Starfield is shaping up to be the biggest and most ambitious game from Bethesda yet, building upon the studio’s greatest, award-winning RPG achievements with the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series. Even though the game’s official launch date is still several days away, Todd Howard has already revealed the first planned story expansion DLC, titled ‘Shattered Space’. If you’re wondering just what to expect from it, here is everything we know so far about the Starfield Shattered Space Expansion: Release date, details, and how to buy it.
What is the Shattered Space Expansion for Starfield?
Since confirmed by Bethesda’s Todd Howard, ‘Shattered Space’ is going to be the first official DLC expansion for Starfield, and it’s definitely not going to cut any corners. It’s planned to eclipse all other major expansion DLCs that Bethesda has done in the past for other games, though there’s no word yet on how much more storage space players will need for it.
In terms of the content of ‘Shattered Space’, that understandably hasn’t been revealed yet either, aside from that it has officially been labeled as a “story expansion”. That could very well mean that it’ll extend the game’s overall ending(s) with the existing story of the United Colonies and the Freestar Collective, or create its own story arc with the main game as its foundation.
There’s also the possibility of visiting new planet(s), perhaps even a new star system, or it could also stay within the main game’s already-gargantuan open universe. The possibilities are literally cosmic at this point, and in the coming months ahead of its release we’ll undoubtedly get more details about it.
What is the Release Date for Starfield’s Shattered Space
Given that the actual game doesn’t release until September 6 (or September 1 for those with Early Access), it’s a bit too early to tell exactly when ‘Shattered Space’ will follow. Given the game’s early Fall launch, we can estimate somewhere in the middle of 2024 for the first DLC expansion.
We base that on their fierce dedication to polishing Starfield to perfection ahead of its release, and that they’ll want to make sure everything keeps running smoothly, so that a fully-polished ‘Shattered Space’ will be ready to integrate seamlessly into the game. Not only that, Starfield is an astoundingly massive game, and players will be plenty busy exploring everything else the game has to offer without having to worry about a content drought whatsoever.
Looking back on Bethesda’s traditional timeline of DLC expansion releases for other games like Skyrim (with ‘Dawnguard’), Fallout 3 (with ‘Into the Pitt’), and Fallout 4 (with ‘Far Harbor’), it’s likely safe to say that we can expect ‘Shattered Space’ to come to Starfield within 6-8 months after initial release. That would put it somewhere in the range of late Spring to early Summer 2024.
How to Purchase the Shattered Space Expansion for Starfield
As for how to get the ‘Shattered Space’ DLC expansion, it automatically comes with both the Starfield Physical/Digital Premium Edition and the Constellation Edition, however the latter is already pretty much sold out everywhere, unless you live in the U.K..
In the case of the Physical/Digital Premium Edition, either you can pre-order/buy the edition outright with the DLC included, or you have the option to upgrade to Premium from the Standard Edition, if you purchased that one first and then changed your mind. The upgrade itself is $34.99 USD at every major retailer (Amazon, Best Buy, Gamestop, Walmart).
If you want the physical upgrade, it also comes with a nice Steelbook Case and a decorative Constellation Patch. Bethesda also has a good amount of other physical merchandise available, if you snag it in time.
If you just want the digital upgrade, you still get all the intended in-game content for the Premium edition, including ‘Shattered Space’. However, make note that if you plan to play the game on Steam, the Premium Upgrade option won’t be available until after official release on Sept 6, so in that instance the 5 Day Early Access perk will be unavailable.
If you have an active subscription on the Xbox Game Pass, while the base game will be automatically available at launch on Sept 6, if you want additional content such as the 5 Day Early Access and Shattered Space DLC, you will still need to make an additional purchase for the Premium Upgrade at $34.99 USD.
That concludes our guide for the Starfield Shattered Space Expansion, including its Release Date, Details & how to buy it. We hope you find this helpful, and let us know which edition of the game you’ve decided on.
Be sure to check out all of our guides for Starfield as they go live, such as our top 10 best ways to prepare for Starfield.
