Starfield Metacritic Score Falls, No Longer 2023’s Highest-Rated Xbox Game

Starfield won’t release until September 6, but yesterday, ahead of this, reviews for the Xbox Series X|S and PC game went live, which in turn revealed an early Metacritic score for the game. However, since then, this Metacritic score has dipped a bit, and in the process Starfield is no longer the highest-rated release from Xbox this year. Things are still fluid so this could change yet again, but typically Metacritic scores only worsen over time, which means it’s unlikely it will reclaim this honor. 

Right now, at the moment of publishing, Starfield on Xbox Series X|S boasts an 87 on Metacritic. Meanwhile, the PC version boasts an 88. These are very respectable scores, but it’s just below the combined score of Hi-Fi Rush, which has an 87 (Xbox Series X|S) and an 89 (PC). Interestingly, both of these games come out of Bethesda, but the former is made by Bethesda Game Studios while the latter is from Tango Gameworks. 

With its scores, Starfield is the 7th highest-rated Xbox Series X|S game of 2023 and the 11th highest-rated PC game of 2023. This includes all releases though, not just games from Xbox. To put these figures into further context, the most previous release from Bethesda Game Studios, Fallout 4, earned scores of 84, 87, and 88, with said scores varying depending on the platform. This was back in 2015. Four years prior, in 2011 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Bethesda Game Studios’ second most recent release, earned scores of 92, 94, and 96, again varying from platform to platform. If these figures mean anything, Starfield is more akin to Fallout 4 in terms of quality and impact than Skyrim. 

“During my time with Starfield, I’ve gotten lost in caves and abandoned research facilities for no real reason at all, only to come out much richer with off-the-books ‘quests; completed and a more fleshed-out world to show for it,” reads the opening of our review of the game. “I’ve also gone up against more bullet sponges than I care to recall, with some enemies floating away comically in a low-gravity environment after a single smack while others soaked up shotgun shells like their spacesuits were as alien as some of the lifeforms you’ll come across. Across those journeys, I’ve experienced the highs and lows of companionship, such as finding the perfect crewmate only for them to end up abandoned when they returned home bugged and unable to speak. Suffice it to say, Bethesda is definitely back.”

As always, feel free to weigh in with your own thoughts. Do you think Starfield will have a lasting impact like Skyrim or come and go like Fallout 4 did? Do you think the Bethesda RPG is a turning point for Xbox Game Studios?