Starfield release window proves you should always read the small print

Characters from Starfield gazing up at the sky
(Image credit: Bethesda Softworks)

An updated release window for Starfield, Bethesda’s upcoming and recently delayed sci-fi RPG, has been spotted on Xbox Game Pass.

Starfield is “expected early 2023”, according to the small print written at the bottom of an Xbox Game Pass subscription plan page. The expected release window was spotted by a Reddit user, who snapped a picture of their screen before posting it in the Starfield subreddit.

Early 2023 is a narrower release window than what’s been previously shared. When developer Bethesda announced Starfield’s delay earlier this year, it said it expected the game to launch in the “first half of 2023”, along with Arkane’s upcoming vampiric co-op shooter Redfall.

starfield_expected_early_2023_on_the_bottom_of from r/Starfield

Although still vague, early 2023 suggests the RPG will be launching sooner rather than later, and could come as early as the first quarter of next year – January, February, or March. The work of other internet sleuths has also suggested March 2023 will be the month Starfield finally makes its landing.

The game has certainly been a long time coming. Bethesda first teased Starfield in a trailer back in 2018, before presenting the game in a standalone E3 presentation in 2021. Its initial November 11 2022 release date had been set years ago, but with no gameplay made public over that time, it's little surprise the game has been pushed back to next year. 

We’re likely to get a proper glimpse of the game soon, however. The Xbox and Bethesda showcase will be broadcast on June 12, and we fully expect to see some in-game footage of the much-anticipated space-based RPG.

Callum Bains
Gaming News Writer

Callum is TechRadar Gaming’s News Writer. You’ll find him whipping up stories about all the latest happenings in the gaming world, as well as penning the odd feature and review. Before coming to TechRadar, he wrote freelance for various sites, including Clash, The Telegraph, and Gamesindustry.biz, and worked as a Staff Writer at Wargamer. Strategy games and RPGs are his bread and butter, but he’ll eat anything that spins a captivating narrative. He also loves tabletop games, and will happily chew your ear off about TTRPGs and board games.