Recent reports have alleged that Starfield, Bethesda’s 2023 science-fiction RPG, will be coming to the PlayStation 5 in 2026. This shouldn’t exactly be surprising, since big Xbox exclusive ports to the PS5 have become increasingly common in recent years, even allowing notable first-party franchises like Forza Horizon to make the jump. But to be frank, there’s a lot more riding on Starfield than something like Forza or Sea of Thieves.
Starfield was not the success that Bethesda and Xbox wanted it to be. It certainly has its fans and its fair share of positive reviews, but it failed to reach the cultural and critical heights of Bethesda’s previous works, many of which were released quite some time ago. This dearth of modern, heavy-hitting Bethesda projects is significant, since notable new releases and IP are the lifeblood of any major game studio—FromSoftware would not be half as respected as it currently is if its last successful game were Bloodborne, for example. With Starfield‘s reputation being far more tepid than anticipated, it makes sense for Bethesda to push ahead with new content to try to right the ship, but the developer shouldn’t celebrate prematurely.
Starfield’s Potential New Expansion and PS5 Port May Not Be Enough
Bethesda Is Reportedly Releasing a New Starfield DLC Alongside Its PS5 Version
First reported by MP1st, Starfield will apparently be coming to PS5 in Spring 2026, joined by the game’s next major DLC. Assuming this is true (which isn’t too great a stretch, given MP1st’s strong track record with this sort of thing), 2026 could be a rather significant year for Starfield, as it would be coming to more players just as it’s getting fleshed out with more, hopefully better, content. The port and new expansion will also reportedly be accompanied by various “quality of life” features.
This confluence of factors should sound familiar to gamers clued into the AAA RPG scene: it seems like Bethesda is trying to pull a Cyberpunk 2077 2.0, overwhelming audiences with content and news in a ceremonious fashion. In doing so, perhaps Bethesda hopes to revive its game’s reputation, like CD Projekt Red did with Cyberpunk. Indeed, a host of new features, a rock-solid or even great expansion, and a monumental PlayStation port could “save” Starfield in theory, but in practice, things will probably be quite different; Starfield is no Cyberpunk 2077.
Bethesda Is Betting Big on Starfield, but It’ll Probably Lose
Lumping Starfield‘s next DLC and PS5 port together could lead to a strong double-whammy, giving millions of new players on PS5 the definitive version of Starfield to play, and therefore giving it a chance to make a second first impression. One shouldn’t totally rule out this possibility, of course—Starfield‘s next DLC really could alter the course of its reputation—but it seems somewhat unlikely. By the time that this PS5 port and new expansion allegedly launch in 2026, Starfield will be coming off the back of almost three years of lukewarm-to-negative publicity, which doesn’t exactly inject its rebirth with a lot of fanfare.
Perhaps it’s because of games like Cyberpunk 2077, No Man’s Sky, and even Bethesda’s own Fallout 76, that Starfield‘s creator thinks righting the ship is possible by 2026. Bringing the game to PS5 while polishing it up with new content will be a great treat for existing fans, and PlayStation owners holding out for a port, but anyone disillusioned with the game probably won’t have their minds changed by even a well-received DLC and port.
Starfield
10/10
- Released
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September 6, 2023
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs, Strong Language, Violence
- Engine
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proprietary engine
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