Can PlayStation 5 Really Save Starfield?

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Since its announcement, Starfield has faced a constant struggle to meet expectations. A difficult launch, flawed gameplay, and disappointing DLC have led to a lot of criticism. Like Cyberpunk 2077 before it, Starfield desperately needs a comeback, and rumors suggest it might finally get one with a planned release on the PlayStation 5.

Okay, so everyone’s talking about how Starfield could potentially become something amazing, but let’s be real – Bethesda hasn’t actually promised any big updates like a ‘2.0’ patch. Still, as a fan, I really want to believe it can be turned around and become a classic like Skyrim, Fallout 3, or Morrowind. But honestly, I’m skeptical. I don’t think even a PS5 release or a major update will be enough to truly fix the game, make it a must-play experience, or get Bethesda back to the level of respect they had after Skyrim.

Starfield’s 2.0 Update Won’t Fix Bad Game Design

I’ve been pretty vocal about the problems with Starfield since its release, and I want to be upfront about that. This isn’t because I dislike Bethesda – I grew up playing games like Morrowind, Oblivion, Fallout 3, and Skyrim, and I consider them some of the best and most immersive role-playing games ever created. I also genuinely enjoy open-world space games, even those that create planets using procedural generation, as my continued love for No Man’s Sky demonstrates.

My strong dislike for Starfield comes from how incredibly boring I found exploring its many planets. They all felt empty and repetitive, with the same kinds of locations over and over. The constant loading screens were also a major annoyance, and the story itself was dull and poorly paced, likely because of the game’s reliance on automatically generated content. Ultimately, Starfield suffers from many of the same design problems that have troubled Bethesda games for years.

With modern, detailed open-world RPGs like Kingdom Come: Deliverance, we now recognize that frustrating issues aren’t endearing quirks – they’re genuinely annoying. To put it plainly, I don’t believe the rumored Starfield 2.0 update will fix this game’s core problems. The issues are too fundamental; adding more locations or speeding up loading times won’t be enough to save it from being incredibly boring.

CD Projekt Red managed to fix Cyberpunk 2077 with updates because, fundamentally, it was a fun game held back by technical problems and some missing features. No Man’s Sky followed a similar path – the core idea was strong, and updates filled in the gaps. However, Starfield’s problems go much deeper. It isn’t just lacking content; its basic elements – like how the game world is created, the small size of areas, empty cities, uninteresting quests, confusing menus, and limited character customization – are seriously flawed. These fundamental issues make it unlikely that future updates can truly fix the game.

Starfield’s Poor Reputation Can’t Be Saved By PlayStation

This criticism isn’t just coming from one disappointed fan. While Starfield initially received good review scores, players have consistently expressed their dissatisfaction since its release in 2023. Currently, the game has a Mixed rating on Steam, and its Shattered Space DLC is rated Mostly Negative. Player numbers, as tracked by SteamDB, are lower than those of much older Bethesda titles. Even the modding community, typically very supportive of Bethesda games, has largely given up on Starfield, feeling it’s beyond repair. Numerous articles and videos have also highlighted the game’s problems. Simply put, Starfield hasn’t generated the positive buzz that Bethesda likely expected.

I don’t think a PlayStation release will significantly help Starfield, and it’s different than other Xbox games that found success on PlayStation. Games like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Hi-Fi Rush, and Pentiment were well-received on Xbox and naturally sold more when they became available to PlayStation’s larger audience. However, Starfield has faced a lot of criticism from players on Xbox and PC. While it does have fans, most have been very critical, so there’s not much reason to believe PlayStation owners will be eager to buy it.

Similar to how lowering the price helped other recently criticized RPGs like Avowed, Xbox could encourage PlayStation fans to buy Starfield if they release it on that platform. If the new 2.0 update improves the game’s reputation and boosts its low Steam review scores, that might also convince PlayStation players to try it. However, Starfield has received so much negative feedback that most people likely won’t be interested, even if it’s cheaper, unless they’re really eager to play it.

Bethesda’s Fallout 76 demonstrates that fixing a troubled game is incredibly difficult. While the developers spent almost ten years improving it after a rough start and largely succeeded – even critics would admit it’s much better now – it never fully regained widespread popularity. It maintains a dedicated player base, but hasn’t become a major topic of conversation. Considering this, it’s hard to imagine Starfield achieving the kind of turnaround Fallout 76 couldn’t. Bethesda has missed the window to make the significant changes needed to win back players, and Starfield isn’t worth saving, even if it were released on PlayStation 5.

I’m really wondering if Starfield can turn things around. What do you guys think? Let’s chat about it over on the ComicBook Forum – I’d love to hear your opinions!

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2026-02-17 21:13