Starfield: How to check the time and change the time of day? Starfield guide, tips

Starfield has a 24-hour cycle and an option to change the time of day. Our guide tells you how to read the current time, as well as how to go to rest or wait and speed up the passage of time.

Last update: 31 August 2023

While playing Starfield, you may want to change the time of day and make your character rest. On this guide page, we explain how to check the current time, how to speed up the passage of time, and what benefits or potential difficulties may be associated with this.

• How to check the current time?
• Sleeping or waiting

How to check the current time?

1. You get a watch in Starfield's prologue, but reading it is not very intuitive (bottom left corner of the main game screen) . The best way to check the time is by opening the data menu (TAB key), that is, the main menu screen. Then check the upper left corner.
2. The game can display two different times, just like in our picture. The first hour is local time, i.e. for the currently explored planet or moon. It is more important because it informs, for example, when the sunrise or sunset will occur. The second hour is universal time for the entire universe.

Sleeping or waiting

1. You can change the time of day in 2 ways. Sleep is a better option, because in addition to accelerating the passage of time, you can restore the hero's health without using first aid kits or other medications. Additionally, you can accumulate more XP for a while when you are rested. You will always find a bed on board your ship, but you can also freely use those in the bases or cities.
2. The second option is to wait. You can activate it after the hero sits down, for example, on a chair or toilet. Unfortunately, it does not restore health.

1. You can choose for how many hours you want to sleep or wait. It works identically to Bethesda's previous RPGs - you can set the number of hours on the slider. This can be helpful, for example, in those quests that can be started or resumed the next day or at a specific time.
2. Frequent resting or waiting theoretically has no downsides. The exception might be a situation where, for example, you have to regularly pay installments for a purchased house. Your funds may then gradually decrease, because you won't do quests, trade, or exploration.