Starfield director Todd Howard says that the new Bethesda RPG game is “running great” and tells players who are experiencing optimization issues that they “may need to upgrade” their PCs. The best Starfield settings are the ideal way to avoid any performance issues, but Howard says that Bethesda has already optimized the game, and that the studio’s objective is to “push the technology.” It comes the same day as the Starfield Steam launch, as the Skyrim and Fallout successor leaves its early access period and enters global release.
As noted in our Starfield review, this is perhaps Bethesda’s best-looking game to date, absent many of the glitches and bugs that have become the developer’s much-loved signature. However, if you have experienced optimization issues with Starfield, Todd Howard says you may need to get a better PC. Better check those Starfield system requirements beforehand, too.
In an interview with Bloomberg Technology, Howard is presented questions submitted by fans and audience members. “I asked our audience ‘what would you ask Todd?’,” presenter Ed Ludlow explains. “Big question from many, ‘why did you not optimize this game for PC?’”
“We did,” Howard replies. “It’s running great. It is a next-gen PC game. We really do push the technology so you may need to upgrade your PC for this game. But it’s got a lot of great stuff going on in it and the fans are responding awesome [sic].”
Howard also addresses the fact that ground vehicles do not appear in Starfield, meaning players navigate each of the Starfield planets on foot. “Once you do vehicles it does change the gameplay,” Howard says. “Once you land your ship, the fact that you’re on foot lets us really, for the players, make it an experience where we know how fast they’re seeing things.
“In one sense you do have a vehicle – you have your spaceship. But on the surface, you do have a jetpack which you can upgrade, which is super fun and a new experience for us.”
If you want to improve your game’s performance, the best Starfield mods can be extremely helpful. You’ll also need to know where to sell Starfield items and loot, to get yourself the very best prices.
Still looking for more? While a good Starfield wiki can be a handy source of information, our new Starfield Database goes further, offering you daily news, searchable databanks, and even interactive tools.