Bethesda Game Studios announced that Starfield is coming to PlayStation 5 on April 7. The PS5 launch arrives in tandem with Terran Armada and Free Lanes, Starfield’s next major content drops, releasing on all platforms on April 7.
Starfield represents one of Bethesda Game Studios’ most ambitious projects, and since the launch in 2023 the game has continued to grow. New content, game systems, fan‑requested features, a story expansion, quality-of-life updates, and over 1000 community Creations have deeply enriched the universe.
“And Free Lanes is our biggest update yet, with loads of new content, and we’re going to show you both today. That’s not all we’ve been up to. We’re really excited to finally share Starfield is coming to PlayStation 5 on April 7, launching day and date with the Free Lanes update and Terran Armada,” said Tim Lamb, lead creative producer at Bethesda Game Studios, in a press briefing. “Bringing the game to PS 5 is something we’ve been working on for some time, and we’re really excited to welcome a whole new group of players into the seven systems.”
It will be interesting to watch. Despite the big sales, Starfield had a mixed reception. Expectations were high for Bethesda’s first new intellectual property in 25 years. The imagery of the realistic space simulation and sci-fi game was breathtaking. But the procedural planets felt repetitive, the bugs were plentiful, and the Shattered Space DLC received mostly negative reviews in 2024 from players.
The additions coming on April 7 represent the biggest update to the game since launch, marking the most complete version of Starfield for new players to jump in and veteran players to discover what’s new across the Settled Systems.
“One thing you must always remember, the wonders of this universe have no limits,” said Lamb.
Lamb summarized all of the updates the team has done since launching Starfield in September 2023. He said the game has grown “a bit” and “that growth has been shaped by what players have taught us.”
Acknowledging the initial struggles, he said, “Early on, we heard loud and clear the improvements required, things like surface maps, expanded display settings, DLSS and FSR support and quality of life improvements. Update by update, we’ve added much of that, hundreds of fixes, refinements, new features, new gameplay options and new toys to play with.”
He added, “We’ve added new systems, missions, creation, support and vehicles. Each update has been about responding to feedback, making the settled systems a better place for players to direct their story. What we’re showing you here today builds directly on that foundation, the same commitment to listening, improving and delivering features players ask for from big ticket systems to small quality of life.”
He said the team has had a collaborative process with the community, and he’s incredibly grateful for everyone who stuck with Starfield, shared ideas, encouraged the team to continue and grow and refine Starfield.
“All that progress is behind us and with the game in its strongest place since its launch,” he said.
Coming to PlayStation 5
Starting on April 7, Starfield will be available on PlayStation 5, inviting players everywhere to embark on cosmic journeys and explore the universe straight from the couch.
Starfield on PlayStation 5 takes advantage of the console hardware, integrating the lightbar, adaptive triggers, touchpad, and more. On the PlayStation 5 Pro, players can select a Pro Performance Mode to prioritize a higher-target FPS or select Pro Visual Mode.
Bethesda Game Studios aims to make it easier than ever for new players to jump in, while continuing to expand the experience for those already exploring the Settled Systems Starfield’s base edition will be available on all platforms for $50.
Free Lanes update & Terran Armada story DLC
Terran Armada introduces a new questline across the Settled Systems, with new characters, locations, enemies, quests, systems, and rewards.
Players get the chance to shape the future of humanity in space as they combat the incursions of the Terran Armada’s robotic forces in this brand new story DLC.
Free Lanes is a free update that adds significant new features and systems designed to deepen the core Starfield experience for both new and returning players, most significantly opening up interplanetary travel within systems.
With this update, players can use cruise mode to travel from planet to planet within a star system, where they’ll experience frequent encounters and activities and spend some quality time on their ship with their crew.
