It’s no surprise that Bethesda fans want to know everything aboutStarfield. After all, it’s not just any new Bethesda title; it’s a wholly new IP from a developer that famously focuses on a handful of thoroughly developed franchises.Starfieldhas the potential to start a new chapter in Bethesda history, expanding the studio’s skillset through developing a spacefaring game and reinforcing its library of games with new ideas. Unfortunately for potentialStarfieldplayers, there’s not much information on the game available yet. While Bethesda has confirmed its release date for next year, it hasn’t shared a lot of details about what it’s actually like to playStarfield.
However, fans do know when they can expect more information. Todd Howard recently indicated that Bethesda plans on rolling outStarfieldgameplay information by next summer. While that doesn’t necessarily nail down the exact time and place thatStarfieldgameplay will get revealed, mentioning summer offers a huge clue. Bethesda might beaiming for E3 2022as the site ofStarfield’s big reveals. If Bethesda premieresStarfieldgameplay at the next E3, then it’ll almost certainly be a major talking point. E3 2022 is half a year away, and yet Bethesda’s next game already looks like one of its stars.
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Bethesda’s Secretive Handling of Starfield
Over the last few months, Bethesda has been slowly releasing information aboutStarfield.For instance, it has released some trailers explaining major settlements that players will visit in the game. From the diverse United Colonies capital city of New Atlantis to the glitzy drug-fueled city of Neon, there’s no shortage of unique places to visit. Bethesda is clearlygoing all-in on worldbuilding forStarfield,which is great. The more detailed and compelling it makes the universe ofStarfield,the better its odds of surviving as a long-term Bethesda franchise are.
Interestingly, though, Bethesda has remained pretty muted in terms ofStarfieldgameplay. Even as it releases a generous amount ofStarfieldconcept art showing off cities, alien planets, andthe game’s signature “NASA-punk” technology, there are not many clues on how exactly players interact with those things. The game has been described asSkyrimin space before, and it generally wouldn’t be surprising to get a first-person RPG from Bethesda, but that still results in a pretty nebulous game. Aspects like combat, character customization, exploration, and NPC interactions are a little hard to predict when Bethesda has said so little about those parts of the game.
That’s why fans naturally asked Todd Howard aboutStarfieldgameplayduring a recent Reddit AMA. Howard declined to comment on or describe gameplay to fans, stating that Bethesda would rather show the game to fans, but he did reveal something valuable. Bethesda hopes to revealStarfieldgameplay in summer 2022. Fans now have a very clear window for when they’ll learn some majorStarfielddetails, even if it’s fairly far away. SinceStarfieldaims to release in November 2022, the summer before that seems like the perfect time for Bethesda to finally delve into the meat of the game.
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Starfield Could Shine at E3
Even though summer 2022 could mean thatStarfieldpremieres at any number of summer gaming events, E3 2022 just seems like it’s far and away the most likely place to see its gameplay. After all, E3 is one of the biggest video game conventions out there, always drawing industry titans and featuring major game reveals. It seemed likely thatStarfieldwould appear at E3 2022 already thanks to its release date, but afterTodd Howard hinted at the gameplay reveal the window, it’s all but confirmed thatStarfieldwill be one of the convention’s biggest players.
It also doesn’t hurt thatStarfieldmight dodge a couple of significant rivals if it waits to rear its head until next summer. The first half of 2022 is already packed with other hotly anticipated titles. To name only a few, the first months of the year will feature the releases ofFromSoftware’sElden Ring,Guerrilla Games’Horizon Forbidden West,and Game Freak’sPokemon Legends: Arceus.With such major titles out of the way,Starfieldmight have more room to breathe than it would if Bethesda rolled out gameplay information during the first quarter of 2022.
That’s not to say thatStarfieldwill be the only game expected to make a statement at E3 2022.The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2will undoubtedly prompt discussion if Nintendo waits until E3 to show it off, andGod of War: Ragnarokcould prove to be a heavy hitter if it’s not releasing until late 2022. Still, the star power ofStarfieldcan’t be denied.Starfield’s new trailer and release date reveal at E3 2021 was a major talking point of the Microsoft showcase, so there’s no doubt that a detailed gameplay reveal would be an even bigger deal.
Building Up to the Starfield Reveal
It might take a while to get gameplay, but it seems likely that Bethesda will still discussStarfieldoff and on in the next new months. Instead of doing gameplay reveals, it’ll probably keep slowly dropping new lore tidbits. Even if fans already know a fair bit about the world, there’s a lot left to learn, likewhat role aliens play inStarfieldand what major NPCs players might expect to interact with. Large and small features of theStarfieldworld will serve as a great way to continue building the game’s mythos until it’s time to learn where the player character fits in Bethesda’s grand design.
Even if Bethesda only modestlypromotesStarfieldin the coming months, though, it could be a leading conversation topic after E3 2022.Starfieldis a big deal simply by virtue of being attached to Bethesda, which has been a major influence on Western RPGs for years. If Bethesda has slated to revealStarfield’s gameplay reveal for E3 2022, then betweenStarfield’s alluring mystery and Bethesda’s cultural capital, it’s already one of E3 2022’s biggest games months ahead of the event. Bethesda is really saving upStarfieldinformation on the whole, but with any luck, that just means it’s working toward a sprawling presentation at the next E3.
Starfieldreleases July 23, 2025 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
