Starmap

Map Links: MAP GENIE | Starfield Wiki (Map Icons) | GAME-MAPS.COM | INARA

Starfield has two main types of maps: a Galaxy/Starmap for interstellar travel and a Surface Map for navigating planets. The Galaxy Map shows star systems, planets, and moons, with a blue star indicating you’ve visited it, a white or glowing star indicating it’s a selectable destination, and a red star showing it’s outside your grav jump range. The Surface Map, accessed via the scanner, displays terrain and points of interest, with icons like a blue dot for your current location and symbols for specific discoveries.

Galaxy/Starmap

• Purpose: To navigate between star systems and view planets within those systems.
• Interstellar navigation: You use this map to select a star system and then a planet or moon to jump to.
• Visual indicators:
  • Blue star: You have visited this star system.
  • White/Glowing star: A system you can jump to but have not yet visited.
  • Red star: A system that is outside your current grav jump range.
  • “…” icon: A planet or moon has something of interest, but you haven’t explored it yet.
• Icons: Hovering over icons can reveal details like a ship, clinic, or outpost location. 

This video explains what different icons on the Starfield starmap mean:

Surface Map

• Purpose: To navigate the terrain of a specific planet or moon after landing.
• Access: Opened by using your scanner and then bringing up the surface map.
• Appearance: A detailed, but not exhaustive, topographic map showing the general terrain.
• Visual indicators:
  • Blue dot: Your current location.
  • Icons: Various icons mark points of interest, which can be detailed by hovering or selecting.
  • Icons with a dark or faded appearance: An undiscovered point of interest.
• Markers: You can double-click on the map to set a custom marker, which then appears on your compass. 

This video shows a tutorial on how to use the surface map in Starfield:

Important Notes

• No universal legend: The game does not provide a comprehensive legend for all icons, so learning them often happens through trial and error or community guides.
• Procedural generation: The surface maps of exploration planets are procedurally generated, meaning they are unique to each player. However, the overall terrain on the “blank slate” is the same, so specific resource locations or scenic spots can still be shared between players.
• Static locations: Core settlements, like New Atlantis, are static and will have the same layout for all players.