Starfield hits 6 million players, sets Bethesda record

Starfield is already setting records for Bethesda, just days after its public launch.
starfield bethesda launch 6 million

Starfield has smashed records for Bethesda Game Studios, becoming its biggest launch of all time, with 6 million players already picking up the game. The news was announced on Twitter, where Bethesda thanked players for their support.

Notably, Starfield has only been available for two days out of early access. While it launched on 1 September 2023 for those willing to pay a premium price, its full ‘public’ release has only been available for a short, and seemingly very popular, period.

On launch day, the game hit 1 million concurrent players, an impressive achievement on its own. Now, with the title publicly available in stores and easily accessible via an Xbox Game Pass subscription, it appears the adventure has exploded in popularity.

Starfield is ranking as one of the most-played games on PC via Steam, with SteamDB noting a concurrent total count of 236,127 global players, as of writing. While it is below phenomenal recent hit Baldur’s Gate 3 (306,877), it’s still a strong showing.

Read: Starfield Review – Reach for the Stars

Over on Xbox, Starfield has also hit the most-played games chart, currently ranking just behind Fortnite, Rainbow Six Siege, and Call of Duty – and above Grand Theft Auto V, Roblox, Apex Legends, and Minecraft.

The success of the game is likely down to several factors. Starfield achieved largely positive reviews on launch, with many critics noting its polish, sweeping visuals, and intriguing RPG mechanics. The marketing campaign has also been a success, with popular activations, mainstream advertising, and word-of-mouth spread.

In recent years, Bethesda has also developed a strong reputation for quality, large-scale game releases, with the years between major games growing this fondness. As a new franchise, Starfield carried a whole lot of risk – but it appears to have paid off in spades, with millions of players now jumping into the game, either through a direct purchase or via Xbox Game Pass.

We expect this enthusiasm for Starfield to grow in the coming months, as the title spreads to more players worldwide, and news of its success continues.

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Leah J. Williams is a gaming and entertainment journalist who's spent years writing about the games industry, her love for The Sims 2 on Nintendo DS and every piece of weird history she knows. You can find her tweeting @legenette most days.