Starfield's Early Access Triumph: Xbox Sales, Steam Engagement, Speedrun Records

Before its official launch, Bethesda's "Starfield" is achieving remarkable sales performance, topping Xbox sales charts and attracting thousands of users on Steam.

Game Pass members are paying an extra $31.49 to access the game early, with the Premium Edition upgrade being the best-selling item in Microsoft Stores in the U.S. and UK, IGN reported.

This early access strategy by Microsoft Corporation MSFT is helping recoup revenue while still offering the game on Game Pass from day one.

See Also: What Critics Are Saying About Starfield - Bethesda Game Studio's Space Adventure Under The Microscope

Even on Steam, where the only early access option is to purchase the full Premium Edition at $100, Starfield has seen significant engagement, with a peak of over 245,000 concurrent players and rising daily peaks between Sept. 1-3.

Additionally, someone has already completed the game in just two hours, 52 minutes, and 42 seconds, as per IGN.

Despite its massive size, players have quickly found ways to streamline the experience, much like with other Bethesda RPGs.

Todd Howard, the game's director, estimated a normal playthrough would take 30 to 40 hours. But this speed run highlights the potential for even faster times in the future, when the game officially releases.

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Image courtesy: Bethesda via Steam.