Starfield's photo mode produces results like I've never seen — and it comes with an added benefit

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Starfield's photo mode might just be the best out there and for one reason in particular.

A stunning view of a sunset behind the spaceship on Starfield
An amazing shot here from gr8whitebraddah on Reddit. (Image credit: https://www.reddit.com/user/gr8whitebraddah/)

What you need to know

  • Starfield recently became available via early access on Xbox and PC.
  • It's the latest game from Bethesda and their first new IP in 25 years.
  • The photo mode is becoming a fan favourite feature and adds something else to the game to make it more enjoyable.

I used to spend quite a bit of time in the photo modes of games like Forza Horizon, but I have to say that Starfield has by far the best photo mode I have seen yet. With the Milky Way being so vast, you can really put your photography skills to the test, just like Holden88805 here posting up his shots on X. Wow.

Those that have been playing during the early access for Starfield have started to post some impressive images. So much variety can be seen, and the game makes the players feel more engrossed in this by including one nifty little feature in particular. Your wonderful photos appear as images for the loading screen! It's such a simple little thing, but one that players are really happy about. It's even making me more eager to try it out.

The graphical style of Starfield is rather fitting for a photo mode I feel, and ImALease on Reddit captured this perfectly, giving us such a great sense of scale that not many games can give you. This shot actually reminded me of some of the angles used in Rogue One, pretty much my favourite Star Wars movie.

Side view from a space ship looking at a planet on Starfield.

This shot makes you feel like this could be real in the future. (Image credit: ImALease)

Many are enjoying exploring the planets a little closer to home. Mars seems to be getting a lot of attention, and rightly so. This shot from BenjiSales on X captures that feeling perfectly, with a bit of a dust storm covering the landscape, giving it quite an eery feel. With Mars being the planet we humans are actually likely to set foot on next, I can see why so many are interested in exploring it. We just need to be able to climb and mine Olympus Mons next!

Sam Tolbert, another writer here on Windows Central, shared his favorite shot with me and I particularly like how it makes you feel like the terrain is just void of any and all life. A desolate wasteland. It feels cold and lonely. Great stuff.

Sam Tolbert exploring a desolate planet looking out into the blackness of space.

Sam Tolbert exploring an icy world. Hope he took his thermals. (Image credit: Future)

Two sets of photos here, one from our very own Jez Corden and another from Sprite_Flicker on X shows more wonderful landscapes and I really like the low gravity shot on what looks like one of Saturn's many satellites. It really shows the level of detail Bethesda has put into the planets. They really do look stunning.

A number of stunning of images here from our Gaming Editor Rebecca Spear showing just how varied the locales can be. There's so much scope with Starfield and Rebecca's highlights here are the tip of the iceberg. I adore that first image.

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Spaceship in Starfield just floating in space
(Image credit: Future)

The final shot here, I think, is my favorite so far. Gilbert Kitchens on X with this gorgeous 21:9 angled shot that has a really nice contrast. The player looking out from the icy moon at a nearby gas giant and its glorious rings, with the distant star providing the light. The darkness of space as the background. Wonderful. 

Player stood on a moon looking at a nearby planet with the distant star shining away.

Gilbert wins for me. (Image credit: https://twitter.com/Gilbeezyskit93)

I'm really looking forward to seeing a flood of images from the space photographers out there once the game hits general release, and I'm even more eager to dive into this myself now. The images you take appearing in the loading screens is just the icing on the cake and a wonderful way to get players more immersed in the game. 

Dan Rice
Dan Rice
Contributor

Dan is a tech contributor on Windows Central. A long time Xbox gamer and former partner on Microsoft's retired streaming platform Mixer, he can often be found crying into a cup of tea whilst thinking about Windows Phone. You can follow Dan on Twitter where you will find him talking about tech, Formula 1 and his latest victories in Battle Royale games.