Is the Starfield: Shattered Space DLC on Xbox Game Pass?

Starfield Shattered Space DLC
The Scaled Citadel — House Va'ruun's seat of power on Va'ruun'kai — has been caught in a strange gravity anomaly in the Shattered Space DLC. (Image credit: Bethesda | Microsoft)

Is the Starfield: Shattered Space DLC coming to Xbox Game Pass?

While the base game of Starfield is available to play on Xbox Game Pass, you don't get access to the Shattered Space DLC with Microsoft's all-you-can-eat gaming service. However, you can purchase the expansion or upgrade to the Premium Edition without buying Starfield if you're a Game Pass member.


Shattered Space isn't on Xbox Game Pass

Starfield: Shattered Space - Official Trailer - YouTube Starfield: Shattered Space - Official Trailer - YouTube
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Bethesda Game Studios gargantuan space exploration RPG Starfield was one of 2023's biggest games in terms of both size and popularity, and it's gotten even bigger with the arrival of the Shattered Space DLC. Set entirely on the mysterious alien world of Va'ruun'kai, the expansion focuses on the enigmatic House Va'ruun as it attempts to recover from devastation brought about by a secret Grav Drive experiment that went disastrously wrong. Players will be caught in the middle of relief efforts in the faction's capital city of Dazra, political schemes within the organization, and encounters against bizarre, almost supernatural creatures that are invading as a direct result of the "vortex incident."

Indeed, Shattered Space looks to not only be big, but also deep — something that should please critics of the arguably underwhelming RPG depth in Starfield's base game. In many ways, it sounds a lot like the beloved Far Harbor expansion from Fallout 4, and that's got plenty of players interested. Naturally, since Starfield is an Xbox exclusive and Bethesda is now part of Xbox Game Studios, many of those fans are wondering if they can access the expansion through Xbox Game Pass.

Xbox Game Pass is Microsoft's buffet-style gaming service that lets you play as many titles from its library as you want in exchange for a monthly fee, and since Starfield itself is on Game Pass, it's understandable to assume that Shattered Space is as well. However, that's actually not the case, as the $29.99 expansion is not included in Game Pass subscriptions. That means you'll either have to buy Shattered Space directly or get the $34.99 Starfield Premium Edition upgrade to check out the DLC, though you can also buy the full $99.99 Premium Edition too if you haven't purchased the standard version of Starfield yet. 

Note that there are great CDKeys deals on the Steam versions of all of these right now that I've linked to below (read our CDKeys FAQ to learn more about the retailer); sadly, Xbox editions are all full price save for a small discount on the complete Premium Edition.

Starfield: Shattered Space | $29.99$26.79 at CDKeys (PC, Steam)

Starfield: Shattered Space | $29.99 $26.79 at CDKeys (PC, Steam)

Starfield's first story expansion, Shattered Space, will take players to the alien world of Va'ruun'kai come September 30. The DLC will be exclusively set on the mysterious planet, and will give players the opportunity to learn about and interact with House Va'ruun as it grapples with the devastation of a dangerous experiment that went horribly wrong.

Also see: Xbox version ($29.99) | Premium Edition (CDKeys, Steam, $69.69) | Premium Edition (CDKeys, Xbox, $96.49) | Premium Edition upgrade (CDKeys, Steam, $29.49) | Premium Edition upgrade (Amazon, Xbox, $34.99)

... But that doesn't mean Game Pass doesn't help

Compared to the rest of Starfield's worlds, Va'ruun'kai seems to be noticeably darker and more eerie. (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

While Shattered Space isn't on Xbox Game Pass, being subscribed to the service will still help you get access to the expansion affordably if you're playing on Xbox or Windows PC via the Microsoft Store. Firstly, the fact that Starfield itself is part of the Xbox Game Pass games list means that members only have to buy the expansion or Premium Edition upgrade to play, whereas someone who hasn't gotten the $69.99 game already would have to purchase it, too.

Subscribers to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier of the service will also save some money when getting the DLC or Premium Edition upgrade, as Ultimate members get $3 off Shattered Space and $3.50 off the Premium Edition upgrade. Admittedly, those discounts pale in comparison to what Steam players can get from CDKeys right now, but hey — some savings are better than none.

Those are the two ways Game Pass helps get Starfield and Shattered Space in your hands now, but who knows? It could always come to the service at some point down the line, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it added to the Game Pass library once it eventually stops making lots of money from direct purchases. If that ends up happening, I'll update this article with the latest information.

Brendan Lowry

Brendan Lowry is a Windows Central writer and Oakland University graduate with a burning passion for video games, of which he's been an avid fan since childhood. He's been writing for Team WC since the summer of 2017, and you'll find him doing news, editorials, reviews, and general coverage on everything gaming, Xbox, and Windows PC. His favorite game of all time is probably NieR: Automata, though Elden Ring, Fallout: New Vegas, and Team Fortress 2 are in the running, too. When he's not writing or gaming, there's a good chance he's either watching an interesting new movie or TV show or actually going outside for once. Follow him on X (Twitter).