Bloody Hell, Starfield Might Actually Be Landing on PS5 Next Month – But Are We Ready For It?
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
The digital tea leaves are bubbling with whispers of Starfield finally landing on PlayStation 5 in April, sparking excitement but also a healthy dose of Jeff's characteristic skepticism given its mixed reception and Bethesda's careful expectation management.
Right, so I've been tinkering with the digital tea leaves this morning, and bloody hell, it looks like Bethesda's colossal space odyssey, Starfield, might finally be prepping for a grand (or perhaps a slightly delayed, slightly less grand) entrance onto PlayStation 5. You know that feeling when you've been waiting for a bus forever, and then three turn up at once? This isn't quite that, but it's certainly got the internet abuzz, and not just with the usual cosmic dust.
Now, before we all start pre-ordering bespoke space suits, let's get down to the nitty-gritty. The whispers are getting seriously loud, thanks to the ever-reliable Billbil-kun over at Dealabs – the digital wizard with a knack for PlayStation leaks that makes me wonder if they've got a direct neural link to Sony's servers. As originally reported by Matt Wales for Eurogamer, citing this very insider, Billbil-kun isn't just hinting; they're dropping specific dates and prices like rare loot. Apparently, April 7th is the big day, with both Standard and Premium Editions popping up for your PS5 pleasure, clocking in at around £44.99/€49.99 and £59.99/€69.99 respectively. No early access, mind you, which is probably a good thing; saves us all from any awkward launch-day glitches before the main event. And if you're itching to slap down some cash, pre-orders are supposedly firing up around March 17th or 18th. Fair dinkum, that's pretty precise, eh?
But let's pause for a moment and put on our gently skeptical spectacles, shall we? Because Starfield's journey so far has been... well, an odyssey, but perhaps not always the thrilling kind. Remember its initial launch back in 2023 on Xbox Series X/S and PC? The hype was astronomical – a new Bethesda IP, finally off-world! But then, the landing was a bit... bumpy for some. Eurogamer's own Chris Tapsell, bless his discerning soul, wasn't exactly launching celebratory fireworks in his review. He talked about its 'near-impossible breadth' but felt there wasn't much to 'bind it together.' It was like being given a universe-sized sandbox but without a proper instruction manual for the really fun bits. A massive accomplishment in scale, no doubt, but sometimes scale alone isn't enough to make a galaxy feel alive, is it?
Since then, Bethesda's been doing a fair bit of tinkering, patching, and polishing. We've had updates, new features, and even a DLC, 'Shattered Space,' last October. The reviews for that were, again, a bit of a mixed bag. It's almost like Bethesda's been trying to re-cast a spell that landed a bit sideways the first time, hoping to nudge it into perfection. This leads us to the persistent rumours of a fabled 'Starfield 2.0' – a massive, game-changing update that would somehow fix everything and turn it into the sprawling, immersive RPG we all dreamt of.
Ah, but this is where the wizard in charge, Todd Howard himself, steps in with a crucial reality check. Speaking on the Kinda Funny podcast, he put a definitive kibosh on the '2.0' moniker. 'It is not Starfield 2.0,' he stated, clearly trying to manage the digital mob. He suggested that if you already loved Starfield, you'd probably love these new updates. But, and this is the kicker, 'if Starfield is something that didn't connect with you right away, or you bounced off it or found it boring in places, I don't think this is going to change that fundamentally.' Right then, fair play for managing expectations, Todd. It's like saying, 'We've added some fantastic new ingredients to this stew, but if you didn't like the broth before, it's probably still not going to be your favourite.' A brutally honest, if slightly deflating, assessment from the master of worlds.
So, what does this PS5 release actually mean? Beyond the obvious fact that PlayStation owners will finally get to experience Bethesda's take on interstellar exploration (for better or worse), it's another fascinating ripple in the increasingly murky waters of console exclusivity. Microsoft's strategy of bringing some of its former Xbox exclusives to other platforms – like Hi-Fi Rush, Grounded, and Sea of Thieves – has been quite the talking point. Is this a sign of the console wars softening? A practical business decision to recoup monumental development costs and expand reach? Or a gentle probe into other realities to see what happens if they try something different? I reckon it's a bit of all three, mate. It's an experiment, and like any good digital wizard, I'm always curious to see the outcome.
For Starfield specifically, it feels like a second bite at the apple. A chance for a new audience to jump in, hopefully with a more polished experience than the initial launch. But it also begs the question: how much has it *really* changed? Will PS5 players be diving into the vision we all hoped for, or will they experience some of those same narrative gaps and traversal woes that left some Xbox and PC players feeling a bit... adrift? The casual irreverence in me wants to say it's like buying a re-release of a spell scroll where they've fixed the typos, but the core incantation is still a bit wonky. But the optimistic side hopes they've genuinely found a way to make those thousands of planets feel a little more connected, a little more meaningful.
Ultimately, the arrival of Starfield on PS5 is a significant moment, not just for Bethesda fans, but for the industry. It’s another step towards a future where perhaps the barriers between gaming platforms become a little less rigid, allowing more players to experience more games. But as always, my friends, approach with cautious optimism and a healthy dose of skepticism. The universe is vast, and so are the promises. Let's see if this landing on PlayStation 5 is a smooth orbital insertion or another crash-landing for our intrepid spacefarers. Either way, it's going to be interesting to watch. And I, for one, will be watching with my finger on the scanner, ready to see what unexpected anomalies pop up.
Tags: Starfield, PS5 Release, Gaming Leaks, Bethesda, Xbox Exclusives
Original article: Eurogamer