Starfield fans who want to play the game at a pleasant frame rate will need to step up to the PC version, as Game Director Todd Howard has now confirmed that the Xbox Series X|S versions of his space-faring RPG are locked to 30 FPS. According to Howard, this decision was made in order to ensure that performance was consistent, and also to push the game’s fidelity and “all that stuff.” That said, Starfield can be played at 4K resolution on the Xbox Series X, while it can be played at 1440p on the Xbox Series S.
“I think it’ll come as no surprise, given our previous games, what we go for,” Howard said. “Always these huge, open worlds, fully dynamic, hyper detail where anything can happen. And we do want to do that. It’s 4K in the X. It’s 1440 on the S. We do lock it at 30, because we want that fidelity, we want all that stuff. We don’t want to sacrifice any of it.”
“Fortunately in this one, we’ve got it running great. It’s often running way above that. Sometimes it’s 60. But on the consoles, we do lock it because we prefer the consistency, where you’re not even thinking about it.”
“And we don’t ever want to sacrifice that experience that makes our games feel really, really special. So it feels great. We’re really happy with how it feels even in the heat of battle. And we need that headroom because in our games, really anything can happen.”
From an IGN report:
Speaking to IGN in a new interview ahead of the Xbox and Starfield showcases, Howard said Starfield runs in 4K resolution on the Xbox Series X and 1440p on the Xbox Series S, but has locked Starfield at 30fps on console to ensure “consistency” of performance.
Clear confirmation of Starfield’s performance comes three months ahead of the game’s September 6 release date. Microsoft was heavily criticised for showing its previous exclusive, Redfall, running at 60fps ahead of launch then, less than a month before the game came out, announcing Arkane’s co-op vampire shooter Redfall would arrive locked at 30fps on Xbox Series X and S, with a 60fps performance mode to be patched in later.
There are over 1000 planets out there, just waiting for you to visit. 🪐 #Starfield pic.twitter.com/nvpYGoUCtI
— Bethesda Game Studios (@BethesdaStudios) June 11, 2023