Early Access Players, What Are Your First Impressions Of Starfield?

I thought the 30fps would be aggravating on the Series S but it's so buttery smooth that I don't even notice.

Smooth on Series X. I am going to try the PC later. but it's ok so far. Nothing to write home about.

Played around 4 hours now and it runs smooth. No bugs or glitches seen yet and from what ive played I got positive vibes. Reallh enjoying it.

@Garamari That is what I heard from several sources. I am glad to hear that as a series s owner. It makes you think if Starfield can do it, then other games should be able to as well.

Very much not happy with the HDR situation and the writing seems a bit meh. But it looks good otherwise and it's Bethesda so I'm getting sucked in. The gunplay and ship combat seem fun.

I’m sure I’ll get ripped apart for expressing my opinion but so far I’m underwhelmed (7 hrs).

The Good:

• Plays smooth and looks pretty good
• Faction storyline for UC Vanguard has been good
• Main story seems interesting
• Shooting is serviceable

The Bad:

• No mini-map
• So much fast traveling and loading screens
• Ammo constantly running out
• Inventory management is terrible

I think the scope of the game ultimately hurts it. A more focused experience would be better for me.

@FatalBubbles Lol, yeah, it's insane that Todd and friends are just sticking with the same inventory UI for 20+ years

Absolutely loving it so far. Only gripe is the lack of a mini-map. Otherwise, the sense of scale and awe is like no other game I’ve played to date. Combat is better than I expected (especially space combat). The writing is solid. And the game plays smooth and very polished.

I'm abiut 3 hours in and really enjoying it so far. I am playing on the Series X now but I must say I am super impressed with the performance of the Series S after trying it on that. it's a great case point that with enough time, money and talent games can run great on Series S.

It is buttery smooth on the X. I am about 4 hours in and love it so far. There is definitely a learning curve though which can be frustrating until you figure it out.

What's a Bethesda game if it's not a tad bit divisive. Each to their own. Don't forget to take a breather. I think it's best to approach it at a slower pace. That's how I have come to love these BGS games. Happy hunting space cowboys. And couple of hours in on my fuming PC I can say it's going to destroy my social life if I had any.

I'm struggling to enjoy it so far. About 8 hours in and you can tell a lot of love went into the game but it seems like everything they tried to do has been done better somewhere else. Performance is fine though the graphics drop off a cliff when you're where you shouldn't. I'll hold further judgment and explanation for later.

It's kino, Todd did it again.

@Darylb88 think how great it could have been on the X ,if that shoebox didn't hold it back ,loading times for one couldve been improved.

It's interesting and intriguing. First impressions after just a couple hours is: 'I'm probly gonna be playing this for years...'

@RedShirtRod “ it seems like everything they tried to do has been done better somewhere else”

Yeah… At this point in gaming, there nothing you can really come up with that innovative that hasn’t already been done in another game, and probably better. Being able to build and fly your own ship, space engineers. Space exploration, space combat, mining… etc; No Man Sky/Elite Dangerous/Star Citizen/CoD: Infinite Warfare.

What this game really does is it taking all of those aspects and add them on top of an engaging universe that BGS can only make.

@FatalBubbles agree with all of this. I can't really done the UC story line though.

I played for 2-3 hrs last night. I wish I could stop picking up junk...

@FatalBubbles is the loading screens, constant map for planet travel immersion breaking?

I’ve seen a few people mention it

About 4 hours in now.
No real complaints to be had.
Yes there is room for some improvements
That have been mentioned on here and hopefully some will get patched.
Running smooth on series X, VRR and 120hz mode enabled on console and tv.
Film grain and motion blur off in game settings.
A better 30fps than I thought it would be.

Just got to first major city and started exploring a bit before heading to main quest objective. For those worried about the mini map have you been using your scanner? It helps me find things and areas around along with a cool lit path to next objective of active quest.

