Earth fell in 2203 due to a collapsed magnetosphere, leading to an inhospitable planet in Starfield's storyline. Only a fraction of the population escaped Earth's destruction, with billions dying when the planet finally fell in 2203. Dr. Victor Aiza's discovery of an Artifact and Grav Drive technology played a significant role in Earth's demise.

By the time Starfield takes place in the year 2330, Earth has become uninhabitable. What remains of humanity's home planet is nothing but a few landmarks among a vast desert wasteland, and over a century since its fall, mankind has set up homes across a variety of different star systems, referring to them as the "Settled Systems."

[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Starfield.]

Despite this, players can still visit the abandoned planet and can unlock several points of interest by reading books found throughout the game, bringing them back to crumbling landmarks such as London's Shard, New York's Empire State Building, or Dubai's Burj Khalifa.