill progression system that requires significant grinding to unlock basic gameplay features. Players express frustration with the game's numerous loading screens and the lack of engaging content, leading to a gameplay experience that feels more like a chore than an adventure. Overall, while some players appreciate the depth and potential for exploration, the consensus is that the grinding mechanics detract significantly from the enjoyment of the game.

    • “Lore is pretty nice, pretty fun, not too grindy unless you want it to be.”
    • “Most of the missions are pretty cool, I like the baseline story and the side quests are not tedious.”
    • “There's no grinding unless you seek the grind.”
    • “The missions that delivered the story were repetitive and tedious, which, in comparison to new titans of the RPG genre such as Cyberpunk 2077 or Baldur's Gate 3, lacked excitement and more importantly the 'holy shit' or 'what the fuck' factors.”
    • “My biggest gripe that finally made me pack it in was the constant bombardment of tediously dragged out, boring fetch quests and long annoying NPC dialogue.”
    • “The game feels tiny in scope, and so many systems feel extremely dated or tedious.”
  • music
    2,040 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in "Starfield" has received mixed reviews from players, with many praising its orchestral score and atmospheric qualities that enhance the game's exploration experience. However, some players find the soundtrack repetitive and reminiscent of previous Bethesda titles like "Fallout 4," leading to a sense of disappointment regarding its originality. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the game's ambiance, it lacks the memorable impact of soundtracks from earlier Bethesda games, leaving some players wishing for more variety and innovation.

    • “The music and visuals in space are honestly breathtaking at times.”
    • “The soundtrack, composed by Inon Zur, is a masterful blend of orchestral and electronic elements that perfectly captures the game’s epic scope.”
    • “The music is fantastic though; Inon Zur will always produce fire.”
    • “The music is disappointing (by a very large margin) compared to what has come before.”
    • “The soundtrack is another disappointment.”
    • “The music in this game is forgettable, you have your explore music, your town music that will change depending on what town you're in (there is like only 4) and the combat music.”
  • atmosphere
    1,615 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere in "Starfield" is a mixed bag, with many players praising its immersive environments, stunning visuals, and atmospheric soundtrack that enhance the sense of exploration. However, the lack of atmospheric flight and the reliance on loading screens for transitions between space and planets detracts from the overall experience, leading to feelings of disconnection and repetitiveness. While the game captures the essence of space exploration, it falls short in delivering the seamless, dynamic interactions that players have come to expect from modern space games.

    • “The atmosphere of this game is unbeatable, as well as the OST.”
    • “The atmosphere is genuinely impressive, with strong visuals and many beautiful, memorable locations, each with its own unique atmosphere and style.”
    • “The atmosphere, the exploration, and the story kept me hooked for hours.”
    • “The gameplay loop for me not intermixing bugs was pretty much - obtain quest, load screen to main town or city, load screen to ship, load screen to fly to atmosphere, load screen to warp to new planet, load screen to step off ship, load screen to enter any building in new town/city.”
    • “The strange nature sounds on lush planets, the muffled sounds on planets with low atmospheres, the strange and almost uncanny silence on a moon orbiting a massive gas giant.”
    • “The atmosphere and the theme of the game is what no man's sky and elite dangerous really lack in terms of 'realism', although i really enjoy no man's sky it just doesn't capture me like starfield does.”
  • humor
    1,542 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in "Starfield" is a mixed bag, with players noting a blend of classic Bethesda charm and frustratingly bland writing. While some find joy in the game's quirky bugs and amusing NPC interactions, many lament the absence of the dark humor and memorable characters typical of previous Bethesda titles like "Fallout" and "Skyrim." Overall, the humor can be hit or miss, with some moments eliciting genuine laughter while others fall flat, leaving players divided on the game's comedic effectiveness.

    • “The iconic adoring fan is easily one of my favorites—he’s chaotic, lovable, and hilarious!”
    • “There are even funny moments that catch you off guard like shooting a spacer's pack and watching as it takes off like a rocket.”
    • “The writing is just hilariously bad, even by Bethesda's standards that I consider to have a charm to them.”
    • “All NPCs are inexplicably hostile to the player in a way that is supposed to be funny (I think) but end up just being grating.”
    • “Bethesda built it for 12 year olds; there is no substance to it and everything is beyond corny, like not funny corny, like childish corny.”
    • “Let me be blunt: shattered space is a joke and an unfunny one at that.”
  • emotional
    999 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of "Starfield" has garnered mixed reviews, with many players expressing disappointment over the lack of depth and connection in the storyline and characters. While some quests and companion arcs have been noted for their emotional impact, the overall narrative is often described as boring and uninspired, failing to evoke the same feelings of attachment and investment found in previous Bethesda titles. Players frequently mention a sense of emotional detachment due to flat character interactions and repetitive gameplay, leading to a general sentiment that the game lacks the emotional resonance expected from a Bethesda RPG.

