by From what Bethesda has revealed so far, there are four key Starfield (opens in a new tab) cities we will visit in the upcoming space RPG. As we can expect based on Bethesda’s previous games, cities are hubs where we will pick up quests, trade and encounter large parts of the story; Discovering and returning to each of them will likely drive much of the game’s narrative. Each of them has a distinct style, and some are closely tied to a specific Starfield faction that you’ll encounter throughout the game.
There will be a lot to discover on your own at launch, but we’ve got you covered with an overview of all known Starfield locations and major cities in anticipation of the 2023 space adventure.
What are the most important places in Starfield?
New Atlantis
New Atlantis is the hyper-military, modern capital where the United Colonies have set up camp on the planet Jemison in the Alpha Centauri system. Todd Howard said New Atlantis is “not only the biggest in this game”, but bigger than anything in Skyrim, Fallout 4 or any of the developer’s previous games.
Design director Emil Pagliarulo says that “New Atlantis is a true reflection of the future of our world,” due to the diverse collective of citizens. It has giant, crooked skyscrapers, creepy military and political officials, and a whole lot of flying cars. I would love to visit here if it was real. (Don’t live there forever, just visit.) However, there is a strict military presence, and from recent games it appears that all ports of arrival and spaceports will be heavily guarded by United Colonies forces. Be sure to put all the blaster fluids in one of the small plastic bags under 100ml or they will throw your entire weapon out.
Akila city
This is the home of the Freestar Collective, another of the Starfield factions. Bethesda describes it as a “loose confederation of three distinct star systems,” whose values lay in individualism. It is sold as a diverse place, where people from different backgrounds unite under one common goal: to be space cowboys.
This planet is home to extra-terrestrial hunters called the Ashta, which Bethesda says are a cross between a wolf and a velociraptor. If you decide to live in Akila City, don’t worry – there’s a wall to keep you safe from the creatures. If you look closely at Akila City’s front gates, it says “est. 2167 by Solomon Coe”, which puts its founding a full 163 years before the present day of Starfield’s history in 2330.
Neon
This suspended, aquatic spectacle is a “city of pleasure” called Neon. Feeling an urge to set up a pier and catch fish (who doesn’t), Xenofresh Corporation workers built a space dock in the middle of a large body of water. Surprisingly, they caught a fish with mind-blowing psychedelics, and they decided to produce it instead of just catching fish. Some of these Neon-exclusive creatures produce substances that can be refined into a substance called “Aurora”, which has limited legality across the stars. That sounds like a planet to get extremely stupid on.
How many cities are there in Starfield?
Starfield will be home to four major cities, including New Atlantis city, the largest city in Bethesda’s history. Yes, bigger than anything Skyrim and Fallout have ever seen. The other two famous cities are Akila and Neon.
The fourth city is still unknown, but it seems reasonable to guess that it could be wherever the Crimson Fleet pirates or Ryujin Industries call home. The Freestar Collective and United Colonies both have homes on this list of major cities, and while Neon was created by Xenofresh Corp, it certainly fits the cybercorp feel we’ve come to expect from Ryujin. Perhaps the fourth and final city will have a space pirate vibe to round out the group.
How big is Starfield?
Bethesda has teased that Starfield’s world will be colossal. The preview of the game in June revealed that there will be over 100 solar systems and over 1,000 planets. Although there are four main cities, there will be more communities and outposts to explore on your space journey.
