Starfield has been one of the most divisive titles in Bethesda’s history. While the game hit record highs in terms of its player counts at launch, it seems that not everyone is having the time of their life with Bethesda’s first IP in the last 25 years.
Starfield posted impressive numbers during its launch a month ago. According to Phil Spencer, the space RPG beat the concurrent player count of Skyrim, with over a million concurrent players trying out the game on all platforms. On the outside, it seems that many are enjoying the game, but the player reviews paint a much different story.
Starfield, which many claimed would be a generational title similar to Skyrim, currently holds a 70% positive rating on Steam. The game launched with an 88% positive rating but has since slowly declined over the course of a month. It’s the worst-rated game by Bethesda on Steam, with a lower score than Fallout 76’s 71.76% user rating. In comparison, Skyrim has a 93.88 positive rating on Steam while No Man’s Sky, a game most often compared to Starfield, scored 78.2%.
The Steam ratings for Starfield offer a clear picture of the game’s reception. Gamers on Steam pay the full $70 price for the title in the hopes that it will be as good as advertised. Players on Xbox Game Pass only pay a fraction of that amount for the monthly subscription and the early access bundle.
It seems, at least on Steam, that Starfield has not reached the expectations of fans. While there are numerous factors contributing to the low review scores, one significant issue with Starfield is the persistence of bugs. Bethesda has been known for releasing buggy titles in the past and Starfield is no exception.
During the launch, a lot of players complained about the performance and Bethesda’s choice to only support AMD’s FSR upscaling technology. There have also been issues with players on Intel ARC GPUs being unable to play the game. The lack of a FOV slider, in-game map, and land vehicles are just some of the complaints players have with the game.
Other players complained about the invisible wall within the playable area and Starfield having too much procedural content and loading screens that break immersion. Gamers have also noted the lackluster space combat, planetary exploration, and NPC AI as some of the things that the game needs to improve on.
Bethesda has since addressed some of the issues and promised to add DLSS support and quality-of-life improvements in future titles. The most recent update for Starfield adds a FOV slider to the game.
The Steam review scores strongly indicate that Starfield has fallen short in the eyes of players paying for a full-priced game. It will be interesting to see if Bethesda would release large-scale updates for the game that will improve its overall standing. The studio already has plans for a DLC and the review scores on Steam may improve if more things are added to the game in the future. Ultimately, Starfield’s longevity will depend on the kind of support that Bethesda will provide down the road.
