by theygamesIs Earth in Starfield? The question of what happens to our home planet is one that budding spacefarers have been wondering for years, as delays have pushed back the answer time and time again. However, there has been enough information revealed – and leaked – ahead of launch for us to explain whether you can visit Earth or not.
There has been plenty of speculation online about what happened to Earth in the RPG game, including a theory that the huge arch shown right at the beginning of the official Starfield gameplay trailer is the St. Louis Gateway Arch. We can neither confirm nor deny that specifically – but we do have the low down on if Earth is one of the 1000+ Starfield planets or not. Of course, minor spoilers follow, so if you want to go into Starfield completely blind, click away now.
Can you go to Earth in Starfield?
Yes, you can visit Earth in Starfield, but don’t expect a bustling hive of activity when you land. Bethesda has revealed through pre-launch gameplay videos that Earth is no longer inhabitable.
If you visit the museum in New Atlantis – the biggest of the Starfield cities – you can find out exactly what happened to Earth and why it’s now a barren wasteland.
Online discussions are rife with players wanting to build their bases on Earth, visit dilapidated landmarks, or even find where their home would be. We’re not banking on the last one being possible, but we know that you can find out exactly what happened to Earth, and run around the now barren wasteland that once housed over eight billion people.
We won’t link it here for obvious reasons, but if you’ve seen the leaked video of the player character walking across a planet to reach the boundary limit, that takes place on Earth, which shows just how desolate it has become. There has also been a leaked image showing what looks like The Shard in London, albeit without the overpriced drinks and view over the city, which leads us to believe there will be more landmarks to discover.
What happened to Earth in Starfield?
We don’t know the specifics, but it’s highly likely humanity faced a catastrophic event that forced them to pack their bags and take to the skies. Discovering exactly what went down may well be part of the main quest, as lead quest designer Will Shen explained in the above Q&A video that “very early on in the main quest we take you to our solar system, which in our lore is called the ‘Old Neighbourhood’. You’ll be sent there on a mission from Constellation to discover the mysteries of the artefacts and you’ll get in contact with the question of ‘what happened to Earth?’”.
He goes on to explain that shortly after that you’ll visit Mars, where one of the early settlements humanity created after leaving Earth can be found in the form of Cydonia. Obviously, Earth and Mars are part of our own solar system known as Sol, and the gameplay trailer seems to suggest you’ll also be able to visit the other planets in Sol – gas giants aside.
That’s everything we know about Earth in Starfield, but as soon as the embargo lifts and we can tell you more about our time with the game, we will do. In the meantime, read up on everything you need to know about the many Starfield factions – there sure are a lot of them – along with the friendly Starfield companions that can accompany you on your journey.
Still looking for more? While a good Starfield wiki can be a handy source of information, our new Starfield Database goes further, offering you daily news, searchable databanks, and even interactive tools.