Starfield is easily one of the year's most anticipated releases, the long-awaited next massive RPG from the team behind Skyrim and Fallout 4. Out September 6, 2023, for Xbox Series X|S and PC, it's also a brand-new IP for the studio and arguably the biggest first-party Xbox Game Studios launch for the latest generation of consoles.

Although we got that gameplay deep dive a year ago, we'll have to wait until the next big E3-style Xbox Showcase in June for a deep-dive presentation on Starfield and all of its space-fearing RPG goodness.

It's being described as a hardcore RPG, with deep character customisation and countless planets to explore and factions and stories to discover.

The hype is real.

Today comes word that the game has received a Mature 17+ rating by the US-based ESRB - with a brief description of "Blood, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs, Violence." Basically, all of the good stuff you'd look for when going to the video store in the early '90s as a kid to rent a few VHS tapes.

Though explained and written matter-of-factly, the rating does give some info on what to expect from weapons to fighting robots and alien creatures to the fictional drug Aurora being big in the Starfield universe.

"Players use futuristic guns, lasers, axes, and explosives to kill enemies," the rating writes. "Combat is fast-paced, with frequent gunfire, cries of pain, and explosions. Attacks on some enemies can result in blood-splatter effects; several environments depict blood stains on the ground around corpses."

It also hints at a section where you can work at an illicit drug lab, uses of the F-word and other swears, plus post-coital pillow talk with characters you can have sex with.

That's right, sex is coming to Starfield which will no doubt ramp up the Mass Effect comparisons. Even more interesting is the ESRB rating listing actual in-game pillow talk.

“Life is a sexually transmitted disease that's a hundred percent fatal,”
“I'm all for getting a little wild, but next time let's try it without the jetpacks.”
“Talk about seeing stars, whew… that was amazing.”

That last one is a little on the space-nose, kind of like "Nobody said to engage the lightspeed thruster, next time bring it down to Space Mach 10 and give me time to ignite my own thermal core." Ahem.