Over two years later, Starfield finally arrives on the PlayStation 5

Starfield finally arrives on the PlayStation this April, after two years of Xbox and PC exclusivity.

When it first came out, I was less than enthused about Bethesda's long-awaited IP, which broke out of their decades-long alternating run between Elder Scrolls and Fallout.

The result was a vast, but painfully empty world, with lackluster missions and a forgettable story. On the PC, it struggled with a myriad of performance issues, which Bethesda initially tried to handwave away, only to spend months fixing them post-release.

Despite these issues, fans still insist there is a lot to love in Starfield, and they're not entirely incorrect. For all its faults, it is an atmospheric and, at times, compelling space opera. Now, Bethesda hopes that two new updates – which they carefully maintain are not true expansions – will bring loyal gamers back to the fold.

What are the new Starfield additions?

The PlayStation 5 version takes advantage of the PS5 and PS5 Pro hardware, including the adaptive triggers, touchpad, and integration with the controller's lightbar. On the PS5 Pro, players can choose between a high-target FPS and Pro Visual Mode, though it's unclear what that target is.

Other quality-of-life improvements include the new cruise system (Free Lanes), which finally makes space exploration more dynamic, as opposed to the static and lifeless menu screen of previous versions. Now, the experience feels much closer to the initial promise of an unexplored final frontier. On the road, players can trigger random events, which you can explore or ignore at your pleasure.

Based on the hands-off presentation at the digital event, it at least looks like Starfield is finally moving away from the clunky loading screens. Not entirely, but at least noticably.

Planet-side, there are new Points of Interest to explore, which require scanning of the planet's surface, though Bethesda did not say how many of them there are, and whether or not they're handcrafted or procedurally generated.

There are also new vehicles, including the moon jumper, which allows players to explore locations faster than before.

Speaking to the press, Bethesda's Lead Creative Producer Tim Lamb stressed that while the PS5 launch includes all the work and quality-of-life updates put into the game over the past two years, the onboarding process has stayed the same. If you've played Starfield before, the experience won't differ on the new platform.

In fact, Bethesda emphasizes that this is not 'Starfield 2.0.' Says Lamb: "We’ve incrementally improved a lot of systems and added substantial content, and I think this is the best version of Starfield, but '2.0' isn’t really how I’d describe it."

What is Terran Armada?

Terran Armada is a story update to Starfield, which features an invasion force of robots and new ship modules with a NASA-tactical aesthetic. It is designed to work alongside the Free Lanes update and weave into the main story organically.

In the story, the Terran Armada is a human military force backed by advanced robot technology. The update includes new enemy legendary effects to ensure players can experience entirely new encounters even if they're familiar with the game.

Are there end-game updates?

The biggest endgame update is the new Quantum Entanglement Device, which allows players to transport their favorite gear past the Unity and into their next playthrough as the Starborn.

The QED starts with a capacity of 50 items, though players can increase this by using the X-Tech resource up to 200. According to Bethesda, not all items can be transported through the Unity, though it remains unclear which are and are not allowed.

Outposts have seen tweaks as well, including a new shared inventory, which has been a community request for ages. There's also a new pet called Milliewhale, who lives at the base, but sadly can't join you on the ship at present.

Is this the last Starfield update?

According to Lamb, it is not, though he wouldn't elaborate on the future just yet.

"We plan to support Starfield for years, and we do have long-term plans, but I don’t have anything to announce right now. We’re still actively working on Starfield, and there’s more lore and more ideas we want us to pursue," Lamb says.

As for those playing on the PlayStation, I'd say Starfield's long-awaited transition is exciting enough to warrant some interest. I'll have a review incoming hopefully closer to the release date. It'll be my first time back to this world since its launch in 2023, and I'm interested to see how time has treated Bethesda's big swing.

Starfield arrives on the PlayStation 5 on April 7th. The Free Lanes update is available for PC and Xbox now.