Starfield is a confirmed first-day release Xbox Game Pass game, which means subscribers will have access to it starting on launch day just by having Xbox Game Pass.
Microsoft first teased Starfield at E3 2018, then kept quiet about it until it dropped the new trailer and exact release date at E3 2021.
So, while Bethesda nailed down a release date early, fans still have quite the wait ahead of them.
Microsoft has been redoubling its efforts to promote Xbox Game Pass over the last year and a half after the announcement and release of the Xbox Series X|S.