A video comparing Starfield’s graphics from the June 2022 gameplay reveal to Gamescom 2023 footage shows a stark difference in quality.
Years after its initial E3 2018 unveiling, Bethesda shared a first look at Starfield gameplay during the Xbox Games Show in June 2022. Ship combat, gunplay, character creation, and more were all on display.
While onlookers gushed about the thousands of explorable planets and so on, many expressed skepticism about the game’s graphical quality. That started to change with the Starfield Direct stream that Bethesda aired early in summer 2023.
The latest footage showcased during Gamescom suggests the RPG’s delay out of November 2022 was more than worth it.
Starfield graphics comparison highlights incredible improvements
Reddit user MartinTheTrue created a short comparison video that demonstrates the graphical differences between two versions of the same Starfield elevator scene.
The first clip is taken from the official gameplay reveal in June 2022 and shows a woman equipping her helmet in a barely lit elevator. Meanwhile, the second clip comes from the latter part of Todd Howard’s Gamescom ONL presentation.
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In the 2022 footage, some character details seem muddied, the lighting doesn’t look great, and the cave wall at the back of the elevator fails to stand out.
Contrarily, the new version of this same footage features a character whose face is obviously dirty, while much-improved lighting adds significant depth to the surrounding area.
Of course, fans in the Reddit thread were quick to comment on the stunning improvements. One Redditor wrote: “Everything looks visually clearer to read now. The original contrast looked good but makes it a little harder to see the space/people because the lighting was so dramatic.”
Another user noted that Starfield’s lengthy delay was more than worthwhile, writing: “The lighting in every scene looks way better than last year. The delay was so worth it.”
Based on the positive impressions coming from those playing Starfield for review, solid graphics aren’t the only thing Bethesda’s latest has going for it.
