Starfield's map is being reverse-engineered by fans using trailer footage

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Some of the star systems are based on the real-life universe

Starfield screenshot
(Image credit: Bethesda)

A new fan-made program lets you explore a rough mockup of Starfield's map using data extrapolated from six seconds of trailer footage.

You'll remember last month when Bethesda finally showed us what Starfield gameplay looks like in a lengthy trailer. Well, in the weeks since, a coder by the name of Sebastian Werhausen has been programming the Starfield Navigator, a tool designed to give you a more detailed and interactive visual of the game's star map identifying the positions of stars in relation to each other and the names of stars in the trailer which were visible but unnamed. For example, Werhausen was able to use distance, position, and color to identify three more real-life stars that were featured in the Starfield trailer: Altair, Barnard, and Sirius. 

"That scene was used to track all visible stars and reconstruct their ingame position," Werhausen said. "The footage included seven named stars, three of them are real star systems (Sol, Alpha Centauri and Porrima). The real-life position of those stars were used to calibrate the reconstruction."

Werhausen said they were able to use data from the trailer footage to discover some insights about Starfield's map. For example, they figured out that of the "over 100" stars said to be included in the final game, 75 were visible in the trailer. Furthermore, three of the seven labeled star systems are actual star systems from our real-life universe, which suggests other real star systems will be in the game. Question is, what sort of Starfield ship customization will you need to visit everything in good time? 

For everything just beyond the horizon, don't miss our guide to upcoming Xbox Series X games.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick
Staff Writer

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.