Avowed vs Starfield
First-person spell flinging versus ship builder sandbox — pick which fantasy you want to live.
Updated 24d ago
Dual-wielding a wand and a flintlock is genuinely great — but the open world is empty and the choices never branch, so it misses the Obsidian reactivity you came for.
Free Lanes finally fixed the space travel — you can cruise between planets now — but the procedural planets and the weak main story are untouched.
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 | Avowed | Starfield |
|---|---|---|
| Value Starfield wins on value | ||
| Price now | $44.99 −10% · PlayerLand | $35.99 −28% · Fanatical |
| All-time low | $29.99 | $34.39 |
| Cost / hour | $2.23/hr $44.99 · 20 h main story | $1.51/hr $35.99 · 24 h main story |
| Off its low | +50% low was Jun 2026 | +5% low was Jul 2026 |
| Main story | 20 h | 24 h |
| Health Avowed wins on player health | ||
| Steam reviews | 77% 13k reviews | 57% 175k reviews |
| Recent reviews | 77% 141 votes · vs 77% lifetime | 62% 418 votes · vs 57% lifetime |
| Peak players | 1,289 Aug 2026 · ↑ 28% MoM | 7,154 Aug 2026 · ↓ 2% MoM |
| Launch peak | 7% of Feb 2025 launch peak · as of Aug 2026 | 2% of Sep 2023 launch peak · as of Aug 2026 |
| All-time peak | 19,161 Feb 2025 | 330,597 Sep 2023 |
| Support | ||
| Last patch | 6 months ago | 3 months ago |
| Patch cadence | 0 in last 90 days | 0 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.
Avowed
The combat's magic toolkit — dual-wielding wands, guns, and swords with flashy spells — keeps long-haul players coming back.
The open world feels big for no reason, and choices don't matter, leaving progression gated and exploration unrewarding for many 100-hour vets.
from our August 2026 verdict
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
Key differences
Which one is for you?
Pick Avowed if
- You want a shorter RPG with focused combat and no filler
- You prefer handcrafted spaces over procedural generation
- You are okay with linear quests as long as the action is fun
Pick Starfield if
- You love building and customizing your own spacecraft
- You enjoy modding and tweaking your game with community content
- You have lots of time and want a sprawling space adventure
Bottom line
Choose Avowed for a tight, action-driven RPG that respects your time; choose Starfield if you're a builder at heart and don't mind procedural repetition.