Starfield is set pretty far in the future in 2330, but the timeline for the game actually starts a lot closer to our current time. In fact, it begins less than 30 years from now. According to the official timeline, the events that get players to where the game begins starts in 2050.
This is when humans first arrive on Mars. And a mere 50 years later, humans have already colonized the planet and are living in space. Humanity’s adventures beyond the stars seem relatively tame for the next nearly 100 years. Then it starts to go downhill. The Starfield timeline is but a drop in the bucket of the game’s official lore. It’s also integral to the story that players will experience in-game. At least for those players that want a more complete picture of how things came to be.
The timeline sets the stage so to speak for what Starfield is and how humanity got there. And big surprise, the events that lead to Starfield involve the creation of interstellar organizations and warring factions. At least, that’s the short and sweet version.
The Starfield timeline helps lay groundwork for the game’s story
The official timeline is an important piece of the lore. As it helps lay the groundwork for the game’s story. Key points in the timeline pinpoint the pivotal moments that play a big role in what the player will know of Starfield once they step into the game. Such as the creation of the United Colonies in 2159, the founding of New Atlantis (a main city where you’ll spend plenty of time in-game) a year later, the creation of the Freestar Collective in 2189, and the beginning of the Narion War in 2196.
The timeline also heralds the founding of Constellation and lays out the first mentions of key characters. Such as Sebastian Banks, Constellation’s founder, Sarah Morgan, Barrett, and other members of the organization you will interact with. Starfield’s story is bound to be as vast as the space the game is set in. So the timeline is a neat little way to give players more to help them get invested in the game universe.
It’s far from the only out-of-game connected media though. Back at the end of July Bethesda released a series of animated shorts called The Settled Systems. Each chronicling what appear to be important moments in the overall Starfield history. If you haven’t seen them yet, they’re worth a watch. And you can check out the official timeline on Starfield’s website by scrolling towards the bottom of the page. Starfield officially releases on September 5 for PC and Xbox Series X|S.