Starfield was released on PS5 on April 7, more than two years after it arrived on Xbox and PC, but not everything has gone to plan. Within just a few days of release, players have started reporting serious performance problems, with many now demanding refunds due to the game’s instability. Bethesda has issued a statement saying it is “aware of” crashes.

Complaints have been piling up quickly, as players are reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and major save-related issues. In some cases, users say the game crashes every few minutes, making it nearly impossible to explore planets or complete missions. Others claim they can’t even load their saves anymore, which makes the experience completely “unplayable”.

Performance problems for Starfield on PS5

What’s more concerning is that these issues are not limited to a specific console. Reports suggest that both the base PS5 and the PlayStation 5 Pro are affected, meaning this isn’t just a hardware problem. Players have tried reinstalling the game, deleting save data, and switching between performance modes, but none of these solutions seem to work consistently.

Because of the ongoing problems, many players have turned to PlayStation Support to request refunds. Some users have reportedly been successful, while others are still waiting for a response or have had their requests denied.

At the moment, Bethesda has not provided a clear explanation as to why there are major issues, but has “narrowed them down to a small number of causes” and is aiming to release a hotfix this week. The game is still available on the PlayStation Store and hasn’t been pulled, unlike some past problematic launches.

It’s a different story on Xbox and PC

Over on Xbox, True Achievements reports that the player count has jumped “nearly 200%” following the release of new DLC. This includes the free “Free Lanes” update, along with the Terran Armada paid DLC. According to the publication’s weekly top 40 Xbox games chart (April 6 – April 12), Starfield jumped up to 18th place (up from #52) with a 197% player counter increase for Xbox consoles and Xbox PC, including Game Pass players.

Starfield also had a massive spike on Steam, according to SteamDB, hitting a peak of over 30,000 concurrent players – a massive contrast to the ~5K numbers in the past few months.

For now, if you’re planning to jump into Starfield on PS5, it might be a good idea to wait for a patch. The game has a lot to offer, but the current performance issues are making it hard for many players to enjoy it. If you do decide to try it, make sure you’re prepared to face issues.

About the Author

Abdul Haddi

Abdul is a tech writer and Editor for PC Guide, specializing in all things tech, gaming, and hardware.