Starfield vs Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon
Starfield's sprawling ship-building sandbox versus Tainted Grail's compact, handcrafted dark fantasy—choose between Bethesda's scale and Avalon's grit.
Updated 21d 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.
A grimdark Skyrim-killer with crunchier combat and packed-with-stuff exploration — buys in if you can stomach the solo-dev pacing.
By the numbers
Prices checked Sep 8; 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 8.
| Measure | Starfield | Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon |
|---|---|---|
| Value Starfield wins on value | ||
| Price now | $35.99 −28% · Fanatical | $44.99 Steam |
| All-time low | $34.39 | $17.99 |
| Cost / hour | $1.51/hr $35.99 · 24 h main story | $1.61/hr $44.99 · 28 h main story |
| Off its low | +5% low was Jul 2026 | +150% low was Feb 2024 |
| Main story | 24 h | 28 h |
| Health Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon wins on player health | ||
| Steam reviews | 57% 175k reviews | 88% 35k reviews |
| Recent reviews | 62% 418 votes · vs 57% lifetime | 84% 669 votes · vs 88% lifetime |
| Peak players | 7,154 Aug 2026 · ↓ 2% MoM | 4,509 Aug 2026 · ↓ 33% MoM |
| Launch peak | 2% of Sep 2023 launch peak · as of Aug 2026 | 18% of May 2025 launch peak · as of Aug 2026 |
| All-time peak | 330,597 Sep 2023 | 25,568 May 2025 |
| Support | ||
| Last patch | 3 months ago | 2 months ago |
| Patch cadence | 0 in last 90 days | 1 in last 90 days |
| Steam Deck | Gold | Platinum |
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
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon
Exploration is the hook that keeps 100-hour fans coming back — every hidden nook holds something worth the detour, and combat's weighty crunch holds up across playthroughs.
Mid-game quests start to drag, and interior spaces lacking maps make navigation a persistent friction even for veterans.
from our August 2026 verdict
Key differences
Which one is for you?
Pick Starfield if
- You love Bethesda's comfort-food loop of questing, looting, and over-encumbrance
- You're on PC and enjoy installing a dozen mods before starting
- Ship building in a detailed editor sounds like the best part of a space game
Pick Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon if
- You want Skyrim-like exploration without handholding, in a tighter world
- You prefer a live player base—Steam's 26% of launch peak versus Starfield's 2% shows staying power
- You're on console and don't want to deal with achievement-modding restrictions
Bottom line
Starfield's 57% Steam ratings and meager live player base undermine its ship-building fun; Tainted Grail's 88% approval and active community make it the safer RPG bet.