Starfield vs The Alters
Space-scale freedom versus a single soul's many selves — picks a fantasy, not a genre.
Updated 22d ago
Free Lanes finally fixed the space travel — you can cruise between planets now — but the procedural planets and the weak main story are untouched.
11 bit studios at peak form — The Alters layers Frostpunk's moral weight onto a sci-fi base-builder where every employee is another version of you.
By the numbers
Prices checked Sep 11; they move faster than we refresh, so confirm on the store page.
Recent-review figures are Steam's own last-30-days window, read Sep 11.
| Measure | Starfield | The Alters |
|---|---|---|
| Value The Alters wins on value | ||
| Price now | $35.99 −28% · Fanatical | $13.64 −61% · Fanatical |
| All-time low | $34.39 | $13.60 |
| Cost / hour | $1.51/hr $35.99 · 24 h main story | $0.70/hr $13.64 · 19 h main story |
| Off its low | +5% low was Jul 2026 | At its low low was Aug 2026 |
| Main story | 24 h | 19 h |
| Health The Alters wins on player health | ||
| Steam reviews | 57% 175k reviews | 90% 20k reviews |
| Recent reviews | 62% 418 votes · vs 57% lifetime | 86% 351 votes · vs 90% lifetime |
| Peak players | 7,154 Aug 2026 · ↓ 2% MoM | 1,486 Aug 2026 · ↓ 53% MoM |
| Launch peak | 2% of Sep 2023 launch peak · as of Aug 2026 | 13% of Jun 2025 launch peak · as of Aug 2026 |
| All-time peak | 330,597 Sep 2023 | 11,227 Jun 2025 |
| Support | ||
| Last patch | 3 months ago | 12 days ago |
| Patch cadence | 0 in last 90 days | 5 in last 90 days |
| Steam Deck | Gold | Gold |
Shared scale — same months across the bottom, same player-count axis up the side, so the two lines are directly comparable. A shorter line means a younger game.
What players say
Patterns from long-haul reviewers, taken from each game's verdict. Not live sentiment — each side is dated below.
Starfield
Long-haul pilots credit the ship builder and the mod scene with carrying exploration well past what the vanilla planets offer.
Reviewers with four-figure hour counts say the handcrafted content thins out fast and repeated points of interest turn planet-scanning into filler.
from our July 2026 verdict
The Alters
Narrative depth with emotionally weighty choices and real consequences is what keeps players returning.
from our May 2026 verdict
Key differences
Which one is for you?
Pick Starfield if
- You're on PC and enjoy modding before starting.
- You love Bethesda's loot-everything, quest-hoarding loop.
- You have 24+ hours for a main story and endless exploration.
Pick The Alters if
- You want a tight 19-hour arc with moral decisions.
- You're okay with repetitive base-building if the story hooks you.
- You prefer a single character's emotional depth over a vast universe.
Bottom line
For a shorter, emotionally dense sci-fi drama with high reviews, pick The Alters; for a moddable sandbox with vast freedom despite a weak story, pick Starfield.