Summary

  • Starfield's recent May update brought a much-needed 60 FPS mode, maps for cities and planets, and updated survival mechanics, impressing fans.
  • The update has helped Starfield climb the charts, with a 72% boost in player count on Xbox alone, cracking the top 20 in TrueAchievements' list.
  • With more updates on the way including land vehicles and the Shattered Space DLC, Starfield's player count is expected to continue rising.

It seems Starfield's recent May update is having a tremendous effect on the game's player count. Despite bringing new elements to the Bethesda RPG table, like its intricate shipbuilding system and hundreds of explorable planets, Starfield isn't considered nearly as initially successful as past Bethesda behemoths like The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim or Fallout 4. In the months following its launch, Starfield has seen its player base drop dramatically despite the game maintaining a solid community of PC modders and shipbuilders.

Starfield's recent 1.11.36 May update is arguably the best thing that's happened to the game since its September launch. The massive patch finally brought a much needed 60 FPS mode to the game, a major missing feature that caused a lot of turmoil within the Xbox and Bethesda RPG community leading up to launch. With Starfield being Xbox's biggest game in years and Bethesda Game Studios' first new IP in 25 years, many console fans were let down by Starfield's 30 FPS. Other major features like maps for the game's many cities and planets, updated survival mechanics, and an interior decoration mode for shipbuilders drew high praise to Starfield for the first time since its release.

It seems all these improvements are helping boost Starfield' s numbers back up. TrueAchivements reports that Starfield has climbed back up its weekly top 40 gameplay chart, cracking the top 20 and marking a 72% boost in playercount on Xbox alone. In the past week, Bethesda's space faring RPG has leapfrogged massive titles like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Red Dead Redemption 2, MLB The Show 24, and Madden NFL 24. This jump can undoubtedly be attributed to Starfield's May update being so well received among the Xbox and Bethesda communities, especially its 60 FPS upgrade, which many gamers have been holding out for.

Starfield Climbs To Number 20 On TrueAchievements' Top 40 Chart

  1. Fortnite
  2. Call of Duty
  3. Minecraft
  4. Fallout 4
  5. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege
  6. EA Sports FC 24
  7. Roblox
  8. Grand Theft Auto 5
  9. Destiny 2
  10. Rocket League
  11. Diablo 4
  12. Fallout 76
  13. Apex Legends
  14. Overwatch 2
  15. Forza Horizon 5
  16. Little Kitty, Big City
  17. NBA 2K24
  18. Halo Infinite
  19. Sea of Thieves
  20. Starfield
  21. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
  22. Madden NFL 24
  23. MLB The Show 24
  24. Halo: The Master Chief Collection
  25. Red Dead Redemption 2
  26. Elden Ring
  27. PUBG: Battlegrounds
  28. Dead by Daylight
  29. Forza Motorsport
  30. Immortals of Aveum
  31. FIFA 23
  32. Battlefield 2042
  33. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
  34. Another Crab's Treasure
  35. NHL 24
  36. Fall Guys
  37. Fallout: New Vegas
  38. Microsoft Solitaire Collection
  39. For Honor
  40. ARK: Survival Evolved

Since the TrueAchievements top 40 list only accounts for Xbox users, Starfield's big boost may be even bigger with its PC playerbase factored in. Still, Starfield's ceiling could be even higher, with game director Todd Howard confirming land vehicles are in the works; a viable solution to players' valid complaints about having to traverse massive swaths of planet terrain on foot. Additionally, Starfield fans are awaiting the game's mysterious Shatterred Space DLC, which is set to come this Fall. Seeing how much an update has impacted Starfield's player count, it's possible Shattered Space may have an even more dramatic effect on the game's numbers.

With Xbox's June 9 showcase on the horizon, Starfield fans should surely expect to learn more about Shattered Space and its release date there. Perhaps the contents of Starfield's next big update will be detailed as well. It'll be interesting to see whether Starfield will keep climbing the charts in the following weeks, and whether more info potentially being revealed about Shattered Space would help boost it even higher over the summer.

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Starfield
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10 /10
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Released
September 6, 2023
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WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
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Starfield is the first new universe in 25 years from Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. In this next generation role-playing game set amongst the stars, create any character you want and explore with unparalleled freedom as you embark on an epic journey to answer humanity’s greatest mystery.
The year is 2330. Humanity has ventured beyond our solar system, settling new planets, and living as a spacefaring people. From humble beginnings as a space miner, you will join Constellation – the last group of space explorers seeking rare artifacts throughout the galaxy – and navigate the vast expanse of the Settled Systems in Bethesda Game Studios’ biggest and most ambitious game.

Developer(s)
Bethesda
Publisher(s)
Bethesda
Genre(s)
Action, RPG