Starfield has an easy-to-miss assist to help you explore every corner of space

Starfield
(Image credit: Bethesda)

A Starfield player has provided an essential tip that I can't believe I didn't realize sooner.

When you're out in the vast reaches of the star field and you pull up your space map, you'll see an overview of all the nearby star systems near you. As the player below points out, it turns out that each of these stars is coded according to a system of which stars you've already visited, which you're within distance of, and which you'll need to Grav Jump to.

I'm level 34 and I JUST realized this about the star map, while trying to visit every star. from r/Starfield

If a star is glowing with a halo in Starfield, you've already been to that system. If a star has no glow or halo, you haven't visited the planet yet, but you can get there from where you're currently positioned. If a star is red, you'll have to Grav Jump to it via a nearby star system instead of flying straight there.

It's a system that makes total sense when you think about it, and I can't believe I didn't notice it sooner. Admittedly, Starfield never explains the feature, hence why the subreddit post has over 5,000 upvotes just a day after originally being posted there.

I thought the red glow of a star was to denote that you'd get your ass kicked if you went there. The more you know. Every star system has a pre-determined level, so if you're level 5, for example, you'll want to steer well clear of a level 35 star system. I just assumed the glow was Starfield further enforcing this point, as did many other players, going from the comments on the Reddit post.

Speaking of ships and traveling, make sure to read our Starfield ship inventory guide if you're looking for handy pointers on how to sell goods directly from your craft.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.