Starfield Planets Guide 2026: Best Planets for Outposts, Resources & Surveys
Complete guide to all Starfield planets. Find the best planets for resources, outpost building, survey data farming, and story content across 100+ star systems.
Starfield has more than 1,000 planets and moons across about 100 star systems. Most are procedurally generated, so the trick is knowing which ones are worth your time. This guide covers the best planets for outposts and resources, the key story planets, and how to fully survey a world for XP and credits. Updated October 2026.
Note: we have corrected this guide and merged in our old Planets page. Earlier versions listed some resources and planet details we could not verify.
How Planets Work
- Scan a planet from orbit to see its resources, atmosphere, gravity, temperature, flora and fauna.
- You can land on rocky planets and moons, but not on gas giants. Gas giants and asteroids can be surveyed from orbit instead.
- Extreme planets (very hot or cold, high pressure, toxic atmosphere or high gravity) need the Planetary Habitation skill before you can build outposts there.
Best Planets for Outposts and Resources
| Location | System | Resources | Why go there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andraphon (moon) | Narion | Iron, Aluminum, Helium-3, Beryllium | The classic first outpost |
| Zamka (moon of Olivas) | Alpha Centauri | Helium-3, Water, Nickel, Copper, Iron, Uranium, Cobalt, Vanadium | Temperate and available from the start |
| Linnaeus IV-b (moon) | Linnaeus | Water, Helium-3, Aluminum, Iron, Lead, Beryllium, Ytterbium, Alkanes | A wide spread of resources in one place |
| Kreet (moon of Anselon) | Narion | Iron, Lead, Water, Argon, Helium-3, Silver, Neon, Alkanes | Temperate with manageable wildlife |
| Jemison | Alpha Centauri | Water, Chlorine, Chlorosilane, Lead, Argon | Right next to New Atlantis |
| Pyrocyon III | Pyrocyon | Copper, Argon, Fluorine, Neon, Tetrafluorides, Ionic Liquids | A strong second outpost |
| Titan (moon of Saturn) | Sol | Water, Lead, Titanium, Tungsten | Late game; needs Planetary Habitation |
For full setup help, see our outpost building guide. For where to find a specific material, see the resources guide.
Key Story Planets
- Jemison (Alpha Centauri) – home to New Atlantis, the United Colonies capital, the Lodge and the UC Vanguard questline.
- Akila (Cheyenne) – home to Akila City, the Freestar Collective and the Freestar Rangers questline. Watch out for the wolf-like Ashta outside the walls.
- Volii Alpha (Volii) – home to Neon, the floating pleasure city at the centre of the Ryujin Industries questline and the Aurora trade.
- Vectera (Narion) – where the game begins, at the Argos Extractors mine.
- The Key (Kryx) – not a planet, but the Crimson Fleet’s station orbiting Suvorov. See our guide to selling at The Key.
How to Fully Survey a Planet
- Scan every inorganic resource shown in the scan bar.
- Scan every flora and fauna species. Some creatures need several scans.
- Discover the planet’s traits by exploring its surface.
Every new planet you visit gives a little XP, and a full survey adds more. You can sell survey data to Vladimir Sall aboard The Eye in Alpha Centauri. The Surveying skill increases scanner range and Scanning reveals rarer resources from orbit. For more XP methods, see our XP farming guide.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many planets are in Starfield?
More than 1,000 planets and moons across about 100 star systems. Only a fraction have hand-crafted content; most are procedurally generated.
What is the best planet for a first outpost?
Andraphon in the Narion system, which has Iron, Aluminum, Helium-3 and Beryllium in one area. Zamka in Alpha Centauri is a good alternative you can reach from the start.
Can you land on every planet in Starfield?
No. You can land on rocky planets and moons, but not gas giants. Some worlds also need better spacesuit protection or the Planetary Habitation skill to build on.