Starfield: Everything to know about Bethesda’s next epic RPG

Star field, Todd Howard and Bethesda Game Studios’ latest and next major open-world role-playing game finally launches this fall after two delays. The highly anticipated sci-fi epic got a deep dive close-up with a special on June 11 Star field Direct presentation following the Xbox Games Showcase, where even more details about the game were shared with fans.

It’s a big game, with a big cosmos to explore, and a big fan base trying to serve it. Many players wonder what exactly they can do Star fieldwhether it can really serve the immersive space travel experience of their dreams, or whether it’s a more rigid story with clear lines around the storylines.

We will try to answer all those questions and more. Here’s everything we know Star field.

When is Starfield coming out?

Back in March, Star fieldThe Bethesda Softworks release date was announced on September 6, marking the second delay for Bethesda Softworks’ epic sci-fi RPG. It was originally expected in November 2022.

“We’ve thrown ourselves into this game and even I’m amazed at how much we can pour,” game director Todd Howard said during the announcement in March. “It is big.”

What platforms will Starfield launch on?

Star field is only available on Windows PC and Xbox Series X. It is the third game to be published exclusively for Xbox and PC since Microsoft acquired Bethesda parent company Zenimax Media in 2021. The others were May’s redfall And Hi-Fi hurry in January.

Will Starfield be available on Xbox Game Pass?

Yes, it will be available for Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass on day one – somewhat out of necessity. Delays to Star field and other major projects have left the subscription service in a kind of first-party desert for more than a year.

Xbox head Phil Spencer admitted in October that “it’s been too long since we released a major first-party game.”

The point of Game Pass is as a vehicle for major games from the studios Microsoft controls; it will become even more urgent when the game ends this drought, redfallfaceplanted at launch.

How many hours is Starfield?

In an August 2022 interview with IGNsaid Howard the main quest line of Star field takes about 30 to 40 hours.

While this sounds like standard fare for an AAA video game, keep in mind that it’s a Bethesda role-playing game that’s sure to include dozens more hours of side quests, faction quests, and open-ended activities in space and on planet surfaces .

Remember that thousands of players keep wasting time The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrima game published 12 years ago that you can expect Star field be at least as long, and probably much longer.

What kind of gameplay will Starfield have?

Not alone Star field an action role-playing game, in the form of Fallout 4 And Skyrim, there is also an important space flight and space combat component in it. Among some details revealed for 45 minutes Star field Directly on June 11, players saw:

• a robust character/avatar creation stage, which includes a choice of three character backgrounds, which give the player three starting skills, plus a special ability that provides a gameplay advantage or a narrative twist. One of those features that caught people’s attention is the Star field “worshiping fan”, (actually Hero Worshiped’s trait), which appears to be a callback to The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. (The child shown even looks like Forgetfulness‘s adoring fan, right down to the blonde fauxhawk.) The return of the adoring fan within Star field means that the player character is constantly harassed by an admirer who has been following their exploits. This can be annoying, but the fan can be hired for the character’s crew, for example. The fan will also occasionally randomly give them gifts.
• a ship customization suite which allows players to build their ships as they see fit, place features such as the cockpit and cargo bay where they want, customize the landing gear and weapons, and more. This customization supports the player’s preferred style, from a small, fast space fighter to a large smuggling freighter. A crew can also be hired for this ship, whether they are from Constellation (the spacefaring organization the player joins to begin the game) or from spaceports the player visits.

• Yes, that means space piracy is available as an indefinite pursuit. In the demonstration of ship fighting, players saw that looting the contents of a destroyed ship was easy by pressing a button as they flew by. Players can also dock and board the ship to personally deal with any surviving crew members. Taking control of a ship means it can be added to the player’s fleet, modified, or sold for scrap like any other.

Will Starfield have romantic options with NPCs?

Yes. Follows multiple romantic quest lines in both Skyrim And Fallout 4Bethesda Game Studios seems well aware that fans expect this as part of an in-depth role-playing experience.

Will Starfield support modding?

Yes. In a November 2021 Reddit AMAsaid Howard, “Our plan [is to] have full mod support like our previous games. Our modding community has been with us for 20 years. We love what they do and hope more people make a career out of it.”

In the August 2022 interview with IGNsaid Howard, “We really think this game is going to be a dream for our modding community because there’s so much they can do.”

Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks

What are the Starfield system specs?

Star field is listed as a 125 GB download in the Microsoft Store (it is also available at Steam).

On Xbox Series X, Howard has confirmed that the game is locked at 30 frames per second, partly because of the game’s size and scope, he said, but mostly to ensure consistent performance whether the player is in a space battle or exploring the surface of a planet .

Star field runs at 4K resolution on Xbox Series X and 1440p on Xbox Series S.

As for the PC, the recommended system specs according to Microsoft are:

• Operating system: Windows 10 version 18362.0 or higher
• Architecture: x64
• Graphics card: AMD RX 6800 XT, Nvidia RTX 2080
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 3600x, Intel Core i5-10600K
• DirectX: DirectX 12 API, hardware feature level 12
• Memory: 16GB
• Keyboard: integrated keyboard
• Mouse: integrated mouse
• Controller: Xbox controller or gamepad

According to Star fieldPC system specs as listed on Steam requires an SSD. Polygon has reached out to Bethesda to verify that requirement and will update when the company responds.

Will Starfield have any DLC or expansions?

During Sunday’s Starfield Direct, Todd Howard mentioned that Star field will have at least one story expansion, Shattered space. There’s no word on how long after that Star field‘s launch that will arrive.

Will there be special editions of Starfield?

Yes, there are two: a Premium Edition for $99.99 and a whopper of a Constellation Edition for $299.99 that comes with a bona fide smartwatch that resembles the HUD device the player wears in-game . Both entitle the buyer to the Shattered space extension.

Those playing on PC or Xbox Game Pass can access the Premium Edition digital content for $34.99. While this sounds vague for a game you don’t own, it’s a first-party title, and those have a very long life span on Game Pass. But for what you get, it’s basically pre-ordering the post-launch premium DLC.

Is there early access for Starfield?

The Premium and Constellation editions offer five days early access Star field (with pre-order implied). Game Pass players also get early access if they purchase the $34.99 Premium upgrade. Early access for Star field starts on September 1.

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For a longer look at Star fieldhere’s Bethesda’s 45 minute gameplay that dives deep into the game from Starfield Direct.