Parents' Guide to

Starfield

By Marc Saltzman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Fun immersive space-themed RPG; violence, suggestive themes.

Game Xbox Series X/S , Windows 2023
The cover art for Bethesda's Starfield, featuring a woman's face looking into space, a walking 'mech, and two men (one in a space helmet).

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 5 parent reviews

Sam M.
Sam M. Parent of 4-year-old
October 2, 2023
age 15+

Snorefield

Incredibly mid(dling). How does Baldurs Gate 3 get 4 stars yet this assembly-line drivel gets 5? This makes Outer Worlds look like New Vegas. All planets beside the main ones are empty boring wastelands with copy paste non-tent. Lifeless characters. Rote story. Reddit-tier dialogue. Minimal roleplaying with almost no moral ambiguity allowed to the player and only the safest questions asked and decisions made. Gameplay is probably the most stable a Bethesda game has ever been; but is otherwise unremarkable. The year is over 3000 and there is no creativity with the weapons what the heck?! Ample blood but no gore or extreme violence. Very infrequent strong profanity (i only heard 2 f bombs in a main campaign playthru). Some drug content.
Basia K.
Basia K. Adult
September 17, 2023
age 14+
This game is an example how games should look like these days. It has educational value and a lot of exploration possibilities across the cosmos. I love the games of this company. It’s sad that we have to wait such a huge amount of time for them to be released but it’s a quality content.
See all 5 parent reviews

What’s It About?

With its first all-new game universe in almost 30 years, Bethesda Softworks is back with STARFIELD, an ambitious space-themed role-playing game (RPG) for Xbox Series S/X and Windows PCs. You play as a miner, extracting valuable minerals off a planet, but soon find yourself exploring the Milky Way galaxy -- visiting more than a thousand planets, moons, and space stations -- as you join a group in search of rare and powerful artifacts and uncover a much bigger mystery. As in many RPGs, you can customize the character you want to play as, not just in appearance but in skills, abilities, and character traits that will change the course of the adventure. Between its lengthy main campaign and many optional side quests, gamers will set out in a mostly nonlinear and open-world quest. They'll engage in story-related quests and combat against enemies (using a variety of weapons and items), fly spaceships, and interact with humans, aliens, and robots. This single-player game looks and plays similarly on either an Xbox console or Windows PC.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5 ):
Kids say (6 ):

Bethesda's Starfield is an ambitious futuristic RPG -- a Skyrim in space, if you will -- that lives up to its tremendous hype. The game offers both breadth and depth, between its vast customization options, countless worlds to visit (including the huge city of New Atlantis), tense combat, deep character interaction, and high-production values. Despite a few technical glitches, most of which have been addressed at the time of this writing, Starfield ticks all the boxes. After you carefully choose your character and all of its customizations, you'll venture anywhere from 30 hours to a couple hundred hours of epic gameplay. You'll quickly notice how Starfield cleverly balances choice and freedom with a strong and engaging narrative. It's no easy task, but you truly feel like you're carving out your own path yet still part of this epic mystery you're tasked with solving (without giving too much away). From commandeering spacecraft and romancing party members to collecting resources and crafting items and upgrading weapons, there's so much to see, do, and experience in Starfield that no two games play alike. Want action? Starfield lets you experiment with all kinds of weapons. Prefer more dialogue and character growth? Bethesda says there are nearly 253,000 lines, believe it or not. Graphically, Starfield won't disappoint with its high-resolution characters and environments, smart lighting, and fast frame rates. Even those on an Xbox Series S (rather than a more powerful Series X) or slower PC will have a smooth experience, especially given how immersive the world is. That said, it's too bad it's not recommended to play Starfield on handheld PC gaming machines like an ASUS ROG Ally or Steam Deck, as having this on the go would be a great idea.

There isn't much to complain about with this masterfully conceived and executed space opera. Yes, it would've been great if it wasn't only a single-player game, so you could share the experience with others, but it's epic (and replayable) enough with all the different choices, character skills/traits, locations, NPCs, and side missions. Fans of open-world games and sci-fi fans who crave excitement, mystery, and intrigue will absolutely love losing themselves in Starfield. Kudos to Bethesda Softworks for dishing up an extraordinarily memorable adventure.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Despite its Mature rating/warning, should parents of teenagers be OK with them playing Starfield since it's science fiction and not rooted in reality? That is, is there a difference between killing someone with a futuristic gun in space and killing someone in a game like the Call of Duty franchise? How do you distinguish the difference when playing role-playing games with violence?

  • This game has several options for character selection, including allowing players to choose pronouns. Why is it important for games to allow more diverse and inclusive selections of players? Do many of the games you play do this? What other types of selections would you like when customizing your character?

  • Parents who feel overwhelmed in choosing appropriate gaming content for their family should bookmark Common Sense Media for its countless articles tied to managing media in a household.

Game Details

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