A screenshot from Starfield showing the player overlooking a large space mountain with a planet in the distance.
Image via Bethesda

Starfield Has Gone Gold, Preload Times For PC and Consoles Revealed

Get ready for takeoff.

The release of Starfield is rapidly approaching, and fans that have been anxiously awaiting the release of Bethesda’s latest project can finally begin to preload their new favorite title. Starfield is the first new world from Bethesda in over 25 years, and while The Elder Scrolls VI may be years away, we’ll finally have a reason to retire Skyrim from our libraries for a bit. Revealed on the official Bethesda Game Studios Twitter (recently rebranded as X) page, Bethesda is ready to release Starfield on time with no further delays.

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Fans eager to jump into the pilot seat of their massive ship will only need to wait a few more weeks, but the option to preload the game is coming faster than expected. Preloading will come first to Xbox Series X|S starting on August 17, 2023, and Steam will follow suit shortly after Xbox on August 30, 2023. But if I preload the game, does that mean I can play it early?

Sadly, it does not. While preloading the game will not allow you to play it any sooner, it’ll allow you the chance to avoid the pain of waiting for Starfield to download while everyone else is jumping it. Loading all of the necessary files in a game with this large of a file size is going to be rather important, especially if you happen to have a slower internet connection.

No matter if you’re jumping in via Game Pass or you’ve preordered the massive collector’s edition, it seems that Starfield is poised to bring Xbox back into the competition this year. Fans have been patiently awaiting the release of this sci-fi epic, and we’re eager to strap on our spacesuits and join in on the fun. After countless delays, it looks like this ship is finally ready to land on September 6, 2023.


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About the Author

Shaun Cichacki

As a fan of RPGs, Action & Retro titles, Shaun has been gaming since he was a young boy. With an overwhelming obsession involving Metal Gear Solid and Pizza Tower, you know you're in for a wild ride when it comes to things he's writing about.