Say all you want about Starfield, but while critics continue to (rightfully) pound on the game’s shortcomings, Bethesda Game Studio’s controversial yet still-award-winning RPG, ended 2023 as one of Steam’s highest-grossing games. This achievement is particularly notable given the competition that the multi-platform game faced from other major titles and the fact that it was available on Game Pass when it came out in September 2023.
Released to much anticipation ahead of the typically busy holidays, Starfield quickly garnered attention for its expansive universe and detailed RPG mechanics. However, along with the praises came the critics and naysayers, as the doubters poured over its shortcomings such as its lackadaisical approach to exploration and space travel. The game, set in a vast space environment, allowed players to explore countless planets and engage in intricate storylines, making it a highly immersive experience. It was often likened to a Fallout or The Elder Scrolls game but set in space, reflecting Bethesda’s signature style in open-world game design.
The financial success of Starfield is impressive considering the several factors that could have potentially impacted its sales. Despite this, the game managed to earn over $235 million, securing its position as the third highest-grossing title on Steam for the year. This figure becomes even more remarkable when considering that it surpassed even the sales of major titles like Resident Evil 4 and EA Sports FC 24.
Starfield is rubbing shoulders with Baldur’s Gate 3 and Hogwarts Legacy, which are No. 1 and No. 2 on the sales charts, released by VGInsights, respectively.
While Starfield stands out for actually making it on the list, further proving Xbox’s trust in the game and their claims that it sold well, Baldur’s Gate 3’s stratospheric rise is all that much more impressive.
After spending years in Early Access, Baldur’s Gate 3 quickly set new records on every platform it came out in, starting with Steam. The 2023 GOTY award winner was expected to end the year as a commercial success, but no one could’ve expected it to make $657 million in estimated revenue in Steam alone, which nearly doubles Hogwarts Legacy’s figures at $341 million. Keep in mind that Hogwarts Legacy is the first game in a long time to dethrone Call of Duty as the year’s best-selling title. Its success is even more particularly noteworthy as Larian Studios is a smaller developer compared to Bethesda, yet it managed to outperform other big-budget titles in terms of revenue.
Furthermore, the list, which measures “Full Game Sales”, doesn’t include in-game spending, which explains the lack of the usual suspects, such as live-service and free-to-play titles, among others. If we use the “# of Units Sold” as a metric, Starfield is still in the Top 10, albeit at No. 7, with Lethal Company replacing it at No. 3 (both Baldur’s Gate 3 and Hogwarts Legacy are still at the top).
Speaking of indie hits, games like Sons of the Forest, Lethal Company, and even The Finals, enjoyed plenty of success on Steam, demonstrating the diverse range of successful titles on the platform – a fact that Epic Games Store will have to contend with if it wants to supplant the industry-leading digital games storefront.
As for Starfield, Bethesda has promised more content for Starfield this year, including official mod support and story expansions, potentially adding new characters, exploration areas, and transportation methods. These updates are expected to enhance the game’s appeal and longevity, potentially attracting more players to its already substantial fan base.
