After some confusion, Bethesda has confirmed that Starfield will indeed have a physical disc.
The physical disc for Starfield will be available to those who purchase the Xbox Standard Edition. However, for fans playing on PC, this won't be an option as purchasing the standard edition will only grant players a game code according to a Starfield blog post.
Initially this blog post in June cleared up questions about a physical disc being available for Starfield however a recent debacle on Twitter sent fans into a frenzy. The confusion began when Bethesda replied to a fan asking whether Starfield will have a physical copy. The tweet read: "Hello! All physical editions include a code for the chosen platform. There are no physical discs." However, this response was later deleted.
Luckily, Bethesda has cleared all the confusion up now, clarifying that those playing Starfield on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One will have access to a physical copy if they so wish to have one.
Bethesda Support deleted their tweet for some reason regarding a physical disc for Starfield pic.twitter.com/w4c5SVtzPmJune 25, 2023
The blog post also included further details about early access and the various Starfield Editions available. There's the Standard Edition which is just the base game, and the Premium Edition which includes early access, shattered space story expansion (upon release), constellation skin pack, and access to a digital art book. The Constellation Edition includes all of the above plus a steelbook display case, constellation patch, and Starfield Chronomark Watch and Case.
Early access will kick off "up to five days before launch" the post said. However, "actual play time depends on purchase date and will be subject to possible outages". This makes it look like Bethesda is already anticipating some initial difficulties.
It's great news that a physical copy of Starfield is still available on Xbox consoles, even if this does leave PC players in the dust. Despite popular opinion, there's still a need for physical discs.