Bethesda games do not have minimaps so I wasn’t expecting one here but the scanner is a huge help!

Oops…forgot. Loving it so far but will not play more till Sunday. Helping daughter move into her first Apartment in Philly and we are driving up from North Carolina! I am already jonesing!

@PsBoxSwitchOwner I guess it sort of is? I just find it annoying that I have to go to menu, press down, chart course to objective, land in new system, repeat process to land on planet, load when going in some doors.

30fps is 30fps, sadly it's not possible for it to be 'buttery smooth' unless the laws of physics have changed or your eyes don't work properly.

@FatalBubbles yeah I find accessing the various maps a pain in the arse

I'm digging it so far. Only just landed on New Atlantis after around 5 and a half hours. I like exploring.

Character models and lip sync are very decent but the menus and text are super bland.

I'm really enjoying it wish there was a mini-map though and less loading screens there's a lot of them.

I only played for 2 hours last night, but from what I've seen so far, I think I'll be playing this for a while (I'm not usually a fan of the fictional space genre).

As others have mentioned, the lack of a mini map kind of stinks...but then I read @Aniscape 's comment about the scanner, so now I'm thinking the lack of a mini map isn't all that bad.

Until Bethesda changes their game design structure we will have many loading screens. Skyrim has tons, going into anything, cities, houses, caves all load screens even big cities are broken up. Not saying it should stay this way. Hopefully they can do better with ESVI

@FatalBubbles
You seem to have the most hours put in.
I accidentally let a grenade off in new Atlantis when I landed.
Now I’m stuck in death loop anywhere in new Atlantis getting shot by security.
I’ve tried everything, my last save for some reason is at the character creation, so that is wrong.
Any ideas please?
Surely a game of this stature shouldn’t leave me in this death loop with out an easy way out.

@Xboxer999 If the guards are after you and you don't have the option to pay a fine or go to jail, then something has gone wrong, I think.

@SplooshDmg
The new Atlantis guards just keep shooting me now matter what I try.
Leave the planet etc. I just die and come back to life in the same spot and get killed again.
I know you can remove bounties at some point somewhere, but this is a little insane, especially as I accidentally let the grenade off.

@Xboxer999 Have you tried to holster your weapon? In prior Bethesda games if you would put your weapon away, they would usually stop attacking and go for the arrest instead.

I am about 5 hours in and just started exploring space. My initial impressions were poor. I found the tutorials to be a little clunky. But once I got to the first major city it all started clicking for me.

Once I left the city I was cruising about space and spotted something happening outside a planet which lead me to a massive battle with rival pirates on a space station and now I am absolutely hooked!
Typical Bethesda! It is moments like that which give me something unexpected that I love.

That said a mini map would help!

@SplooshDmg
Can’t try it now as I went to character creation and started again.
But will remember for next time thank you.
Will be interesting if that works as I’m sure I was weapons free at times.

@FatalBubbles I have it ranked higher than you but I agree very surprised about the loading screens and some of them are kinda long.

Really loving it though its very early on still, just done a big side mission chain on Mars what was great. Have issues though like the terrible UI, awkward space combat and too much loading. I can't see this beating TotK as my GOTY but i can see it easily making my top 5.

I was going to play it very slow & complete stuff bit by bit, but changed my mind, after getting to the "London mark" & collecting all 5 resources + SG (not to spoil it). After getting the last one, I got booted out of the game and the game restarted back at the beginning of the mission (no auto save after getting the SG). Not going to 100% this mission (at least not today or any time soon). That was just too much time wasted. So save as much as possible!

Edit: and beware, you can easily get stuck there with your character too!

"Starfield is not a competitor to, or bigger version of, No Mans Sky or Star Citizen. It's more like a much bigger version of Outer Worlds"

Pretty perfect review sound bite from what I've seen (and luckily what I wanted)

Put in four hours focusing on the main story. I absolutely love it. Game has such a chill vibe and the combat sections, shootouts and spaceship are fine. I see complains about no minimap, inventory and loading screens but that hasnt crossed my mind/bugged me once. Too early to consider it a classic in my book but so far so good!