Additional features coming with the update include:
- New locations – A number of new Encounters, POIs, Dungeons, notable increase in variety for players to discover
- X-Tech – A new resource used to upgrade weapons, ship modules, and more
- Enemy modifiers – New enemy tiers with performance modifiers, such as extra shielding, more frequent attacks, or elemental damage
- Moon Jumper – New land vehicle
- Outpost improvements – Cross-outpost storage & Milliewhale pet
- New crew – Muria and the mini-bot
- Starborn Improvement – Ability to bring a limited number of items through the Unity to a NG+
The Free Lanes update comes free for all players. All existing Premium Edition owners on Xbox and Steam will receive the Terran Armada DLC at no additional cost.
Trackers Alliance
In 2024, the Trackers Alliance was introduced to Starfield to give players even more options to experience the Settled Systems as a bounty hunter. Bethesda Game Studios continues to build on the Trackers Alliance experience with five new Trackers Alliance adventures—all available to play now.
This update expands the bounty hunter experience with new targets, contracts, and rewards. Players who previously purchased the original Trackers Alliance content will receive these new adventures for free. New players can access the complete set for 700 Creations Credits.
Together, these launches mark the next chapter for Starfield, bringing its most complete and refined experience to more players as the universe continues to expand. Stay tuned to social channels for more information on Starfield’s next big update, and for more details on all things Starfield, head to Bethesda.net.
Flying around the demo
Lamb took us on a guided tour. He said the company has taken the same collaborative approach with Free Lanes and Terran Armada.
“It’s been said that Starfield is an irresponsibly large game. Our intent is to always be making a better version of it. We’re not trying to reinvent the game,” Lamb said. “We’re trying to build on what’s there, highlight what’s great, and expand where we can bring more fun. A lot of what you’ll see today comes directly from player feedback, from conversations with the community, and from things we wanted to refine or build on ourselves.”
The goal is to add depth fun and opportunities for players to express themselves, not turn the game into something entirely different. Terran Armada is a smaller story DLC, and Lamb said he is excited for players to experience the new quest line.
In a demo, Lamb showed off a couple of new ship views, showing off parts of the Terran Armada.
Fans also wanted the ability to explore the space in between the planets within a star system, so the team added the ability to cruise.
“So what you can see here is I switch into a different mode. I start traveling at a higher speed around the surface of this planet. There are four discrete levels of speed that happen in cruise mode,” Lamb said. “I’m traveling at the first level, but if I boost I can rapidly go to the highest, fastest speed in cruise mode. So now I’m traveling super fast. Cruise mode wasn’t just about giving players that ability to fly between the planets. We still have to have a system to deliver content where content didn’t previously exist. We want to steer players to these and let them arrive easily. You can also lock in with an autopilot. So as I get closer to this, I’ll arrive, and you can see the transition from cruise mode back to traditional Starfield space. The ship, because I’m locked on, is automatically driving me toward this space encounter.”
He showed how the game loads in the details and you can find something like wreckage on a planet. The team always wans you to land on something interesting.
“Free Lanes isn’t just about getting there and experiencing things that you can find along the way. It’s about living a life on your ship. So as I’m cruising in the Free Lanes, I can get up. I can walk around my ship,” Lamb said. “I can talk to my companions or my crew. I can go in. I can decorate. I can take items from my containers. I can re equip myself. And you can see here, if you look down in the bottom left hand corner, you can see the compass. You can tell how far it is before I arrive at my destination.”
You lock in on the destination via autopilot and then do other things. One of Lamb’s favorite things is actually arriving at a planet.
“If you look out the front, you should be able to soon see the planet coming up. I just love that visual,” he said.
Free Lanes encourages more exploration, and the team has added more resources to find. You can now find something called X tech, which lets you customize your weapons more. Lamb proceeded to show off guns, which can be expanded to magazines with 300 rounds.
There are also new ways to improve and customize spaceships. You can talk to the ship services technician and open up the ship builder. If you get into combat with enemy ships, they can drop a schematic that you can use to add new features like EM pulse shielding and more. When you modify your ship, you can take off into space and get a good look at it.
There are new outposts, recipes you can track, quantum essence and other improvements. You can upgrade your crew and invite characters to become a part of your crew rotation.