    • “Despite all of the negative comments, I do feel like a space explorer. I was hooked by the story and the missions; a few of them really made me feel things.”
    • “The main storyline is compelling, but side quests often steal the show with their creativity and emotional impact.”
    • “The writing is top-notch, and I found myself emotionally invested in the fate of the Starfield universe.”
    • “Boring characters, boring quests, boring story, no feeling of discovery while exploring.”
    • “It's just a boring story set in a boring world and no amount of mods from the community will be able to fix that.”
    • “The enjoyable combat and well-executed aesthetic are overshadowed by a boring story and forgettable characters, that, even if they were better written, would still only exist in a barren world devoid of unique experiences connected by unintuitive menus.”
  • replayability
    915 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The replayability of "Starfield" has garnered mixed reviews from players. While some praise the introduction of a New Game+ feature that allows for varied playthroughs and character builds, many others criticize the game for its repetitive quests and lack of meaningful choices, which diminish long-term replay value. Overall, while there is potential for replayability through different character paths and mod support, many players feel it does not reach the heights of previous Bethesda titles like "Skyrim" or "Fallout."

    • “New game+ is a first for a Bethesda RPG, and it adds a compelling source of replayability, allowing players to keep their skills while also being able to solve problems in different ways.”
    • “The way the new game+ concept is implemented in this game has to be the best in any game ever, period - it's insane how it ties into the narrative and encourages replayability.”
    • “With multiple endings and countless side quests to experience, the replay value is off the charts.”
    • “Overall, the game has moments of potential, but they are overshadowed by repetition, lack of meaningful progression, and design decisions that undermine long-term replay value.”
    • “It's pretty and shallow; it was fun for a time, but has next to no replay value. Once you've done one playthrough, you've pretty much seen everything the game has to offer.”
    • “The story is bland and unreplayable, except for the part of the main story involving the science outpost with the dimension shifting.”
  • monetization
    589 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization aspect of the game has drawn significant criticism, with many players labeling it a blatant cash grab due to the introduction of microtransactions and paid mods shortly after launch. Reviewers express frustration over the high costs associated with in-game purchases, which they feel detract from the overall experience and quality of the game. Overall, the sentiment is that the monetization strategies employed by the developers prioritize profit over player satisfaction, leading to disappointment among fans of the franchise.

    • “The problem also is games aren't cheap to make anymore, so big devs are almost locked into having to do this shady monetization to keep their giant overhead. Larian is the only dev I can think of that seems to realize you make the game good and the money will follow.”
    • “With that, the current monetization with Starfield mods is insane and inconsistent without so much as a way for players to review the mods and potentially save another player money, time, and frustration.”
    • “I would change this rating to a recommend, but the new creators club mod monetization is predatory and I can't recommend that.”
    • “I'm also curious about those updates that were promised last year... from what I can tell, all we got was another cash grab attempt with more creation store features - what a joke.”
    • “This is clearly a cash grab void of artistic writing or effort in general and is a testament to a studio at the end of their road.”
    • “The real downside is the cash grab microtransactions factions like the trackers alliance having their missions behind paywalls in the creation club, them pushing mods to the creation club for insane costs.”
  • character development
    358 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in "Starfield" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting a lack of depth and meaningful interactions compared to previous Bethesda titles. While some appreciate the variety of skills and customization options, others criticize the superficiality of NPC relationships and the overall narrative, describing it as bland and uninspired. Overall, the game struggles to create emotionally engaging characters, leading to a sense of disconnection from the story and companions.

    • “Bethesda's signature depth in character development shines through, allowing players to form meaningful relationships with NPCs and make choices that impact the storyline.”
    • “This depth of character development adds replayability and a sense of personal investment.”
    • “The character development, the graphics, the storyline, the cut scenes, everything is just beautiful.”
    • “Companions are useful in combat and while exploring planets, but feel incredibly lackluster in character development; there are literally no activities unique to them outside of scripted dialogue backstories and relationship satisfaction metrics that affect dialogue with the player character.”
    • “The character development is so stale; your choices don't really matter at all except for one in the main quest that barely impacts the game.”
    • “A lackluster narrative coupled with uninspiring character development leaves players wanting more, and not in a good way.”
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60h Median play time
120h Average play time
20-141h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 2,119 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Starfield is a open world role playing game.

Starfield is available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, Windows, Xbox Game Pass and others.

On average players spend around 120 hours playing Starfield.

Starfield was released on September 5, 2023.

Starfield was developed by Bethesda Game Studios.

Starfield has received positive reviews from players and positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its optimization.

Starfield is a single player game.

Similar games include The Outer Worlds 2, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Mass Effect Andromeda, The Outer Worlds, Fallout 4 and others.