Bethesda’s massive space RPG is packed with content, and how long it lasts depends heavily on how you play. Here’s how much playtime you should set aside for Starfield.
With Starfield, Bethesda has released a sprawling RPG that sends you across countless star systems. Alongside the main story, there are hundreds of side quests and optional activities waiting for you. But how many hours does it all really add up to? We’ve rounded up the most important details on the game’s playtime for you here.
Starfield playtime: Here’s how many hours you should expect
Starfield’s actual playtime can vary widely depending on your approach. While the developers originally expected longer completion times, player data and hands-on experience now paint a more nuanced picture:
- Main story: If you focus only on the core campaign, you can finish it in roughly 20 to 30 hours. If you play more thoroughly or on a higher difficulty, it may take a bit longer.
- Main story + side quests: Once you start taking on faction missions and side content as well, the playtime increases significantly. In that case, you should expect around 50 to 60 hours.
- 100% completion: If you want to see and do everything, you can easily sink well over 100 hours into the game. In many cases, 200 hours or more is entirely possible.
A large share of Starfield’s playtime comes from optional content
One of the biggest reasons Starfield lasts so long is the sheer amount of side content. With more than 220 side quests, including faction missions and smaller assignments, there’s far more to do than just the main story.
The main campaign itself consists of 19 missions, each split into smaller sections. Depending on how you play, their length can vary considerably. Players who skip dialogue, fast travel often, and stick closely to mission objectives will finish much faster than those who explore, take in every conversation, and examine each planet more carefully.
On average, the picture looks like this: Most players spend around 40 hours with Starfield. That suggests many people are doing more than just the story and also diving into at least some of the side content.
Starfield puts a strong emphasis on player freedom. You can avoid fights, rely on dialogue, or complete quests in different ways. That means you can actively shape how long the game takes. Some missions can even be shortened or skipped entirely if you build your character accordingly.
At the same time, that very openness is what can make the game much longer. If you explore planets, join factions, and take on extra objectives, you can easily spend several times longer than the main story alone would take.
That makes Starfield a classic Bethesda RPG: the main story is only one part of the overall package, while most of your time will likely go into optional content.
