Starfield players are complaining about space travel and too many loading screens

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This question has sparked a debate about whether Starfield is an open-world game or not, as fans argue that there are too many barriers and fast travel options to classify it as such. Some say they miss the largely uninterrupted exploration of Skyrim, where you could traverse the entire world on foot without interruptions, except for entering cities and dungeons.

"Starfield feels like it has regressed compared to other Bethesda games," says Reddit user No-Dust-2105. "This game is not open world; it handles the map worse than Skyrim or Fallout 4. In those games, you can walk anywhere, but Starfield is just constant teleporting to reach specific locations."

"Starfield feels like it has regressed compared to other Bethesda games," says Reddit user No-Dust-2105. "This game is not open world; it handles the map worse than Skyrim or Fallout 4. In those games, you can walk anywhere, but Starfield is just constant teleporting to reach specific locations."

"The most exciting part of building your own ship was the opportunity to travel through space with it," says Sonnenkreuz14. "But in reality, all that happens is that you essentially stand still and teleport to different planets without actually utilizing it as a spaceship."

While this is certainly a common complaint, other players argue that it's not enough to dismiss the rest of the game. They recommend that those who are put off by this aspect give Starfield a bit more time, stating that it takes longer for the game to earn the players' trust than it did with previous Bethesda games, where you could immediately dive into the core gameplay loop.

Regardless of how the fan base feels about it, it's certainly a significant departure from the way previous games handled travel between settlements. It seems that Starfield, unlike what fans expected, doesn't truly see space itself as an open world. Instead, it simply connects multiple different open worlds that you can explore. This is similar to the approach taken by the Mass Effect series, where actual space travel is minimized as the map guides you between the areas needed for missions. The main difference is that Starfield allows you to attempt manual travel between planets, but it's just too time-consuming.

Regardless of how the fan base feels about it, it is certainly a significant departure from the way previous games handled travel between settlements. It seems that Starfield, contrary to fans' expectations, doesn't really view space itself as an open world. Instead, it simply connects several different open worlds that you can explore. This is similar to the approach taken by the Mass Effect series, where actual space travel is minimized as the map guides you between the areas needed for missions. The main difference is that Starfield allows you to attempt manual travel between planets, but it is simply too time-consuming.

If you want to try it out yourself, the early access phase is now live for all owners of the Starfield Deluxe Edition. Otherwise, the full launch will take place on September 6th.