Starfield updates and patches
Considering Starfield's size, a slew of Starfield updates and Starfield patches will be released frequently, so we're cataloging all of them.
With every Starfield update you can expect bugfixes, patches, and the accidental creation of new bugs. Fortunately, Bethesda releases regular Starfield updates and patch notes, many of which have resolved outstanding Starfield bugs and glitches that have appeared since the Starfield release date.
We’ve gathered every Starfield patch note into a singular location so you can see what Bethesda has introduced, fixed, and removed over Starfield’s life so you can see what’s changed, and so you can roll your game back should an update introduce additional bugs, or render your carefully curated Starfield mods inoperable. You should always expect a delay of a few days minimum between a Starfield patch, and an updated version of the Starfield SFSE framework, which is essential to many mods.
Found a bug that Bethesda hasn’t fixed yet? Head over to our Starfield forum and see if anyone else has found a fix. Alternatively, check out our curated Starfield mods page to see if the modding community and the highly-recommended Starfield Community Patch has found the solution you need.
Starfield update 1.8.86 patch notes
After a period of beta testing by the Starfield Steam community, Bethesda rolled out the Starfield 1.8.86 update to all PC platforms, and also to all Xbox versions of the game on November 20, 2023. Previously known as the beta 1.8.83 patch, the 1.8.86 patch rolled out NVIDIA hardware support and numerous gameplay features such as the ability to consume food and drink items without having to pick them up first.
In addition to the changes implemented in the beta 1.8.83 patch, the 1.8.86 patch includes:
- Fixed an issue with the HUD and camera stuttering, which was initially introduced as a bug in the beta 1.8.83 patch.
- [PC] Addressed additional visual issues related to the new DLSS support introduced in the beta 1.8.83 patch.
Starfield beta update 1.8.83 patch notes
November 8, 2023, saw the release of the Starfield beta patch 1.8.83, and which initially launched as an optional Steam beta branch of the game. Owners of Starfield on Xbox and other PC platforms such as Microsoft are unable to access the latest updates until “later in the month” according to the Starfield DLSS announcement.
This patch chiefly introduced native DLSS support for Nvidia hardware owners, and added the ability to eat Starfield food without picking it up first.
Full 1.8.83 patch notes:
Performance and stability improvements
- Addressed a number of memory related issues and leaks.
- [PC Only] Added some GPU performance optimizations, which will be more impactful on higher end cards.
- [PC Only] Improved renderer threading model, improving CPU usage most notably on higher end systems.
- Various stability and performance improvements.
Gameplay
- Added the ability to eat food placed in the environemnt without requiring the player to pick up the food and open the player inventory.
- Adjusted stealth to be a bit more forgiving.
- Fixed an issue where Andreja’s head would stay permanently cloaked.
- Fixed an issue that could prevent players from firing their weapons.
- Fixed issues where some NPC could be seen not wearing clothes.
- Fixed an issue where already in-progress skill challenges could stop progressing after reaching the Unity and starting a new game.
- Fixed an issue that could temporarily prevent opening the inventory or saving after entering the Unity.
- [PC Only] Fixed an issue where mouse movement could be choppy.
- Fixed a rare issue that could cause the home ship to be lost.
- Fixed an issue where the ship services technician might be missing.
Graphics
- Addressed an issue with how ambient occlusion appeared in ultrawide resolutions.
- Optimized initial shader compilation that occurs on start-up.
- Added the ability to adjust Brightness and Contrast in the Display Settings menu.
- [Xbox and Windows 11] Added the ability to adjust HDR Brightness provided that the system supports it.
- Addressed a number of materials that could sometimes present an unintended pattern under certain conditions.
- Fixed various visual issues related to the new FOV slider options.
- Improved the appearance of the eyes on crowd characters.
- Addressed a number of minor visual issues related to lighting, shadows, terrain, and vegetation.
Quests
- All that Money Can Buy: Fixed a rare issue where players couldn’t sit during the negotiation with Musgrove.
- Blast Zone: Fixed an issue where the hard rocks that need to be cleared out by players will not appear on Ngodup Tate’s land.
- Echoes of the Past: Fixed an issue where the Grylloba Queen could sometimes not be reachable during the objective “Secure the Shuttle Bay”.
- Eye of the Storm: Fixed an issue where players’ quest progression could potentially be blocked due to a missing docking prompt.
