Early Starfield reviews put it below Skyrim but above Fallout 4 on Metacritic

News
By published

Starfield is a big critical success, but a few notable exceptions keep it from beating the best-reviewed Bethesda games

Starfield review
(Image credit: Bethesda)

Starfield reviews are flooding in ahead of the game's early access launch, and as it stands over on Metacritic, Bethesda's long-awaited space epic is scoring lower than The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim but higher than Fallout 4.

At the time of writing, the PC version of Starfield sits at an impressive 88 Metascore, with perfect scores (including our own Starfield review) being offset by some notably lower scores from publications including PC Gamer and IGN.

Comparing that to Skyrim's 94 Metascore and Fallout 4's 84 Metascore, it's safe to say the critical response to Starfield at the time of writing is generally very positive but not quite up there with the best-reviewed Bethesda games ever. Fallout 3 also just narrowly beats Starfield with a 91 Metascore.

Here at GamesRadar+, Leon Hurley slapped five out of five stars on the game and called it "the best thing Bethesda's done since Oblivion."

He added: "Starfield isn't really a game you play to complete, it's more about living whatever sort of life you want in the literal universe Bethesda has created. Whatever you're thinking of doing, you almost certainly can do it, and the scale is almost a release in a way – you'll probably never see or do it all, so just enjoy the moment. There's months, if not years, of discoveries buried away in here, and even after 80 hours I can't wait to see more."

For up-to-date coverage in the run-up to release and beyond, be sure to keep tabs on our Starfield launch live blog. We've also got a bunch of guides breaking down Starfield ship customization, all Starfield cities, and more.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.