Starfield seems to be pretty popular right now, as it’s hit the Steam’s top sellers list.
Of course, Starfield has not released yet, but we have already seen this happen a few times this year already. As long as the next big release of 2023 is on Steam, it would be hitting the best seller list, thanks to pre-orders.
As reported by GameRant, it currently ranks at number four in the list. That puts it below Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dead by Daylight, and Cyberpunk 2077. However, it is also above the Steam Deck, Street Fighter 6, and F1 2023.
In fact, it had previously been up at the number two spot on the list. That would reflect that either interest is starting to taper off, or perhaps better for everyone involved, that all the other games are performing even better.
Now, Microsoft does not seem to be that dependent on Steam sales for Starfield’s success. Xbox head Phil Spencer went on the Giantbomb podcast and revealed that he expects Starfield to be profitable because it is on Game Pass. Subsequently, he also expects Starfield’s success to rub off of Game Pass in turn.
As always, it’s good to remember that Microsoft limits what we know and understand about Game Pass, so we aren’t entirely sure of how successful the subscription service really is. We do know that Game Pass is often touted as the best deal in video games today, and the entry of new AAA first party Xbox games like Starfield is just going to bolster that.
But if Starfield becomes a huge success on Steam, it won’t have anything to do with console wars or platform wars. It will all be because Bethesda succeeded in delivering their promise of a giant expansive open world in outer space, the biggest and most ambitious the company has ever produced.
Those Steam users are just going to have to remember that an SSD is required to play the game. This very much suggests that Bethesda has leveraged the unique capabilities of the Xbox Series X|S, and PC gamers need to approximate that capability if they are going to get an experience that matches what Xbox console owners are going to get. Could this also affect the game’s reception on PC after release? We will see how it plays out down the line.
Starfield will be released on September 6, 2023, on Xbox Series X|S and Windows via Steam. It will also be Day One on Game Pass.
