It’s finally here – this is the week that Starfield will become available for the millions of gamers worldwide that have purchased a copy of the game that boasts early access. From August 31st (in the United States), Starfield will go live, and by the end of September 1st, the rest of the world will be on board, soaring through space and exploring every planet that sits before them.
Then, on September 6th, the game will release globally for standard version owners and for those playing through Xbox Game Pass.
Now, it’s time to sum up everything we’ve covered so far, handing you the keys to our treasure trove of Starfield content in one handy guide.
Related: When Is Starfield Releasing For You?
The Facts About Starfield’s Boundaries
Most recently, Starfield has been in the news because of the revelation that you cannot explore a plent from end to end in a seamless fashion. However, we’ve been busy clarifying how it does work by connecting with those already playing the game and breaking it down.
In Starfield, every planet has a series of ‘landing sites’, which will typically be key points of interest, but that doesn’t mean they’re the only spots you can land in. Truthfully, you can pick anywhere to land, and where you settle down will become a ‘region’, or a ’tile’, which you can explore – but it has boundaries.
When you reach those boundaries, you’re prompted to return to your ship or to simply travel into a new ‘region’ or ’tile’. It’s expected that, using procedural generation, there could be hundreds of ’tiles’ that are stitched together to make up a single planet – you just can’t explore them all seamlessly.
So, that’s one of the biggest points of contension all cleared up.
Related: Check Out Starfield’s Stunning Constellation Edition
The Facts About Starfield in General
Starfield is massive, we know that – here are a few things that we’ve learned about the game in recent months.
- There are more than 1000 planets that can be explored, and around 10% of those planets bear some form of life – the majority of them will be barren. But, from early access players, there are still points of interest scattered all around.
- Customisation is off the charts, with character customisation, skill charts and perk trees, ship building, base building, and weapon crafting being more immersive and expansive than in any Bethesda title ever made.
- According to Bethesda’s executives, it can take around 140 hours simply to ‘get into’ Starfield, and it’s apparently the best campaign they’ve ever put together.
- Starfield features ‘New Game+’, and it’s apparently so unique that it will ‘incentivise’ playing the game over and over again.
- It’s almost a life simulator, and there are features in Starfield that’ll see you take on tasks like paying a mortgage and helping out your parents in their retirement.
- There are companions that level up alongside you and can be romanced at will.
- There’s already a 300-year block of lore that has been outlined by Bethesda Game Studios.
- It’s locked to 30 FPS on consoles, but reportedly, it still looks and runs brilliantly.
- As is typical of a Bethesda RPG, Starfield has a wide array of diverse cities, factions, collectibles, side quests, and relationships to maintain.
- Starfield is going to be moddable like never before.
- It’s the first ‘new universe’ created by Bethesda Game Studios in more than 25 years.
There’s so much known about this game, but it feels like we’re only just scratching the surface, which is something alluded to by Bethesda’s Pete Hines and Todd Howard, and Microsoft’s Phil Spencer.
Other Questions About Starfield
We understand that you might have some burning questions about Starfield, and we’ve summed a few of them up in a series of enhanced articles designed to settle your mind.
- Does Starfield feature a voiced protagonist?
- Can you play Starfield as a pacifist?
- How many companions are in Starfield?
- Is Starfield like Skyrim or Fallout?
- What are the best games like Starfield?
- How much storage does Starfield take up?
- Is Starfield an open-world game?
- Will Starfield ever be on PS5?
Let us know in the comments how excited you are about Starfield, otherwise known as the Game of the Century.
For more Insider Gaming news, check out our coverage of the claim that Starfield is Bethesda’s ‘least buggiest’ game ever
