Can you go to jail in Starfield?

Player walking towards a town in Starfield
Credit: Bethesda

Player walking towards a town in Starfield
Credit: Bethesda
November 3, 2023: We've got everything there is to know about going to jail.

Can you go to jail in Starfield? We've got an answer for you. Bethesda's space exploration RPG is available now that not only sees you become a space adventurer, but also lets you discover hundreds of alien creatures, many of which will attempt to eat you.

If you're familiar with previous Bethesda titles, going to jail is not a new feature in the developer's RPGs. In games like Skyrim, you'll land in a cell if you break the rules because you're playing a character and the game responds to your choices.

With Starfield, many players have been speculating on how much freedom they'll actually have in space, leading to questions on whether you could end up in space jail for committing crimes, or are you just going to get away with it? We're here to tell you what you need to know.

For everything you need to know about Bethesda's out-of-this-world IP, take a browse at our Starfield hub!

Player helment and toolbox in Starfield
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Credit: Bethesda
Starfield

Can you go to jail in Starfield?

Yes, you can go to jail in Starfield. Before the game was released, this was confirmed during a recent Q&A session on Discord where Starfield lead game designer Emil Pagliarulo and lead quest designer Will Shen shared details on some of the game's features including the rarely talked about jail system.

As mentioned, if you've played earlier Bethesda games such as Skyrim, this will seem familiar to you because the jail system functions almost the same way in both games. In Skyrim, towns have strict laws that you must obey, such as not hurting people or stealing from them.

However, if you do decide to go ahead and break these laws by attacking civilians or stealing from them, you will be arrested and the town authorities will punish you for your crimes. If you are captured, you can either pay a fine and be freed, go to jail or try to escape.

According to Pagliarulo, the Starfield jail system is more similar to the law and order in Skyrim, as opposed to that of the Commonwealth in Fallout 4.

How to avoid going to jail in Starfield

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Like in many other RPGs that involve a jail or police system, there are ways of avoiding the cops or authorities. One obvious way of course is to abstain from breaking the law, even in Starfield. If that doesn't work for you, then you should level up your Starfield persuasion because it'll come in handy when you need to bribe the authorities.

Causing havok in Starfield
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Credit: Bethesda
Starfield

So if you're planning to go on a crime spree and you're not sure if you will make it out without going to jail, level up your persuasion skill and overall dialogue level. Apart from helping you convince the authorities, persuasion will help you get your way in conversations with NPCs. This means you can buy weapons and items cheaper as well as sell your items at better prices.

Both Pagliarulo and Shen hinted at a unique crime that hasn't been featured in previous games: smuggling banned items. This will allow you to add specific ship components that let you transport illegal goods between planets.

While this will most likely be a good way to make a ton of money in the game, just know that you'll be facing heavy charges if you're caught. So it's best to have an escape plan in order before attempting any illegal transportation of goods in the game.

We've got more Starfield content to sink your teeth into! Check out how to fast travel, as well as our guide to all of the cities in the game.

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