Starfield: Shattered Space will expand the planet-hopping game’s story when it lands this year.
We’ve been hearing about the massive DLC since before the smash-hit game was released. The team behind Starfield bundled Shattered Space with the special editions of the game, enabling players to grab it as soon as it drops.
Now, we may have got a massive hint about its imminent arrival thanks to an update to the game’s Steam page. So, what changes will Shattered Space bring to Starfield and when can you play it? Here’s what we know about the game’s first story expansion.
What is Starfield: Shattered Space?
As you’d expect from the studio behind Fallout 4 and Skyrim, Bethesda has been promising to keep pumping out new content for Starfield for years to come.
Sure enough, a bunch of updates followed the game’s release last September. But while these introduced new controls, visual enhancements, and smaller quests, Shattered Space is an altogether different kind of beast.
Naturally, Bethesda is keeping tight-lipped so as not to ruin the surprise. Still, the upcoming DLC is expected to usher in a new story campaign, locations, major quests, items and gameplay, among other things.
Think of it as a mini-game within Starfield, packed with new things to do and discover. Expansions of this size usually usher in a new storyline with new characters, themes, and choices that branch off the main campaign.
Starfield: Shattered Space story
In the absence of any official info, fans have been furiously speculating what the DLC could involve.
The main theory is that it will delve into the origins of the only faction in the game you can’t currently join; The House Va’ruun. Known for their religious zeal and military might, the cabal’s members worship a deity called the Great Serpent. Following the breakout of several wars, the group was fractured and its followers displaced across the parts of the colonised galaxy known as the Settled Systems.
Players are also keen to see more dynamic space battles, improved interactions with companions, and new cities that feel more distinct than the procedurally generated settlements in the game.
Shattered Space release date
Now this is about as big a mystery as the source of Starfield’s ancient artefacts. All we know for sure is that Shattered Space will arrive this year.
Still, anticipation is building after a new update was spotted on Starfield’s Steam listing. The game’s page now mentions an "unknown app" on the Steam backend that's widely speculated to be the Shattered Space DLC.
As Eurogamer notes, similar "unknown apps" were added to past Bethesda games like Fallout 4, which later turned out to be expansions like Nuka-World and Valut-Tec Workshop.
Still, we wouldn’t get too excited. It’s doubtful that Bethesda will drop the update without first drumming up some hype. With a major gaming event looming in the form of Pax East on March 21-24, we could hear more sooner rather than later.
Will Shattered Space be on Game Pass?
Seeing as Starfield was available on Game Pass upon its release, you may be wondering if Shattered Space will follow suit. Based on Microsoft’s treatment of past DLCs, it’s difficult to say. Some games have had their expansions included on Game Pass (like Gears 5: Hivebusters), while others were not (Fallout 4).
On the other hand, Microsoft clearly views exclusive games like Starfield as a means of attracting players to Game Pass over rival services. Therefore, it's possible it decides to keep Shattered Space as part of the Game Pass package to offer further value to customers.