I first played it on my series x, but switched to my pc after trying at 1080p/120fps. Frame rate bounces around a bit but never below 70. It just feels and looks crisper on pc. I was not expecting to play this on my pc, but I cannot go back to xbox x now.

Really great work. Love the questing so far. Visuals are great love the seamless transitions from first person to over the shoulder to third person. Not a lot of negatives. Has some wonkiness and quirky design choices.

@somnambulance
There is an accessibility option to increase text size.

I spent hours exploring everything at Argos Mine and Kreet to gather resources. The scale is insane, especially when reaching New Atlantis, exploring the space port and jumping over the metro train into the water and walking far from the city. All the systems have clicked for me including the space combat. It was the first game that looked a little washed out with HDR on my TV, but I enabled dynamic contrast and it looks a lot more detailed now.

@CaptainCluck HDR is broken I believe. You shouldn’t have to adjust your tv.

Interesting reading some of the impressions here, both good and bad. Can’t wait to jump in myself and see what I think.

Only put in 2h, but WOW was that starting BAD! Shockingly poor intro explanations of the game mechanics/menus. Trying to figure out how to change weapon via D-pad and fly to the first planet was an awful experience. Where were my grenades from the pirates? There's no mini-map showing where loot is!? Maybe it will get better....?

@Misterp180

Yeah, Shockingly BAD intro explanations of game mechanisms!

No Mini-map!?, it's essential to finding loot/way

@Fenbops

HDR is not broken. The creation engine just doesn’t support HDR. No game made in the creation engine supports HDR.

@SAHgamer

Mini maps are not essential. Stop looking at smal UI maps all the time. Start looking at the gameworld. You get use to it, and you will see so much more of the game.

I've played for about 2 hours (and going away for a week tomorrow so that's all I'll get it for a bit). I'm not used to these sorts of games so finding the learning curve a bit steep, and struggling to know what to do a bit. But I'm optimistic that it'll click and I'll really like it.

Niche comment but has anyone else with the Constellation Edition figured out/remembered how to get the watch back in the case. I excitedly pulled it out and didn't really look how it was in there, and I'm struggling to get it back.

@Ocat My TV switches to HDR when I launch the game. Is that the Xbox doing auto-HDR? The auto contrast toggle really made it look detailed for me.

well... I played all the Bethesda games so, I LIKE Bethesda's games.
Here.. well...I don't know. Sounds like a mist of Fallout and Skyrim, but in the "stars". Nothing new, i'm afraid. I'll continue this game but it's not a "wow" game for me, right now.

@tallythwack They have the same SSD, pretty much the same speed as the PS5. The RAM is the main issue on the Series S.

Played through enough of game to go exploring, so far having fun. I suggest going to Europa just to see the view when you land, it’s gorgeous.

I haven't played it yet, but the loading screens is what every reviewer is saying

For me, it's one 1 mini map & an inventory overhaul short of perfect. Love it.

This definitely isn't a great game I know that it's good but nothing special hopefully hellblade 2 or avowed is xbox top game it isn't this thats for sure

performance wise on pc you can see its still not fully optmized. it has a lot of frame drops, but im sure this will be patched.

otherwise I am having fun. Has way more pros than cons. Its great as a space RPG

I think it is absolutely great and I'm loving it.

My favourite things are the fluidity of movement and responsive controls. I also love the space combat - the movement is very intuitive.

Not loving some of the colour palettes, but that is prob just me.

Plan to restart completely now and start my first proper run. The character I made at 1am yesterday isn't right. Mind you, the whole character creation wasn't top of my mind then, and there were so many choices - I just wanted to get going!

If I put 2k hours into Skyrim, I think this will EASILY beat that.

