Bethesda has officially confirmed that Starfield is coming to PlayStation 5 on April 7, more than two and a half years after its original launch on Xbox Series X|S and PC in September 2023. The announcement puts an end to months of rumors and leaks, and comes loaded with news: the PS5 launch arrives alongside the biggest free update in the game’s history, a brand-new paid story DLC, and full PS5 Pro support with two dedicated modes. It’s a lot to unpack.
The Standard Edition of Starfield on PS5 is priced at $49.99 and includes the base game plus all updates released to date. The Premium Edition goes for $69.99 and bundles the base game with the Terran Armada DLC, the previously released Shattered Space DLC, 1,000 Creation Credits, the Constellation Skin Pack, a digital artbook, and the digital soundtrack.
A Premium Edition Upgrade is also available for existing owners at $24.99. Bethesda also confirmed that the Xbox and PC versions of the game will receive a price reduction to match the PS5 launch price.
PS5 and PS5 Pro: Two modes, full DualSense integration
The PS5 version of Starfield takes full advantage of the DualSense controller. Adaptive triggers change response depending on the weapon equipped, including starship loadouts during space combat. The lightbar tracks the player character’s health and ship integrity in real time.
The touchpad allows instant switching between first- and third-person perspective, and also provides quick access to the map and the hand scanner. Audio logs and non-local ship communications play directly through the DualSense speaker, adding an extra layer of immersion during space flight.
On PS5 Pro, players get two additional display modes on top of the standard options. Pro Visual Mode runs the game at 4K resolution and 30 frames per second, while Pro Performance Mode delivers improved visuals at 60 frames per second. Bethesda did not show the PS5 Pro version during press previews, so further technical details are expected closer to launch.
The PS5 version ships as the most complete edition of Starfield ever released. Since its 2023 launch, the game has received over a dozen patches with thousands of fixes, performance improvements, quality-of-life updates, and new content including the REV-8 land vehicle and the Shattered Space story expansion. Everything carries over into the PS5 version from day one.
Free lanes: The update that changes how the game feels
The Free Lanes update is free for all players across PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, and it fundamentally changes how exploration works in Starfield. The most significant addition is real-time interplanetary travel: players can now freely fly from planet to planet within a star system using cruise mode, encountering events, activities, and points of interest along the way, instead of relying entirely on fast travel menus.
This was one of the most requested features since launch, and its inclusion reshapes the pace and feel of the entire game.
Beyond travel, Free Lanes expands nearly every major system in Starfield. New space encounters have been added and encounter frequency has been increased across the board. A new resource type gives players greater control over gear and ship customization. New options allow players to upgrade Starborn abilities and carry favorite equipment into New Game+ runs.
Bethesda also reworked the procedural generation system for planetary surface content, adjusting the seeding ratio and cooldown timers to increase variety among dungeons, POIs, and encounters across all planets, a direct response to one of the most consistent criticisms the game received at launch.
Free Lanes also adds a new land vehicle called the Moon Jumper, a hover car with enormous boost capacity designed for open-area exploration, exclusive to a specific POI and fully customizable. Two new crew members join the roster as well: Muria, a fan-favorite NPC now recruitable near Gal Bank in New Atlantis, and Model G, a small robot found in The Well during the Terran Armada DLC, which can be repaired, assigned to ships, and configured with swappable personality modes and paint colors.
Terran Armada: A new threat across the entire galaxy
Unlike Shattered Space, which was confined to a single location, Terran Armada sends players across the entire Settled Systems. The expansion introduces the titular faction, a rogue human military force augmented with advanced robot technology, whose key gameplay mechanic involves deploying gravity dampeners that block grav drive jumps within a radius, forcing players to physically fly to incursion sites via Free Lanes to shut down the jamming technology. The two systems are designed to work together, and that interlocking design is one of the most interesting things about this release.
Lead Creative Producer Timothy Lamb described Terran Armada as a smaller, story-focused expansion compared to Shattered Space, featuring new characters, locations, quests, enemy types including multiple robot variants and ranked lieutenants, and a new enemy weapon called the MGP (multi-gun platform).
The expansion also introduces the Asteroid Player Home, a hollowed-out asteroid in space that functions as a prestige purchase for credit-rich players, featuring an atrium with space views, office, guest suites, executive suite, bedroom, game room, gym, and a pool, with two fully decoratable zones.
Terran Armada is priced at $10 when purchased separately and is included at no extra cost for players who own the Premium Edition on any platform. On Xbox and PC, existing Premium Edition owners get the DLC automatically.
Also launching on April 7 is the complete Trackers Alliance bounty arc, available for purchase through the Creations menu. The series includes seven unique, high-value targets with self-contained stories, tough choices, and pursuits spanning the Settled Systems.
When asked about the future of Starfield beyond this update, Lamb confirmed Bethesda has long-term plans for the game and said there is “a lot more in the lore” the team wants to pursue, though no specific announcements were made. The studio has been supporting Starfield since 2023 and has shown no signs of slowing down, with April 7 representing the biggest single day of new content the game has ever seen.
For PlayStation players who have been waiting on the sidelines, the timing is about as good as it gets. This is not a basic port of the 2023 release, it’s an evolved, expanded version of the game arriving with two years of improvements already baked in, PS5 Pro support, full DualSense integration, a free game-changing update, and a new story expansion, all on day one.
Are you finally jumping into Starfield on PS5, or have you already explored the Settled Systems on Xbox or PC? Tell us what you think in the comments!