Can you play Starfield on Game Pass early if you buy the premium upgrade on the Xbox Store?

If you were paying attention to Bethesda’s official Starfield FAQ, you may have noticed the vagueness of early access credentials if you were a Game Pass subscriber. So you’ve subbed, and you just want to buy the premium edition upgrade for 30 bucks to see if you can sneak into early access without forking over $100 for the full-on premium edition. The good news is…you can! We’ve confirmed it.

If you have Game Pass, you just need to buy into early access with the upgrade

With bated breath, I bucked up and bought the $30 premium upgrade for Starfield a while back, hoping it would “pop” on the early access launch. Thankfully, it did! On both PC and Xbox, I was able to download the core game via my Game Pass subscription, and then install the premium upgrade SKU. The game booted up and I was good to go, five days early as promised.

Again, you’re looking for the premium edition upgrade through Game Pass/the Microsoft Store. Here are the features it provides:

“Upgrade from Standard Edition and receive the following bonus items: – Shattered Space Story Expansion (upon release) – Up to 5-days early access – Constellation Skin Pack: Equinox Laser Rifle, Spacesuit, Helmet and Boost Pack – Access to Starfield Digital Artbook & Original Soundtrack.

Again, the five days of early access is the key here, as you can play on September 1 rather than the full launch on September 6. Do not buy the premium edition (unless you really want it) for $99.99 if you have Game Pass access!