Starfield Gameplay on Day 1: This is What You’re Getting!

Starfield is, at long last, a thing. It's been out and about for just under a week at the time of writing this article, and members of the press and Premium Edition owners have been romping about from September 1 onwards. With everyone else ready to join in on September 6, it's time to summarize and explain everything we know about the game. Because, as it turns out, it's way bigger than most of us anticipated it would be!

For those who need a more technical overview with all the release times and whatnot, you'll want to check out our Starfield pre-order guide. From exact release times to discounted PC purchase links, we've got everything covered for your consideration. This is, after all, the space game that many of us have been waiting for all along!

You'll also want to check out the official system requirements, while you're at it. Starfield is extremely hardware-intensive and CPU-heavy, meaning you want to ensure your rig is up-to-par before splurging on the game. With that all out of the way, it's time to talk gameplay shop: has Bethesda Game Studios done it again?

READ MORE: What do Fallout 4's Mods Tell Us About Starfield?

Starfield's Critical Acclaim

Before moving on to more concrete gameplay discussions, we must review the reviews, so to say. As the game's been out for a few days now, technically, the simple truth is that we do know what Bethesda's delivered this time. And this whole shindig begins with the reviews:

• MetaCritic - 88/100
• OpenCritic - 93% recommended

These are our sources; the good news is that Starfield slaps. With over 100 reviews already out, the critical acclaim has agreed on the fact that Bethesda has delivered upon most - if not all - of its promises, and that this is indeed a new mainline Bethsoft banger. Stellar stuff, we'd say!

Pre-purchase Starfield today to play on September 6!

What is Starfield Gameplay Like?

As Todd Howard himself suggested back in the day, Starfield's core gameplay loop - the combat, the progression, the interaction - will be part and parcel with any other Bethesda game. This is, in more ways than one, Skyrim in Space—or, rather, Oblivion in space, now that we think about it.

Naturally, Starfield does deliver key upgrades in virtually every way. Combat feels chunker and more satisfying than Fallout 4, for example, and the questlines are more engaging and interesting every step of the way! Worlds are more reactive, too, from being able to blow up holes in ice walls to using your laser cutter to carve new pathways out. The sort of stuff you'd see coming, really: Bethesda did need to puff out its chest for Todd Howard's magnum opus, after all.

The key differences come in unexpected areas, then.

Travel and exploration are the biggest differences here: your ship is your home base. Fully custom and modular, it acts as the all-in-one space travel platform from what is, in effect, a literally infinite content generation system. While many hand-made locations are available, Starfield also lets you pick a spot on a planet - any planet - and plop your ship down there to explore.

This is the logical evolution of the prior Bethsoft RPGs' Radiant Quest system: infinite content in infinite directions. Should you choose to engage with all of that, of course, because you don't really have to. If you're in it for a more hand-made and deliberate space opera gameplay, Starfield lets you stick with that!

Should you play Starfield via the Xbox Game Pass?

If what we've outlined above doesn't immediately gel with you, that's fine! One of the best things about Starfield's release is that it's available day and date on the Xbox Game Pass, too. For those who'd like to give the game a fair shake before spending big bucks, the Game Pass is the way to go.

A Classic Bethesda Game Studios Offering, Then?

In more ways than not - yes! Bethesda RPGs are a known quantity, and we've discussed their impact on the wider gaming industry more than once. From Elder Scrolls games to Fallout proper, these are the sandbox RPGs we play to get lost in the worlds they set up for us. And, of course, to mod them into oblivion.

That, too, is coming to Starfield. The game's already got a surprisingly large roster of mods available for day-one installation, and you can expect a comprehensive guide to those right here at 2Game!

What makes Starfield different from other Bethesda games is its exploration, however. We mentioned just how important your spaceship is before, but it's also important to keep in mind you won't really ever be too far away from it. When you land on a planet, for example, the game will generate a Skyrim-sized map around you. Then, if you want to explore more of this same planet, you'll need to hop on over to your ship and land elsewhere.

This means you can't really just walk your way through the whole universe and organically encounter every single quest under the sun. You could do that in Skyrim and Fallout 4, yes, but not here. Instead, you'll fly all over the galaxy! Expect a different exploratory pace, then, is the key takeaway.

Bethesda's Massive Space RPG Hits All The Marks

What's really curious about Starfield is that the more time you spend playing it, the more interesting it gets. The game absolutely overwhelms you with options, features, and content early on, and our recommendation is to ignore most of it for a little while. Focus on the main quest, and let the game open up to you as you go.

Weapon and ship customization, faction missions, outpost building, contraband smuggling... it takes a good long while until everything truly clicks into place. Really, many players do themselves a disservice by trying to take it all on at once, as they would in a regular Elder Scrolls game. Starfield is simply too big and too open for this approach to work out.

Be whoever you want to be!

And that brings us to our next key Starfield gameplay feature: this is one of the few Bethesda Game Studios RPGs that truly lets you roleplay your character however you see fit. You're not a parent looking for their lost child. You're not a destined savior closing off gates to Oblivion. You're not the literal Dragonborn.

Instead, you're just someone who found themselves at the right place at the right time, and whether you want to join Constellation or not - that's entirely up to you. Oh, and yes - there's a New Game+ mode included, and it makes perfect sense in the context of the main narrative. Before that, though, the vast expanse of the galaxy is ready for you to rampage across it however you see fit!

Bethesda's Done It Again

It doesn't take much to figure out that 2Game's editorial team is, indeed, quite thrilled with Starfield. To call it immense would be doing the game a disservice, and we're now absolutely positive that it will be a serious GOTY contender, even with all the awesome games we've been getting over 2023.

More importantly, though, Starfield is the next big thing for modders. We're calling it now: modders will grab Starfield and run with it, and mods will be coming out for this game for years - if not decades - to come. Having played it for over two dozen hours already, these are just some of the things we're positive about when it comes to Starfield. Over the coming days and weeks and months, we'll be sharing more Starfield content with you than ever before. And even then, that's only just the start of it. Stay tuned!

Pre-purchase Starfield today to play on September 6!

CHECK OUT: 15 Big Features You Missed in the Starfield Demo