Starfield developer Bethesda officially confirms the global release times for its upcoming space-faring RPG. It should be noted that there are two important dates tied to these times: Starfield's early access date, which begins late August 31/September 1, and the official release date of September 5/6 (all depending on time zone).
For those interested in checking out Starfield "early," there are three ways to do so. Players must either buy the Starfield Premium Edition, the Starfield Premium Edition Upgrade (if playing via Xbox Game Pass or for those who own the standard edition), or the Starfield Constellation Edition. Each version comes with ways to delve into the title five days early.
It should be noted, to avoid any confusion, that the release times on Starfield's early access date and official release date are the exact same, so the below times apply to either date. For those located in the United States, they can expect the game to go live at 5 PM PT for those located on the West Coast and 8 PM for those on the East Coast. Those located in the Mountain Time Zone will be able to play at 6 pm MT and those located in the Central Time Zone will be able to play at 7 PM, again on either corresponding date.
Further dates and times are seen below.
It'll be interesting to see how the launch goes, as it's highly likely that the game is swarmed with new players on both dates. Starfield is Bethesda's first new IP in two decades and its first game since Fallout 76 five years ago. It's not uncommon for a Bethesda game to become a seminal moment for the industry, as seen in how Skyrim has remained relevant in the industry more than ten years later.
No doubt, many are already considering 2023 one of the best years in gaming ever, up there with 1998 and 2007. Starfield is expected to contribute greatly to that, alongside earlier releases like Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Baldur's Gate 3, as well as other upcoming releases like Marvel's Spider-Man 2. The year is not done and dusted yet, but it sure is shaping up to be a great one.
Starfield will be available on September 6, 2023, for PC and Xbox Series X/S. The early access period begins on August 31.