When I first loaded Starfield on PS5, I was in two minds about returning. Having dropped the Xbox version back in 2023 before even finishing its main story, coming back to a nearly three-year-old game seemed a bit of a weird test. Fast forward through over 80 hours on PS5 Pro, reaching level 40, and the reality is, this isn’t a straight port.
Bethesda have clearly spent the intervening years taking on board a lot of feedback, and there’s no doubt about it, this is a deeper, more polished version of the space RPG. With that said, some of the aspects that annoyed me at launch haven’t entirely gone away. Starfield is bigger, smoother and easier to get into now, but it still has a momentum issue. Is it worth playing on PS5 in 2026? For some, absolutely; for others, its lack of urgency might still prove a sticking point.
A More Complete Version of Starfield
The PS5’s arrival feels less like a brand-new entry and more like the definitive edition. The original title was already massive, packed with 120 star systems and 1000+ planets full of faction quests, side stories, ship customisation, planet surface exploration and outpost building. What’s changed has made it far easier to lose myself in these systems now than back in 2023-there’s still tons to do, and there’s plenty of flexibility in how you tackle the game, but you can still get completely overwhelmed by the sheer volume of content at hand.
Free Lanes Finally Makes Space Travel Feel like Travel
The least enjoyable part of the original Starfield was that traveling through space felt like traveling between menu screens; a series of cutscenes and loading screens tacked onto the experience. Free Lanes looks to fix this with manual inter-system travel, cruise mode and more interesting ship encounters; and there’s no denying, it makes a massive difference. After 80+ hours exploring the galaxy, I actually feel like traveling through space is part of the game-not just the bits between menus. However, its improvements have their limitations: the basics of free lanes remain the same and can feel like extra steps rather than a fundamentally new way to move around the galaxy.
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Exploration Feels Far More Enjoyable Now
I’ve noticed the biggest improvement with the exploration mechanics. I felt more engaged with planets now they feel so much more dynamic and easier to traverse. There were many instances where the isolation and scale of a planet felt almost perfect, mostly whenever I forgot about the main mission and simply explored for the sake of it. That sense of freedom, where the game doesn’t force you down the correct path constantly, is where Starfield shines, although it does mean that you must create your own narrative push.
Plenty of Things To Do
There’s certainly no shortage of things to do-faction quests, side quests, exploration, crafting, ship building, outposts and the newly added Terran Armada content all give veteran and returning players more than enough to sink their teeth into. Within hours of landing in my first major city, my mission log was already overflowing with tasks that I struggled to decide where I wanted to start, and although this is certainly a problem of quantity rather than quality when it comes to content, it’s a testament to how deep Starfield is as a space RPG. However, there’s often little in the game that ties these separate quests into one cohesive narrative, and it often feels like you’re doing loads without accomplishing much.
Pacing Remains the Biggest Issue
Over 80 hours and pacing is still my biggest gripe. I’ve easily spent hours upon hours playing in-game and felt like I’d accomplished little in that time because everything that makes up the Starfield experience feels more like a choose-your-own-adventure than a forced linear progression. For some, this open-ended playstyle may be ideal, but there are exceptions to this general rule, mainly when a mission requires that little bit more effort or has that little bit more substance behind it like the side quests ‘Entangled’ or ‘High Price to Pay’ and more mainline story missions like ‘Entangled’ and ‘High Price to Pay’ but these moments are few and far between to truly fix the game’s pacing.
Performance has Improved, Though Bugs Remain
On the PS5 Pro, I found the game far more polished and stable than its launch. Performance mode allows for buttery smooth frame rates, especially if you’re playing on a 4K, 120Hz VRR compatible television, and the overall visual experience is undeniably good. However, you still encounter Bethesda’s familiar technical hiccups; freezes occurred when exiting or entering the game, suits had weird audio bugs and the occasional graphical glitch popped up. I also experienced issues where my character would be on fire without actually possessing the fire status effect. Most are resolved by quitting out and reloading, but that quickly breaks immersion and takes you out of the action.
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Customisation Adds More Personality
X-Tech is the addition I enjoyed the most among all of the new and improved mechanics present in Starfield. It truly lets you customize weapons, spacesuits and ships more deeply than before; the stats on these items go beyond simple numbers, offering more flexibility in playstyles. This really makes combat and exploration feel much more personal as a result. Outposts have become more flexible, offering a more relaxed, slow playstyle that can satisfy those who like to invest time in building up their resources slowly. They don’t feel truly integrated with the rest of the experience yet, but it’s satisfying to slowly grow what feels like an independent civilization.
Creations Allows for Even More Possibilities
Creations allow further customization through both Bethesda’s own content and creations from the community. There’s some excellent quality in there, but you have to approach with caution as there’s a lot you can download for free that could instantly rewrite what makes Starfield so good. Ideally you should first try to experience Starfield closer to how it was when it first launched before diving into creations which adds a unique dynamic for your New Game Plus experience. Creations are also the latest endeavor Bethesda have set in motion to allow for modders to be able to make a living from creating content for Starfield, with content accessible via Verified Creator Program.
Small details make the PS5 version enjoyable
The things I enjoyed most were actually the small improvements; on PlayStation you can play the various in-game audio logs and comms through the controller. It’s not a completely revolutionary idea but it adds a sense of personality to the voice acting and the moment itself. Combined with improved traversal, combat and customisation options there’s definitely a sense that this version of the game has taken the time to properly mature.
Is Starfield Worth Playing on PS5 in 2026?
After 80+ hours, I think the answer very much depends on what you want to experience from an RPG. Those who love massive, open-ended worlds to explore, with plenty of optional content and a focus on customization and player-driven narratives, will find a huge amount to enjoy here. It’s deeper, more flexible and better polished than the game I initially left behind and if those are the things that will define your experience of any RPG, Starfield is absolutely worth picking up. If you demand a tightly paced story that constantly nudges you towards your next objective, you may find the old frustrations are still here.
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Conclusion
Starfield on PS5 is undeniably the best and most complete Starfield experience and by no stretch of the imagination the version that I first wrote off. After over 80+ hours it was the exploratory aspects, character and settlement customization, increased depth in the system and overwhelming freedom that had me enthralled.
Starfield, however, still falls into one pitfall; I rarely have a reason to advance. This is truly a colossal RPG that is driven more by wonder and patience rather than a sense of urgency and, for some, this is ultimately what makes it unique, for others it will still feel like a large space RPG where a critical aspect of an adventure is overlooked. For me this is Starfield at its absolute peak, even if you can’t actually reach the destination.
