The 4 Best Starfield Cities and What You’ll Find There

Key Points

• Neon is the best Starfield city, resembling Blade Runner or The Expanse, with plenty to do and explore.
• New Atlantis is the central hub and capital of the United Colonies, offering a variety of shops and a rail station for navigation.
• Akila is a unique old-west town with the home base of the Freestar Collective and opportunities to become a Freestar Ranger.
• The Key is a space station with vendors, a nightclub, and missions from the Crimson Fleet.
• In addition to cities, there are small settlements like HopeTown and Paradiso, as well as the option to visit Earth and Mars.

Starfield is a massive video game with more than a thousand planets and moons. While there’s a lot to take in, there are only a handful of cities and settlements. Space can be lonesome, you can head to one of the best Starfield cities, whenever space feels too empty. In our guide, we’re going to touch on the top cities to visit in the world of Starfield. That includes all the best hot spots as you travel across the galaxy, along with a few of the more important settlements. 

Neon

The best Starfield city for most players, including this gamer, is Neon. Billed as a “Pleasure City” it looks like something out of Blade Runner or The Expanse. That’s a good thing, and there’s plenty to keep you busy in this colorful city, including a certain substance that can get you thrown into a slammer.

Neon is located in the Volii system on planet Volii Alpha. It’s under Freestar jurisdiction and it’s a city that’s easy to get lost in. There’s a lot to see across three separate levels, with the core city of Neon, Ebbside, and the Underbelly. Each level in the city has a different set of denizens. It’s also a great place to shop for almost anything you can imagine.

There are more than 30 NPCs in Neon, which gives you a number of ways to rake in XP. It’s home to Frank and his robotic pal, but also where you can find several key locations. One is Ryujin Industries, a corporation you’ll probably hear about early in the game. CeltCorp and Xenofresh are also in districts along with the Mining League and the Freestar Ranger’s Outpost.

Most of the key shops are found in Neon Core, but there are also shops in the Ebbside. The underbelly is what it sounds like, and where you’ll find poorer residents of Neon. Want to visit the headquarters of Stroud-Eulund or check out Slayton Aerospace? You can do that in Neon or grab a cup of coffee at TerraBrew.

With close to a dozen big businesses along with traditional shops and mega towers, Neon is the type of city that keeps you engrossed. It’s the only settled city of its kind and should be one of your first stops once you head out with Constellation.

New Atlantis

New Atlantis is the first major city players encounter in Starfield. It’s also a place you’ll need to revisit frequently considering it’s home to the Constellation. New Atlantis is the capital of the United Colonies, and you can find it on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.

It’s best to think of New Atlantis as a central hub in the game, and a melting pot similar to New York. You’ll find a variety of citizens roaming the streets and shops in the city. They even have a rail station to help you navigate the massive city, which is broken down into four districts sans the spaceport. The city has an interesting history, especially on the poor side of town.

The Well is considered the Underbelly of New Atlantis. The Residential section houses shops like CJs, and a number of high-rise towers along with Reliant Medical. That’s a place I spent a lot of time during my first run with the game, although the MAST district is a personal favorite. You can earn loads of XP in this area whether through side missions or The Lodge.

If you want to rank your piloting skills up fast, it’s also where you can access the flight simulator. That’s something I overlooked initially but comes in handy when you’re aiming for ships in the B and C classes. The commercial districts and The Well also have plenty of surprises for gamers and a few quirky NPC characters.

New Atlantis is the central city in Starfield and it’s one of the best. One of the reasons it ranks high on my list personally is the merchants and lounge. You can add new crew members at The Viewport like Gideon, Simeon, and Marika. The large number of shops allows you to offload any gear or supplies you’ve obtained for extra credits with ease.

Akila

New Atlantis is a crucial city in Starfield, otherwise, Akila would have taken its spot on our list. This old-west town isn’t as large or vital as places in the game, but stands out nonetheless. There are multiple areas to take in as you travel through Akila, and it’s where you’ll find the home base of the Freestar Collective.

Akila City is in the Cheyenne system, located on a planet of the same name. You’ll feel that Western vibe as soon as you step off the ship, although it’s one of the more challenging cities to navigate. Places like Shepherds General Store and The Hitching Post are easy to locate as you pass through the gates. A little further in you’ll encounter Daniel Blake, the Marshall of Akila City.

Towards the back end of town, you’ll find shops like Honest Earl’s and the family home of a Constellation member. There’s a doctor, a church, and even a bookshop tucked away in the city. You can pick up an apartment in the city or simply take in the rustic sights and interesting town folk. That includes crew members or you could become a Freestar Ranger.

The Rangers are a great way to have fun and earn extra credits in Starfield outside the main storyline missions. You’ll have to head to the Rock and talk to Emma to get that started. That’s where you can find the Deadeye revolver in Starfield, a classic pistol with some extra flair. If you’ve been looking for something that can handle 7.5mm Whitehot ammo, it’s a fantastic choice with more than a half dozen mod slots.

#4 The Key

While not technically a city, we would be remiss to leave The Key off our list of the best Starfield cities. The Key is located in the Kryx System and easy to find, although you may not be welcome depending on how you played the game.

The Key is also a space station, not a traditional city like Akila or Neon. That means it’s not quite as vast as the cities on our list, but there is a lot to take in. There are vendors for anything you can imagine and a nightclub. It’s also where you can pick up a shielded cargo module in Starfield or take on missions from the Crimson Fleet.

It’s one of the few places I didn’t spend a lot of time, unfortunately, so the screenshots are limited. Do not try and tussle with the Crimson Fleet and think you can stroll about The Key when you’re short on cash…

Starfield Settlements

In addition to the best Starfield planets, you can find a number of small settlements. We won’t highlight them all, but HopeTown has been a great place to pick up new parts for the ship. There are a couple of solid side quests in the town as well. Paradiso is on the opposite end of the spectrum.

While a sight to behold, the major mission here can leave players a bit frustrated. It’s essentially a resort set in space in the Porrima system. You can buy a penthouse in Paradiso if you have enough credits, or you could visit a place that’s closer to home.

Earth is in the game, but Mars is where you’ll want to visit when you’re in that part of the galaxy. Gagarin Landing and Red Mile are a few more points of interest.

The Wrap-Up

One of the complaints of Starfield is how empty the game can feel, even with the huge number of planets. Cities and settlements are a great way to get back in touch with civilization after zipping around the stars. Just remember to keep an eye on your “wanted level,” or you may run into trouble when you enter the airspace of the best Starfield cities.