Can Starfield win the Game of the Year award?

Bethesda Game Studios' space opera RPG, Starfield, has received a mostly warm welcome from gamers. The game peaked at 245k players on Steam through early access release before its initial launch on September 6, 2023, and has already surpassed Skyrim's concurrent players record on the platform.

Understandably, it's led many to wonder whether Starfield can nab Game of the Year. 2023 Has been an excellent year for gaming so far, with releases like Hogwarts Legacy, Resident Evil 4 Remake, Dead Space Remake, Legend of Zelda: Tears of Kingdom, and Baldur's Gate 3, to name a few that garnered critical acclaim from both fans and critics alike.

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What Starfield brings to the table against other major releases of 2023

Exploring the depths of space (Image via Bethesda Softworks)

Starfield, Bethesda Games Studio’s newest IP, after being teased in 2018 and set to launch in November 2022, had been pushed back to September of this year. One of Microsoft's most anticipated launches following their $7.5 billion acquisition of ZeniMax Media, the game is undoubtedly Xbox’s biggest launch this year.

The studio, renowned for its storytelling and massive worlds that feel alive, took quite the gamble with this new IP. Critics were skeptical after the initial failure of Bethesda's live service Fallout game, Fallout 76. On top of that, Starfield had planet-sized expectations on its shoulders, given the insane marketing campaigns done by Microsoft.

Starfield promised unlimited worlds to explore and in-depth ship customization, among many other features, and it delivered on many of them. We can safely assume that Bethesda learned much from its failures with Fallout 76 and even Redfall, a game not developed by them but pushed out of the box by its publishing branch before it was fully cooked.

There are various planets that need exploring (Image via Bethesda Softworks)

Unlike some of its shooter titles, such as Deathloop and Wolfenstein — both of which focus more on gameplay than narrative — Starfield has a vast narrative focus, much like the Elder Scrolls and Fallout games. Although Bethesda is not known for its combat, we were surprised at how fun and smooth the gunplay felt. This, combined with well-written quests and characters, certainly makes for a satisfying package.

Starfield's main quest storyline, which revolves around you hunting for alien artifacts, clocks in at roughly 30 hours. Besides the main plot, you can easily get lost in the world of Starfield and its side content for many more hours. It's truly a thrilling experience to venture out and discover the endless variety of planets. You can also battle space pirates, build your spaceship, and customize it to be an absolute powerhouse in the galaxy.

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Final thoughts

Watching the sunrise over the horizon while standing on a snowy planet (Image via Bethesda Softworks)

Bethesda has consistently delivered exceptional games that boast rich and lore-heavy open worlds. It takes the unexpected and works it into things we have never seen before, which makes its games last for generations. Starfield is no exception to this, but only time will tell whether it will win a Game of the Year award in 2023.

In my opinion, competing against behemoths like Nintendo's Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom or Larian Studio's Baldur's Gate 3, Bethesda Game Studios has very little chance. Despite having many positives, they ultimately cannot compete with the masterful storytelling, RPG elements, characters, and writing of Baldur's Gate 3.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, on the other hand, provides in-depth exploration as well. By placing many interactive objects in the world and an engaging sandbox to explore, the developers have ensured you will have something to do even as you move from point A to B. Starfield feels very simplistic by comparison.

Then there are issues like inventory being confusing to navigate, the inability to move towards planets except by fast traveling, numerous loading screens, etc., which greatly hold the game back. With all that said, this game may not be regarded as a masterpiece compared to other releases this year.

Despite its flaws, Bethesda has proved they are back on the right track after the colossal failures and uncooked games delivered over the last few years. Hopefully, the studio will deliver on the upcoming installment of the Elder Scrolls Saga.