Starfieldhas been dethroned as the current most wishlisted game on Steam, with the upcoming horror titleSons of the Foresttaking the top spot. As a sequel to 2018’s survival horror hitThe Forest,Sons of the Foresthas captured the attention of fans of the genre, and with its release date right around the corner, it’s no surprise to see it sitting at the top of Steam’s most wishlisted games. However, replacingStarfieldis likely less about the hype for this new horror title and more so about the ambiguous status of Bethesda Game Studio’s upcoming sci-fi RPG.
Fans of Bethesda RPGs have been waiting quite a while forStarfieldsince its initial announcement in 2018, and in the time since the game has hit a series of snags that has kept its released date elusive beyond a 2023 window. Without a concrete release date, hype for the game seems to be dying down as is evident from the recent change to theSteam wishlist rankings. While the game is sure to see renewed hype once a release date is official announced, Xbox and Bethesda are doingStarfielda disservice the longer fans have to wait to hear when the game will actually launch.
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The Steam Wishlist Page Shows the State of Two Fanbases
Xbox has been lacking in big, system-selling titles for the Xbox Series X since the release ofHalo Infinitein 2021.Starfieldwas set to be the next heavy hitter for Xbox, but the delays it’s been facing have widened the gap between major releases for the console and left many players in limbo awaiting news about this next big first-party title. Although Steam’s wishlist is more representative of the PC audience for the game, it helps give a broader picture of the fanbase as a whole given Microsoft’s dual PC and Xbox releases for its first party titles.
Starfieldis still clearly a highly anticipated game given it held the top wishlist spot on Steam for so long. However, it seems that the number of wishlists increases as more information is revealed about the game. SinceStarfieldwasn’t present at January’sXbox and Bethesda Developer_Direct, it didn’t get a bump in wishlists.Sons of the Forest, on the other hand, releases quite soon and thus has the momentum of fans anticipating its imminent launch to drive its high wishlist numbers.
Starfield Needs a Release Date ASAP
Starfieldwas given the initial release date of July 25, 2025 during Microsoft and Bethesda’s E3 2021 press conference. However, in May of 2022, Bethesda announced the game’s delay into 2023 with no specific release date specified. Since then, there has been rumors and speculation as to when in 2023 the game could finally release, with arecent leak suggestingStarfieldis slatedto release in June. If this leak is true, Microsoft and Bethesda holding this information close to their chest is only hurting their marketing for the game, given a June release is not too far off.
January’s Developer_Direct seemed like the perfect time to re-revealStarfieldalong with its new release date, but since that chance has passed, the lack of communication about the game’s status is worrying. Announcing an official release date with aStarfieldshowcaseand putting a heavy emphasis on marketing the game over the next few months would be the best way to revitalize the fans eagerly awaitingStarfield’s release. While its declining interest on Steam is concerning, hopefullyStarfieldwill soon get a release date cemented which will help to give it the boost of hype it sorely needs.
Starfieldis in development for PC and Xbox Series X|S.
