Starfield is gearing up to arrive on the PS5. It debuted in 2023, following a heartbreaking delay announcement in 2022. It garnered a favorable critical reception but is a commercial hit for Xbox/Bethesda. It even had a peak concurrent player count of over 200k on Steam around its launch.
Negotiations in the Stars
Even before the Bethesda purchase went through, SIE was negotiating exclusivity for BGS’s new IP. However, PlayStation ended up with timed exclusive deals for both Ghostwire: Tokyo and Deathloop instead. And all of this was before Project Latitude was even a glint in Satya’s eyes.
At the time, Xbox was still pursuing exclusives to sell its consoles. Reports released from the FTC trials stated that Xbox came in and shelved the PS5 version of Starfield and Redfall in order to make those titles exclusive. Phil (CEO of Microsoft Gaming) famously stated that the Bethesda purchase was about offering exclusives to Game Pass and the Xbox ecosystem.
Starfield to PS5
What is the answer to the question ‘Is Starfield coming to PS5?’ Jez Corden of Windows Central and XB2 fame drops an insight for us. In the latest episode of XB2, around the 45-minute mark, while answering a viewer’s question about whether there is any new Starfield information. Jez says:
“they’re (Bethesda) not done with Starfield. And there is more content, DLC, Expansion and a Ps5 version on the way”
So the short answer is the game will most definitely come to PS5. However, a better question here would be when it is coming out, and will the PS5 port coincide with a major update or expansion?
Xbox’s Ports are all Over the Place
Xbox’s release cadence for ports is all over the place: some being just 3-4 months (Indiana Jones), while others have multi-year gaps (Forza Horizon 5). There are even some titles lingering that still have not graced the PlayStation platform, such as both the Ori games
Whenever Starfield is released on PS5, it will launch as a definitive edition of the game, including changes and a new expansion that addresses some of the gripes players have. And of course, the updates and expansion will launch on Xbox.
As for a timeline? I guess sometime within the next 12-16 months, we will know what Bethesda’s plans are regarding Starfield. Another thing that piques my curiosity is a potential Nintendo Switch 2 SKU.
Will you be picking up Starfield when it releases on PlayStation? Or is it too late for BGS’ Sci Fi epic to have its No Man’s Sky comeback moment? Write your thoughts below!
