Gaming
How to Play Starfield Early
If you want to start playing Starfield ASAP, read on to find out how you can jump into the game a bit earlier than its global release date.
Starfield’s release date is confirmed for September 6th. This is when the game officially launches on the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Windows PC. However, there is a way to play Starfield a few days before September 6th. It requires some extra cash and a pre-order.
If you buy the $69.99 standard version of Starfield, you’ll get some pre-order bonuses, but you won’t get early access to the game unless you upgrade your order.
The most seamless way to play Starfield early is by purchasing the Premium edition or the collector’s bundle, known as the Constellation’s edition. Both of these provide you with up to five days early access to Starfield. At an added cost of course.
The Starfield Premium edition is $99.99. For that price you get the early release date in addition to some bonus items including the game’s first DLC expansion dubbed Shattered Space.
Bethesda’s Constellation edition is a whopping $299.99. For that price you get early access, the Shattered Space DLC, a watch that looks like the one your character uses in the game, and much more.
There’s also another way to get early access to Starfield and it’s aimed at those who buy the Standard edition, but want to upgrade.
If you buy the Starfield Standard edition, but decide you want the early release date (and more), retailers are offering a Premium upgrade for $34.99.
The upgrade comes with the content from the Premium edition, but if you order a physical copy of the game, you’ll also get the following items:
- Steelbook Display Case (when purchased from participating retail stores)
- Constellation Patch (when purchased from participating retail stores)
You won’t get these items if you buy the digital version of the Premium edition upgrade.
We should point out that while the Premium edition and Premium edition upgrade will always be available to pre-order, the Constellation edition may not be.
The collector’s bundle is already sold out at most retailers and it’s unclear when, or even if, they will get more stock in.
If you don’t want to spend time tracking it down and /or you simply don’t want to pay a ton of money for Starfield, the Premium edition is your best bet.
Bethesda’s confirmed the game’s unlock times for regions around the world. In the image above, you can see the unlock times for both the early release date and the standard release date.
The company says actual play time depends on your purchase date and will be subject to possible outages and applicable time zone differences.
Pre-Order Starfield for These Bonuses | |||||||||
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Starfield pre-orders come with some bonus items. Bethesda calls the Starfield pre-order bonus the Old Mars Skin Pack and it applies to pre-orders for all versions of the game. The Old Mars Skin Pack includes the following items:
If you want access to these items, you'll want to pre-order a copy of the game before it arrives in early September. | |||||||||
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