Starfield screenshots serve a secret purpose

A Starfield player notices that pictures taken in the game can also be used as loading screens. This not only makes the photo mode in Starfield useful for capturing memories but also for planning the player's next loading screen.

The first photo mode that made waves in the world of video games was introduced in Gran Turismo 4, released in 2005. Compared to today's standards, it was a simple photo mode with only a few filters and options, but it paved the way for this additional mode in future games. Over the years, players have been able to take photos in some of the greatest games ever developed, such as Halo 3 and The Last of Us, and eventually more intuitive and advanced photo modes were implemented in games like Marvel's Spider-Man, God of War, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. And as great as the photo modes were in all these games, Bethesda's latest game, Starfield, takes the concept of a photo mode to a whole new level.

Reddit user qewman101 has discovered that every time a player takes a photo in Starfield, that image can be used as a loading screen during the game. Similar to a screensaver for a Windows PC, the game selects a random image from the photo gallery each time a loading screen appears. This feature was first used in another Bethesda game, Fallout 76. The feature worked well in the world of Fallout, but the vast and beautiful galaxy of Starfield is better suited for this design choice. Players can unlock the photo mode early on, so gamers don't have to wait long to plan their next loading screen.

Reddit user qewman101 has discovered that every time a player takes a photo in Starfield, that image can be used as a loading screen during the game. Similar to a screensaver for a Windows PC, the game selects a random image from the photo gallery each time a loading screen appears. This feature was first used in another Bethesda game, Fallout 76. The feature worked well in the world of Fallout, but the vast and beautiful galaxy of Starfield is better suited for this design choice. Players can unlock the photo mode early on, so gamers don't have to wait long to plan their next loading screen.

The ideal situation would be to have no loading screens at all, but once more players realize they can create their own individual loading screens, that could mitigate the issue. Starfield has one of the most visually stunning environments in a video game today, and the game could produce some of the most beautiful loading screens seen so far.

Starfield is now available in Early Access and will be officially released on September 6th for PC and Xbox Series X/S.