Starfield Launches on PS5 with a Price Reduction

After months of anticipation and rumors, Bethesda Game Studios is set to launch its 2023 sci-fi RPG, Starfield, on PlayStation 5. The PS5 version is scheduled for release on April 7, coinciding with what Bethesda describes as “the biggest update to the game since launch.”

The PS5 edition of Starfield will leverage the unique features of the console, including support for the DualSense controller’s light bar, adaptive triggers, and touchpad. For those with PlayStation 5 Pro consoles, Starfield will offer two graphics modes: Pro Performance Mode, which focuses on achieving a higher frame rate, and Pro Visual Mode.

Starfield’s arrival on PS5 marks a significant change for Bethesda, which became a first-party Xbox studio in 2021. In a 2020 interview, prior to Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda, the then head of Xbox indicated that the company didn’t need to release The Elder Scrolls 6 on PlayStation to justify its investment, implying that Bethesda’s future titles would be Xbox exclusives. Starfield’s initial release and the upcoming 2024 launch of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle reinforced this notion, although the possibility of Starfield coming to PS5 was not entirely dismissed in a 2025 interview.

The standard edition of Starfield for PS5 will retail for $49.99, aligning with the pricing for the Xbox Series X and Windows PC versions. A Premium Edition will also be available in both digital and physical formats.

On April 7, Bethesda will roll out two significant content updates for Starfield: a new story DLC expansion titled Terran Armada and a free major update called Free Lanes. More details about these additions can be found in our preview of the update.

Starfield debuted in September 2023 to generally favorable reviews, holding a top critic average score of 85 on review aggregation platforms. However, our take was more critical, noting that “Bethesda’s ambition has exceeded its craft” in our review.

“There is so much to do and so many people to meet across the cosmos, on new worlds to which humans have escaped after fleeing a blighted Earth,” remarked a reviewer. “For all of this vastness, though, Starfield often feels sterile, and it buries its best moments beneath so much tedium.”