Details are still vague, but we've got at least a small idea for what's coming next to Bethesda Game Studios' science-fiction role-playing game, Starfield, and it includes upgrades that players have wanted.
In a "developer spotlight" video, producer Tim Lamb talks about his work at Bethesda Game Studios, having contributed to titles like The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, Fallout 3, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, Fallout 4, Fallout 76, and, most recently, Starfield.
After discussing a bit of what made working on Starfield different compared to other Bethesda Game Studios titles, Lamb continues by teasing a bit of what is coming next, saying that "I'm really excited for players to see what the team's been working on."
"We have some cool stuff coming, including free updates and features that players have been asking for, as well as a new DLC story," he says.
"I can't go into all the details just yet, but I will say, part of the team has been focused on space gameplay to make the travels there more rewarding. We're also adding some new game systems and a few other smaller delights."
It's not too surprising that a second DLC expansion is in development — executive producer Todd Howard previously indicated the plan was for more than one expansion — but it's still nice to have confirmation this DLC is still underway.
We're also adding some new game systems and a few other smaller delights.
Tim Lamb, Lead Creative Producer
That said, it does seem fairly clear to me that there have been some internal delays. Starfield has received a couple of updates this year, with improvements for Creations made by modders and new "Very Low" settings that are ideal for gaming handhelds.
Still, that comes up short compared to what the team was saying at the start of 2025, when they communicated that there were a lot of exciting things planned for the year.
The year isn't over yet, and it's certainly possible we could see some of these updates Lamb was teasing arrive before 2025 is up, but I wouldn't be surprised if the expansion and the lion's share of the updates are waiting until sometime in early 2026.
Here's what I want to see in these Starfield updates
So, just what will we get?
Straight away, the fact that Lamb teases updates regarding space gameplay is tantalizing. I really enjoyed my time with Starfield like many other people, but there's no question that jumping from spot to spot can get old, with limited activities outside of dogfights with enemy ships.
If Bethesda can implement new kinds of random encounters and new ways of interacting in space using our ships, then I (and a lot of others) will be quite happy.
Outside of that, I really hope to see two features added. The first is the ability to build and customize our own space stations. This feels like a fairly natural extension of the ship-building and base construction that's already in the game.
Being able to set up a station that can keep a few vessels docked and benefit resource extraction in a base on the planet or moon below would be great. We could even have random encounters that incorporate the stations, possibly having to defend them from attackers.
The second feature I'd like to see is some form of underwater exploration. Adding underwater biomes would make many planets more interesting to explore, especially if there are underwater alien creatures to study that could also pose new aquatic threats.
As for the story DLC, I can only speculate, but I hope with the rumored "Starborn" title that it ties into the game's ending. I won't spoil you if you haven't reached the "end" of the game, but there are a lot of fun possibilities the developers could explore there.
More to come for other Bethesda projects
Outside of Starfield, players of Bethesda Game Studios titles can look forward to the return of the Fallout TV series this year, with Season 2 promising more adventures across and around the infamous city of New Vegas.
The second season is set to premiere on December 17, with new episodes dropping weekly.
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