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Starfield is the latest open-world role-playing game (RPG) from Bethesda, the game studio behind popular titles like Fallout and Skyrim. The game puts you in the shoes of a customizable space-wanderer, traveling the universe to fight bandits, make allies, explore planets, and construct outposts. It's been in development for over five years, and although the discourse surrounding it has been fierce, most reviewers agree that it's a pretty awesome experience.
But unfortunately, Starfield isn't as widely available on the same platforms as previous Bethesda games. Notably, you can't play it on the PlayStation 5, but it is available on Xbox and on computers and mobile devices through Steam and Xbox Game Pass.
Here's a rundown on all the ways to play Starfield, on as many systems as possible.
How to play Starfield on Xbox Series X/S
If you want to play Starfield on your Xbox, you have two different options.
The simplest way is to buy a physical copy of the game from retailers like Best Buy. Retailers might also offer special "digital" copies, which contain a code that can be redeemed on Xbox or PC.
You can also buy a digital copy of Starfield through the Microsoft Store on your Xbox. And if you're subscribed to Xbox Game Pass, you can download and play it for free.
Whichever way you do it, you'll need at least 125GB of free storage space — likely more.
How to play Starfield on a Windows PC
There are few different ways to play Starfield on a PC.
Downloading Starfield
First, you can buy the game from Steam. If you've been playing PC games for any amount of time, there's a good chance that you already have a Steam account. But if you don't, you can make an account and download the app for free from the official website. Steam offers both the standard edition and premium edition.
Second, you can buy the game from the Microsoft Store or Xbox app. Both of these apps come pre-installed with every Windows PC, and they offer both versions of the game too.
Third, if you're subscribed to Xbox Game Pass, you can download and play Starfield for free through the Xbox app. Just note that Game Pass only offers the standard version of the game.
To download either version of Starfield, you'll need at least 125GB of free solid state storage space. You can't download it if you only have a hard disk drive (HDD).
And in terms of graphics, Starfield isn't the most intensive game ever made — according to Steam, you'll need at least an AMD Radeon RX 5700 or an Nvidia GeForce 1070 Ti, and they recommend having at least a Radeon RX 6800 or GeForce RTX 2080.
You'll also want to have a newer generation AMD Ryzen or Intel CPU; Steam recommends a Ryzen 5 3600X or Intel i5-10600K. If you've bought a highr-end computer within the last three or four years, you'll almost certainly have the right CPU for it.
Just note that even PCs with the recommended hardware may not be able to play the game with stable frame rates at the highest settings. If you're looking for a setup that can handle Starfield — along with other new games — check out our guides to the best gaming PCs and best gaming laptops.
Streaming Starfield with Xbox Cloud Gaming
If you don't have the hardware to play Starfield, you're not out of luck. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers also have access to Xbox Cloud Gaming, which lets you play Starfield by streaming it. With this setup, the actual game plays on one of Microsoft's high-end computers, and the picture gets streamed to your PC. You'll need fast internet and you'll need to use a controller — keyboard controls aren't supported — but it's a great way to play.
To stream Starfield on your PC, you can either open the Xbox app and click Cloud Gaming in the left sidebar, or head to the Xbox Cloud Gaming website. If you've played the game previously using the Xbox app or Microsoft Store version, your save data should carry over.
Just remember that you need a subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which is the highest tier that costs $17 per month. The graphics should be automatically set to the highest settings, but depending on how fast your internet connection is, you might experience lower resolutions, input lag, and game freezes. And because of how popular Starfield is right now, you might need to wait a few minutes between opening the game and playing it.
How to play Starfield on a Mac, Chromebook, iPhone, iPad, or Android
Starfield is available to stream using Xbox Cloud Gaming, which means that it's technically available on loads of different platforms — including Macs, Chromebooks, and mobile devices.
To use Xbox Cloud Gaming, you'll need a subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which costs $17 per month. You'll also need a fast internet connection to keep the video stable. Once you have that, the steps to start playing Starfield are pretty simple.
On a Mac, Chromebook, or Android device, just head to the Xbox Cloud Gaming website, log into your account, and then find and select Starfield there. You'll need to connect a controller to play it.
If you're using an Android phone or tablet, you can use the Xbox Game Pass app too. You'll still need a controller.
iPhone and iPad owners will have to take a few extra steps.
1. Head to the Xbox Cloud Gaming website in Safari and tap the Share button in the toolbar — it's the one that looks like a box with an arrow coming out of it.
2. In the Share menu, scroll down and tap Add to Home Screen, and then Add in the top-right corner.
3. Find the new icon on your device's home screen and tap it. This will open a specialized version of the Cloud Gaming site that lets you stream games.
4. Log into your account by tapping the silhouette icon in the top-right, then find and select Starfield.
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