Starfield takes place in humanity’s far-flung future, where we have left behind an uninhabitable Earth and instead colonized across the stars. During your playthrough, you will encounter several major cities controlled by various competing factions.
These cities are hubs where you can meet characters, shop, pick up side quests, and explore. Each city in Starfield is vastly different from the rest, in both aesthetics and content. Many of these areas you will eventually visit as part of the main storyline, but there are some areas you can reach sooner, or you might entirely miss.
Below are all the major cities in Starfield and where to find each location.
Where to find every major city in Starfield
New Atlantis, Jemison
New Atlantis is found in the Alpha Centuari System on the planet Jemison. This sleek and shining city is the capital of the United Colonies, the direct descendants of Earth’s government. This is also the first city that you will visit as it houses Constellation’s primary base of operations, the Lodge.
In New Atlantis, you can find all the amenities that the majority of Starfield cities have, including shops, residential areas, and ship technicians. You can also sign up for the UC Vanguard here to kickstart the United Colonies faction mission.
Akila City, Akila
Akila City is found in the Cheyenne System on the planet Akila. This bustling city has a distinct western space cowboy aesthetic, with saloons, dirt roads, and revolver-toting peacekeepers. Akila City is home to the Freestar Collective, a loose collective of space settlers that stand in opposition to the United Colonies.
Upon your first entry to the city, you will encounter a full-on Western bank heist. After this, you can meet up again with the Marshal to join the Freestar Rangers and explore the rest of the Freestar Collective’s vast territories.
Neon, Volii Alpha
Neon can be found in the Volii System, on the planet Volii Alpha. This planet is entirely water, with the only explorable location being the cyberpunk-inspired city of Neon. This dimly lit capitalist dystopia is technically part of the Freestar Collective, though few laws are actually regarded here.
Compared to the other major cities, Neon is considerably more lawless with contraband and gangs littering the streets. Neon is also home to Ryujin Industries, one of the most successful tech companies in the universe. In order to join this faction, you will need to fill out an actual job application and interview to join this corporate underworld.
The Key, Suvorov
The Key is a floating space station near the planet Suvorov, found in the Kryx System. This is a former UC space station that was taken over by the pirate outlaws of the Crimson Fleet. Unlike the other cities in Starfield, you cannot simply walk up this city.
In order to gain access to The Key, you need to start the Crimson Fleet’s faction questline, which starts with you getting arrested. Only after you infiltrate the Fleet’s ranks, you can enter The Key and visit the various unique shops and vendors.
Cydonia, Mars
Cydonia is the capital city of Mars, found in the familiar Sol System. Cydonia is under United Colony rule though it doesn’t bear much resemblance to the gleaming city of New Atlantis. Instead, Cydonia is an entirely underground city that focuses on mining operations, with some light crime networks operating on the side.
Red Mile, Porrima II
The Red Mile is a small city found on Porrima II, in the Porrima System. The only notable area of this city is the casino. You can gamble with normal credits or you can alternatively gamble your life on the Red Mile in exchange for a much larger sum of credits and rare loot.