Thinking back to playing Elite on the BBC electron in the '90s, I could never have imagined this type of game would be around in my lifetime. Sometimes I think we gamers don't appreciate how far games development has come in a very short period of time.

Right, here we go again. Time to rock 'n roll.

Good luck out there, early access folks

Everyone is saying it’s “buttery smooth” but to me I still see the 30fps judder and it hurts my head. Really wish it was 60fps.

That said, I’m really enjoying the game.

The feel of the game, the universe, the music, the characters. It’s all great. I will be lost in this universe for many weeks/months to come.

@Darylb88 that depends, third party yes ,pretty much the same ,but first party,series x cant compete with those speeds.

Been playing some more ,and the lip sync doesn't get enough credit ,its very good, best ive seen for a long time ,shame minor npcs look like melted barbie dolls.

@Isca ah an elite mention ,played it originally on the spectrum or maybe it was the amiga cant remember,im a big fan of elite dangerous and while starfield isn't as complex ,it has that same sense of wonder, I spent an hour on the moon, because you know its the moon and I'm never gonna go there,I seem to have seen a lot of reviews stating the flying was off,I dont personally think so ,but I can manually dock a cobra with my eyes closed 😁

@Dan1283 hmm I wouldn't hold your breath for those two

@NeutronBomb use the scanner dont need a mini map

@aj102404 what system,this game really needs a system search

Started playing yesterday on my shiny new Series X I bought just to be able to play this game. This is everything I love about Bethesda RPGs, and I realy like the art style and space theme. Just wish I could pause real life for a few weeks...

Absolutely loving it so far but the city maps are awful and need QoL update.

Really impressed by the scale, and the attention to detail, so far. About five hours of play, yesterday. Exactly the same sense of wonder I got from playing Frontier (Elite II) on the Amiga, years ago.

Just got to Constellation.

Then I went a little too far from safety, and got slaughtered. So now that I understand how it all works, gonna start from scratch. I haven’t missed much, so I can play without having to learn again.

I agree that better map way- pointing might be a good idea. Got lost wandering around New Atlantis. Sounds like I’m not the only one.

It's a Bethesda game, in space. It's got some nice QOL iterations over previous Bethesda games, but it's still very much what you'd expect. Which is good, because that's pretty much exactly what I was looking forward to.

What a awesome game, love it so far

About 5 hours in and loving it so far, it's basically Fallout in space which is pretty much what I wanted and expected. I'm playing on PC and getting good performance, though it needs some optimisations on Nvidia but im maintaining north of 60fps at 1440p. I'm looking forward to my days off to dive further into it

Only played a few hours last night. NGL, I’m a little bit underwhelmed by it so far, BUT it’s very early days. I spent far too long on my character’s background (skills) and traits 😂 gunplay is very average, but have heard it gets better. Constantly running out of ammo is annoying. Haven’t visited any cities yet, or indeed my “dream home” (trait) wherever that is 😂 must remember to check in on Mum & Dad too (“kids stuff” trait) when I find out where they live 😂 planning on putting in quite a few hours over this weekend.

@Garamari Wait?!? No!!! My eyes Wil melt and my head will explode! My immortal, angelic eyes are only a available to decipher 60 fps and above. I'll never play starfield ever now. Bummer!

@Moonglow Horribly disagree. You can't get a Yugo or Chevette to run or perform or sound like a Ferrari or Lamborghini. End of story.

Loving it so far. A few hours in and I’ve been exploring all of New Atlantis, completing activities and meeting people. So far, to me, this is like Fallout and Mass Effect had a baby and I’m soaking in all the lore.

@Nightcrawler71 I got the kids trait as well but haven’t sought out my parents yet. Interested to see how that works!

The game is massive and runs great, really digging the lore and different environments. The combat is the best yet in a Bethesda game. Jet packing around on the moon was fun until I got ambushed... LOL.

