Because Bethesda's upcoming Sci-Fi RPG Starfield is one of the most anticipated games of 2023, there are a lot of high and sometimes unreasonable expectations surrounding it. This is largely due to Bethesda's pedigree and the popularity of its Fallout and Elder Scrolls IPs. At the same time, there are some general rumors and murmurs about Starfield's release date following its delay out of 2022 and into 2023, adding to this hype.
Starfield should be in for a big year, and if it makes it landing anything like Fallout or Skyrim, it's going to be a big boon for Bethesda, the Xbox ecosystem, and Xbox Game Pass especially. Starfield will launch on Xbox Game Pass, but there will be plenty of build-up before then.
Dedicated Starfield Gameplay Event to Kick Off 2023
On January 25, the Xbox Bethesda Developer Direct will put the spotlight on games like Forza Motorsport and Redfall, with some fans believing that release dates will be announced there. Because Redfall is intrinsically tied to Starfield, getting its release date will automatically narrow down Starfield's release date. The Sci-Fi RPG itself won't be at the event, with Microsoft and Bethesda outlining clear expectations ahead of its January 25 date, but it did confirm that Starfield will get a dedicated event with a "deep dive" into gameplay sometime this year. What's important here is not only when this comes out, but if it fits into Bethesda's typical marketing pattern.
Although Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 are big breaks away from this, Bethesda used to have a pattern of announcing a game in the summer and releasing it in the fall. This shorter reveal-release window may no longer apply to Starfield, but if this showcase operates as a "re-reveal," it wouldn't be surprising if it came with a release date and if that date wasn't far off. It could diverge from this, but fans can expect any upcoming news to be tied to the showcase, and that showcase sets the tone for Starfield's news cycle in 2023. After all, Bethesda's official Latin American Instagram account recently stated it was planning this event and that the release date would be announced "very soon," suggesting just how tied together all of this is.
Starfield Releases Sometime in 2023
All signs point to Starfield making its 2023 release. The last official communication stated it would release in the first half of 2023, although some rumors have suggested that Starfield's release date has been delayed into later 2023. Regardless of the veracity of these rumors, Bethesda and Microsoft likely want to nail down that 2023 release. Delaying it out of 2022 meant that Xbox didn't really have a "big game" last year, akin to Sony's Horizon Forbidden West and God of War Ragnarok, and it's unlikely to repeat that this year.
It should be noted that Starfield's launch this year would be one of the biggest of the year, but past Bethesda games prove how buggy its colossal RPGs are. As long as nothing is game-breaking, this shouldn't impact it too severely, but PC players should also be aware that an unofficial mod team is on standby to make fixes to Starfield at launch. The fact that it exists says something, but also it says something when bugs are not a major concern for Starfield players, at least to a certain degree.
Will Starfield Get DLC?
Last year, Todd Howard did confirm Starfield will get DLC, but to what extent and when is currently unknown. Looking at Skyrim, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76 may give some clue though, as all have received post-launch expansions to some degree. Skyrim's first DLC was released in June 2021, about six months after launch, and Fallout 4's first DLC came out after four months. Depending on the scope of Starfield's presumed DLC and if it lands its H1 2023 release date, then it's possible the first DLC arrives before the end of 2023.
Starfield releases in H1 2023 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
