If you picked up Starfield on PS5 this weekend hoping to finally explore the Settled Systems on Sony hardware, there's a decent chance the game crashed before you got very far. Players across Reddit and social media are reporting frequent, hard freezes that have some calling the port unplayable and others already demanding refunds.
A launch weekend that went sideways fast
The reports started piling up almost immediately after release. One Reddit thread on the Starfield subreddit quickly became a collection point for frustrated players, with one user writing, "I'm getting crashes every 2 minutes. Tried everything. Delete saves. Tried performance 30 and 60 fps. Delete the game and redownload it. And it's still happening. Every other game is working fine and I never had any crashes. It's just Starfield."
That post, flagged by Eurogamer, is far from an isolated complaint. Players on both base PS5 and PS5 Pro are hitting the same wall, with crashes appearing more frequently the deeper into a save file you get. One player described it as their worst experience with a Bethesda game since The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on PS3, which is a specific kind of bad.
Destin Legarie, a known gaming personality, posted on X that Starfield on PS5 Pro crashed on him roughly an hour in, even with PSSR disabled (a setting some players suggested might help). It didn't.
What the bugs actually look like
The issues aren't limited to outright crashes. Players are reporting:
- Complete hard freezes requiring a full console restart
- Slowdowns and performance drops mid-session
- Save file corruption concerns, particularly on longer playthroughs
- Crashes persisting even after deleting and redownloading the game
Digital Foundry's technical analysis of the PS5 version flagged a "surprising number of bugs" that it said need to be addressed immediately. That's notable because Digital Foundry tends to be measured in its language. When they say something needs fixing ASAP, it usually does.
The day-one update that shipped with the PS5 version doesn't address the crashes or save issues, leaving players with no immediate workaround.
danger
Bethesda confirmed on X that it has identified the causes behind the PS5 crashes and is targeting a hotfix release this week. No specific date has been given yet.
Three years of waiting, then this
Here's the thing: Starfield launched on Xbox Series X/S and PC back in 2023. PS5 players have been waiting nearly three years for this port. The game actually ran surprisingly well at its original launch for a Bethesda title, which made the PS5 version's rocky debut sting a little more.
The port also arrived alongside a major free update for existing platforms and the new Terran Armada expansion, meaning Bethesda Game Studios has a lot on its plate right now. That context doesn't excuse a broken launch, but it does explain why a hotfix wasn't already in players' hands.
For players who shelled out full price and can't progress without hitting a freeze, the frustration is completely understandable. Several have already contacted Bethesda's support line and submitted tickets. Others are sitting on the game entirely until a fix lands.
Bethesda responds
Bethesda Game Studios addressed the situation on X on April 13, confirming it's aware of the crashes and has "narrowed them down to a small number of causes." The studio said it's working on a hotfix aimed at releasing this week.
The full statement reads: "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. Thanks for flagging, and we'll keep you posted."
It's a faster acknowledgment than some studios offer, and the fact that causes have apparently been identified is a decent sign. Whether the hotfix actually lands this week and resolves the crashes for most players is the real question.
For PS5 players sitting on a fresh copy right now, the safest move is to watch Bethesda's official channels for hotfix confirmation before putting serious hours in. Keep an eye on the latest gaming news for patch notes and community updates as they come through, and check out latest reviews if you're weighing whether to hold off on other recent releases while you wait.
