Starfield's Metacritic score lower than fans expected, still better than Fallout 4

Starfield's Metacritic score has landed, which is huge news for weird people who think criticism should be boiled down to an arbitrary number and debated until we're all worm food in the cold, cold ground.

Yes, Starfield is finally available in Early Access, and the review embargo lifted last night. As expected, Bethesda's latest has garnered some really positive reviews - including a GAMINGbible 10/10 - but some lower scores from other outlets.

A broad range of opinions is never a bad thing unless you're an idiot of course, but Starfield's Metacritic score is certainly lower than most fans were predicting.

Take a look at our review of Starfield below!

At the time of writing Starfield has a Metacritic score of 88. Now, it's worth noting that this score could go up or down in the coming weeks, as a number of outlets didn't receive a code for Starfield until very late, and won't have scored impressions for a while yet. It's a big game, after all. For now, though, it's 88.

For context, that puts it below Skyrim (94), but above Fallout 4 (84). That's not a bad score at all, although I'm sure the obsessed fans who were convinced the game was going to topple The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom and Baldur's Gate 3 will have a few things to say.

"Starfield is without a doubt a monumental release - and not just because it's Bethesda’s first new IP in 25 years," we wrote in our glowing review of the game.

"Every now and then, a new game comes along that changes our perception of what the industry is capable of. Starfield is that game. This is beyond what we’ve come to know an open-world to be. Bethesda has created a universe that, despite its vast scale, maintains interest and an impressive attention to detail throughout.

"The journey you embark on will dazzle you, and I have no doubt that players will be gripped for months, perhaps even years to come. Here is a playground where you can be whoever you want to be. I simply cannot stop thinking about Starfield and the wondrous secrets it still holds. Bethesda, I have one word: bravo."

Friendly reminder that it's okay to disagree with people's evaluation of the game - good or bad - without being a massive prick. Yeah? Yeah.