Starfield delayed to September

Starfield artwork
(Image credit: Bethesda)

Starfield is officially set to launch on September 6, which marks a delay from it's previously planned launch in the first half of 2023.

Bethesda has confirmed that the long-awaited Starfield Direct presentation, which will feature an in-depth look at the game, will broadcast on Sunday, June 11, immediately after the Xbox Games Showcase, which was also newly-announced today. The 'Xbox Games Showcase' is typically how the publisher brands its E3 presentations, and while that date matches the E3 2023 schedule, Microsoft has not explicitly discussed whether it will be a part of E3 itself. Either way, we'll certainly learn about a lot of upcoming Xbox Series X games there.

All this news comes alongside a new story-focused Starfield trailer. Perhaps the most intriguing detail in the trailer here is what appears to be some long-abandoned ruins on a planet's surface - seemingly our first real hint of a non-human galactic civilization in the game.

The video also features a bit of director Todd Howard thanking fans for their patience and noting that even he's "surprised" by the size and scope of Starfield. In the background, and in some cutaway shots to various developers, we can see a whole lot of intriguing new footage showing off combat, exploration, and some alien dinosaurs.

Starfield had previously been scheduled to launch on November 11, 2022 - which was incidentally 11 years to the day after Skyrim's 11/11/11 release date. Clearly Bethesda has a favorite number. It was delayed alongside Redfall to the "first half of 2023," and with no concrete release date in sight, fans started getting into some pretty wild speculation.

Looking for where to pre-order Starfield? You know where to click.

Dustin Bailey
Staff Writer

Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022, and is currently based in Missouri. He's been covering games (with occasional dalliances in the worlds of anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, first as a freelancer, then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His love for games was sparked somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you can usually find him splitting his entertainment time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure title, or a long haul in American Truck Simulator.