As Starfield fans dub PS5 port "unplayable," Bethesda assures it's "narrowed" the problems "down to a small number of causes" and is working to fix the RPG
"We're addressing these in a hotfix we're aiming to release this week"
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It's safe to say that the recent Starfield launch on PS5 hasn't exactly gone well from a performance perspective – but Bethesda Game Studios is quickly working to remedy our reported issues with the port.
The studio reveals as much in a new online post, finally acknowledging all of the circulating reports that Starfield is "unplayable" on PS5 in its current state and complaints regarding crashes, bugs, and more.
"Thanks for sharing your adventures across the Settled Systems this weekend – we've loved reading them," exclaims the studio. "We're aware of some reported PS5 crashing issues and have narrowed them down to a small number of causes."
Bethesda then concludes, "We're addressing these in a hotfix we're aiming to release this week. Thanks for flagging, and we'll keep you posted." Obviously, that doesn't exactly give us a solid patch date to look forward to – but it's good news nonetheless, especially when so many folks are struggling to play the PS5 release.
Heck, just take a look at the Starfield subreddit yourself to see as much. Players are warning others to "beware" of the port.
Thanks for sharing your adventures across the Settled Systems this weekend — we’ve loved reading them! We’re aware of some reported PS5 crashing issues and have narrowed them down to a small number of causes. We’re addressing these in a hotfix we’re aiming to release this week.…April 13, 2026
Comments under Bethesda's post aren't all negative, though. There are plenty of people who apparently aren't having issues with the PS5 version – so it seems those of us who are aren't very lucky.
In fact, some players are even claiming their PS5 port is running better than Starfield did on the Xbox Series X|S. As one pleased fan writes, "I just want to say that my game is running perfectly on my Pro."
He continues, explaining that he's not skimping out on high graphical settings either: "Targeting 60, priority set to enhanced, film grain intensity at full, motion blur and depth of field on, and has been for 40+ hours. That is something I could never say about this game running on my Series X." So, there's that, I guess.
For the majority of us, though, I'd say the PS5 (and Pro, for that matter) launch hasn't gone well.
It's all been a bit too reminiscent of Skyrim on the Switch 2 and how rough its launch was initially – before Bethesda turned it all around, that is. Here's hoping the developer does the same for Starfield on PS5 now. It certainly looks like they will, anyway.
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After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.
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