Reading thru the comments I’m glad I skipped it. Was going to wait to get baldurs gate on Xbox thinking I’d be playing starfield but it’ll be day 1 for ps5 for me

I have 460 friends 78 online and only two play starfield … hope that’s not a sign to tell the fate of the game because Everytime I checked out that my friends activity usually shows what games stay alive for the most part

@Aniscape exactly, after 20hours of gaming, you realise that minimap would be useless the way they think that game. Even gun fight is some kind of fallout way, it is not call of duty, you need to plan you attackand use buff. Note that i'm on hard mode, might be different on normal or easy. You need to play that game, the same way as fallout and skyrim. Reading books and stuff found in computer to understand the plot twist and all other story related or not. Grind, search everywhere, and the most important , take your time. For me to enjoy, as all Bethesda games, it takes patient and you should not rush that game if you want to enjoy it.

This game is huge. Got casino money (on Olympus with gravitation gunfight) and forgot to sell stuff before. Tried to avoid scanning but no dice and flew from stars & planets trying to avoid it (too early in the game, and not a lot of options = reloaded a lot & tried many things but learned a lot). Didn't want to start all over, so I landed and wanted to give up my contraband. In short = made a deal to spy on the Crimson fleet instead while getting paid for it. Curious where I will end up

Its a BGS game

Is there any prospect of a VR version of Starfield for PC Steam (Xbox, unfortunately does not suppot VR)?

Because Starfield is one of the games where VR could indeed bring a completely different level of immersion. I remember that even the initial scene of Star Wars for PSVR standing near the station with night sky full stars was simply amazing.

I’m loving it! I have about 12 hrs into it and have only done the first main quest. Been off exploring and just doing random stuff and getting lost in this amazing game Bethesda has put together. Love the character freedoms the game gives as well. I haven’t even hardly scratched the surface of the game though so I will be exploring space for a long time to come!

@tallythwack

Sol

After playing it for about five hours, it's just not for me. Inventory management is daunting, there are no maps when I'm on foot exploring a new place and I cannot go anywhere without fast traveling. Flying in my spacecraft is painful, trying to figure out how to fly properly took far longer than it should have taken. Also, the level up system is boring. I struggle with picking skills that are interesting. On the positive side, the graphics are great, music/score is great and I find combat to be real good. But, I think I have to agree with IGN and Gamespot, a 7 is an appropriate score.

Honestly, I'm really enjoying it.
I know that the more hours I put in it, the more I'm going to like it.
I think a lot of people giving up early, would be really helped (and hooked), with a better guide/tutorial during the early stages.
Trial and error isn't for those without much spare time or on a deadline. Also a review can't be done in a weeks worth of playing, as yes there is a main storyline running through it, but that isn't the game....that's more a tutorial.
My friend and I are both playing this "Starfield" game, but his discoveries and side quests are totally different from mine.
Very clever, very involving and completely time consuming.

Now, let's start up my ship and try and find that incredible "Weapon's engineer" that my mate told me about.

Loving every second of it so far , the subtle music is amazing

I just got that Bethesda feeling! So I just got to Jemison and decided to pick a spot and land before going to meet with Constellation. To see what exploration would be like. And wow! I step off the spaceship and start scanning. Find some places in the distance worth checking out, come across an abandoned mine and some life signs of what appears to abandoned surveyor tents. Fight some hostile wildlife. After about 30 minutes i sit back and really look at what is around me and i could literally spend hours in just this area of the planet. Just like in Fallout or Skyrim when you decide to go off the beaten path and think to myself this is just 1 planet and my wanderlust and thirst for adventure goes through the roof!

I had to stop and get back into orbit so i can get ready to go to New Atlantis and go see what Constellation is all about. However i can tell you I am hooked. I will be playing this for a long time and can’t wait to see where the story is going and what fantastic crazy adventures I find along the way. Just Wow!

