Bethesda has officially acknowledged the widespread crashing and freezing issues affecting the newly released PlayStation 5 version of Starfield, confirming that a hotfix is expected later this week. The problems began appearing soon after the game’s PS5 launch on April 7, nearly three years after its original release on Xbox and PC.
Although the PlayStation version arrived alongside the Terran Armada DLC and the Free Lanes update, the launch has been overshadowed by serious technical issues, with players across both the base PS5 and PS5 Pro reporting hard freezes, sudden crashes, and even save file corruption.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Bethesda confirmed the technical issues, stating, “Thanks for sharing your adventures across the Settled Systems this weekend — we’ve loved reading them! 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.”
While waiting for the official patch, a few temporary fixes seem to help in some cases. On PS5 Pro, switching the game to 60 FPS Performance Mode has reportedly improved stability for some players. There have also been suggestions to turn off PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), although crashes can still happen and the main issue does not appear to be fully fixed.
Because of the ongoing crashes, some users have also started requesting refunds from the PlayStation Store. While the platform’s cancellation policy usually denies refunds once a game has been downloaded, many players are reportedly receiving them by arguing that the title is “unplayable.” With a hotfix expected later this week, GameObserver will be sure to let you know as soon as it goes live.
