Starfield offers plenty of ways to travel the Settled Systems. If you’d rather savor a more realistic, unhurried flight instead of fast-traveling, the cruise mode introduced in the April 2026 “Free Lanes” update is exactly what you need.
How to unlock cruise mode
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Cruise mode isn’t available from the moment you start a new game—you won’t see the option the first time you take the helm of the Frontier after talking to Barrett.
Access is granted only after you finish the prologue. Complete every objective in “One Small Step,” join Constellation, and leave New Atlantis. The next time you board your ship, cruise mode will be ready and waiting.
Cruise mode is designed for deeper immersion in space travel. While in flight, activate it by pressing:
LB on Xbox
L1 on PlayStation
T on PC
Once engaged, adjust your speed by moving the left stick up or down on a controller, or use W and S on keyboard. Hit the left stick or hold Shift for a boost of afterburner.
Feeling relaxed? Enable autopilot: look toward your destination, lock it, then press:
RB on Xbox
R1 on PlayStation
Space on PC
Best of all, while in cruise mode you can leave the pilot’s chair and move freely around the ship while the journey continues.
When you’re close to your target, exit cruise mode with the same button you used to enter it, then land or dock as usual.
