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Starfield will allow you to land on and explore over 1,000 planets across numerous galaxies, yet there remains much mystery surrounding Earth and the Sol System. What happened to Earth in Starfield? Relatively early in the game, members of Constellation and a few NPCs scattered about the game world will mention Sol, which is where Earth is located. We even visit the region for one of the earliest quests for Constellation, but the mystery remains. Let’s dive in and discover precisely what happened to Earth in Starfield‘s timeline!
What Happened to Earth in Starfield?
With four major cities to explore in Starfield, including New Atlantis and Neon City, it seems odd that we can’t explore any significant settlements in the Sol System. Sure, there are several mining colonies and space stations, but nothing of the same size or scale as New Atlantis. What happened to Earth in Starfield?
According to in-game lore, Earth is no longer the habitable planet it once was. It’s now a brown, decaying rock. The temperature is listed as extremely cold, and the atmosphere has significantly deteriorated into little more than a layer of CO2. It’s completely uninhabitable.
It’s all ancient history now, but the Earth lost its atmosphere. It started sputtering out into space. Humanity had about fifty years to evacuate the planet. That’s kind of how the United Colonies government started. Managing the exodus. Earth is more or less a dust all now. You can occasionally find a few remnants of the world we left behind on the surface, but not much.
This is what Sarah Morgan tells you when visiting the Sol System.
Unfortunately, Earth is no longer the home planet of humanity. The atmosphere crumbled to nothing, leaving humans no choice but to escape to the stars where they now thrive.
Can You Visit Earth in Starfield?
Thankfully, despite the mysteries surrounding its demise, we can still visit Earth in Starfield. One of the landing locations in the game is, surprisingly enough, London. There, you’ll note the crumbled, decayed society left behind by humanity. Sadly, there is little to see or do on Earth. It’s a dead planet. You can mine some resources, scoop up some loot to sell later and explore the scenery for a few screenshot opportunities using the game’s incredible Photo Mode. Other than that, Earth is lost.
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Starfield is available now in Early Access and will be fully released on September 6 for PC and Xbox.
