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Starfield star systems and level restrictions explained

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Starfield's 100+ solar systems will create tiered difficulty for players

Starfield
(Image credit: Bethesda)
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There are over 100 Starfield star systems to find and explore, grouped by level that create difficulty tiers depending on where you go at your current level. Theoretically, you can plow straight into the toughest systems right from the start, just don't expect to last long. Unexplored systems are highlighted as you travel, possibly indicating an extra level of threat as well to new areas. 

Across the 100+ star system there are 1000 odd planets to explore and while they won't all be bustling galactic hubs, there's a lot to potentially discover. To make it all a little easier, here's all the details we know about Starfield star systems that have currently been revealed, mentioned or teased.

How many star systems are there in Starfield?

Starfield jump route

(Image credit: Bethesda)

There's over 100 star systems in Starfield, and over 1,000 individual worlds within them. Of the different Starfield factions you can meet, join or fight, three of them will have bases in specific Starfield cities, with territories extending around where they call home. 

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That likely means that certain systems will belong to certain factions, while others may be unclaimed, or even fought over. Not everywhere is going to be inhabited though - this is space, after all, and players start as professional explorers so expect plenty of unknown places to find. 

Starfield star system faction control and bounties

Starfield faction bounty

(Image credit: Bethesda)

We know that the various Starfield factions exert control over various regions of space and it appears that that occurs at a star system level. The system of Valii Alpha, for example, is designated as 'Freestar Collective under 'faction'. 

It's possible that you might have a better or worse time depending on your standing with certain groups as you explore. I've seen at least one example of a player bounty, specifically with the Freestar Collective, that suggests it's possible to end up with a price on your head. With the factions you can work with or join that obviously means you'll need to pay it off to enter their space or deal with them.  

All Starfield star systems so far

The following Starfield star systems have been revealed in some sort of detail so far:

  • Alpha Centauri - This is the nearest system to Sol and the central HQ of the United Colonies faction capital. It's also home to one of the big main cities, New Atlantis which seems to be on a planet called Jerrison. It has a total of four planets and eight moons.
  • Aranae - A system near Alpha Centauri, possible the main system containing Olympus (below)
  • Arcturus - Revealed via a survey screen for the planet Arcturus 3
  • Cheyenne - This is another system close to Alpha Centauri and appeared on a revealed section of the Galaxy Map. It also currently looks like Crimson Fleet territory.
  • Sol - Sol is our own solar system home to both Earth and Mars. However, our world is no longer habitable in the Starfield universe, and players will get to find out why Earth was abandoned. It's under United Colony faction control. 
  • Jaffa - This is yet another system again close to Alpha Centauri, and also shown on a section of the Galaxy Map.
  • Kryx - This was revealed in a letter seen on screen during a video saying "Pirates of the Crimson Fleet have extended far beyond the Kryx system". It's since been revealed as the base system for the pirates with their outpost, The Key. The letter also mentions that the Crimson Fleet have gone on to "establish footholds in the Sagan, Cheyenne, Lunara and Narion systems". 
  • Linnaeus - A system near Olympus.
  • Lunara - Another system, between Linnaeus and Kryx, mentioned to be under Crimson Fleet control.
  • Narion - The official gameplay reveal features base building on this system's barren world of Vectera. Niira is another planet shown in scans. It's very close to Sol and Alpha Centauri and under Freestar Collective control.
  • Nirah - Mentioned while scanning the moon Ka'zaal around the plant Ka'zarah.
  • Olympus - A system adjacent to Volii.
  • Porrima - This is a another system close close to Alpha Centauri and shown on a revealed section of the Galaxy Map. One of it's planets, Porima III is home to the Red Mile. 
  • Sagan - Another system mentioned to be under Crimson Fleet control.
  • Volii - This is a system close to Alpha Centauri, as revealed on a section of the Galaxy Map. This may be the headquarters of the Ryujin Industries faction and their pleasure city Neon, owing to a "Volii Hotel" sign seen in concept art for Neon. However, the galaxy map also shows it's under the control faction control of the Freestar Collective. 

Starfield star system chart

(Image credit: Bethesda)

Obviously the fact that there are 100 star systems in the game instead of the 100,000,000,000 stars in the actual Milky Way means players should expect a version of the galaxy that's been scaled down. We do know that Bethesda is being selective in their recreation - Alpha Centauri and Porrima are real star systems for example, while Narion and Volii appear to be fictional, or possibly existing systems under different names.

How to travel between star systems in Starfield 

Starfield Star systems and jumps

(Image credit: Bethesda)

To jump between systems you basically bring up a star map and link systems together to for a route. That could be multiple jumps between each of the systems linked. If it's a new path it'll also be marked as unexplored. One of the Starfield ship customization stats is "Jump Range (Light Years)" which shows how far your grav drive jump through the galaxy. Cargo seem to also have an direct effect with it's weight increasing fuel consumption - the heavier your are, the more costly a jump might be, or even impossible.  

How Star system levels work in Starfield

Starfield levelled systems progression

(Image credit: Bethesda)

Star systems in Starfield have levels that serve as means to control difficulty and gatekeep you as you play. The game groups star systems by level so players know where to go. In a podcast interview with Lex Fridman, game director Todd Howard explained the system accordingly: 

Howard: "It'll be like when you look at a map on a game, it'll be like 'this is the area for low-level players, this is level one.' So we do this on a star system basis." 

It's not made entirely clear whether these will be hard gates - aka, that require players to reach a certain level to get inside - or whether they'll simply be recommendations. However, considering Bethesda's previous design choices with open world games, it's very likely the latter, particularly considering that they don't even want your spaceship to run out of fuel. 

Joel Franey
Joel Franey
Guides Editor, GamesRadar+

Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and Very Tired Man with a BA from Brunel University, a Masters from Sussex University and a decade working in games journalism, often focused on guides coverage but also in reviews, features and news. His love of games is strongest when it comes to groundbreaking narratives like Disco Elysium, UnderTale and Baldur's Gate 3, as well as innovative or refined gameplay experiences like XCOM, Sifu, Arkham Asylum or Slay the Spire. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at Eurogamer, Gfinity, USgamer, SFX Magazine, RPS, Dicebreaker, VG247, and more.

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