4 hours in and I still can't decide what to make of this thing. Once getting to Jemmison I tried the old Bethesda deal of 'head off on in a random direction and see what happens'. So far, not much. The ground traversal is stupid boring. I just loooove walking a kilometer across a planet for funzees cuz there's 'something' over there.

The strongest conclusion the early game gives is : No Man's Sky has nothing to worry about.

Ok... this is my Bethesda game. I didn't play oblivion, and i never got engrossed in Skyrim or Fallout, but this game... oh my.

I've played about 35 hours since the early access release, and i just want to keep going back. I've only just started the main questline, and god have i been playing the game wrong. Then halfway through one of the main quests i ended up with a job and and office in neon. How? Why do i have an office, wasn't i chasing fragments across the universe.

I know people who've played other BGS games are a bit miffed about load screens, no walking across whole planets etc, but the head cannon and rp works well for me with the loading screens. Yes maybe a bit too excessive, but I'm having my first real bite of a BGS game, and i'm loving it

@GunValkyria I think most people prefer fantasy. And I’d call this game niche as I don’t think it has mass appeal but I could be wrong.

@Smooshy Pretty much the same experience as you mate. I never really put a lot of time into other Bethesda games, but the vibe of this game just sucked me in. I'm having a great time with it. I've put about 22 hours into it so far; main questing, side missions, exploring, ship mods, base building, improving weapons and my character, I'm loving every minute. There is one loading screen which is on for about 8 seconds, but it also shows the photos you've taken on your travels too, so I like that and don't have any issues with it at all. Then you have the blank loading screens when you enter certain areas and these take literally about 3 seconds and your back in the game, not a big deal really 😏

Like it so far! But I like to take my time and explore and find out stuff Bethesda style. Mini Map would be good.

Only 15 hours in but pretty underwhelmed at the moment. I have played all the Elder scrolls and Fallout titles and while I know they take time to get into I'm really struggling with Starfield. I was expecting No man sky style in planet flight with transition to space (Although I'm not sure if I dreamt that bit was in the game). The background NPC's are the worst, what's going on with the eyes. Apart from Covid why did this take so long. Although I have to say a big WELL DONE to Microsoft for allowing the delays or this would have been a real dogs dinner

I’m loving it. Running around doing missions and levelling up. It’s got some serious menu issues but they can be fixed in the future (and the planet map sucks - though it has encouraged me to open my eyes a bit and remember the locations). But the game itself is great if you allow patience and take it as it is. Not sure exactly what people were expecting, but at the moment it is playing like a Bethesda game in space… which is exactly what I thought it would be. It won’t dethrone Elder Scrolls but it’s still extremely strong.

Also i’ve heard multiple people say the game has a slow start but I would argue this is quicker at getting going than most RPGs like it. For reference i’m around 10 hours in.

@Sveakungen "mini map would be good"

I personally think NOT having a map has made for a more enjoyable journey. Also, the scanner is very useful. You have to take in your surroundings to a much greater detail because you're having to remember which way to go, and the longer you play, everything becomes familiar from landmarks or places you've been through before. Even if you do get lost, chances are you'll find something new on the way. This is exploration after all.

@DoctorJohnDisco Do not play on gamepass PC with ultra settings on. DO NOT!!!

This is funny. People who are a bit further in the game maybe had this happen too. In short.

I go on a mission (Empty Nest), Sam & daughter are travelling with me (+ Sarah & Marika). I do the mission (step 1) and next I have to talk to Sam (step 2).
On this mission Sarah was with me (really can't shut up about me picking up med packs and such) & Sam + daughter stayed on the ship. So, I'm thinking, talking to Sam (step 2) is easy, just go back to the ship, right? Daughter is there, Sam (father) is gone like wth? Can not talk to Sam so I fly back to "a place" hoping Sam reappears. Game freezes, throws me out and loads my last save (keeping my fingers crossed).
Suddenly Sam is there but Sarah is gone now

I know it sounds stupid but this had me LOL!