Bethesda Game Studios pushed a hotfix for Starfield on PS5 Pro this week, promising to resolve crashing when using Enhanced settings. Players installed it, booted up the game, and promptly watched it crash again.
What the patch was supposed to do
On April 16, Bethesda posted on X confirming it was "pushing live a quick hotfix for Starfield players on PlayStation 5 Pro that resolves crashing when using Enhanced settings." The studio also confirmed that a separate hotfix for base PS5 crashes and freezes is "targeting next week," and thanked players who contacted support.
The context here matters. Since Starfield launched on PS5, players have been flooding forums calling the port "unplayable," reporting refund requests to Sony, and watching Bethesda promise it had narrowed the problems "down to a small number of causes." This hotfix was supposed to be the first real proof of that progress.
What actually happened after the update
It did not go well.
The top comment on Bethesda's announcement post reads: "Your hotfix broke the base PS5 version... Can't say I'm surprised, just disappointed again." That sums up the mood pretty accurately. PS5 Pro players who updated immediately reported fresh crashes, with one noting the game crashed within 10 minutes of launching post-patch, and another saying it now crashes every single time on startup.
The specific Enhanced settings crash that the hotfix claimed to address? Still happening, according to multiple players. One person put it plainly: "Patch did absolutely nothing. Two minutes after starting the game it crashed again."
Over on the Starfield subreddit, the situation looks just as rough. Players with PS5 Pro units report crashes in both Enhanced and Performance modes, meaning neither option is currently reliable. The base PS5 crowd, already waiting on their own fix, are now watching PS5 Pro owners get a patch that appears to have introduced new problems on top of the old ones.
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Base PS5 owners are not covered by this hotfix. Bethesda says a separate patch targeting crashes and freezes on standard PS5 hardware is planned for next week.
A rough start for the PS5 port
The key here is that this is not a minor stumble. Starfield's PS5 launch was already drawing comparisons to some of the messiest port launches in recent memory. Analysts have noted that PS5 sales for the game are "not fantastic for a port of the biggest Bethesda RPG in a decade," and with a hotfix that players say made things worse rather than better, the optics are not improving.
For players who were holding out hope that Bethesda would stabilize the port quickly, this week is a tough one. The studio's communication has been consistent, at least, with regular updates about what it's working on. But consistent communication and actually fixing the crashes are two very different things, and right now only one of those is happening.
Bethesda has not issued a follow-up statement addressing reports that the PS5 Pro hotfix failed to resolve the Enhanced settings crashes it specifically targeted. For the latest on what's being patched and when, browse our latest gaming news for updates as Bethesda works toward the base PS5 fix next week.
Base PS5 owners waiting on that second patch will want to keep an eye on Bethesda's official channels. Given how the first hotfix landed, you'll want to check player reports before updating rather than jumping on it the moment it goes live. For broader coverage of what's working and what isn't across platforms, check out our latest reviews to see how Starfield stacks up right now.
