What happened to Earth in Starfield?

By Jesse Lennox September 13, 2023

Unlike The Elder Scrolls series, which takes place in a completely fictional setting, Starfield takes place in an alternate future of the world we currently live in. Set a bit over 300 years in the future, humanity has not only traveled the stars, but settled down on multiple planets across the galaxy. Cities like New Atlantis in particular have essentially become the new home world for humans, which raises the obvious question of what became of Earth? You’ll get some clues very early on that our beloved home planet is no longer habitable like it was, but what caused this? The answers are there in Starfield, so let’s go over exactly what happened to Earth.

Why is Earth uninhabitable in Starfield?

A museum poster about earth in Starfield. — Bethesda softworks

The entire population of Earth was forced to abandon its home planet in the mid-2100s after Grav Drive technology was discovered. Dr. Victor Aiza was the one to make this initial discovery that propelled our species into space to begin colonizing other planets. This came at a cost, however, as by 2150, Earth’s government realized that the planet’s magnetosphere would collapse in just 50 years as a result of this testing. The planet would become completely uninhabitable, which forced a complete exodus from the planet during those 50 years. By 2203, Earth was reduced to a barren wasteland.

You’re able to visit Earth in Starfield, and will be required to do so during the story, but not much is left for you to discover except for a few key landmarks.

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