Starfield Update: Seamless Space Travel Promised, Not a No Man’s Sky Clone!

Recall the launch of Starfield in 2023? Bethesda’s ambitious space exploration game arrived amidst great expectations but received a lukewarm response from gamers. The dissatisfaction continued with criticism over its first expansion and a perceived lack of ongoing enhancements.

On a more positive note, it seems Bethesda might finally be addressing one of the top requests from players: the ability to pilot spaceships directly from one planet to another. Currently, players face a cumbersome process involving multiple loading screens to travel in space.

According to discoveries made by the Starfield community, Bethesda appears to be developing a smoother travel experience termed “Cruise Mode,” though it might be limited to intra-system travel. Unfortunately, it seems players won’t have the capability to fly seamlessly from a planet’s surface into orbit directly, a feature popularized by No Man’s Sky.

Details of this new feature were initially found within the game’s code and discussed extensively on platforms like Reddit. However, Bethesda quickly released a minor update, seemingly to remove these references from the game’s code.

Despite missing the recent Xbox Games Showcase in June, Bethesda had previously hinted at “exciting things” planned for Starfield in the near future. It’s possible more information could be revealed at Gamescom, just before the game’s second anniversary.

In other news, reports earlier this month indicate that Starfield’s second expansion and its highly awaited PlayStation 5 version have been postponed to 2026, following the underwhelming performance of the 2024 expansion, Shattered Space. Although Bethesda’s Todd Howard had once envisioned yearly expansions, the introduction of spaceflight might serve to engage players during the interim.