Summary
- Xbox Game Pass subscribers can now play Starfield, Bethesda's highly anticipated RPG, at no extra cost.
- The game has received positive reviews for its relatively smooth launch, although some glitches have been reported.
- Two expansions for Starfield are in development, with the first one called Shattered Space, available to those who purchased the Premium Edition.
Microsoft has updated Xbox Game Pass to give subscribers access to Bethesda's massive open world sci-fi RPG Starfield, one of the biggest new game releases of the year. Starfield has long been touted as the biggest Xbox Game Pass game of 2023. And for many, the game has lived up to the hype, earning widespread critical acclaim and enticing many gamers to pay extra just to get early access to the game.
Starfield has been a massive success in early access, with hundreds of thousands of Steam users opting to pay for the $99.99 Premium Edition to jump in early. Those on Xbox Game Pass have been able to play Starfield early at a much cheaper price, getting early access to the game by paying for the $34.99 Premium Edition Upgrade. But now that the game's official release date is finally here, anyone with a Game Pass subscription can play the game.
Xbox Game Pass subscribers across all tiers can now play Starfield as much as they'd like. The game is natively available on PC and Xbox Series X, though it's even possible to play Starfield on Xbox One through the cloud if signed up for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. While playing it on PC or Xbox Series X would be ideal, at least that option is there to ensure that basically anyone in the Xbox ecosystem can play Starfield through Xbox Game Pass.
Starfield reviews have been largely positive, praising the game as being the least-buggy Bethesda game at launch. That doesn't mean it's perfect, though. There are still plenty of Starfield glitches that have been discovered by the community since the game's early access release, and chances are that there are even more that have left to be uncovered. Hopefully Bethesda will patch out these issues with future updates for the game, though not much has been shared in the way of specific plans for Starfield's post launch support.
Future Starfield updates are inevitable, though some fans may be most interested in substantial content expansions. There are at least two Starfield expansions in development, with the first one being Shattered Space. Not much has been revealed as to what Shattered Space has in store for players, but more information on that front should come to light in the months ahead. Anyone that went for the Premium Edition of Starfield or the Premium Edition Upgrade will get access to the expansion at no extra cost. However, the expansion won't be available through an Xbox Game Pass subscription alone.
Starfield is out now for PC and Xbox Series X.