Starfield settings

Whether it’s cranking up the graphical settings or tweaking the controls, here’s a guide to all the Starfield settings and configurations.

With Bethesda’s latest universe promising to be bigger than anything before it, tweaking the Starfield settings will be crucial to getting the most out of your gaming rig. Whether you’re using a controller or mouse and keyboard, we’ve rounded up all the settings we expect to see in the startup menu.

As we get closer to the Starfield release we’ll update this guide with more details as they become available, so be sure to check the Starfield system requirements or secure your copy through a pre order.

Starfield graphics settings

Starfield runs on the Creation Engine 2, so we can draw expectations on Starfield graphical options from Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 which both utilized the previous engine. The Creation Engine 2 will bring a number of overhauls and improvements, but fundamentally builds upon the original Creation Engine.

The first and most likely settings we’ll see will be in a Starfield launcher window. Unlike most traditional games where all the options are accessible in the game’s main menu, Fallout 4 used a pre-launch window which allowed you to set your graphics settings anywhere between ‘Low’ and ‘Ultra’. In this window, you could also set your screen resolution before launching the game.

Thus, whether you pre order Starfield through Steam or subscribe to the Xbox Game Pass, PC users will likely need to adjust their graphics settings in this first window.

Starfield options

Once you’ve selected your graphical options and launched the game, you’ll be presented with a main menu where you can start a new campaign, continue from where you left off, or load an older save. It’s also on this main menu we’ll likely see the return of the Creation Club tab and ‘Add-Ons’ – Bethesda’s historical term for DLC.

The tab you’ll want to become familiar with first is the ‘Settings’ option.

If Starfield is to resemble the Fallout options menu, you’ll be presented with four options: gameplay, controls, display, and audio.

Bear in mind that the display option in the main menu is not the same as the one in the pre-launch window for Fallout. You cannot change the resolution or overall graphical settings (low to ultra) via the main menu, and Starfield will likely follow the same example.

However, you can change individual options such as Actor, Item, Object and other ‘Fades’, which will determine how far you can see before entities disappear from view. You’ll also find options for subtitles and HUD customization options here, which Starfield is more than likely to bring back.

Starfield gameplay settings

Starfield will almost certainly have a difficulty slider, but it has yet to be revealed if Starfield will have a ‘Survival’ mode. Bethesda have included difficulty options in every Elder Scrolls and Fallout game they’ve released (with the exception of online multiplayer games like Fallout 76).

As it’s a bit of a standard by gaming settings, you’ll probably be able to adjust how sensitive your mouse/joystick sensitivity is when looking around, whether the Y axis is inverted or not, or enabling a controller and vibration for said controller.

One final option we might see in this menu is the ability to link a physical device to your Starfield game. The Fallout 4 collector’s edition launched with a functional Pip-Boy (a computer bracelet of sorts) which you could connect to your game, and use to select items in your inventory. It is uncertain if the Starfield collector’s edition will come with a LPV6 Chronomark watch, but should Starfield get a similar option for their watch, we’ll likely see the ability to turn it on under the ‘Gameplay’ tab.

Starfield controls

If you’re playing on a mouse and keyboard, you might want to rebind various keys to suit your playstyle. For example, if the inventory is bound to the ‘I’ key by default, you might find it more accessible bound to the ‘Q’ key if you’re using ‘WASD’ for movement. This will enable you to pull up your inventory just a bit quicker to administer healing or swap your weapons.

If you’re on a controller, you might still find some utility in the controls menu, but you are a bit more limited. With fewer buttons to map, you might just want to tweak a few options if you find a particular combination of button presses to be more common than others. For example, in Fallout, to sneak you had to click the left joystick, and press ‘B’ to open the Pip-Boy on an Xbox controller. If you’re going for a stealth build, you might find it convenient to switch them around.

Starfield audio settings

With the Starfield music set to be epic, you might sometimes find yourself unable to hear various sound effects or dialogue over other background noises. Thus, you can use the Starfield audio settings tab to balance individual sources such as voices, effects, or music. Generally, you’ll want the voices to be higher than other settings, just so you don’t miss anything.

In general, Bethesda’s history of settings has remained largely unchanged from title to title, but we’re hopeful to see more Starfield settings and options in the upcoming Starfield showcase ahead of the official release.