Starfield's Boundary Reached Message Explained: How Map Restrictions Actually Work

ign.com:

Leaked Starfield footage showing a "Boundary Reached" message caused a stir on the internet earlier this week, and IGN is here to tell you how that actually works in-game.

Yes, a message appears when you venture too far on a planet in Starfield, but you really have to go out of your way to find it.

If you walk in a single direction for about 15 to 20 minutes, a pop-up message appears saying you have reached the planet's boundary and have three options: Fast Travel to Ship, Open Planet Map, or Cancel the pop-up message (seen in the screenshot below).

Opting for option three means you will be walking right into an invisible wall with the top right corner of the screen saying, "You Cannot Go That Way" (seen in the screenshot below). Choosing the second option transports you to another part of the map.

This does contradict some of Bethesda's previous messaging, as when asked by a fan if they can explore a "whole entire planet" after landing on it. Previously, Bethesda head of publishing Pete Hines said: "Yup, if you want. Walk on, brave explorer."

While this might be disappointing for some, it is important to note that there are over 1,000 planets in Starfield. Each differs visually in one way or another, from varying levels of gravity to signs of life inhabiting the planet to some having extreme heat of cold weather. Yet, as my colleague Dan Stapleton, who sunk in about 70 hours in the game before publishing his review, the worlds are "fairly barren and lifeless."

Nevertheless, my colleague Dan enjoyed the game, giving it a 7 (which is considered Good on our review scale) out of 10, saying, "Starfield has a lot of forces working against it, but eventually, the allure of its expansive roleplaying quests and respectable combat