- Grunt Work: Addressed an issue where progress could appear blocked if “Supra Et Ultra” was completed while returning to the Lodge during “High Price to Pay”.
- No Sudden Moves: Fixed an issue the that could prevent the entrance door to the Scow ship from being opened again.
- Operation Starseed: Fixed an issue where the key that is needed to exit the facility could sometimes not be present.
- Sabotage: Fixed an issue where David Barron could potentially not be found by players.
- Short Sighted: Fixed an issue where players could rarely become control-locked while speaking with Vladimir.
- Heart of Mars: Fixed an issue where players might not be able to mine the “The Heart of Mars”.
Unfortunately, it has been reported since the release of the 1.8.83 beta patch that HUD issues and stuttering are widespread, particularly while flying your Starfield ship. However, as this is a beta branch of the game, it is likely that Bethesda is working to correct these issues in preparation for the wider rollout of the patch to Xbox and non-Steam versions of the game.
Starfield update 1.7.36 patch notes
On October 9, 2023, Bethesda released the Starfield patch 1.7.36 which released official FOV sliders that previously only existed through Starfield mods. This patch also addressed gameplay and performance stability issues for PC users with Intel Arc GPUs.
In addition, this patch fixed an issue with the Echoes of the Past mission where tunneling creatures could spawn or dig themselves to a location the player could not access, thereby soft-locking progression in the quest.
Starfield update 1.7.33 patch notes
On September 25, 2023, Bethesda released Starfield patch 1.7.33 which addressed a number of performance and stability issues, as well as a few general gameplay issues.
This patch fixed a number of character location inconsistencies, fixed an issue with space stations becoming a player-owned ship, and fixed the infinite item puddle glitch.
In addition, this patch:
- Fixed an issue with the scanner that caused performance issues.
- Rolled out fixes to address numerous incidents of crashing and freezing.
- Fixed disappearing display items on mannequins aboard your Starfield ship.
- Fixed an issue with the storage containers and weapon racks aboard the Razorleaf ship. Containers should no longer disappear when commandeering another ship.
Starfield update 1.7.29 patch notes
Released on September 13, 2023, Starfield patch 1.7.29 was a relatively small hotfix for three Starfield mission bugs:
- Fixed an issue with the All that Money Can Buy mission that resulted in a quest soft-lock.
- Fixed an issue with the Into the Unknown mission that resulted in a quest soft-lock.
- Fixed an issue with the Shadows in Neon mission that resulted in a quest soft-lock.
In addition, the 1.7.29 patch improved stability for Starfield Xbox Series X|S players, and rolled out “various stability and performance improvements to reduce crashes and improve framerate” for all other players.
Starfield day one patch
Bethesda released Starfield on September 1, 2023, into Early Access alongside the Starfield day one patch: 1.7.23.0.
The day one patch aimed to generally improve game performance, deploy numerous bug fixes for visual glitches, gameplay issues, and quest blockers (actions performed by the player which would inadvertently soft-lock a specific Starfield mission).
Fortunately, Starfield launched as arguably one of the smoothest Bethesda experiences at launch, at least on the bugs side. Microsoft put a considerable amount of resources into Starfield, with even an AMD partnership helping with optimization.
When is the next Starfield update?
Starfield patches have no strict schedule for release, but the updates that have been released thus far have included a number of hotfixes for quest-related bugs, fan-requested features, and hardware stability issues. It’s highly likely that we’ll see one or two patches every month prior to the release of Starfield DLC, where additional updates may be required.
Once we have a full list of patch notes and a potential Starfield roadmap for improvements and bug fixing, we will be back to update this guide.
Starfield Intel patch
Bethesda has been beaten to the punch by Intel, after Intel put out its first Starfield patch, with the technology giant introducing new software following the Early Access launch to optimize the epic space RPG. PC users noted issues with Starfield running on DirectX 12 or Intel Arc series technology, so Intel has stepped in with a software patch to solve issues such as loading times, screen flicker, and application crashes. You can check out the update on the official Intel site if you’re using the developer’s hardware to play Starfield.
To plan your deep space escapades, check out our guides to the Starfield map, Starfield factions, Starfield character creation, Starfield ships, and Starfield aliens. Or, if you’re interested in what locations await, check out our pieces on the Starfield cities and Starfield planets.
