Starfield's campaign will take players tens, if not hundreds, of hours to get through if the sprawling science fiction RPG follows the trend of other Bethesda giants. Plus, if you're looking to finish all the side quests, then this number will almost definitely take you past the hundred-hour mark. With all this content comes a lot of conversation and cinematics to get through, which is why many players would benefit from knowing how to skip Starfield cutscenes.
With the game out for Premium Edition holders early and now coming out for its full public launch, it is now clear to us which dialogue Starfield allows players to skip and which ones it doesn't.
But while you're here, be sure to check out our Starfield guides on whether it will come out on PS5 and what is planned for its DLC. Or if you haven't found what you're looking for, visit our Starfield hub for all of our content for the space exploration IP!
How to skip dialogue in Starfield
Fortunately, the game does allow you to skip menial dialogue, just like in Skyrim and Fallout. You can do this with the single press of a button: A on Xbox or the corresponding key on PC. Certainly great news, but it seems not all dialogue in the game can be skipped like this.
If the dialogue is part of a cutscene or even just an important story conversation, the game won't let you skip it. It's not the best news for players who aren't invested in the plot, though it's probably because the devs didn't want you to miss anything you might need to know later.
click to enlargeHow to skip cutscenes in Starfield
There are two types of cutscenes in Starfield, and, unfortunately, neither of them are skippable. The first type, loading cutscenes, are designed to be secret loading screens. These serve as wait periods for the game to catch up and render your destination area. You'll come across these when you try warping to a different system or landing on a planet.
Additionally, the other type of cutscene is story cutscenes, and these are not skippable for the same reason integral dialogue isn't skippable. Bethesda clearly wants you to sit through the game's plot and not just rush through it to get to the action. Not the best news for speedrunners we're afraid.
Luckily, the game will be receiving full mod support on PC in the future, so we’re sure modders will very quickly find a workaround for these unskippable cutscenes.
But there you have it, that's our answer to whether cutscenes are skippable in Starfield. For more on Bethesda's love letter to space exploration, be sure to check out our guide on how to heal as well as our best weapons guide.