At last the interminable wait for Starfield is drawing to a close. After years of hype and anticipation Bethesda Softworks’ monumental spacefaring action-roleplaying game is about to land in players hands.
As the first new IP from Bethesda in nearly 30 years, does Starfield live up to our hopes and expectations? Find out what critics have to say in the first wave of reviews for the game.
IGN’s Starfield review (7/10)
There are a lot of forces working against it, and the combination of disjointed space travel, nonexistent maps, aggravating inventory management, and a slow rollout of essential abilities very nearly did it in…Like Skryim and Fallout 4 before it, there’s still an immense amount of quality roleplaying quests and interesting NPCs out there, waiting to be stumbled across, and the pull to seek it out is strong.
Game Informer’s Starfield review (8.5/10)
It took me a long time to fall in love with Starfield, and even after I did, certain aspects didn’t work for me. But the things I didn’t enjoy are vastly outweighed by my enthusiasm for this new, original science fiction universe, the breadth of its adventures, and the appeal of its many interwoven stories. Go in with the expectation that it will take some time to find your footing in such a vast gameplay space, and there’s a universe well worth discovering here.
PC Mag’s Starfield review (3.5/5)
Starfield would likely feel fresher if it launched a few years ago, but in a season packed to the brim with excellent single-player games that reward player creativity like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Baldur’s Gate 3, it comes off as somewhat dated and linear. If you go into the game expecting an evolution in Bethesda’s game design, you’ll likely be disappointed. But if you keep your expectations in check, you’ll find an enjoyable space RPG that’s more “Fallout 4 in Space” than 2001: A Space Odyssey, with plenty of content to sink your teeth into.
Destructoid’s Starfield reveiw (10/10)
Starfield is a truly incredible experience that will be special for everyone. Explore the piece of the galaxy Bethesda has created how you want to, and create your own stories. It’s where Starfield really excels.
I wasn’t sure if it could be done, but Bethesda has managed to raise the bar for sandbox games even higher. In the end, Starfield is an epic sandbox open-world RPG with a beautifully immersive universe, a captivating story, and fun and compelling gameplay the whole way. I’m so happy to have experienced Starfield organically, and I really hope you get to as well.
Videogameschronicle Starfield review (5 out of 5 stars)
Says “Starfield is the ultimate Bethesda game.”
The result is what’s easily Bethesda’s most accomplished title. While nothing Starfield does is truly revolutionary to the genre, what it does do it does so well, and at such a jaw-dropping scale, that after we’d started playing we thought about it every morning, every night, and then it even invaded our dreams…
…Starfield is undoubtedly an experience that players will stick with for years to come. It’s content-rich in a way that’s rare in modern gaming, and exactly the experience that people who’ve been hoovering up different versions of Skyrim for years have wanted. It doesn’t truly reinvent the wheel with its mechanics, but almost everything it does, it does so well, that it’s a truly engrossing experience.
Screen Rant’s Starfield review (4.5 out of 5 stars)
Starfield is perhaps the most ambitious game from Bethesda, and is almost certainly the game every Skyrim and Fallout fan has been waiting for. It introduces new concepts, mechanics, and addicting sandbox elements expected from an epic science fiction RPG at the cutting edge of innovation.
Even though Starfield is slightly rough around the edges, it never detracts from all the fun and adventure. With engaging storytelling, charismatic characters, and an enthralling world, Starfield is an instant classic and a triumphant homecoming to blockbuster gaming for Bethesda Game Studios.
So what’s the overall initial verdict on Starfield?
Currently Starfield has a Metacritic score of 87 for Xbox Series X|S and 88 for the PC version. On OpenCritic the Top Critic Average score is 88 with 94% recommending.
So all in all, the reception for Starfield is overwhelming positive for the game. Although it is not quite a total 10/10 blowout as some might have been hoping for. Will Starfield prove to be one of those generation-defining video games? It’s too early to say at this point. But it’s safe to say that a good many of us will be playing it for months and years to come.
