Starfield leak claims every planet is bigger than the entire Skyrim map

Starfield trailer reveal still cockpit view
(Image credit: Bethesda)

A batch of Starfield details appears to have leaked, and have been partially corroborated by a recent trailer.

The details, shared via Reddit, appear to explain much of the galaxy that Bethesda has created and how players will interact with it. It's claimed that you'll be able to choose your starting location, picking different planets or space stations each time you replay the game. Depending on where you are, you'll reportedly be able to experience gravity in different ways, with both visual and gameplay changes in effect.

The leak also claims that there are multiple planets to explore, and that each of the "dozens" of planets is bigger than Skyrim's map. You'll be able to make some of them your home, as Fallout 4's settlement building system is also said to be returning, albeit "much improved."  An entire questline, which sounds similar to Fallout 4's approach, appears to be in place around this system, and will apparently be given out by an NPC named Branson Garvey, presumably a nod to the Commonwealth's Preston Garvey.

While a leak like this is usually something worth remaining highly sceptical of, two details may hint at its accuracy. Yesterday, Bethesda released the new Starfield 'Settled Systems' trailer, outlining the time period that the game will take place in - around the year 2330 - and a few other details, one of which is a religious cult faction that you'll be able to join. 

This leak, which originated over a month ago, claims that the game will take place in the 2320s (potentially referencing the conflict that takes place shortly before the time of the game), and states "there is a cult faction who believe that Jesus/God came from the stars and [is] looking for his real birthplace." Details can always change, and it's also possible that both of these clues were simply lucky guesses, but they do lend the leak just a hint of legitimacy.

Update: The original poster has responded on their thread saying that they made all of the details up. The faked post was an attempt to encourage those with accurate information to correct the false details, but was unsuccessful.

Starfield also has twice as many dialogue lines as Skyrim.

Ali Jones
News Editor

I'm GamesRadar's news editor, working with the team to deliver breaking news from across the industry. I started my journalistic career while getting my degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick, where I also worked as Games Editor on the student newspaper, The Boar. Since then, I've run the news sections at PCGamesN and Kotaku UK, and also regularly contributed to PC Gamer. As you might be able to tell, PC is my platform of choice, so you can regularly find me playing League of Legends or Steam's latest indie hit.

Read more
Starfield
Bethesda breaks silence as Starfield fans hope for an update: "We have a lot of exciting things planned for the game this year"
Starfield
10 best games like Starfield to get swept up in when you're ready to leave Constellation
Elder Scrolls 6
The Elder Scrolls 6: Everything we know so far
A screenshot from Exodus' debut trailer
Mass Effect veterans have another Normandy-type "major hub" in their new space RPG Exodus, but this time it's an entire city
Henry in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 devs chased down a 600-year-old star map for the sake of historical accuracy and immersion, and it should "be useful for Hardcore Mode"
Exodus
Former Mass Effect veterans' new RPG Exodus puts us in the shoes of an organization that has "inspiration from the Jedi"
Latest in RPG
Fighting a dragon with a sword and shield in Skyrim
Former Skyrim dev says "a lot of the great stuff" in the RPG came from the devs having "quite a bit of freedom" to create what they wanted, even if it wasn't "on schedule"
Yasuke standing in front of a Kofun tomb in Assassin's Creed Shadows
It took me over 20 hours to unlock Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows, and a Kofun turned out to be the perfect training ground
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
Reclaiming their crown, pacifist Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 player beats the whole RPG as "Merciful Henry": 1,741 strikes blocked, 472 knockouts, and zero kills
Top-down screenshot of Monsterpatch, showing a grid-based town with Pokemon-like creatures, GBC graphics and vegetations sprinkled about.
This cozy RPG promises a Pokemon and Stardew Valley mashup with "limitless customization," 208 monsters, and more, so no wonder its Kickstarter was funded in just 16 minutes
Dragon Age: The Veilguard art showing the RPG's companions grouped together
Dragon Age: The Veilguard director is leading an unannounced game for Wizards of the Coast, which recently hinted at more Baldur's Gate
Latest in News
Everybody's Golf Hot Shots
The surprise theme of today's Nintendo Direct was classic PlayStation franchises getting a comeback without Sony's involvement
Hogwarts Legacy how many spells
Unannounced Hogwarts Legacy DLC reportedly canceled, partly because the studio wasn't sure it'd be worth players' money
Ultimate X-Men #14
Ultimate X-Men #14 pays homage to a classic Wolverine moment as the Shadow King returns
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing Yasuke kneeling and praying while wearing a traditional purple robe
Ubisoft reaches deal with Tencent to create $4.3 billion mini-Ubisoft subsidiary to "spearhead development" on new Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six games
Kaitlyn Dever as Abby in The Last Of Us season 2
The Last of Us showrunner says he isn't worried about fan reaction to season 2: "The best way we could respect our fans and honor them is to not worry about them"
Black Myth: Wukong
English is no longer the biggest language on Steam as Chinese gamers embrace PC gaming even harder after Black Myth: Wukong