Starfield Has Even Fewer Players Than Skyrim On PC

For reference, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim came out more than a decade ago.

Story Highlights

  • Starfield is Bethesda’s latest sci-fi RPG, launching exclusively for Xbox Series X|S and PC. 
  • The game has misfired in multiple ways for fans and hasn’t lived up to its true hype. 
  • Starfield even has fewer players on Steam than Skyrim right now—a decade-old Bethesda RPG. 

Starfield was supposed to be Bethesda’s (and Xbox’s) big break, considering the anticipation that surrounded it prior to its release, but it seems all that has fallen short, at least for PC gamers. Outside of the Game Pass ecosystem, the game’s SteamDB stats illustrate that Starfield currently has even fewer players than The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim—Bethesda’s 12-year-old RPG from 2011.

Starfield and Skyrim Comparison
Starfield and Skyrim Player Count Comparison on SteamDB

As one can comprehend from the charts shown on SteamDB — unofficial tracking website focusing on Steam stats — Starfield’s player count has seen nothing but a decline from the day it was released. It peaked high and well 2 months ago when the sci-fi space exploration RPG made landfall, but that’s clearly a thing of the past now as the title struggles to keep up with its decade-old counterpart Skyrim. 

As the news found itself circulating over Reddit, fans and players have jumped in on the conversation, contemplating what Starfield’s future holds. “I think Bethesda spent too much time focusing on procedurally generated content for Starfield instead of handcrafting their dungeons and questlines. I didn’t care for Starfield until I started actively avoiding the procedural content,” says u/Castelante.

Another one of the top comments under the post simply reads, “It’s just so bland,” and many couldn’t agree more. Although Starfield has made bank for Bethesda up until now, being the best-selling title in Germany in its launch month, and the studio’s biggest launch to date, it hasn’t sat with fans and critics on the same level, with many calling the game out for its intrinsically shallow in-game world, among other issues. 


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Despite the ailing situation of the sci-fi shooter, the Bethesda higher-ups seem to sport a different opinion about Starfield, hinting that even if it doesn’t do well these days, it’s going to make things work out in the future, all thanks to Xbox Game Pass offering players the opportunity to enjoy the likes of Starfield for free. 

One of the things we’ve learned from our previous games, from Skyrim, from Fallout, is that people want to play them for a very long time. So Starfield, I would say, was the most intentional, going into it, that this is a game people are going to play for a long time,” said Todd Howard. 

Starfield was released on September 6, 2023, for the Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam and Game Pass. In eXputer’s review, the game was rated 3.5/5, with Asad Ahmed praising the title for its in-depth character customizer, spacecraft modifications, and more. If you happen to be a new player, here are all the powers and effects in Starfield to start off right. 

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Source
SteamDB

Huzaifa, an Online News Editor at eXputer.com, is a video game industry aficionado with a talent for unearthing the juiciest stories for his beloved readers. Currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Data Science, he dives deep into the abyss of news, meticulously dissecting every tiny detail to serve his audience. When he's not unravelling breaking news, he becomes a master storyteller, conjuring up captivating tales from the depths of his imagination. With a wealth of experience as a Video Game Journalist, he's penned his mighty words for numerous other video game outlets, leaving no video game unturned and no pixel unexplored! Experience: 4+ Years || Education: Bachelor of Science in Data Science || Previously Worked at VeryAli Gaming & TheNerdMag || Covered 100+ News Articles

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