Find out how long it takes to complete Starfield

Find out how long it takes to complete Starfield
Images via Bethesda Game Studios

Written by 

Harry Boulton

Last updated 

6th Sep 2023 21:58

Bethesda's latest huge RPG is here, and with so many planets to explore and stars to seek, you may be wondering just how long Starfield is.

The game's universe is almost endless, and that's got many wondering how long it'll take to finish the game's main quest, side quests, or that all-important completionist run.

Now that the game is out for all players, we're able to work out just how big this new RPG is, so here's how long it takes to beat Starfield - be prepared to set some time aside to see everything.

How long will it take to beat the game?

Starfield game director Todd Howard alluded to the game's length in a pre-launch interview with Kinda Funny Xcast, considering the depth of the game's skills across "20 hours, 50 hours, 100 hours, or 500 hours."

Now that the game is here and players have been able to get through it, howlongtobeat.com is showing that the main story will take players around 18 hours - but as with any Bethesda RPG, that's not the full story.

How big is Starfield?

Conversations of playing Starfield for hundreds of hours come without any surprise considering what we have heard about the game's scale, with supposedly over a thousand planets for you to explore, among many other tasks, and it appears that promise has come true.

Image of a character on a snow planet in Starfield
Click to enlarge

'How Long To Beat' says that Starfield's side quests will add another thirty hours of playtime for intrepid space explorers, but early data suggests players will need well over 200 hours to see everything - and even then the vastness of space may still hold more mysteries.

In the same interview with Kinda Funny Xcast, Todd Howard explained that a big reason behind the game's gigantic scale is to give players the ability to choose where they want to go. He mentions the importance of players feeling like they are one of the first - if not the first - people to step foot on each planet, which should only enhance the sense of scale and discovery.

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If you're looking for more content surrounding the space RPG, make sure to check out our Starfield home page for the latest news and guides. If you're wondering what the Starfield romance options will be though, you'd better check out our guide.

Harry Boulton
About the author
Harry Boulton
Harry is a Guides Writer at GGRecon, having completed a Masters of Research degree in Film Studies. Previously a freelance writer for PCGamesN, The Loadout, and Red Bull Gaming, he loves playing a wide variety of games from the Souls series to JRPGs, Counter-Strike, and EA FC. When not playing or writing about games and hardware, you're likely to find him watching football or listening to Madonna and Kate Bush.
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